which speaker cable works best with 805S

[arcam_boy]

First of all I'd like to say hi to everyone on the B&W thread.

I've had my B&W 805S speakers for 11 months now and have loved every minute of owning them. I have upgraded my amp and cd player and the sound improved even more. I have recently changed my interconnects for kimber KS 1030's and they added a real sparkle to the music and have unearthed some previously unheard notes. I am now looking to upgrade my speaker cable as its the "weakest link" in my system.

I'm looking for something around 2m (6 foot) in length, terminated with spades or banana's and with a max budget of £750 ($1500)

Could anyone who uses 805S let me know of any cables they know that work especially well with the speaker.

Many thanks
Mark

[wkhanna]

Welcome to the forum, arcam_boy!

The sponsor of this site is also the owner of CatCables.
Forum rules limit cable discussion, please see this link

At the same time, many of us (including me) have purchased CatCables, and I have yet to hear of anyone who has ever regretted the decision. IMHO, you will not find a better cable in terms of price, build quality or performance at 3X or more the cost.

I would encourage you to go to the CatCable forum and talk with Doug, I am sure he can help you find what you want, and you will not be disappointed.

[Race Car Driver]

I use Monster Cable with my Nautilus speakers...

:unsure:


Im serious though..... :thud:

[NMG]

I use Monster Cable with my Nautilus speakers...

:unsure:


Im serious though..... :thud:

Ditto, except I have 703's. I think eventually I'll buy some nice looking covering that I can put over the speaker wires. I'm sure that by simply looking better, I'll hear all sorts of improvements :B

[arcam_boy]

thanks for the replies.

sorry i did have a quick read of the rules and didn't realise about the cables.

i have spoken to several different cable companies in the UK who have all advised on very different cables. i noticed a nice difference when swapping my interconnects for the kimbers so i still might explore this route for my speaker cable!

thanks again
mark

[Lex]

Mark, it's no lie that I build a great cable, thanks wkhanna, your a good supporter.

Not only are you buying nice cables when you get CATs, but you are supporting this forum.

Let me know if you'd like to discuss them.

Thanks,
Doug

[arcam_boy]

Hi Lex,

I would certainly be interested in what you have to say with regards your speaker cables.

I'm looking for the best I can get for my money within my Musical Fidelity and B&W system.

Many thanks
Mark

[cug]

Hi Lex,

same here - I don't want to discuss a lot of fuzz about speaker cables as I personally think that as long as the speaker cable is electrically able to handle the load, there should be no difference.

I still have some 4mm^2 copper cable with bare ends (about 20 years old - they get shorter and shorter ...) connecting a Rotel RA-1062 to a pair of 804S and I can hardly believe that some CAT cables can deliver better sound here. But I might be wrong - I'm just not a real believer.

[PhotoRobot]

It's funny when people buy high end equipment and don't commit to proper cabling. All you are doing is cheating yourself.

They always break it down to the bare minimum. It's an electrical signal... as long as it gets from A to B. Yeah, just like the junker I drive to work.

Come on.. let's advance a few steps. Shit in and out only equals crappy cabling. Ever seen bad cable runs? Now just put those between your high end speakers.

[cug]

Oho, big words.

The cable I use for connecting my amp to the speakers is pretty good - just from the electrical point I don't think that "Monster Cable" or "CATcable" really can do more. I'm more worried about the connection and the age of that beast. It is comparable to a really good copper cable with AWG11 and has bare ends. That's just it.

And people buying 2000 dollar cables will often also buy "air conditioner spray" to optimize the air molecules in their listening room - as long as you believe that it helps, it will! [This is actually not a joke, there is a dealer in Germany selling that stuff.]

Personally I know, that a good cable is important, but the interesting part is how do you define "good" and how do you improve something that is pretty hard to improve? Good connectors, okay. But for what? You can connect bare ends very good as long as you don't plan on moving your stuff too often. The rest? Diameter is important - mine has actually more than the CATcables. Material is important, I have high quality copper, you think that is bad?

So, what can I really improve there? I'd be happy to compare in my setup, but my dealer doesn't take cables back if I'm not satisfied - only electronics and speakers. So I can't test safely. And just for the fun of testing it and perhaps hearing no difference I won't order speaker cable from people like Lex. I would, if I'd have reason to believe that it would improve something here, but I don't.

