Good speaker wire limited budget Spica Angelus

NO. The lower the better (ie 12 gauge is much thicker than 18). You should use at minimum 18 gauge. 12, 14 or 16 would be better.

Honestly though, Spicas aren't known for bass. I just did a testing with a pair and the imaging and mids were great but the other speakers had much better highs and bass (coincident and angstrom). If you like the sound, get a sub. A passive sub and crossover would work well and if you need more power (since spicas are not that efficient), get a powered sub with a nice crossover.

There will never be agreement on what gauges to use,but another factor is how long do the runs have to be.

Inductance and resistance come into to play with the longer the runs. I use 26AWG going to my Tweeters and 18AWG going to my Woofer in a Bi-Wiring scenerio.

47Labs OTA is only 26AWG and it's some of the best Copper Cable around. I think to be safe it should be atleast 22AWG for 6-ft. runs and 18-20AWG for runs longer than that,but it depends. I am using 24 AWG Silver WIre in 8ft. runs at the moment and am satisfied.I also have 18AWG Copper going to the Woofers in the same legnth.

If you ever get to try or hear OTA it is as fast as Silver with just a little more of a Roll-off than Pure Silver. I use OTA for my internal wiring of speakers with great results. I am trying to find an alternative to it to bring down cost it's that good.

You can buy uninsulated Silver and get something that will be used as an insulator like TechFlex.Then terminate it and sel with heatshrink and you'll save $$ and have some of the best cables for under $100.

You will need to get them broken in right though.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=161

As an owner of Spica angelus I mostly agree with elevick. My only quibble with his advice is :
1) The highs on the angelus are no so rolled off as some would have you think. I compared the angelus to the spendor s3/5 and they won easily in highs, and destroyed the spendors on imaging and mid-range. They are great speakers for everything except bass.
2) If you're going to add a sub get a powered sub. I use a REL strata and it blends perfectly with the spicas.

I'm not really sure that you'll get the bass you want from the spicas by just changing the wire, since they're a very lean sounding speaker.

Canare Starquads are easily the best inexpensive cables available.

I would try NORDOST flatline cable...this is very transparent cable for the money...with a very open and airy presentation...and will extend the highs on your SPicas(I used to own the tc-50s) and adhance their strenghths: imaging and soundstage...I wouldnt worry too much about the bass...and a subwoofer then use a lower awg cable...good luck..other affordable offerings I have never heard but rate highly...Analysis plus and Kimber cable...both at Audioadvisor.com...with a 30 day trial...

I am a long time Spica owner, and Angeluses have been my speaker for 9 years. I have been looking for an upgrade and it hasn't been easy - the Angelii are that good. Many speakers perform better in some areas (usually the bass), but I haven't found one yet that unequivically matches or beats them in every way. (I keep looking though - there are a handful thsat have come close)

The Spicas have more bass than most people realize. They are very clean and tight from *about* 40Hz to *about*80 Hz. It seems to be in the 100 - 150 Hz range that they are weak. On the plus side, this is the range where a lot of speakers have been difficult to position in my room. The Spicas can be put anywhere and they'll sound pretty good.

I agree that their treble is better than most people realize, because it integrates so well with the midrange. Cymbals have some real crash and weight to them - many speakers give you a delicate tweetery haze thsat floats above the music, maybe more delicate detail, but not as well integrated.
I agree that adding a subwoofer is the way to go. It is important, though, that you get one that can play well at fairly high (for a sub) frequencies, like 150 Hz crossover. It's kind of sad to do this in a way, because the Spicas bass (when it shows up) is so well done, it's a shame to cross it over. I have had good luck with a set of Entec LF-20s. I would recommend at least 2 (4 is even bettter) to keep up dynamically. If you want something cheaper, you might want to look for a used velodyne 10" servo controlled sub. I had one home new in 2001 (can't remember the exact model). It was more dynamic than the Entecs, but didn't go as low, or as flat. But still not bad.

I use MIT cable Terminator 3, and the previous owner was also using MIT. Kimber might also be a good one to try; I think they are wired internally with Kimber.

I find amplifier quality is more important than power. I have found the Pass Aleph 3 (30WPC) to be an excellent match to this speaker - better than more powerful Classe, Acurus, Meridian, Golden Tube, or Proceed amps. I have heard that tube amps go well also.

You have great speakers. If you can live with their shortcomings, their strengths are world-class. Sorry if I ramble, but I LOVE these speakers!

I concur with Honestl's response- I use a Velodyne FSX-12 with TC-50s (it was $1200 new but I think can be found used for $400-$600) and it blends seamlessly.

If a sub is not doable, the speaker cable for signalcable.com works as well as any I've tried in giving a full but detailed sound. An IC which really provides added warmth but is fast is Discovery's Plus 4 ($600 list buy can be had I believe for about $300 direct from Discovery.)

As others have said, spicas are not easy to replace.

Try home brew braided Cat 5 cable. My angelii love them. Also driving them with a McIntosh 2105 amp. I know this is opposite to all the "little "tube amps but the tremendous headroom of the mc really takes hold of the woofer and I have great bass. I have a sub crossed over at 80hz (powered 15") for the really deep stuff but 90% of the time the Angelii just sing.

In my smallish room 13x15 pure ecstasy I will never part with.

Joe

XLO type 5 worked well for mine. A absolute bargain at its current used price

DH LAbs Silversonic T-14. Used about $10/ft per pair.

I have a pair of Angelus and was using a Primaluna which sounded good but just purchased a Mac 2505 and waiting to hook it up. I have kinergestic subs which were mated for the TC50s that I aslo have to try. I have a pr of 100.5 and the 200. I'll have to sell one pair.

gtaebr, what did you use with the 2105 for a preamp? I just purchased a 2505 less power but same generation.

Honest 1 what are you using for a preamp with the Aleph 3