Speaker Cables

@decooney ,
Thanks for getting back with that about OCC, which is what I have in my main, 10GA stranded silver SCs. The more I think about it, the moreI feel I should just keep that one great SC and either leave it alone as is, with the other 16GA solid core (and soft annealed) cable and not care about the looks or cut those pieces off the same brand but 14GA cables and see if that improves what I originally used for jumpers, which were silver plated OFC copper jumpers from DH Labs.

It could very well be that those jumpers were the weak link and the solid silver wire may just do the trick. I'm just on the fence, like I said.

@kgbspy,
Thanks for your input as well but I already passed the point where I know for a certainty, that two cables sound better for one. It's just that those small silver wire jumpers may take me most of the way there as two cables but I won't know until I try.

All the best,
Nonoise

OCC, triple C and DUCC OCC all are very fine cables and better than OFC.
One of my best surprises was when i managed to obtain some cm of Acoustic Revive solid core triple C, same core used in their top reference range, to use as jumpers. Not cheap for some cm's but the best investment for me by far.

G

Speaking of OFC vs. OCC, and switching to "interconnects" and different metallurgy types, over the past year (on and off) I’ve been testing two different pairs. Using the same brand, same internal design, same connectors, and the primary difference is the type and purity of the copper inside ofc vs occ. Its been a really interesting test of "wire" types.

My speakers and amp setup is as revealing as I’d ever want it to be. This truly helps to realize differences when comparing back to back.

OFC:
When swapping back and forth, you can actually hear more grain and less clarity and less high frequency extension with the OFC version. Not bad, just different. Hard to believe and true in my setup fwiw. Some times at first, OFC does sound fuller until the amps are warmed up then its more comparable with both types in terms of grain. Does seem more plump, and warmer with a mid-bass bump at times. Sound stage is less deep and slightly more forward with the OFC too. Sounds nice for different reasons short term, not long term for me. I always go back to OCC. Since they sound this way, and I don’t mind to start listening sooner, before the amps are fully warmed up with these. After full warmup with my tube amps, the ofc can become a little veiled over.

OCC:
Then, swapping back to the OCC version, instantly the upper frequency extension reappears, the sound stage is literally 3x deeper and 2x larger, more clear, with more transparency and detail in the right places, yet never harsh (after 200hrs on the cables, no joke). I notice I prefer for my tube mono amps to warm up a little longer before I can enjoy the occ cables to their fullest potential. The warmth and lower bass starts to kick in once the amps and transformers are fully warmed up and saturated. Goes well with good tube amps for sure and would likely not want these with any edgy or harsh SS amps. Lets it all through in a different way than my former silver-over-copper cable, without edge, never over-emphasizing any part of the frequency range.  Kinda neutral I guess.  

Your comparison of OFC vs OCC just got me going again after I decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Why'd you have to go and do that? 😄

All the best,
Nonoise

@nonoise   Hehehe. Yeah, I know and hear ya.  :) 

Is "too transparent" something you'd consider as a valid observation or consideration?  Well, its something I wrestled with when I first got my OCC cables new.  Thankfully it all settled in after an unbelievable 200+hrs. AP calls for 300hr.  I would have never believed it myself unless I had gone through it first hand.  Argh, was kind of nauseating along the way with light at the end of the tunnel, eventually.  

As for "going again", now I kind of want to start testing and comparing different brands using OCC only, looking for any sound variance with designs. Why?  To try to make any sense of this wire voodooo magic.