copper vs. silver

[indyluke]

Ok, I have a pair of Klipsch RF 7's. Feeding them are a Rotel RSX 1065 and a RCD 1070 CD player. I am looking to upgrade the analog cable connection. The Klipsch are a little forward and bright. My question is which cable would tone them down a little bit, copper or silver. Been looking at Better Cables, Cat Cables & Audioquest. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks




indyluke

May the audio force be with you.

[Whistler]

If your dealer has MIT and/or Fadel Art you should try them, those cables are very neutral. You shouldn't go for Kimber and Straight Wire, it will open even more .




The Mainframe

[indyluke]

The dealer mostly uses Acoustic Zen (a little pricey) & Tara Labs, but I can get virtually anything online. Wanted to stay in the $100-$150 range.




indyluke

May the audio force be with you.

[Lex]

Unlike Mr Whistler, I'd like to comment on at least two of brands you actually did ask about. I've frankly never even heard of one of them, and I've been in the cable business for 3 years.

First, Audioquest has always made some nice product. I've used them myself and they don't tend to the bright side at all. I will say I liked some of their older products.

But of course, when it's all said and done, I'd like to see you support one of our sponsor cable companies, even if, I'm the owner. We perhaps don't say it enough, how important it is for at least some members to support our sponsors, even in their recommendations, or at least not to recommend regularly against them, and it really is not an issue that one of the owners of the forum is owner of the cable companies.

Both the BlueTigers from CAT, and the Coppercats will not be bright at all. Additionally, the Quantum Cable Supernovas, are well known to provide as much detail as Silvercats, but without the edge that silver can sometimes have. Ask Erik a moderator in spaced out, or Danbry39, when he's around. Both own Quantum Supernovas.

In fact, I think you should stay away from most silver. Klipsh is one of the brands I tend not to recommend silver with. That's one of the things you get with a personalized service cable company, vs. walking into a local dealer. Fact is, your local dealer may know nothing of your speakers, unless he sold them to you. Not always the case. Someone like myself that services people with almost ALL makes of gear, is in a much better position to match cables with your gear. I do it every day, and have one of the highest satisfaction ratings out there.

Doug
CATCables.com
QuantumCable.com
ZeusCable.com

[Lex]

Oh, another thing, I believe that other one you asked about primarily sells silver coated copper coax for audio. Silver coated copper could add brightness. I really believe you should stay with solid copper.

[indyluke]

Lex, Thanks for the info. I too am a business owner and our company prides itself on customer service much like you do with CATCables. I have only two questions. What is the difference between the Quantum Supernovas and the KingCat's Copper? Which one do you think will work best with Rotel/Klipsch? I will be ordering soon. Thanks




indyluke

May the audio force be with you.

[Lex]

Thanks Indy, I appreciate it! What products do you sell?

The Supernovas are a proven winner. I've not sold to many copper Kingcats. In all honesty, one guy did say they sounded a little closed in on his system. Of course, that could be a good thing for you! He had previously bought Supernovas, and went back to those for his second pair.

I can audition some copper kingcats further if it would help you make a decision. I do have those produced.

[efarstad]

I'm the "Erik" Lex referred to...and I have no reservations recommending SuperNova's given your gear and speakers...I provided a review a while back comparing my SuperNovas to my SilverCats...on my extremely revealing Martin Logan SL3 speakers and the Novas held their own with the SilverCats...though the SilverCats only provided a bit more in high end resolution (what many refer to as the "bright" sound). So given your Klipsch speakers...the Nova's would a great choice IMHO! 8)

E





The Norwegian A/V Nut!
E-Cinema

[luszer]

the CopperCats certainly make a great and affordable entry into a cooper based cable. Currently using B&W CDM 1nt speakers, which I don't consider bright, but rather can be very revealing. The tweeter is top mounted and can make for some harshness at the top end but really sound airy and open. The coppercats produce great bass and detail.

Lex, here's a ?

