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Belden 8402, 8412, and 8428

I am starting to have some time to play around lately so decided to try some cable comparisons and to make some more cables.  

I have been exclusively using Furutech u-P2.1 interconnects made with FP601/602 balanced connectors.  The cable is a 19awg fine stranded OCC copper in foamed PE with a copper braid shield.  There is really nothing to complain about.  However, I have previously made other cables including ICs using Western Electric wire, Duelund wire, and Belden 8402 a 20awg tinned copper cable that is said to impart a tonally rich, dense, midrange, at the slight expense of the high/low frequency extremes.  IME, all of the tinned copper does that to some extent.  Jeff Day wrote a few articles for Positive Feedback about it (about 5 years ago) after the guys from SPEC Corporation said the 8402 ICs and Western Electric 16awg speaker wire contributed to "Real Sound" or musicality. 

I have a few 8402 cables around here (Vampire or DH Labs XLR connectors) so I replaced one of the three sets of ICs I currently need with the 8402 and started making cables to replace the other two sets.  One set is now completed and spending some time on the cable cooker, after which it will go from my DAC to my volume control.  I have started another set to go from my SMc buffer to my amps, where I currently replaced the Furutech ICs with a set of DIY shielded Duelund 20 awg (tinned copper) ICs.  I am noticing a bit of a difference between these tinned copper ICs and my Furutech cables, with the tinned cables being maybe a little warmer and denser.

I have tried the Belden 8412, which is similar to the 8402, because I was curious how the Belden tinned copper wire would sound with PE insulation and a different jacket but the 8412 doesn't seem to have the same level of warmth and engagement as the 8402, or the Duelund wire. 

I have also ordered some Belden 8428, which is identical to the 8402 except that the signal wires are 18awg and the outer jacket is CPE instead of the CPSE on the 8402.  I like the 8402's CSPE jacket much better than the PVC on the 8412 cable, so I hope I don't dislike the CPE, which is likely to be stiffer than CPSE.  Do any of you have any experience with the Belden 8428?  Here is a thread discussing several of those Belden cables, including the 8428 near the end of the comments.

This may just be an opportunity to try something new because I am bored, but it is also sort of fun.  I may very well go back to using the Furutech u-P2.1, which is well-made, good sounding, and hard to beat without spending stupid money.

 

mitch2
mitch2 OP
4,030 posts
 

Finished the third set of Belden 8402 ICs yesterday, cooked them on my Cable Cooker for almost a day, and then connected all three sets to my system:

  • 2M from DAC to passive volume control
  • .5 M from VC to unity gain buffer
  • 1.5 M from buffer to monoblocks

Rich and creamy, for sure. Some might call them subdued, but then they started to open up to display nice clarity on the top end. Switching from fine stranded Furutech speaker cables to Cardas Golden Cross helped add definition and weight. Need to give the Belden 8402 ICs some time and maybe try some other speaker cables. The 8402 ICs sound pretty good, in a musical way, but may not end up replacing the Furutech u-P2.1 ICs.

mitch2 OP
4,030 posts
 

The Belden 8402 ICs are sounding pretty good with the Cardas Golden Cross speaker cables. 

The Belden 8428 wire arrived yesterday and that stuff is like 8402 on steroids.  It is basically the same thing as 8402, except bigger (41 strands of 34awg wire vs. 26 strands) and the outer jacket is a little different.  However, the CPE outer jacket, while maybe just a little less soft and rubbery than the CPSE on the 8402, is still softer and more flexible than typical PVC jackets.  Both shields are 85 percent, but for some reason it seems there is more shield with the larger 8428, but maybe because it has to cover a larger cable.  It also seems as if the 8428 has more internal packing material, but probably for the same reason - the cable is larger overall.

I should have a chance to finish some or all of the 8428 cables today and tomorrow, so I look forward to hearing them.  Of course, the real test will be when I reinstall the Furutech ICs.

mitch2 OP
4,030 posts
 

For any still interested in the tinned copper ICs, I finished all of the 8428 cables, cooked them for almost two days, and started listening yesterday.   I decided to go with a full set of whichever type of cable I was trying, so I replaced the three Belden 8402 cables with three (2@2M and 1@0.5M) Belden 8428 cables. 

First impressions are that the 8428s provide a similar presentation but perhaps a more melodic tone and more fleshed-out bass.  IOW, similar but probably better sounding (and certainly not worse) than the 8402.  One interesting construction feature about the 8428 that I did not notice with the 8402 is the presence of a cotton string wrap directly around the wire and inside of the first insulation layer.  After stripping the insulation, I needed to unwind, cut, and remove the cotton string that was in direct contact with the cotton wires.  I have never seen that before but it means the first insulation layer is cotton, which provides a bit of separation from the EPDM insulation and may provide additional damping.

Since I purchased the 8428, I became aware that Belden makes an 8408, which appears to be constructed exactly like the 8402, except that the signal conductors are 16 awg instead of 20 awg.  Since I liked the larger 8428 cable with its 18 awg conductors, and considering the positive results some have reported from using 16 awg Duelund or WE wires, I decided to order some of the 8408 cable and will report on that after it gets here. 

All of this is just playing around to tweak out any sonic variations and, as I said before, the real test of whether they stay in my system will be when I reinstall the Furutech ICs.

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