Author Topic: The discerning audiophile's choice of proper speaker wire. ($35,000 for 2.5m)  (Read 39090 times)

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Offline Electro Detective

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I am buying a Tesla and driving my signals across the living room.

Great plan  :clap:

Just kit it out with the latest weaponry in case of another Audiophool Zombie Apocalypse  :scared:

 

Offline bd139

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Oh, and if we are going to work out the most expensive wire, then may I present:

https://highend-electronics.com/products/audio-magic-ultimate-beeswax-shd-fuse?variant=2513608638493

$225 for 20mm of wire.

So, 2.5M of it would be a bargain at only $28,125 but that fails to account for bi-wiring which takes us to $56,250.

And then we need to think about multi-strand, so, let's assume a paltry 36 strands per cable:

36 x $28125 = $1,012,500

Oh, but there's two of them, a snip at $2,025,000.

Per speaker.

$4,050,000

What

The

Fuck

?!?!?!

Last time I actually had a hifi setup, my speaker cables were snipped off a drum of three core mains cable with the earth snipped off. Sounded great! Then again I don't have Ferengi ears.

Edit: I'm going to make a web site and try and sell some magic shit like this. I reckon I can sell dry spaghetti as a cable improvement to someone. Stay tuned.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2018, 10:27:29 am by bd139 »
 
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Offline Synthtech

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Having worked in recording studios for a large part of my adult life I have to say the obvious - if the studios that the album was recorded, mixed and mastered in use ordinary industry standard cabling then why not use the same grade cabling when you play the record at home?

 

Offline bd139

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I have actually asked that to someone who was a not too rich "high end audio" fanatic and he couldn't provide an answer.

He was also the sort of person who thought copying CDs had a serious quality degradation like taping a CD does.

Then again he was a law student and I was an EE student.
 

Offline RobK_NL

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Seriously, that Absolute Sound article sounds more like MasterBate to me.

And then ther's this gem:
Quote
by 2001 he noted that some of the most successful cable companies with extremely powerful marketing campaigns failed to employ even the most basic principles of signal transmission, with many making hyperbolic technological claims that to this day go unchallenged, much less substantiated. Because of his love of music and his growing dissatisfaction with a good number of cable companies he saw as being less than completely honest about their designs
:-DD
Tell us what problem you want to solve, not what solution you're having problems with
 

Offline MrMobodies

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Oh, and if we are going to work out the most expensive wire, then may I present:

https://highend-electronics.com/products/audio-magic-ultimate-beeswax-shd-fuse?variant=2513608638493


One of the most expensive fuses.

I wanted to find out what was in them.

I found some discussions about it at Audigoon:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/synergestic-black-fuse-vs-audio-magic-beeswax

Quote
perfectpathtech223
07-02-2017 5:21pm
I installed12 of the Audio Magic SHD fuses in our system, I spoke with Jerry at length before trying one. They are very labor intensive to make, he told me sometimes has to make 2-3 to get 1 right. I don't care for the price either, however they deliver the goods big time.

Are they really hand made?
I find that hard to believe.


Audio Magics Premier Bees Wax Super Fuse
https://www.audio-magic.com/audio-fuses.html
Quote
Nano-Liquid Premium Fuses
We are known for having the quietest, best-sounding fuses on the market today. When it comes to stopping noise, our innovative designs use a variety of tricks no one else does. We stop the elements from vibrating at 50-60Hz because this causes a lot of noise. This is accomplished by injecting the fuse with a proprietary liquid anti-vibration material that stops vibration in its tracks. Our Black Out mixture is also injected and neutralizes both internal and external EMI and RF waves.


I found this:
http://www.audio-horizons.com/index.html
Quote
In the three and a half years Audio Horizons has been in existence, it has developed among its customers an enthusiasm rarely matched in audio circles, as the over 900 posts on the Audiogon Discussion Forum attest (See "Audio Horizons TP 2.0").

Obviously Joseph Chow of Audio Horizon was very successful in his campaign of being cited over 900 posts at Audiogoon with his offers.

http://www.audio-horizons.com/pages/fuse.html
Quote
What Makes the Platinum Reference “More Than a Fuse" So Fine?
Without betraying proprietary information, let me note that the More Than a Fuse dramatically increases the impedance from 0.2 ohms to 10 ohms at 10 MHz, thus increasing high frequency noise-rejection fifty fold over that of a conventional fuse. As a result of this increased noise rejection, one can hear delicate extended high frequencies formerly swallowed up in noise.

