We all learned about the wire here;
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=7469
Buy from EBay seller Tajacobs. He is trusted and good. Others may sell
fakes.
Here is a current EBay listing from him. I think it is a husband/wife team as
Teresa is the "T". I think one of them worked for WE for many years.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/per-ft-Western-Electric-AIW-16g-cloth-
STRANDED-RED-with-white-writng-/351450979396?
pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51d41c5c44
He also sells black cloth covered wire which is the same wire. Do not
terminate and just use the bare wire for best sound. I used two runs per
pole for best sound. One run is very good, but two gives more body and
bass and is perfect! I used a slight twist every 2 or so inches.
The Belden 8402 IC cable referred to in the blog is also a must Jet.
Combine the two for sonic magic. The tandem is sublime and easily bested
any high dollar wire I have owned.
Here is where to purchase the Belden cable. They will make a set to the
length you want and build them the exact way the famous amp builder from
Japan builds them as referred to in Jeff Day's blog. They take about 30
hours to break in and are natural and beautiful sounding. I know this wire is
all stranded and tinned, I usually run from both these attributes in wire. I
cannot explain it, but this wire destroyed my past notions and experiences
with stranded and tinned wire.
Mine are built with the shield connected on both ends as are Jeff Day's.
The result will make you smile big. They start off just a tad bright, but
quickly sound so natural and beautiful with the WE speaker wire.
http://btpa.com/IC8402-XX.html
One last point on the WE wire. Don't buy other WE wire thinking a thicker
gauge, solid core, or whatever version of WE you think may be better. The
16ga stranded is the wire that has been confirmed as special. Folks seem
to want to stray from proven performance and that is fine once you have
experienced the 16ga wire. I had to fight the impulse to use some other WE
14ga etc....
I had $2000 speaker cables that I loved and were and are special
sounding. It took me awhile to find them and they are very highly reviewed.
The WE wire easily bested them at $1.49 foot. Same with the ICs.
Jeff Day used the solid core silver in silk Sablon wire and now uses the
WE. My audio buddies have also sold off expensive cables for WE. I cannot
recall an audio experience as surprising as these two wires/cables. I am
still shaking my head wondering how the heck......
The thing is both of these wires are no longer made. Once these sellers are
out that is it! The WE wire is from the 70s and 80s and I am not sure about
the Belden.
The burn in time is not long, but they do need 25-30 hours to sound their
best. I also find when used together you get the magic! The sum of the two
is greater than the individual wire sonically.
