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Anti-Cables with NAD and Vandersteen

I'm looking into the Anti-Cables as my first upgrade from 12G wire, and have two questions regarding my partnering equipment. First, is the Anti-Cables spade lug narrow enough to fit the barrier strip on my Vandersteen 2CE Signature IIs? Vandersteen recommends 7/16" max, and the Antis are 1/2". Can they squeeze in?

My second question has to do with bi-wiring. My NAD C372 has plastic binding posts with a very narrow (~1 mm) slot for a single spade lug per terminal. Are the Anti-Cables spades thin enough to slip two into that narrow slot? Or should I have one set terminated with bananas on the amp end? Though the NAD has two sets of speaker terminals, I'd prefer to run my wiring from just set A: among other things, Vandersteen recommends this.

I'm looking at about $160-180 for two 8' pairs with appropriate termination, and I'd like to stick close to that. My last question, I suppose, is if anyone thinks another cable in that range might be a better performer/value. Thanks in advance.
ablang
jamnperry
123 posts
 
I would get them unterminated. They will then easily accommodate the Vandersteen's. The binding posts on the NAD shouldn't be a problem either. The wire gauge is 12awg. Past posts recommended unterminated as the best sounding too.
Personally, they weren't a good match on my Vandersteens. They are very revealing but it was a case of too much because I'm using Class D amps (Channel Islands D200's)
dhel
40 posts
 
The Anti-cables sound great with Vandersteen. I have had a pair for around a month on my 3A sigs. I ordered them with the vintage spades for the barrier strip and they fit. I did have to take the screws all the way out of the barrier strip and then start them in the spade because they would not slip over the screw. Also, I have heard quite a few speaker cables and solid core cables are definitely my favorite for Vandersteens. I don't have the same amp as you do, but I was able to stack the spades on the amp end and it was a pain. IMO anti-cables are as good as one can get in this price range when used with Vandersteens and they really do take a long time to burn in. I have no idea why they need to burn in, but they definitely sounded better after 150 hours or so.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,515 posts
 
I'm using Anti-Cables on my Vandersteen 5A's. If you read my previous posts, you will see that I tried all of the highest price cables and Anti's were the keeper.
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