Cables? What Brand/Model do you use?

It's hard to believe Western Electric has so much NOS wire.

A friend of mine read the Western Electric was really good, he ordered some bulk to make some power cables, they way outperformed his Signal. So he now has pretty much all Western Electric cabling, DIY, accept areas he couldn't make like USB, Ethernet, etc.
 
The Western Electric cables are outstanding. Must be the formulation, obviously. But they seemed to be in their stride back in the day.
 
Well , before i started to consider what brad i was going for i have 3 that came to my mind.
Ansuz
AudioQuest
NordOst
And then i started to figure out if there was dealers near me that would let me try them out in my own system for free.
Then it quickly was down to NordOst , and have had most of there line up to V2 on loan , Power cables - Interconnect - Speaker cables
And right now i am Using Frey 2 for power cables with an QB 4 distribution box.
Next up will be speaker cables ( Frey 2 )and hopefully V2 at a later stage as they where a revelation.
Also did try Interconnect but don't think there is much gain there so they will be the last upgrade.

Had also tried their Ethernet cables , but was mixed on what they did , so for know i just upgraded from AudioQuest Cinnamon to Vodka.
 
All JPS Labs here. Aluminata XLR interconnects, SC3 BiWire speaker cables, Kaptovator on the amps. Curious Cable regen link USB. Furutech DIY on the rest.
 
Mr Peabody said:
It's hard to believe Western Electric has so much NOS wire.

A friend of mine read the Western Electric was really good, he ordered some bulk to make some power cables, they way outperformed his Signal. So he now has pretty much all Western Electric cabling, DIY, accept areas he couldn't make like USB, Ethernet, etc.
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NOS from 1950s era manufacture has been bought-up a while ago and is now is pretty much non-existent. What there is available online from this vintage is mostly salvage (careful if buying as there have been reports of counterfeit WE wire coming from China).

There is still some stock around that a prior incarnation of the re-established Western Electric had manufactured to the exact same specs as the original WE KS-13385 Audio Transmission Wire. This is great wire and, arguably, better than the original given modern manufacturing precision.
 
joeinid said:
The Western Electric cables are outstanding. Must be the formulation, obviously. But they seemed to be in their stride back in the day.
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The magic is in the tinned-copper!

In the early 1900s wire manufacturers began tin-plating copper wire to protect it from oxidation. So, the benefits in audio applications were, perhaps, a happy accident. (If interested, there is a little more history here: https://alp-tone.com/sn-cu-conductors.html)

Also, others swear by PVC as a dielectric versus PTFE/Teflon.
 
I've been running Thales interconnect and speaker cables for the past several years. For the money, they have a transparency that I've yet to beat with more expensive cables. All power cables are Waveform Fidelity. They were a significant benefit to my system, providing more "oomph" to the music, dynamics and response time. My digital cable is from Stealth cables, and is a good match to the rest of the loom.

The upgrade of cables to my present loom presented a significant improvement to my system. I'll continue to audition cables in the future, and will not hesitate to upgrade if the improvement is clear and right from my ears. System sound and clarity are a personal choice.
 
alp-tone said:
The magic is in the tinned-copper!

In the early 1900s wire manufacturers began tin-plating copper wire to protect it from oxidation. So, the benefits in audio applications were, perhaps, a happy accident. (If interested, there is a little more history here: https://alp-tone.com/sn-cu-conductors.html)

Also, others swear by PVC as a dielectric versus PTFE/Teflon.
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I understand that the Duelund uses the same technique: tin-plated copper.
 
Is any one using Duelund 12g wire for speaker cables? I am thinking about giving it a try. I was wondering how they sound.
 
jadedavid said:
See my post #30 of this thread.
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I saw that you commented on the Duelund IC's but not speaker cables. I can pick up the 12g speaker wire for about $20 per meter. I need about 4 meters for each speaker due to placement of my electronics.
 
Yes, I noted both IC's and SC's in the post and in our test the results for either were the same.
Your results may vary.
If you have a more detailed or lively speaker that you wish to somewhat tame then these may work for you.
 
I think this has turned out to be, and is proving to be, a very fruitful discussion. :)

Thank you everyone and please keep it going if you want to add anything.
 
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- WyWires Platinum ICs
- Cardas Clear Beyond phono
- AQ Vodka Ethernet everywhere
- Inakustik LS Reference 4004 AIR for speakers
- Shunyata Alpha HC, Digital, NR, WyWires Platinum power


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I've always been a believer in a cable loom or system. Especially in keeping the interconnects and speaker cables from the same manufacturer and possible the same line and or cable type( eg. all cooper etc) Maybe its the OCD in me but, all the best sounding systems I've ever heard always used this approach; regardless of the brand of speaker cable/interconnect.

To that end, I've used Audioquest cooper based in the past with great success (speaker+interconnect) Always felt that the DBS system gave such a low noise floor and smooth clean sound.

But, when I wanted more resolution the only option in AQ was to move up to their Silver cables Fire Interconnects and Redwood Speaker cables.

Even if I purchased them one at time ; the total end cost was more than wanted to spend.

MIT EVO One replaced them and surpassed expectations I had about "network" cables. Simply put, as a whole system MIT interconnects and speaker cables simply surpassed the AQ I had (Earth and Oak).

And at less of a cost than AQ silver cables.

I can't imagine what the higher end MIT Oracle cables are like.

For power, I've always used and trusted Shunyata Research and felt no need to try or compare anything else. Started with Venom and moved up to the Alpha line on all components with their Zi-Tron technology.

This combo MIT Speaker Cables/Interconnects+Shunyata Power cables has been a winner for me in terms of synergy and gotten me off the cable merry go round in this hobby.

Although I'm sure there are many fine alternatives; I'm happy with these products in my system.
 
mdp632 said:
I've always been a believer in a cable loom or system. Especially in keeping the interconnects and speaker cables from the same manufacturer and possible the same line and or cable type( eg. all cooper etc) Maybe its the OCD in me but, all the best sounding systems I've ever heard always used this approach; regardless of the brand of speaker cable/interconnect.
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That's what I have with my interconnects and speaker cables, all ZenWave Audio (silver/gold alloy).

To that end, I've used Audioquest cooper based in the past with great success (speaker+interconnect) Always felt that the DBS system gave such a low noise floor and smooth clean sound.

But, when I wanted more resolution the only option in AQ was to move up to their Silver cables Fire Interconnects and Redwood Speaker cables.

Even if I purchased them one at time ; the total end cost was more than wanted to spend.

MIT EVO One replaced them and surpassed expectations I had about "network" cables. Simply put, as a whole system MIT interconnects and speaker cables simply surpassed the AQ I had (Earth and Oak).

And at less of a cost than AQ silver cables.
Click to expand...

I get the high resolution from ZenWave, at a much more reasonable cost than what in most cases you would have to pay elsewhere for that.
 
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