And because the Platinum Reference “More Than a Fuse” also reduces ultra high frequency noise by up to 46 dB or more, a ratio 200 times that of a typical fuse, high frequency harmonic texture is heard against a dead quiet background with a level of detail and refinement so sweet, delicate, and with such presence and immediacy—well, it will make you smile.

We could tell you this fuse is the truest, the purest, the most refined, natural, detailed, extended, airy and transparent fuse you’ve ever heard, and we believe we would not exaggerate, but with fuses, as with cables, the proof is in the listening.

Quote
“At $117 each, these fuses are not only cost-effective, they are a bargain. A similar upgrade in the performance level of a preamplifier, for example, would cost several thousand dollars. Come ON, from a FUSE?!”

proprietary information
proprietary liquid anti-vibration material
Another bullshit excuse.

They have even got a 15 day trial and return for Audiogoon members
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/synergistic-red-fuse/post?highlight=%2BAudio%2BMagic%2BBeesWax&postid=1289322#1289322
Quote
davidpritchard720 posts
12-29-2015 2:44am

Audio Magic makes the $175 beeswax infused fuse for $175.00.
I can find no information about returning this fuse for refund.

Audio Horizon makes an audiophile fuse. Most are $117.00
They carry fuses up to 15 amps rated.
They offer a 15 day trial and return policy to established Audiogon members.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2018, 02:49:23 am by MrMobodies »
 

Offline David Hess

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Those guys are such pikers.  (1) I use 30 conductor ribbon cable with alternate wires in parallel to make a 4 ohm transmission line which lays flat under carpets.

(1) Piker - One who does things in a small way.
 

Offline BradC

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I found some discussions about it at Audigoon:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/synergestic-black-fuse-vs-audio-magic-beeswax

Wow. Just wow. I think I lost 40 IQ points just reading that thread (and I don't really have that many to spare in the first place!).
 
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Offline xrunner

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Anyone can make money at this audio fool stuff. Just pick a simple part of the system say like the paint used on the cabinet or the feet or anything at all. Make up any sort of bull sh*t you want about how much your new _______ has better bass tones or use any of the stupid terminology you see them using. Take your money to the bank.
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 

Offline floobydust

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Braided loudspeaker cables were popular in the 1980's, I remember it killed many power amplifiers. I think the capacitance is too high, not that Sansui did well back then.
 

Offline raptor1956

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Having worked in recording studios for a large part of my adult life I have to say the obvious - if the studios that the album was recorded, mixed and mastered in use ordinary industry standard cabling then why not use the same grade cabling when you play the record at home?


Yes, and the same question for the vinyl lovers when the recorded source was likely digital.  If the source was digital in what way does vinyl reveal something not present in the original digital recording?


Brian
 
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Offline BradC

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Yes, and the same question for the vinyl lovers when the recorded source was likely digital.  If the source was digital in what way does vinyl reveal something not present in the original digital recording?

That depends entirely on how it was mastered. If it was one of those "compress the crap out of it, master it for CD & Radio and then tweak it to not destroy the master on the lathe", then nothing. If it was more like the Beatles vinyl re-issues, where when the mastering engineer was asked "would you buy the CD or Vinyl", he replied "the vinyl, as that is what it was mixed and mastered for (even the re-masters)".

If I want to listen to Jean Michel Jarre I'll take the DDD mastered CD. If I want to listen to anything mastered pre-1983, I'll take the Vinyl rather than the re-compressed, re-eq'd peaky mush pushed out to CD down the track.

Horses for courses.
 

Offline bd139

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I’ll take my over compressed shit over scratchy shit.
 

Offline EEVblog

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Offline IanMacdonald

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Wait a mo though, I reckon the way you fasten the cables to the wall has a bearing on sound quality too. My latest line of enriched uranium clips with antimagnetic titanium nails will cost you only $100,000 a box of three. When fitting, be especially careful to read the instructions on how to identify the vibrational nodes of the cable, and only clip to  the wall at those points.
 

Offline bd139

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I was bored. So who's up for a kickstarter on my new product?

