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Good speakers for Gaincard under $1500?

Hello,

I have the Silverline SR11 and borrowed a friend's ProAc Tab 50 Sig.

To make a long story short, I am listening to my old NHT SuperOne. SR11 sounds too recessed, and Tab50 sounds too hyper to me. I find the SuperOne more natural sounding than both ProAc and Silverline. Sad day for me indeed...

So, what are some good speakers around $1000 give or take a few Gs to match with the Gaincard? A few speakers that I got my eyes on and can afford and haven't listend to are:

Audio Physics Spark-avaialable used on Agon
Von Schweikert VR-1
Audio Physics Yara
Dunlavy SC1/AV or SC2/AV
HorneShoppe's The Horn
Moth Cicada
NHT 1.5, ST-4 or SB-3

Some speakers I'd love to hear but can't afford:

Rethm entire line
Konus Essence
Silverline Sonatina
Audio Physics Virgo
Dunlavy SC-iii
Von Schweikert VR-4 SE
*crying*

Rest of my system:
Meridian 500
Channel Island VDA-1 and VAC-1
Gaincard
All Bogdan cables except a Virtual Dynamic Audition Power on the transport

Please share your opinions with me. Thanks.
viggen
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,552 posts
 
Hi Viggen:

Not certain about the cable.

I have listened to DIY speaker cables made from CAT 5 before, but the design was a complex one that killed the music compared to the simplistic speaker cable that I am used to (did not pay much attention to the Belden cable itself).

How is Ronnie using the CAT 5?
viggen OP
838 posts
 
Dekay,

I think he is using 3 cables and braided. I am not certain. When he first spoke of the CAT cable, I was like HUH? So what he said about the cable after that went over my head. At first, I thought he meant the CAT that makes those preamps.

But I think I will send him 10ft pair of Bogdan to install.

Also, I understand you use OTA cables? Tell me, how do you use their speakercables? Single run each for hot and ground and bare-wire? So, if I want a 10ft pair, I will need 40 ft of OTA? Or, do you use braided multi-conductor thus needing more than 40ft for a 10 ft cable pair ?

Also, I just perused the OTA thread, there seems to be a degredation in sound quality when the OTA cable length is over 2M?
viggen OP
838 posts
 
Well, I took a RJ-45 and a USB cable apart this morning. I only have one of each in the house. So, the RJ-45 is on the left speakers, and the USB is on the right. I am using only single 24 gauge conductors to each hot and ground posts on the amp and speakers. So far, the mids sound very very real. The highs and lows are not quite as present. Then again, I am only using SuperOnes at the moment.

I did use all 8 conductors in the RJ-45 cable on the left speaker, but it made the speaker play louder than the right speaker that is using the USB. The USB only has 2 conductors (and two very tiny ones that I didn't even bother stripping), so I am forced to use one conductor on each binding post.

I also found using a single conductor has a much more real portrayal in the midrange than when using all the RJ-45's conductors.

I also found this website very helpful.
http://www.duxcw.com/faq/network/audio.htm
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,552 posts
 
Hi Viggen:

Yes, I use the 47 Labs cable in single runs (your calculations are correct).

I did not notice any difference in the sound between 3' and 12' speaker cables (tried both on a near field system that I used to have in the spare room). I do however try to keep the length of small gauge single run speaker cables to 12' (or less) as longer will start to roll off the HF's.
melville's avatar
melville
22 posts
 
I use Cain & Cain Abbys (95 dB), and they work extremely well with my 25 w/ch Gaincard.
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