Morrow Audio Speaker Cables

@mitch2 

Agree, the DH Labs connectors are probably at the limit for me in terms of price/performance ratio. Anything "better" will cost far more than it is worth as far as actual contributions to the sound. Sure do love me some Furutech bling but I admit that's mostly aesthetic and I'm not so interested in paying that premium for little to no benefit.

My point was just that some of the mid level Morrow XLR interconnects tend to use basic Neutrik connectors while other brands in that price bracket are using higher quality options. Even the MA7 which starts at $1399 is still using the basic Neutrik, and one must go all the way up to the $3k to get fancier connectors. If I'm spending more than $500 or so I expect something beyond Neutrik. 

Meanwhile the Morrow Audio RCA option is quite nice, and I don't find it out of place on the middle level range. 

@tubeguy80

I will say I don’t care for their XLR cables, due to most of them using the same relatively basic Neutrik connectors.

I have made many XlR cables using Furutech FP-601/602 connectors yet am surprised by the number of very expensive cables using Neutrik connectors. A few years ago I started using much less expensive Vampire or DH Labs XLR connectors and frankly have never heard a difference compared to the 601/602. I believe the Vampire/DH Labs metallurgy is better than Neutrik uses but I also believe many of those fancy/expensive connectors are more bling than performance. Not sure whether Vampire is still available but DH Labs is a solid choice that I doubt could be bettered sonically to any consistently reliable degree. In addition, much of the equipment the expensive connectors will be attached to use Neutrik connectors.

Congrats!

Well I got to sit down and have a critical listening session with the new SP-6 speaker cables installed tonight.  To be honest with you I had limited expectations of a significant sound quality difference with any speaker cables, however I was proven totally wrong.  The difference was noticeable right off the bat with much deeper and cleaner bass response.  The mids and high range were also clean and crisp but not the dramatic change observed in the low frequencies.  Soundstage was about the same but, full disclosure, I did change the orientation of the speakers and moved them in about 1 foot together (I had a shorter lenght with the Morrow cables).  My wife even noticed a difference!  I’m very pleased with these Morrow cables so far.  

@soix, what a strange coincidence you asked this question today!  I just got my SP-6 cables in the mail today. Look great but I won’t get to hook them up and have a serious listen until Friday PM.  I’ll post my first impressions later. 

How’d the SP-6es work out?

I started at level 2 and was so impressed I immediately upgraded to the level 5 for the speaker cables and interconnects. I would never ever, ever have imagined the immense change those cables made in my system... huge soundstage, detail, bass response, everything. Nothing short of stunning. I never poo-pooed the importance of cables, but I thought their contribution was somewhat minor. I thought I was happy with Canare's $250 cables. I thought that'd be enough. The level 5's create a 300% improvement in the sound. I know this must sound like hyperbole, but it's not. I mean, come on, cables??? But it's true. My components include Pass Labs 250.8 and B&W 803 D3 speakers. I use the XLR connectors on the MA5 and the spades on the SP5 because the Morrow banana plugs are flimsy. Obviously, mileage may vary. Also, I suspect it's worth spending the money on their 10-day burn-in; the cables work perfectly from the start (and I don't have the patience to sit through the 'improvement' process). Morrow gives an explanation of why their cables work so well and are award-winning. Frankly, who cares? All that matters is how they sound and they are amazing. They have a 60-day return policy, so you're only out the $15 shipping cost. It's worth trying the cables. Again, I am not a cable expert. I have not compared these cables to all the other higher-end cables out there. But I can testify to these cables.

The SP3 speaker cables came in the other day. Didn't notice an immediate change/improvement, but still burning them in. The MA3 interconnects came in today, and I DID notice an immediate improvement with them. They're not even broken in yet, they're brand new! Not sure if that speaks to the quality of the cables I upgraded from (SKW speaker cables, but generic XLR interconnects), the fact that interconnect cable quality has more of an effect on the overall sound signature, or perhaps some combination of both. Extremely satisfied now with choosing Morrow cables. In fact, so much so, that I just put in an order using my thank you coupon for a pair of single-ended interconnects to replace the SKW cables connecting my subwoofer to my preamp.

