Speaker Cables for SET Amp

auditorium 23 cables. relatively thin copper. particularly good for longer runs. i bought a pair earlier this year and couldnt be happier with them.

I use the Cardas SE-9.

if you can swing it, transparent audio.

i'll be covering this in a review i'll have on dagogo.com, but the thing is that with any amp that does not have an optimal power supply (defined as 2x power as impedance is 1/2'd), the transparents "evidently" perform an impedance matching function, manifest as enhanced bass performance (depth / pitch). - the cables allow the amp to see an easier load (don't ask me how; my experience drives my assumption, but does make perfect sense), which is highly beneficial for less-than-current monster amps.

with a Wavac SET, the transparents were revelatory and indispensible. with a Belles 350a Reference, they were outclassed by anticables.

I find that tubes and silver cables work really well together. I currently use Ridge Street Poiema!! speaker cables with a pp EL-34 amp to great effect. Of course there is no one right answer, experiment. It is very easy with cables to just buy, try, and sell right here on Audiogon until you find something that you like. Another thing, you haven't specified a budget which makes suggestions pretty hard. So more info please.

Hi Jsman.

I'd like to try and help here too.

SETs are noted for their tangible, nuanced and immediate presentation. They don't necessarily sound "accurate" but they have an uncanny ability to sound real. To this end, if done with great care, silver based speaker cables will compliment SETs beautifully. Silver passes along space, air, dimension and "Pace, Rhythm and Timing" like no other metal in my opinion. The key is silver needs to be "done right".

Within the family of silver based speaker cables, I strongly recommend a topology that carries a low-ish AC Characteristic Impedance (Low Z). This isn't the same as a low resistance cable which is a DC measurement though low resistance is very desirable. Unfortunately, most low resistance speaker cables have pretty a high Z. Same with most speaker cables using small gauge conductors and higher resistance.

I believe a Low Z speaker cable that's very close to the output impedance of your SET amp ( I'm guessing somewhere around 4 Ohms if you're still using the Sophia Electric 300B MkII ) will allow the amp to shine beyond what you would experience otherwise.

Hope that points in a good direction for you.

Cheers!

Robert
RSAD