Can the Silvercats produce better resolution and detail at lower volume listening than a coppercat. I find myself cranking the volume sometimes get the highest quality level of playback


hope this helps
Ron

[indyluke]

Thanks for all the advice. Lex, our company provides a service for banks. I think I am leaning towards the Supernovas for the RF 7's. Erik, nice site for the house pics and the hometheatre, when my kids are out of daycare$$$ I hope to construct my dream hometheatre too. I just bought a new Mach 1 and my wife would kill me if I spent big bucks on a killer HT.

Concerning Luszer question about volume and performance, I do the same, have been considering a pair of Dynaudio Audience 82 for more dynamics at low volumes. The Klipsch are great for jazz/rock/blues at reference volume levels but at lower volumes I wonder if I am missing anything. Any suggestions for a 2-3K speaker that outperforms all others and can play loud as well as soft? Thanks 8)




indyluke

May the audio force be with you.

[Lex]

Luszer, thanks for your nice comments. The coppercats are pure. Unshielded cables can many times sound best, and pure high conductivity oxygen free copper in teflon is about as good as it gets as far as the materials, and the solid brass rhodium coated connectors make a great connection. We might increase low level detail a bit with Bullets vs. Cardas RCAs. However, I will say most low level detail is more a product of three things. Pre-amp detail at low levels, amplifier performance at low levels, as well as speaker output at low levels. What I am saying is, the cable is as capable at low volumes as it is at high volumes. So, in short, you just can't achieve that completel with a cable. Now silver could have the effect of making you think your hearing more detail at lower volumes due to the metalurgical content. Part of that could be a volume boost by using silver. After all, silver is the absolute best conductor.

Doug

[Lex]

Indy, well, something we have in common besides owning a business. I also own a Mach I. But mine isn't really new. I wish! It's a 1970 model, lol.

The Supernovas are an excellent choice. I really like the smoothness of that locking barrel too. Easy on, and easy off. As far as speakers, the Dyn's would be a good choice I think to maximize low volume enjoyment. I myself love a good soft dome. To me, they are the stuff.

Doug

[efarstad]

Indyluke, thanks for your kind words on the theater...and all my best with your new cables, whatever you decide!

E





The Norwegian A/V Nut!
E-Cinema

[Lex]

Indy, your cables shipped today after cooking over 48 hours on the cable cooker. Remember, connect in the direction of the arrows on the heat shrink.

Doug

[RedStep]

Indy...Man I think you got alot of good advice here. Give a review on those new cables....And I'm glad you went with copper
Silver has got a bad rap as most say it is "bright" but, it's really the quality and surface of the silver used, anyway you can't go wrong with pure copper




RedStep
We are truly a product of the decisions we make

[indyluke]

Doug, The cables arrived today , but my wife wants me to wait until christmas to hook them up "long story" Thanks for the great service and advice, I will comment on them after a few days/weeks of listening.

In the new year, I am planing on purchasing a universal DVD player and HDTV, so I will need upgrade video and some audio cables for those too! I'm thinking CAT!

Everyone on the forum have a great holiday season and hope for electronics 8) under the tree.




indyluke

May the audio force be with you.

[Lex]

Indy, excellent! :T I'm glad your satisfied with the level of service you received from CAT. At least they were in a box so your wife could wrap them, lol.

Red, while I agree there are varying qualities of silver, conditioning is important as well for silver. With horns and some metal dome tweeters, that extra degree of transparency can have the effect of adding brightness. That's why when someone says there system is already in their face and up front, silver isn't really the best recommendation. As the Supernova proves, there are excellent copper cables that can achieve the level of detail without adding that degree of transparency that pushes them over the top.

Lex

[David Meek]

Silver has got a bad rap as most say it is "bright" but, it's really the quality and surface of the silver used, anyway you can't go wrong with pure copper

Good OFC copper with quality connectors is always a good choice, whether in speaker cables or interconnects. Silver is more revealing IMHO and can be the perfect addition to the right system. I'm using the 1m SilverCats with the W-type connectors exclusively as my audio interconnects now, and they have nicely complemented my system. As my Aerial Acoustic 7B speakers have a nice smooth top end, the silver gives just the right amount of boost to the upper register - copper just didn't give the same sense of airy-ness and extension.

Hope your new cables sound mah-velous. ;x(




David - HTGuide flunky
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