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Gear / Technical Help => Cables => Topic started by: BCostigan on April 02, 2004, 07:50:16 PM
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I'm thinking of picking up a pair of Xtremes. I currently run star quad cables. I'm hoping for a bit more detail.
So are the xtremes worth the $$ over star quads or should I save my money?
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I have x-stream's and star quads. I think the difference in the two is pretty small... I only bought the x-streams because I got a good deal from a local taoer (Todd R). The higher end audio tragics.... errr magics, might be worth the bucks.
you really need a good playback system to hear the difference in field cables, I haven't done any hardcore a/b's but my lowend hi-fi system doesn't really show much of a difference if any.
long story short, save the bucks... buy some speakers ;D
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:P New speakers are in the works as well.....that's a MUCH tougher decision.
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Look at it this way, X-Streams are silver cables, Canare's are copper. You be the judge...
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haha, own xstreamz and i didnt know that!!
i guess ya learn something new everyday, huh??
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Look at it this way, X-Streams are silver cables, Canare's are copper. You be the judge...
good point...
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silver schmilver, some call 'em bright.
Not to my ears though. They seem to be much fuller a livlier compared to copper conductors...
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If they are "bright" and "lively" those are two good things in terms of what I'm after. With the TLs I'm trying to just add a touch more definition to the high end. I guess I'll have to pick a pair up and see.......
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If they are "bright" and "lively" those are two good things in terms of what I'm after. With the TLs I'm trying to just add a touch more definition to the high end. I guess I'll have to pick a pair up and see.......
I'm selling my 15' Zaolla's....
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It really doesn't matter to me anyway, because of cost limitations, and length needs of 30' -> 50' pairs (my needs) are way too costly for anything except homemade.
I hear you on this one Moke. Sucks they have to be so costly...
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Thanks Jason. :) Looks like I'll be running the zaolla's.
+T for hooking me up
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Thanks Jason. :) Looks like I'll be running the zaolla's.
+T for hooking me up
You got it Brian. Back atcha.
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fyi, many in the cirlces i deal with believe better cables are a blend of copper and silver, not pure one way or the other. the reason for this is that when copper oxidizes it actually becomes a better conductor, whereas when silver oxidizes its conductivity goes down.
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fyi, many in the cirlces i deal with believe better cables are a blend of copper and silver, not pure one way or the other. the reason for this is that when copper oxidizes it actually becomes a better conductor, whereas when silver oxidizes its conductivity goes down.
Here's a good question then......why do many cable makers push "oxygen free" copper? If oxidation of copper creates a better conductor why do they remove the oxygen to keep it from happening. Better yet...why don't they sell pre-oxidized cable?
Just curious on this...because in my line of work oxidized copper is an inferior cunductor. We use wire brushes to clean the oxidized layer before making a new connection.
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Any thoughts on this Silver Plated Copper Belden Star Quad Cable? I just picked up some from Giant squid
Bush has some cables made with this. Used them & loved em. Very compact.
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-custom-cables.htm
Scroll to the bottom.
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for those interested im following up on this with a prof- i know he is busy but he is gonna respond as soon as he can to it.
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>>I've just heard too many bright cables (interconnects), and opinions about silver being inconsistant from one manufacturer to the next, (but what product isn't?). Maybe they got it right with the Xstreams?<<
they got it right with excaliburs and sorcerers for sure...
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Any thoughts on this Silver Plated Copper Belden Star Quad Cable? I just picked up some from Giant squid
Bush has some cables made with this. Used them & loved em. Very compact.
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-custom-cables.htm
Scroll to the bottom.
I would imagine they're nicer than standard copper and I think I see why they pate copper with silver but for mic cables I don't know if it's as helpful as it is with speaker cables?
The silver plating is great with transmitting AC due to skin effect (AC like to travel on the outside of the wire). But I would think 48 volts Phantom is DC so the entire wire is being used equally...no?
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>>I've just heard too many bright cables (interconnects), and opinions about silver being inconsistant from one manufacturer to the next, (but what product isn't?). Maybe they got it right with the Xstreams?<<
they got it right with excaliburs and sorcerers for sure...
The Spellcasters sound exceptionally sweet. Clear, defined, not bright at all...
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yeah, spellcasters are between excaliburs and sorcerers. i like all 3. never heard the illusions or clairvoyants, but i imagine those are a little sick too :)
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shit, for the money, xstreamz are the shizzle
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George Cardas' view on the silver debate:
(Full article at: http://www.cardas.com/faqs/index.html Lots of other good stuff at http://www.cardas.com/insights/index.html )
Copper vs Silver
Q.) Why hasn't Cardas manufactured a silver cable? -Tank
A.) Many manufactures have experimented with silver and other metals in the development of their products, and most have decided that ultra pure copper is the best conductor material. Cardas manufactures most of the silver stranding used in the industry, but the fact remains, ultra pure copper is generally better as an audio (AC) conductor.
The highly refined copper we use has a DC conductivity of approximately 103.8. This is within 1% of Silver's DC conductivity, but the critical differences here are copper's slightly lower inductivity and skin effect ratios that make it easier to work with in audio (AC) applications.
This is not to say that some embodiment of silver could not compete. There are ways to make an excellent silver interconnect, but given the costs involved and the inherent problems with silver, I believe the money is better spent on conductor geometry.
In interconnect cables, where capacitance is more of an issue than inductance, a silver conductor could have a small advantage. Silver's downfall is its low internal damping or loss ratio. It is like a speaker box with no internal damping, you end up with a very efficient speaker that does not sound good. The tendency for a slightly forward, hard or bright sound is always there. My initial work with silver in Golden Ratio, Constant Q, Litz configurations is encouraging, but I haven't come up with a configuration that I care to live with as yet.
I'm not ready to consider silver speaker cables. If there is any advantage, It would come at a price that seems over-the-top to me. I think I will leave the Black Pearls to Ray for now. -George
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>Just curious on this...because in my line of work oxidized >copper is an inferior cunductor. We use wire brushes to >clean the oxidized layer before making a new connection.
Oxides of all(?) metals are known insulators (or at best they have distinct rectifying properties. CuO2 was for example used as rectifiers in antique radios. ).
That's what the oxygen does, it captures the electrons in the conduction band and reduces the overall conductivity.
You do not want oxygen in your Cu cables. Now, if the effect of a small contamination is audible... well that discussion has been raging since ehh ohhh the the dawn of modern time? :-)
Jon