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UP-OCC solid core copper for speaker cable

After reading about all these expensive cables and their extravagant claims, I decided to source the same wire that goes into many of them.

I have my monoblocs underneath and therefore close to the speakers. I ordered 8 feet of 14awg UP-OCC wire (with PTFE insulation) online. It is quite springy so I clamped it gently to the bench and cut it into 4 equal lengths. Assembling it into 2 x 24" speaker cables took a few minutes. I kept it running in the same direction, just in case. Be careful to gently slice the insulation and not to scar the copper.

Anyway, the improvement in sound quality was of a high order. Large increases in speed and transparency, more air, better definition of instruments, less coloration, backing voices I never noticed before etc. The improvement in musicality was impressive.

I urge folks to try this before spending lots of money on speaker cables. I don't bother with connectors as I feel they are another item in the way but that's your call. The wire was $6 a foot.

Available here:http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_neotech_copper_teflon.html

See a photo of my cable here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6iot28p0weuwytn/up-occ.jpg?dl=0
128x128noromance
runnin
397 posts
 
Stranded cables have an effect on sound that I never would have believed until I swapped in the solid core Audioquest Type 4. By comparison, the sound became more focused and clear. Not that I thought I was lacking in that department, mind you. But it was quite easy to hear the difference. The result was that the imaging was superior.

Lower frequencies benefitted from this by sounding more accurate. My previous wire, a stranded 12 gauge didn't have any more bass even though the Type 4 is smaller by comparison. But I am not a bass head, for best bass one might want to go up to bigger sizes.
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,894 posts
 
Runnin, the point of my exercise was to try the conductors that the more expensive brands use. In this case 7N PC-OCC copper. The improvement was definite. I don't believe the previous cables had issues in that their performance had deteriorated.
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,894 posts
 
The Audioquest Type 4 uses OFC not OCC copper.
brf
1,715 posts
 
Check out this small manufacture, they use the same materials as the "big" boys without the big price tag. They only use 6N and 7N OCC silver or copper conductors.

http://audiosensibility.com/
mtrot
804 posts
 
@Brf,

Those do look interesting, but certainly much more expensive than the Neotech option posted above. In my case, I am only looking for cables for the low frequency run to my speakers. I can't see how the Audio Sensibility cables would be much better than the Neotech for a low frequency run.
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