Inexpensive speaker cables: any experience?


I’m currently running some entry Kimber Kable speaker cables and looking at possibly upgrading. In my research I’ve come across some “budget” options on eBay. I assume they’re not great but curious if anyone has any experience with some “no-name” or “budget” cables? 
 

Thoughts on these? 

Thanks!

paulgardner

Inexpensive is relative.

I have auditioned and noticed impacts of speaker cables, interconnects and power cables.  

I have Kimber Kables speakers and interconnects and have traded up interconnects in the past.  It may be worth calling them if you are interested in trying another Kimber product. 

Using 52 yards of Neotech Solid Core UP-OCC in PVC. Turned in to 6.5 feet pairs of speaker cables. For $119.06 delivered/including tax and shipping/I'm impressed.

Bested my: KS6063 (what this Neotech creation was modeled after/less the stranded) and my Fidelium's.

Well, not bested. I put my stranded Duelund with the solid core Neotech and it comes close to my my KS6063. However, if you want a taste of how it gets out of the way......it's fun with the Neotech and Duelund. However, my KS6063 wins up top and timbre. 

I like Paul Speltz's Anti Cable stuff. It doesn't work on every configuration but I've had good results here and there over the years. Cables make an obvious difference but it's system dependent and more money doesn't always buy better performance. I'd recommend somewhere like https://www.usedcable.com where you can try different cables at different price points. And this on why cables make a difference if you want to know more.

 

@rooze that last link you posted talks about the main measurable parameters having the most pronounced effect.

Conclusion #1 – A cable’s electrical properties can be measured. In doing so we find there are a number of significant differences between different cables designed to do the same job. These measurable differences in the electrical properties of cables can be correlated directly to the differences we hear in the sonic profiles of cables. [more later]

Therefore measurable differences in the electrical properties of audio cables can and do affect how the music sounds and in a predictable way.

We go right from conclusion #1, to finding that most “magical cables” do not come with specifications on their main electrical parameters.

They are mostly sold as “Just listen to them”.

If we were to know that some specific capacitance and inductance helps a specific system, then it gets easier to move from that cable to a “slightly” different sound, in predicable ways.

Currently it is more like a Pentecostal revival, where one reaches into a bag of snakes, and prays like hell that the outcome is not going to go too badly.
(Pulling out the snake shaped cable that hopefully tames their system… and if it is directional, then they have hopefully grabbed it near the arrow behind the head.)

 

If we knew the basic specs, then things like skin effect and dielectric biasing can be considered when we know that cable A and cable B are largely similar.