-Ed

I put in a couple of orders last week. One pair of 1 meter long SP3 speaker cables with their 40% discount code, and then two pairs of MA3 interconnects (all XLRs, one pair 0.5 meter length to go between my DAC and my preamp, and one pair 1 meter to go between my preamp and my monoblocs) using the 45% off returning customer code. Can't wait to receive them--wondering how long it might take to get them. I know they say there are delays due to the sale, but now I am seeing in this thread that they are perpetually on sale?

-Ed

Chayro, went with the 5-day break-in period with Morrow.  

I highly suggest you order the break in service. I know some members don’t believe in this, but I bought some Morrow cables years ago and sent them back for the break in service and they sounded much better. Just my personal experience. 

After using regular heavy gauge wire and/or Monster cable for years, I bought the SP-6 speaker cables a few months ago. I also paid for the 480 hour burn-in service. These have really made my vintage system come alive. Every instrument and sound is clearer and more pronounced yet nothing crowds out anything else.

Customer service is also an important part of a purchase. I originally ordered a pair of SP-4 set of speaker cables then realized my system would cook them. The wattage rating was too low. Oops. This was on a Sunday. Immediately after I realized my error, I sent an email to the company explaining my dilemma. Within an hour, ON A SUNDAY, I received a reply from the owner. He said no problem, and cancelled my order. He also said IF I see anything that does suit my needs, go ahead and order it but no pressure whatsoever. I really appreciated that.

I’m a big fan. I am very happy with my SP-5s and I had an MA 5 streamer to preamp and a MA 4 preamp to amp.  Both XLR. During a recent sale I upgraded the  MA 4 to a 5, really just to feel the system was balanced. Heard a slight improvement, but to my surprise, after about 80 hours it really kicked in— better imaging, better separation of instruments. The other reason I like Morrow is they are so flexible and easy to route. 

I have the SP-6 speaker cables and have been very happy with them. With their perpetual “sales” and the longer length I required, I found their cables to be competitively priced. I once required a custom cable design which simultaneously connected my external DAC to my integrated amplifier and headphone amplifier. This cable was required to connect to the XLR outputs from the DAC and split off into two sets of RCA cables to connect to both amplifier inputs.. I reached out to Morrow Audio and Mike Morrow reviewed the design and oversaw its building. This cable has performed flawlessly in my system and I have since looked to Morrow Audio first for my cable needs.

I went ahead and ordered a pair of SP-6. They were 50% off and seemed pretty reasonable at that price. Hope they meet my expectations relative to the standard 12-ga stranded cables I’ve been using.  Thanks for the input.  

There is a lot of information in the threads on this site.  I entered "Morrow Audio Speaker Cables" in the forum search and there are over 500 posts you can check out.  You can sort them by relevance or date.

You can also read about their design technology on their website. My personal experience is that speaker cables made from individually insulated solid core wire sound best to me.  Here is what Morrow says:

Morrow Audio signal cables use ONLY solid core OFC (oxygen free copper) wire, NEVER stranded.  Our cables contain multiple runs of wire. They are mono strands, individually insulated from each other.

Agree with the other posts here. I have the SP-4 as well and they are really nice. And I got them on one of their big sales---hope this helps.

They almost always have a big sale, either current or right around the corner. It's the sort of brand I would never buy at full price. I can't say I love that approach but it's not like they are trying to scam anyone either.

That said, they make good cables for what ends up being pretty reasonable prices (after the discounts) so I do think they are worth looking in to.

Thanks for the comments. They are having a significant sale now!

They do make quality cables, in my opinion the SP4 (and MA4 interconnects as well) is probably the sweet spot in terms of value per dollar. The lower models are fine but don't really stand out as much to me. And the higher models are great, but there's so much out there in that price range that it's tough competition. 

I will say I don't care for their XLR cables, due to most of them using the same relatively basic Neutrik connectors. Those are fine for cables in the $200-300 range but if I'm paying double that I want something nicer.

Lastly, they frequently have sales, demo models, etc, so try not to pay full price if you can help it.

I had a pair of the their SP-4 speaker cables and they were very nice sounding. The cost to value ration is very good. They have an old version vs the new  version in which they they pretty much doubled the wire count. Depending on how well your system sounds, you very well may have to spend big bucks to find something substantially better. I would look for a used pair to see if you like them. If not, you could probably sell them for a minimal loss.