2. cables
  3. 1151770797

Soundlab M1 and Alpha-Core cables

Hello Everyone,
My understanding is that Soundlab speakers are high impedance speakers, and that is why they are hard to drive. Alternatively, my understanding is that Alpha-Core MI and AG series speaker cables are low impedance and high capacitance. Would this mean that these cables would be a good match electrically with the Soundlabs? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Regards,
Dennis

dgclark0007
audiokinesis
2,764 posts
 
Yes, Alpha-Core cables work quite well with SoundLabs. That's one of the cable lines I considered carrying, but ended up with something else (I'm a SoundLab dealer).

A cable that takes the wide, flat, thin, low-skin-effect geometry even further is Magnan Signature. David Magnan designed them using stacked original Quads as his reference. Magnan Signature speaker cables are what I use in my system, and I have sold them to quite a few SoundLab owners. One of those sales was to an AG2 owner.

In a less expensive cable, I have found Analysis Plus Oval 9 to be very good on electrostats. Their low-skin-effect geometry is well suited to this application.

Duke
sardonyxx
64 posts
 
To my ears, Alpha core is a little bright. I agree with the Magnan cables. They are the next speaker cables that I will buy. All of my interconnects are Magnan.

Jeff
sean
6,231 posts
 
Duke: I'm surprised at your recommendation of AP speaker cables. We typically share similar results / observations ( as we both like Magnan's products ), but we are 180* out of step on this one. On top of that, low skin effect on any stranded cable, especially one that uses bare conductors in a braid woven design, is a contradiction in itself. You literally have one bare wire crossing over another bare wire, resulting in what is referred to as "strand jumping". To my ears and those of my brother and ( now Ex ) girlfriend on several different systems, the AP 9's were horrible sounding.

Other than that, the Alpha-Core's "might" work well with the Soundlab's. Most of this would be dependent on what the output impedance of the amplifier being used was. With a low impedance SS amp, no problem. With a high impedance tubed amp, i would look for something else.

The reason for this has to do with power transfer characteristics and the nominal impedances involved. For best results, the nominal impedance of the speaker cables being used should be somewhere between the output impedance of the amplifier and the load impedance of the speakers. That is, IF the amp is stable and capable of driving the speakers without a problem. Otherwise, using speaker cables of a higher nominal impedance and / or a more restricted bandwidth may work better. Sean
>
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
I see this talk about skin effect and wonder what you are talking about? In my electrical engineering schooling, we were taught that "skin effect" only occurs at much higher frequencies than what is present in an audio signal - we're talking MHz and GHz, not KHz. Do y'all have some new physics that you use to explain this?

-RW-
sean
6,231 posts
 
Skin effect / impedance related high frequency losses definitely come into play in the audio region. This is well documented and has been known since the 70's. You can find independent measurements and test results all over the place if you look around. Sean
>
More to discover