*WHITE PAPER* The Sound of Music - How & Why the Speaker Cable Matters

Mr.  millercarbon
Your model I-880 is a tube amp. Those, tend to have two ways to go with:
1. Provide no data or very little. So DF spec. is not to be found.
2. Tube amps have a nature of low to very (!) low DF figure.
I would take an educated guess, that it's under 20.
For that kind of DF, a home phone cord would do the job. 

DF in Amp's evolution was a factor. Even first SS amps tend to have some lower DF then found today...Lets look at the Revox A-78, with DF of 30! In the late 70's on the gold era of Japanese Amps and Receivers, and till today on that kind of Integrated Amp's, the most common DF was 40. To most of them, and there were hundreds of model per year.
When some hi-End power amps, with high current capabilities (multiply power by X2 (W)) when load decreases by half (8 ohms to 4 ohms, or 4 ohms to 2 ohms and so), DF went above 100 and towards 1,000. After Digital Amps were introduced and improved, Df figures of 4,000 and above became common. 

Mr.  audio2design

You may be with whom you like to. 

1. You ,may throw more complication on the subject, yet you bring no solutions: What is the parameter to look at, and what is its relations to the system its connected with?
2. As long as you stay at the dark side (see no relation and pick your cable blindfolded as not understanding its role), your journey may have no end. You may keep looking till the end of days and not found it. I wonder if you will be the lucky guy to get the right cable on your first attempt (as if calculated and applied) just like buying once in a lifetime a lottery ticket and hit the jackpot...
3. For me, and I explained why no L and C to involved in that calculation, had found the way, to get there on the first attempt, every time I do it.
There are two threads here, with people who were willing to participate and tried it out, getting amazing results, putting away to storage cables costed thousands of $$$ they used before, and get a DIY cable costs less than $100 to replaced them, because they sounded so much better.
On top, I also found out, that when a calculation shows that an X AWG is required, its providing the best sound. If you try going even thicker, sound remain the same. Good, but not better.

Blah blah blah....so many people with so much advice and self assuredness.  Most have not laid down tons of cash over the years exploring all the different cable designs with various systems and environments.  Most of the advice is from a limited perspective or biased mindset.  On a well mated system, in a relatively decent environment, recent MIT cables and power cords allow the music to flow unimpeded...no roll offs or compression or lack of detail.  What comes through is a lifelike sonic soundscape with dimensionality, accurate tonality, realistic dynamic swing and an organic palpability that is astonishing!  When you hear the presence and energy in your music conveyed with such an uncannily truthful manner, goosebumps usually follow...and then a huge grin!

Blah blah blah....so many people with so much advice and self assuredness.  Most have not laid down tons of cash over the years exploring all the different cable designs with various systems and environments.  Most of the advice is from a limited perspective or biased mindset.  On a well mated system, in a relatively decent environment, recent MIT cables and power cords allow the music to flow unimpeded...no roll offs or compression or lack of detail

That's weird, because when I tested / tried MIT cables they were one of the few that actually rolled off the high end.  No need to try all kinds of cable designs when you understand how cables work. I don't need to try a 4000lb car with a 60hp engine to know I am not going to get a 5 second 0-60 time.

b4icu,

You seem to be ignoring L and C because I would say there is a good chance you don't understand how they behave in a system.  Take the biggest wires you can find, I don't care, make them 000.  If you don't design at the same time for low L, those giant cables can cause audible roll-off at high frequencies. Not subtle, but audible.

Not even talking about the resistance in the voice coil and cross-overs yet which will make that giant cable of little value.


There is a popular cartoon which shows two paths, "Simple but Wrong", and "Complex but right". It is often appropriate.

b4icu- Again. My Melody integrated amp is model I-880. You can use your incredible expertise to look up the DF. I require 8 feet. Can’t wait to hear the wonderful wires you build me. PM me when its ready I’ll give you my shipping address.

Your name by the way reminds me of the 60’s Sunday morning kids show JP Patches. A clown. His side kick Gertrude was a guy with obvious 5 o’clock shadow in drag and Army boots. This all being preposterous even to kids isn’t all that reminds me of you however. It was the gimmick that they could see you through the TV camera. They called it the ICU2TV.