 
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Offline BradC

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Wait a mo though, I reckon the way you fasten the cables to the wall has a bearing on sound quality too. My latest line of enriched uranium clips with antimagnetic titanium nails will cost you only $100,000 a box of three. When fitting, be especially careful to read the instructions on how to identify the vibrational nodes of the cable, and only clip to  the wall at those points.

You've done this before.
 

Offline CJay

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If I want to listen to Jean Michel Jarre I'll take the DDD mastered CD. If I want to listen to anything mastered pre-1983, I'll take the Vinyl rather than the re-compressed, re-eq'd peaky mush pushed out to CD down the track.

Nah, while I agree CDs are often completely different to the original vinyl reproduction that's nothing to do with the format, that's incompetent sound engineers dicking around with and ballsing up the mix to make it sound 'better' on CD when what they should be doing is leaving it the hell alone.
 

Offline MrMobodies

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I was bored. So who's up for a kickstarter on my new product?



Why not go onto Audiogoon and discuss it there I am sure they'd like it.
They can go hip-hop HOORAY! at it.
I'll be there watching.

I thought of a video I once saw and found it.
EEVblog #719 - Sony Low Noise Audiophile SDXC Memory Card


Weeks ago when I discovered Audiogoon and I thought of that video but couldn't find the card discussed there.
So I started a thread hoping that they would go crazy over the card but it turned out to be a poor attempt/disappointment as nobody responded.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/has-anybody-tried-the-sony-high-quarity-sound-microsdxc-memory-card

It is an Audiophile SDXC card and I was surprised that it wasn't already discussed on there.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2018, 12:57:05 pm by MrMobodies »
 

Offline xrunner

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Wait a mo though, I reckon the way you fasten the cables to the wall has a bearing on sound quality too. My latest line of enriched uranium clips with antimagnetic titanium nails will cost you only $100,000 a box of three. When fitting, be especially careful to read the instructions on how to identify the vibrational nodes of the cable, and only clip to  the wall at those points.

Excellent! You have a bright and wealthy future in the industry!  :-+

I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 

Offline MrMobodies

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Look at the boxes they come in:



They put the smaller one in the larger box and the larger one in the smaller box.
The white foam looks cheap which looks like the most honest things that the package has to offer.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2018, 01:32:13 pm by MrMobodies »
 

Offline David Hess

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Braided loudspeaker cables were popular in the 1980's, I remember it killed many power amplifiers. I think the capacitance is too high, not that Sansui did well back then.

That is possible but if the output impedance of the amplifier is not properly controlled, just having the wrong length of speaker wire can cause the same problem.  Whether the cable is braided or not should not matter.

Typically an output network is required to decouple the low output impedance of the amplifier from the load at high frequencies to prevent destructive oscillation.
 

Offline CJay

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Braided loudspeaker cables were popular in the 1980's, I remember it killed many power amplifiers. I think the capacitance is too high, not that Sansui did well back then.

That is possible but if the output impedance of the amplifier is not properly controlled, just having the wrong length of speaker wire can cause the same problem.  Whether the cable is braided or not should not matter.

Typically an output network is required to decouple the low output impedance of the amplifier from the load at high frequencies to prevent destructive oscillation.

Zobel network I think?
 

Offline David Hess

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Braided loudspeaker cables were popular in the 1980's, I remember it killed many power amplifiers. I think the capacitance is too high, not that Sansui did well back then.

That is possible but if the output impedance of the amplifier is not properly controlled, just having the wrong length of speaker wire can cause the same problem.  Whether the cable is braided or not should not matter.

Typically an output network is required to decouple the low output impedance of the amplifier from the load at high frequencies to prevent destructive oscillation.

Zobel network I think?

A Zobel network is more for handling the reactance of the loudspeaker itself so it is part of the frequency compensation.  High frequency decoupling is provided by a low-Q inductor after the Zobel network.

Indeed, without the decoupling inductance, high frequency oscillation in the output stage can destroy the Zobel network.
 

Offline schmitt trigger

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Wait a mo though, I reckon the way you fasten the cables to the wall has a bearing on sound quality too. My latest line of enriched uranium clips with antimagnetic titanium nails will cost you only $100,000 a box of three. When fitting, be especially careful to read the instructions on how to identify the vibrational nodes of the cable, and only clip to  the wall at those points.
To deliver a sound that literally “blasts you away”, I presume that you are employing weapons grade U235 refined from former USSR stockpiles?
 


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