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Speaker Cables


xpat

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I just upgraded my old speaker cables (Audioquest F14) to Audioquest Type 4.   I bought the Type 4s because I like to move my speakers around and didn't have a sufficient length of the F14 to meet my needs.  I didn't expect to hear a difference in sound, but was very pleasantly surprised.   My AR9s are punching out more bass,  high end details (cymbals etc.), and sound smoother.  I always thought cables were in the realm of someone selling you snake oil.  I guess your never to old to learn something new.  Will probably use the F14s on the front home theater speakers and get rid of the zip cord.

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On 9/12/2019 at 2:37 PM, xpat said:

I just upgraded my old speaker cables (Audioquest F14) to Audioquest Type 4.   I bought the Type 4s because I like to move my speakers around and didn't have a sufficient length of the F14 to meet my needs.  I didn't expect to hear a difference in sound, but was very pleasantly surprised.   My AR9s are punching out more bass,  high end details (cymbals etc.), and sound smoother.  I always thought cables were in the realm of someone selling you snake oil.  I guess your never to old to learn something new.  Will probably use the F14s on the front home theater speakers and get rid of the zip cord.

xpat, I admire your set of balls bringing up this topic on this forum.   Question: When you upgraded to the Type 4, did you first try the speakers in the same location or did you move them further into the room/away from the walls etc?   Sometimes just moving the speakers a bit can make a noticeable difference.

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I'm a EE guy so speaker wire (given proper gauge) shouldn't make a difference.

On the AR9's it does; on mine I am using MIT Magnum speaker cable it seems just right.

The 9's definitely benefit from bi-wire.

Of the other cable I have tried so far; each is different and what cable is best  is only the person who's listening decision.

Understand this is a topic of deep beliefs

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18 hours ago, wsill said:

I'm a EE guy so speaker wire (given proper gauge) shouldn't make a difference.

On the AR9's it does; on mine I am using MIT Magnum speaker cable it seems just right.

The 9's definitely benefit from bi-wire.

Of the other cable I have tried so far; each is different and what cable is best  is only the person who's listening decision.

Understand this is a topic of deep beliefs

I ran my AR9's to Adcom GFA 555 -2 in a bi-wired fashion using 2 pairs of AWG 12 wires and felt the presentation was cleaner than a single pair of 12 AWG to each channel.  When bi-wiring one should enjoy the benefit of reducing the overall resistance while not as much as paralleling 2 pairs of wires to each channel(reduction by 50%, in the latter case). Since I don't have the speakers nor the amplifier anymore, I could not test bi-wiring vs simple doubling the wiring for each channel. Perhaps people who bi-wire their speakers can try this comparison and share the results to the readers? 

 

George 

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With my 90's, I started with zip code.  Next, Monster Cable.  Finally, Kimber Kable.  Each upgrade was noticeable, but I wasn't prepared for the differences the Kimber Kable 8TC made.  More open, with a wider soundstage and more palpable midrange.  But, the improvement in bass surprised me.  Deeper, tighter, and more dynamic.  It sounded like I'd added a sub, than just swapping speaker wire.

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AR Surround

Sorry for not replying sooner. 

First and foremost,   I totally agree with you that moving the speakers can sometimes make a difference (sometimes a huge difference).  In answer to your question, when I switched to the Type 4 cable, I tried to put the speakers back exactly where they were before the change.   I've had these speakers since the 80's and probably have moved them in every conceivable space given the limitations of the room.  Since the day I bought the  AR9s, they always sounded somewhat sharp and forward in the midrange which would get tiresome after long listening sessions.  In fact, the AR9s  were not my "go to" speaker for classical music - instead I used my AR5s.  (The sharpness may be due to a mismatch with my amp - an Adcom GFA 555 II.  Amp sound is another topic for discussion).   With the new cables, the sharpness was toned down considerably and the speakers sound much better. 

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9 hours ago, xpat said:

AR Surround

Sorry for not replying sooner. 

First and foremost,   I totally agree with you that moving the speakers can sometimes make a difference (sometimes a huge difference).  In answer to your question, when I switched to the Type 4 cable, I tried to put the speakers back exactly where they were before the change.   I've had these speakers since the 80's and probably have moved them in every conceivable space given the limitations of the room.  Since the day I bought the  AR9s, they always sounded somewhat sharp and forward in the midrange which would get tiresome after long listening sessions.  In fact, the AR9s  were not my "go to" speaker for classical music - instead I used my AR5s.  (The sharpness may be due to a mismatch with my amp - an Adcom GFA 555 II.  Amp sound is another topic for discussion).   With the new cables, the sharpness was toned down considerably and the speakers sound much better. 

I'm very happy with my AR9's since they've been recapped (Poly caps except the UMR which are Mundorf E-Caps + F&F bypass caps across all caps) and I went to fancy cables that were gifted to me.   But the thing that made the greatest improvement was moving the speakers away from the walls and toeing them in a bit towards the sweet spot.   That works for me in my room and listening location but it may not work for others.  

Since the "digital age" I have never liked the AR9 or 90 with the UMR controls set at 0 dB.  I prefer -3dB on the 9s and -6dB on the 90s.  Even with the UMR attenuated, I still use a bit of EQ when playing classical music through these speakers.

Regarding the AR5's for classical music, I had a pair of them as well as AR3a's.   My preference for classical music was always these classic AR speakers, but they are bit reticent for my taste when it comes to jazz/pop/rock.   I've never heard the AR LST, and I speculate that it excels with all genres because of the multiple tweeters/midranges.

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AR Surround,

Your most recent comment is relevant to my listening situation as well.  More specifically:

1)  I have always set the UMR controls to -3db on the AR9s.  Unfortunately, I don't have an EQ to tone down bright recordings even further.

2)  Now that I have new longer cables, I moved the speakers out from the rear wall 4.5 feet.  They are 1 foot from the sidewalls with no toe in.  Your correct, moving the speakers made a great improvement in the sound.  

3)  Also agree the AR5's are great speakers for classical music.  In my opinion, the timbre of the instruments can't be beat.  And yes, when I put on rock, I like more sizzle and almost always use the AR9s (or Sound Dynamics 300 TI's).  I've never been fortunate enough to hear a pair of AR3a speakers nor the AR LST.  Maybe someday my luck will change. 

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On 9/21/2019 at 11:19 AM, AR surround said:

...I've never heard the AR LST, and I speculate that it excels with all genres because of the multiple tweeters/midranges.

 

8 hours ago, xpat said:

...I've never been fortunate enough to hear a pair of AR3a speakers nor the AR LST.  Maybe someday my luck will change. 

Maybe we can have a CSP convention at @frankmarsi house to hear his double stacked LST's.  People probably would not want to leave and it would be like Woodstock with traffic jams up and down the street.  LOL  (Just joking Frank.)

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Men! I think this could be a fun time to be had by all.

We'd just have to make plan and,  I would need adequate time to set up the house to accommodate such an event.

I'd be very happy to have you fellas over and a handful of others of course. I would venture a guess it would be more than one day of listening bliss so, plan accordingly.  There are enough decent restaurants in the area so we'd be enjoying that aspect of meeting each other also. 

Let it be known: This is a vinyl exclusive home,  as my system is analog and analog only.

Anyone carrying or attempting to smuggle in CD's would have to leave them at the door.  Or be sent out for 're-grooving'.

Can you dig it?

FM

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