Speaker Cables

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.  

 

I have been auditioning Kimber Kable’s Bifocals and they sound great - still questioning the dollar value but clearly sound better than other speaker cables in my system. 
Mixed feelings because I was happy using cheaper cables. 

Just use any ordinary 8-10 AWG copper wire and ferrule the ends.
They will sound perfect, look very neat and will not cost you a bundle.

If you are really picky, contrary to common opinion, I would choose a wire with less inductance than capacitance, all other things being equal.

Higher inductance will "resist" sudden changes of current (reverse EMF = -L di/dt), hence may limit the "punch" of sudden swings. Higher capacitance will start rolling off the higher frequencies. Depends which one is more important to you. To me, the "punch" is.

Your mileage may vary.