Whats wrong with short cables?

Drubin: Like i said in that thread and explained why, if you don't like what you hear, it's because something else in the system isn't up to snuff. Don't blame the messenger for delivering the bad news. It is simply passing back and forth what is fed into it without contributing its' own sonic signature. If the messenger / cable were distorting the message, then you would be fully justified at pointing fingers at them. This cable is both the most technologically advanced yet simple design wrapped all in one. Out of curiosity, are you using MI-1, MI-2 or MI-3's and how long are they?

Having said that, you've probably been exposed to what your amplifier / speaker interface really sounds like now. Many people aren't happy with the results of such an event and go to great lengths to avoid dealing with such things. This is why they resort to using mega-dollar cables with less than optimum electrical characteristics to hide / distort / flavour / the sound of their system. They do this in order to make it more to their personal tastes. Nothing wrong with this so long as one knows that the presentation is not accurate or linear in reproduction and is willing to accept that.

For another conversation that touches on the "neutrality vs personal preferene" subject, try taking a look at this thread regarding integrity of reviewers / integrity of sound systems. This one went WAY off track and gets pretty repetitive, so proceed with caution. Sean
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PS... You need a Zobel. Unless you are running a Sunfire amplifier ( these have built in protection ), get some and install them before you do damage to your amp.

Jeez, Sean, you sound almost pissed off. :-)

What I have is 10' M2 biwire. Since the Thiels don't take biwire, I attached both sets of speaker leads to the one set of terminals on the speakers. (This is a common practice, but I wonder if it's a good practice.)

What I noticed about the sound was a shallower soundstage than with my other cables and a less extended treble (this was the most disappointing thing about the Goertz). The other cables I've been using are Cardas Golden Cross and Nordost Valhalla, two very different beasts, but each stellar in its own way.

Where do I get a Zobel, and does it go at the amp end or the speaker end, or both?

Your best bet for a Zobel is to build one yourself or to have someone build it for you. The Zobel should be placed at the speaker terminals in parallel across the speaker terminals. Use of Goertz without a Zobel is not recommended, can cause amplifier damage and will not result in the sonics that the system is capable of. Drop me an email if you like. I've been having problems with both my computer and my email lately, so if you don't get a response in a relatively timely manner, post here and i'll contact you via another source. Sean
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PS... Sorry if i came across relatively "harsh". It seems like "bad luck" has permanently taken roost around here. Sorry if my frustration was unnecessarily being passed on down the line.

somehow the notion that wires which impose damaging load on your amp, and need to be counteracted by a Zobel network, are good, is hard for me to accept.

Accept it or not, they do the least damage to the signal due to being constructed of the highest grade materials, using the least detrimental electrical characteristics and offering the widest bandwidth available. The side effect to such a "no-holds barred" approach is that amplifiers designed with a similar approach become susceptible to self-induced oscillation. This is due to the lack of self-induced signal deterioration that lesser, narrow bandwidth cables bring with them to any system.

Some manufacturers, like Naim, count on one using low grade cabling to keep their amps stable. While that is a backwards approach, it is the approach that they took.

Nobody said that obtaining optimum performance would be cheap or simple. Make your decisions and live with the results. So long as you attach the Zobel's, which is a one time thing, you don't have to worry about it ever again. Sean
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