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Anti Cables with Simaudio

Here is yet another opinion/experience with speaker cables.

I use Green Mountain Speakers, a Monarch DAC24, and was using an Arcam A90 amp. As a non-believer in expensive cables, I seek out well made reasonably priced cables. For a long time, I didn't even think any cables made a difference. I now have a different opinion.

Three cables compared:
Cobalt Cable - 10 gauge heavy multi-strand solid copper.
KnuKfoncepts - 10 gauge light multi-strand silver coated copper.
Anti cables - solid copper cable with no shielding or insulation other than a light coating.

All these cables cost under $200, I run 4 meter lengths.

I bought Cobalt Cables Ultimate cable and used them with the Arcam/GMA setup. This setup had a very tranparent and detailed sound. I could listen to this for hours without losing interest or fatigue. For an experiment, I bought the KnuKoncepts silver cables. The sound was compressed, the highs truncated and well, the magic was gone. So I packed them up in my closet and forgot about them.

Recently, I sold the Arcam and bought a Simaudio Moon I-5. Nice little amp with great reviews. I hooked it up and wham - it sounded bad. Compressed sound, hard to listen to with little detail or definition, exagerated upper mid-frequencies. Needless to say I was disappointed and thought about listing the amp immediately and buying another Arcam. As I read some articles and got some feedback, I decided to experiment with some cables - so I pulled out the silver stranded cables and hooked them up. The transparency and detail returned but with some additional benefits, the amp sounded more dynamic, more powerful. I went back and forth for a couple days but the silver cables were significantly better sounding and brought the magic back.

So next, I thought, this can get even better and bought some anti cables after reading so many great reviews, hooked em up and the highs and detail were gone again. They still sounded pretty good but not nearly as refined as the silver stranded cable. Again I was dissapointed, the anti cables will be available on audiogon soon.

As I have heard very expensive cables at my local high-end dealer, I have come to the following conclusions from this experience:

1. a speaker wire that sounds good with one amp may sound terrible with another. It doesn't matter how much you spend.
2. The configuration and material (silver vs copper, twisted vs solid, etc).
3. All these cables are decent, one is not better than the other, it depends on the synergy with the amp and speakers.

The reference tracks that I use for my testing are:

Kaki King - "Legs", track 1 - Frame (this is a great close mic'ed acoustic guitar track with ringing harmonics, and natural reverb.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, - "So Far" - track 2 - Helplessly Hoping and track 10 - Gueniverre.
Rachel Podger, Solo Violin - Bach Sonatas and Partitas - various.
Bruce Cockburn - "Breakfast" - Track 4 - That's what friends are for.

If you made it all the way through this, you must be more nuts than I am for writing it - thanks!
drewh1
cyclonicman
693 posts
 
Did you allow any break-in time for these cables? Anticables can take up to 100 hours before sounding their best. The others probably require somewhere in that ballpark as well.
drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
Cyclonicman,

I have to admit to being a skeptic about cable break-in. There is no physical property of metal that I am aware of that changes due to electrons bumping into each other in the wire. This has been described as one of the top-ten audio myths in a number of articles.

Even anti-cable's website describes the break-in as being due to the plastic insulator used on most cables and since anti-cables have very little, any break-in affect would be minimal.

It is more likely our ears and brain that break-in (adapt to the cables) and not vice-versa. (In another article, I mentioned Oliver Sach's book "Musicophilia" that describes the amazing intersection of neurology and music. In one experiment, sections of music were ommitted from the recording and listeners did not notice, the brain had actually "filled in" the missing bits). This is different for mechanical devices like speakers, that do change because of mechanical movements.
Just my humble opinion.
danlib1
819 posts
 
Drewh1- I certainly understand and respect your opinion.

My experience however is that burn in with interconnects and power cables is indeed real with many cables. I can clearly hear the difference. And with the Anti-Cable ICs and speaker cables, they can sound congested and closed in at the frequency extremes for awhile. They do however blossom nicely as they are used frequently.

What really matters is how it sounds to you, so I would recommend following a burn in procedure with a cable and then comparing it to your initial impressions. Or forget the whole thing and enjoy some music!
drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
Danlib1 - I am interested in trying this - since I have already changed my opinion about differences in speaker cables (though not about spending too much on them), I am open to being swayed on speaker cable burn-in! I will hang on to the anti-cables and give them a shot after I put some hours on the ones that are in there. (my next big area of skepticism is power cables).

What I am really enjoying is having a system that allows me to hear very subtle differences. The combination of the Green Mountain speakers and the Simaudio really allow me to evaluate nuances.

I also appreciated the way you communicated your opinion, thanks.
danlib1
819 posts
 
Let us know what you think after some burn in time :)
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