audio-talk

Just sorting out some cabling and thought I'd give the Amazon Basics range a try...

AmazonBasics 14-Gauge Speaker...

Added some reasonable 4mm plugs...
FosPower Banana Plugs 6 Pairs /...

Really pleased. Cheap & good... Cable is really nice and the banana plugs are good quality & neat and allow twin cables for 4-wire setups...

There's a lot of good stuff in the Basics range. If you're not concerned about the brand name, the stuff is more than good enough.

Is this wise ?
Copper coated aluminum magnesium

Michael L wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:30 pm Is this wise ?
Copper coated aluminum magnesium

Maybe. Maybe not. Sounds very good though...

Seriously, it's known as CCAM and is very common in high quality RF cables, voice coil windings, power transmission etc. Standard stuff.

About 10% - 15% Cu over an Al/Mg alloy core - about 2.5 x lighter than solid copper with much the same characteristics.

I can see why they might be good at RF but thought their lower conductivity might make them less good for power transmission.

I've been reading a thread from way back on speaker cables. I use 1.5mm T&E and one contributor found this to be poor. It's left me wondering.

Now how expensive is that Tellurium Black Ultra? Mega bucks even s/h.

Id give the Amazon stuff a go - I've just replaced a load of extremely exotic cables (bi-wire Nordost "Super Flatline") with it and I think the cheap stuff sounds as good if not better.

It's certainly a damn sight neater, sounds better, and the cats don't chew it...

PS. I was given the Nordost stuff, so I have no financial attachment to it. It's 63 euros/metre which is insane. Firstly, it's really annoying in that it refuses to lie flat, and secondly, the cats just can't stop playing with it. Which is a pain. Had it for years, but have finally cracked and replaced it.

It's official - cats like Nordost Super Flatline

I've had some monster speaker cable for almost 20 years now, it gets incrementally shorter when I disconnect it for whatever reason, realise its all tarnished where its connected to the binding posts and re terminate it.
I should probably change it, but then again why bother.
Might try the amazon stuff though, if I remember...

I'm not sure how correct this is but the Amazon basics stuff looks an awful lot like the price of the shark cable from Maplins. I had a humungous reel of the stuff on the shelf but it's curious how quickly it disappears. I went looking for more when Maplins closed and it was available via ebay for a while but it seems to have gone completely now...

The Shark cable was ofc and I liked it a lot. I've never been able to hear the magic of these uber expensive cables so that may explain why I liked it.

Fascinating little test of speaker cables on ASR site -

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/foru ... 2-gauge.3/

Looks as though the copper plated aluminium stuff adds resistance way outside of its gauge and also seems to have a shortened life as the copper can react with the base metal under certain humidity? conditions.

When I where a lad fresh out of network training I was told to avoid CCA ethernet cabling at all costs even if it did save the customer a bit initially....the issues it can potential cause down the line are too great...even if the runs where relatively short and the cable never disturbed. For home use though as a 'speaker cable maybe perfectly fine...