quick speaker cable review...

[mr cat]

Ok chaps - quick speaker cable review…no battles please..

I swapped my DNM reson (single version) for a set of Supra Rondo 4x2.5 (configured as a 2 - 4 from amp to speakers). The Rondo were 2nd hand but I trimmed them down slightly and put banana plugs on them…

The verdict so far?

Well, the supra is a much fuller, bassier sound (with a touch of boom at times…) with no harshness etc at all… the RNM had a much leaner, cleaner sound which perhaps suited my speakers slightly more? As I know Greg had some issues with his Dalis…but not sure what cable he used…

I didn't play the music that loud - but when my lady went to bed she had commented how she heard / felt the music (even tho she had the tv on…) which is a first..!

The cd's I played were -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tokyo-Marco...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1265362792&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Memoryhouse...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1265362833&sr=1-1

I've left the cdp on repeat today to see how it pans out…

 

[vincula]

Hi Mr. Cat,

Nice to know you're enjoying the Supra cables. I'll write a quick review of your DNM's once they make it home to me !

Regards,

Vincula

 

[RobHolt]

Well, the supra is a much fuller, bassier sound (with a touch of boom at timesââ'¬Â¦) with no harshness etc at allââ'¬Â¦ the RNM had a much leaner, cleaner sound which perhaps suited my speakers slightly more? As I know Greg had some issues with his Dalisââ'¬Â¦but not sure what cable he usedââ'¬Â¦

Would you like to know why?

 

[Soloist]

Yes

 

[mr cat]

yes too...

tho, I left the cdp on repeat whilst I was at work and I'm listening to eva cassidy and it sounds fine...tho, there isn't the bass that was on the cds I played last night...will give em' a spin later!

 

[RobHolt]

Well, and I'm going to choose my words carefully so as to avoid starting a battle but Supra is excellent quality cable containing plenty of copper and nicely balanced electrical characteristics.
DNM as a speaker cable is not fit for purpose if you exceed more than a metre or two in length.

I can't help noticing that your description of the sound fits the visuals of the cables and that is quite a common finding, ie thin cables sound light and lacking bass while fatter ones sound warmer with more bass. You need to factor that into any sighted listening tests - nobody is immune.

 

[mr cat]

no, that's fine Rob...

but of course - depending on how I get on over the coming days (musical tastes and volumes etc) will depend on what cables I decide on... I wanted to try some 'chunkier' cables as I'd only heard the reson with my newish speakers...

 

[Ozexpat]

Were the cables 'toasted'. If not allow for a run-in period before making judgements.

 

[felix]

Rob's right, and the basic reason is quite simple:

Here's a very simple electro-mechanical model of a single (bass) driver in a box:

Here's the response you get as you increase the cable resistance feeding it (this assumes the amp is 'perfect', ie zero output impedance!)

-the numbers on the left are total output Z (amp +cable resistance)

While we could argue over the precise shape of these curves depending on exact speaker type, the underlying trend is totally undeniable: thin, resistive cables both emphasise the speakers' bass 'tuning' and reduce the absolute amount of bass energy you get - look at the way it falls-off between the peak and everything above c.500hz (midrange) False emphasis on 'rhythm' , anyone..?

Further note that valve amps often have an output Z of 1-5ohms which, when used with smallish speakers, definitely interacts like this to result in the same perception of 'great bass' ...! In fact - it' s all just uneven/over-emphasised bass.

BTW, many Class-D amps do this intrinsically, too... due to the required LC output filter.

As far as cables go, the answer is easy: keep their total resistance below 5% of the nominal impedance of the speakers. IOW - use thicker cables for longer runs. No magic involved!

 

[RobHolt]

Just to add to Martin's point, it is quite common today for a nominally 4 ohm bass driver to be partnered with 6 or 8 ohm tweeter in order to boost perceived sensitivity. Of course there is no free lunch and more current is drawn at LF for this apparent greater sensitivity.
However, this makes the effect shown above even more interesting as it distorts the balance even further.

The whole thing can get quite complex even for a simple 2-way speaker once you look at the driver characteristics, crossover and cabinet loading effects.
Sometimes you can achieve quite a good subjective match by playing with amplifier output impedance and/or cable loop resistance.
I was recently discussing why old Tannoy DCs seem to work better with valve amplifiers or early SS designs like the Quad 303.
I think part of the answer can be found by looking at the amplifiers used at the time of the design, which would be 1950s.
Clamp those drivers to many modern amplifiers with <0.05 ohms output impedance with thick cables and they aren't likely to perform quite as originally intended.
Ditto the classic Lowthers which really do come alive when you introduce some 'slack' into the loop.