Speakon Cables - what you using. ?

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

All opinions welcome. If it helps people make a decision you should speak your mind.

Dave

I suspect the notion is that Andy has a proven track record in this area and can give an opinion that carries more weight. Stewart, on the ClearTone site certainly has strong views on such matters. 

[dmccombe7]

I remember mates buying gold plated hi-fi cables in 80's and saying they could hear a difference.

I personally was never convinced. Certainly gold plating will resist contact corrosion but that should never be an issue if your gear is kept inside in dry climate.

Other than that i don't understand how some cables can give a clearer tone unless you compare a cheap under-sized cable compared to a well designed cable suitable for the current draw on the amp.

Maybe someone who knows more might be able to explain in detail.

Dave

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I remember mates buying gold plated hi-fi cables in 80's and saying they could hear a difference.

I personally was never convinced. Certainly gold plating will resist contact corrosion but that should never be an issue if your gear is kept inside in dry climate.

Other than that i don't understand how some cables can give a clearer tone unless you compare a cheap under-sized cable compared to a well designed cable suitable for the current draw on the amp.

Maybe someone who knows more might be able to explain in detail.

Dave

Yes, quite. This thread would make a good pair with the tone wood one 😎.

[dmccombe7]

7 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Yes, quite. This thread would make a good pair with the tone wood one 😎.

Is there another thread discussing this ?

[Dan Dare]

20 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Other than that i don't understand how some cables can give a clearer tone unless you compare a cheap under-sized cable compared to a well designed cable suitable for the current draw on the amp.

That's it in a nutshell. Compare "super cables" to outright rubbish and there will be a difference. Once you get into the realms of decent quality (which needn't equate to super expensive), it's all snake oil.

[BassTool]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

They start at £75.

How do they justify that price. 

I'll pass on them.

Dave

WOW, that is v expensive 😳

[dmccombe7]

3 hours ago, triplebass said:

i said expensive...

I know but i was thinking £30 was expensive. They kinda floored me a wee bit. Once i sat up and had a coffee to calm my nerves i was ok. 😂

Appreciate you were offering a suggestion tho just a little too pricey for me.

Dave

Edited April 18, 2021 by dmccombe7

[chris_b]

I saw an email where Phil Taylor, Dave Gilmore's technical guru, was discussing the differences between cables (Evidence Audio) that had been cryonically frozen and cables that hadn't. Why should I disbelieve that someone with bat like hearing could tell the difference between cables. As there are people who can identify the smallest differences when they are blending whiskey, perfume, tea and coffee, I'm sure there are people who can hear differences I can't. I would also guess that no one on Basschat has hearing good enough to make a definitive statement.

[dmccombe7]

That's probably a good point that some people with very refined hearing characteristics can identify small differences but i would question whether its down to cable size or length than the actual materials.

In my mind different materials will only create a difference in resistance which i think will be so small it will be negligable unless as mentioned you have a very refined hearing which would be exceptionally rare and probably only someone younger where their hearing hasn't diminshed over the years with age and life in general.

Just my own opinions of course and happy to stand corrected.

Dave

[Bunion]

You arrive at the gig with your super clean expensive amp, plug it into your super clean expensive lightweight cabs and with a look of smugness connect the set with your super expensive crystal clean cables and pick a few notes, the bliss, the ecstasy, even the singer and drummer stop and nod approvingly...

Then the sound engineer DI’s you, turns up front of house and makes you his own, tells you to turn down because your spoiling his mix and voila!! 
you sound like crap again and wonder what a £70 cable got you. 

[Acebassmusic]

I make sure all my bass and PA cables are Neutrik /Speakon connectors with Van Damme / Cordial or similar. Chosen not for their sonic capabilities (the differences in good quality cable are lost on my ears) but more for being well made and solid reliability. I'm also one of theose guys who always wraps cables correctly so I have some going back 25 years 😮

[Killed_by_Death]

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

All opinions welcome. If it helps people make a decision you should speak your mind.

I've been in those 'discussions' many times on another forum, people won't even take heed of Electrical Engineers, so I don't have a chance of convincing anyone, LOL!

I will comment that IF you heard a difference, either it's confirmation bias OR the wire you were using before was total crap, either too small of a diameter or not actually Copper.

 

[triplebass]

no harm in getting opinions, also no need for a uniform way of thinking... i hope you enjoy YOUR decision as i enjoy mine

[dmccombe7]

At the end of the day if its what you want then its the right thing for you.

I've heard a similar discussion on Squier P versus Fender P.  Most won't hear the difference but some do.

If it interprets as a benefit to the individual then its acceptable.

I'm not here to judge .......... i was just curious.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, Acebassmusic said:

I make sure all my bass and PA cables are Neutrik /Speakon connectors with Van Damme / Cordial or similar. Chosen not for their sonic capabilities (the differences in good quality cable are lost on my ears) but more for being well made and solid reliability. I'm also one of theose guys who always wraps cables correctly so I have some going back 25 years 😮

That's about it for me too. I just like the build quality.

[barkin]

3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

 

In my mind different materials will only create a difference in resistance 

Other characteristics are also influenced by the choice of materials and constructions. Capactance, for example, which can noticeably change how the higher frequencies are reproduced.

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Capacitance is not an issue to be concerned with when purchasing speaker wire.

 

[dmccombe7]

5 minutes ago, barkin said:

Other characteristics are also influenced by the choice of materials and constructions. Capactance, for example, which can noticeably change how the higher frequencies are reproduced.

I've never heard of capacitance in cables being an issue but i'm open to any theoretical explanations to help me understand. 

Where does the capacitance come in. i.e. across the cores or core to earth ?

Dave

[Killed_by_Death]

 

With instrument wire, one side is connected to chassis Ground, the insulation between the center conductor & the outer conductor causes Capacitance in parallel with the signal from the pickups, which shunts some high-frequency signal to Ground.

In a speaker wire, there is no center conductors, you have a pair of wire with much larger equal diameters, & in today's modern Class D amps, neither is connected to chassis Ground.

 

[barkin]

50 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I've never heard of capacitance in cables being an issue but i'm open to any theoretical explanations to help me understand. 

Where does the capacitance come in. i.e. across the cores or core to earth ?

Dave

Whoops.. with instrument cables in mind, I replied in a more general context, rather than speaker cables specifically as per this discussion.

My bad...

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, barkin said:

Whoops.. with instrument cables in mind, I replied in a more general context, rather than speaker cables specifically as per this discussion.

My bad...

No probs, i'm just curious but @Killed_by_Death has provided an explanation that makes sense to me. Cheers. 👍

Everyday a school day on Basschat. Its why i keep coming back.

Before i joined BC my head was empty............now its full of stuff. 😂

Dave

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

In retrospect, I wish I'd stopped wondering how everything works & just played the damn thing, I recently questioned whether I even wanted to continue playing, but then I have a few good sessions that made me remember that I do enjoy playing.

Here's a visual of the difference between Instrument & Speaker wire:

However, this image is a lie, because the center-conductor of the Instrument wire is going to be much smaller-diameter than the speaker wires.

 

[ahpook]

By deafening myself playing loud music I now don't have to worry about the finer points of deafening myself playing loud music.

Result !

I think...

Edited April 18, 2021 by ahpook

[beans-on-toast]

Yes, always use Neutrik, not a knockoff. People are tempted to buy longer cables as the cost is not that much more. Stick with the length that you need. 

 

 

[AndyTravis]

This is decent, had it about a year now.