3 budget speaker cable choices

Know using the canare 4s11 and it's a daam good cable mabye the best low budget cable

Mr.  bajaed
None of the above!
A speaker cable is to be tailored per your Amp's DF and length. That will tell you what should be it's cross section (# AWG).
Anything else is a blind shot in the dark. 

i have had excellent luck with canare 4s11 as well tuneful cables belden 9497 (they are made/terminated very well with high quality bananas in brooklyn ny) and sound wonderful

recommendation for plugs ?

I want to buy it from here  

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/bi-wiring-amping/canare-4s11-star-quad-speaker-cable-copper-4x208mm-o...

I consider these bfa plugs since i need 12 and don't want to pay 60 euro for 12 plugs https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/banana-plugs/dynavox-img2-banana-plug-bfa-gold-plated-o5mm-set-x4-p-2...

@bobinwi, I am sure you already know this, but each canare wire has 4 conductors in one jacket, so you have to connect two conductors in each banana or spade connecter.  Not quite as simple as some wire.

I purchased a 10' terminated pair from Blue Jeans Cable for under $100 plus shipping and perhaps they can be found cheaper from other retailers.  Good quality terminations.  Just wanted to mention this.

It is quite possible any of the economical cables mentioned would best Synergistic Research, and/or make the cost difference unjustifed.  I am reviewing a cable brand now that, based on my experiences at shows hearing SR, would likely best it. However,  one would have to do direct comparison to know definitely.  

Thanks for posting. I'm ordering 4S11 in bulk & making the wires up myself. I've had Mogami Neglex microphone wire for speaker cable (fabulous up top but way too high a gage - very poor bottom end) and 12 ga zip cord (plenty of bass but poor definition up top). With the 4S11,  I'm hoping for the top & mids from the microphone cable & the oomph of the 12 gage but with increased tautness & clarity. We'll see.....

Very happy so far. They have settled in and disappeared. Not likely to change anytime soon.

How do you like your Canare cables now?

The Canare cables are sounding really good. It's funny but they sounded good the first night, brighter and a bit harsh the second night( even on the same cd) and fantastic last night on other recordings. Who knows how much of that is the cables, power, my ears/adjustment or other factors such as the infamous "break in".

Anticables are intriguing and I plan on trying some out after adjusting to the 4s11 for awhile. 

Anticables can be illuminating and easy to try with 30 day free trial and easy returns.  Quite magical actually!

I have great results with both Beldon and Canare.

@ebm ,

he was looking for speaker cables, not power cords. 

Congrats on your purchase. A quality cable at a great price.

Means: does not matter. I think.

Got them today. Very happy so far considering they are new. Finishing second cd, a couple albums next.

@bajaed,

Did you receive the cables?   If so, how are they?

@lohanimal,

What does DNM mean?

DNM

I broke in both sets of cables in my secondary system on the second floor of our house. I left them on 24/7 for 21 days (I think). After the first 2 hours, they sound wonderful and only get better as time goes on. Enjoy the break in, and don’t forget to let us know what you think of them. Enjoy!

I did tell them when I ordered over the phone. I almost didnt order because of the break in. Hope they don't take a year to sound good!

When you ordered, did you state in the notation area that you are aware that since you are ordering a custom made item, it can’t be returned unless defective?  If you didn’t, your order will be held up until they receive the disclaimer from you.  In that case, send them an email on Monday so they can advise.  It takes them about 4 business days to make the cables and ship.   Enjoy them and don’t be disappointed if the sound changes as the break in goes on.  At 500 hours, the sound is fantastic!

Ordered the 4S11's with sleeve from Ram. Hope to have them next week. 

I have the BJC Canare and Belden (not 1313A) speaker cables. In my systems the Belden sounds flat and veiled compared to the Canare. Couldn’t wait to take the Belden out.

In general BJC seems to prefer Belden over Canare, and I wonder if it is because the Canare star quad is harder to terminate than the two wire Belden.

My BJC Canare has the welded spades and I have to say that when I hear posters here say that one spade sounds better than another I feel I am privileged to be in the presence of such golden earned ’philes, as I doubt I could hear the difference. But hey, everyone draws the line where they please.

Still haven't ordered but will this week. Before I do, are Anticable level 2 worth throwing into the mix?

Hell I can't decide! Sounds like both have advantages. The BJC rep I talked to said he saw no advantage to the 1313 but Greg Sears by them! Many say weld is better but others tout quality of crimp on Ram. Need to check diameter of my speaker posts as I think they are larger and may need the 8mm spades from Ram as opposed to 6mm from BJC.

Ram Electronics does NOT solder the terminations.  They use WBT copper sleeves crimped on the wires and the spades or bananas are screwed into the crimp sleeve.  I compared the Blue Jeans with the Ram cables (buddy of mine has Blue Jeans) and the Ram cables are the better sounding with their terminations.

weld is better, don`t forget to email them about the 1313A cable , its the best Belden cable, they used this as a reference when they were building the Iconoclast speaker cables. the 1313 A is very good. i also have the Carnare 4s11 with the weld for Blue Jean, the 1313A is a far better cable.

Final decision today. Welded BJC connectors a clear improvement or will soldered connectors and a nice looking tech flex jacket from Ram sound virtually the same on the 4S11?

Page regarding welding from BJC site:

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/ultrasonic-welding.htm

Interesting point. Anyone else feel the weld is a game changer?

I ordered spades, you can see them on their website.  They are rather thick but I have never had a problem with them.  I am not sure, but you could check with BJC if you cared, but I think if I wanted to change from spades to banana's, or whatever, that I can just unscrew the spade part from the base of the connector and screw in the banana. Also, I don't know if I could actually hear a difference between one brand of connector and another.  I can wire though.

I don't know if it makes any difference, and it was not a point that mattered to me, but BJC says they are the only company that actually welds the connector to the wire, vs soldier it.  

I have 2 sets of Canare 4S11 cables from Ram electronics, extremely satisfied and the build quality is off the charts.  If you do order from Ram, make sure you put in the note section that you understand these are custom terminations and can't be returned.  If you don't do that, you order will be held up until they get that from you.  It takes a week from start to finish.  These Canare cables bested my $1500.00 cables I was using previously.  The Canare cable works out to 11 gauge as per the manufacturer.

I was going to order from Ram Electronics as they can include a nice sleeve for not much more. BJC would be a little cheaper tho. How are the BJC connections?

I have used both the Belden and Canare, both from Blue Jeans.  The Canare as I used them have two of their four strands combined in one connector, so I believe that they end up being 12 gauge. 

In my system it was no contest, the Canare was much nicer in all respects.  Again, to my ears and in my system the Belden just sounded veiled and not dynamic.  

I had this result using a Dynaco ST70 original and MK II amp with EL34s and KT77s, a Parasound A21+, as well as my modded Museatex Meitner MTR101 monoblock amps.  All through the same tube preamp.

But its all system dependent, who knows, with a different set up perhaps the Belden would be superior.  Personally I think you cannot go wrong ordering the Canare via Blue Jeans, assuming you like their connectors.  There are others that will terminate the Canare also, such as Redco and Markertek (you would need to verify).. 

Well this complicates things! I was all set to order the Canare in the morning....

I used the Canare 4s11 for a number of years, replacing some Cardas. I was satisfied, sorta. New speakers arrived and shortly thereafter so did the 'need' to explore cables. Thought I'd try the Belden (10ga) sold by BJC. I was impressed - the sound was just cleaner and, seemingly, neutral. I've been using it ever since (10 years now) and I've even been able to ignore the issue when I last changed speakers (7 years ago). Caveat - I used the Canare in single wired mode, not bi-wired as it was intended, so who knows how much difference there would have been if I had used it bi-wired. I also used it in 12' lengths. 

I've been using both the 10 and 12 gauge Beldon 5000 from BJC now for awhile and have been satisfied with it.  When I heard all of the recent praise or the Canare, I knew I had heard of it before.  As others have mentioned, BJC offers it as well.  However, on their website, BJC states that they prefer the Beldon (?)  Has anyone compared the Canare to the Beldon?  I'm surprised people are prefering a 14 ga cable to 12 or 10, especially for non-biwired applications.  Thanks.

bajaed, if you haven't bought the canare 4s11, you can email Blue Jean Cable and get a quote on their 1313 A cable with either locking bananas or spades with sonic welding. this is their best sounding cable by far. its 10 gauge OFC, it better than the Belden 5000 series by a mile. i have had both cables and this was it. they dont as of today have this listed on their site , but i was told they were working on it. email them

Thanks!

AQ 4 served me well through many systems and years; they've been in AQ's product line for damn near 30+/- years for good reason.

Based on stereo5's recent posts on the Canare, I curiously ordered a pair (Blue Jean terminated via Amazon) and have been quite pleased.

Now with 25+/- hours on the 4s11, I'm hearing more detail, enjoying more focused images, & greater stage depth.

It's a bit more refined presentation. However,  you really can't go wrong with either.

Hope this helps.

The positive I guess would be they are on your list. The negatives would be none are Synergistic Research.

I did a recent post on the Canare 4S11 cables.  I broke in 2 pairs of speaker cables.  Read my post:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/canare-4s11

Thanks. How many hours of burn in does the trick w Canare?

Can only comment on the Canare which is a great cable for the money. I would not say the Canare rolls off the top end but it is a little soft but very organic sounding. Big plus is its cost, can be purchased in bulk, flexible, and I believe it comes in multiple colors. Takes some time to burn in but worth the wait. If you’re looking for something affordable this is a great place to start. You won’t be disappointed, but again needs time to burn in. Worst case if you don’t like you will not lose much if you decide to sell them off or just give to a friend. If you’re looking for interconnects, Canare makes great cables there as well which I know the mic cables come in many colors.