I'm always writing positive reviews if I really hear a difference, or I admit that easily when I was wrong with my opinion - but that one is often too crazy.

I knew a high end "guru" who was really good with testing and comparing speakers and other equipment and he always said that he would only take this and that speaker cable. But after a couple of weeks talking I took him to a blind test - he wasn't even able to distinguish a quality AWG13 copper/bare end cable for 2 bucks the meter to his 500 dollar cable (at 3 meters length each) ... so what? I won't use crap in my setup - I learned that stuff professionally. But I also won't spent big bucks on "believing".

[btf1980]

It's funny when people buy high end equipment and don't commit to proper cabling. All you are doing is cheating yourself.

They always break it down to the bare minimum. It's an electrical signal... as long as it gets from A to B. Yeah, just like the junker I drive to work.

Not a good analogy, since the junker does in fact get you from point A to B, albeit not in style, but it does get you there nonetheless. Unless you insist on driving a ferrari to work.

A quality cable is a quality cable, i'll leave it at that.

[btf1980]

Personally I know, that a good cable is important, but the interesting part is how do you define "good" and how do you improve something that is pretty hard to improve?

A good cable is the one that works as it was intended.

[Briz vegas]

I can't decide if this "limited cable discussion" is good or bad. I guess it limits the endless "I can't hear any difference" threads that appear every month or so.

I feel sorry for people selling cables over the internet. It has to be a hard gig. I would never have considered cables if I had not first heard them for myself.

I sold one of my old silver interconnects today to a workmate. It was a pretty easy "sale", firstly the price was very good, secondly he heard it for himself in his system and liked what he heard.

[Karma]

HI,
The OP is asking the wrong question or, at least, not the complete question. During my adventures designing my speaker cables, demoing them in every good system I could find, I found that there is no single right answer-no silver bullet, OTW. Your question is simplistic and the answer is complex. Do not expect any easy answers unless you just don't care. I think you do care or you would not be asking this question on this forum.

Cables are as sensitive to the complete audio environment as any other component. A systems sonic character starts with the source components and continues to be formed right to the speakers as it passes through each piece and cable. Your cables must complement this chain or you will loose the sound you are shooting for. Your most difficult problem is defining your target sound, your goals. I suspect you are a beginner so I feel a need to point this out. As you listen to more cables you will gradually identify your sonic preferences. Go slowly. And we all have made mistakes. It's part of the learning process.

To a degree this synergy does not depend on the cost of the cables. It does depend on the sonic vision of the cable designer and how well he has captured the sound he is after. However, usually the cable designer best captures his vision with his most expensive designs where he spares no expense on materials and workmanship. But don't be fooled. There can be a wide range of cost that will give you acceptable sound that matches YOUR vision.

The most significant elements with regard to cable synergy is the power amp and the speakers. The total interaction is significant as any cable designer can tell you. So, asking us for the BEST cables is no better than asking your cat. Not only will your overall system define the most synergistic cables, YOUR taste in sound will be the final judge.

I say, as I always do, go listen, carefully, and hopefully with the cables installed in your system in your room. Don't listen to our suggestions. We simply don't know.

BTW, my HT system is based on the 805S's.

Sparky

[wkhanna]

FWIW, I do believe CatCables has a $ back policy.
Rather untypical, I would say.

[arcam_boy]

even if I'm in the UK?

I've been looking at some second hand cables from another well known brand although they seem much cheaper in the USA than over here

[wkhanna]

A good cable is the one that works as it was intended.

Well put!

And I might add.....

So if your intent is simply generating sound from you speakers, I suppose you could use some old metal coat hangers.

But, if your intent is to shape the sound, as Sparky said, or to find a cable that is essentially transparent, and adds no discernable color to the original source or overall signal, then the question becomes a bit more complex, and more a matter of personal perception.

[arcam_boy]

I want a very neutral cable that will reveal everything my cd player is digging up so the speakers can play every note.

I'm not sure what its like in America but its very hard to try and speaker cable over here so I don't want to waste £1000 on speaker cable hence asking what other 805S owners use so I can maybe demo a set.

Thanks

[wkhanna]

My personal experience is that different speaker cable has had less overall influence than say a source to pre-amp or pre-amp to power amp inter/connect has.

The ability of system, that is to say its ability to reproduce, exactly, the data that is being read at the source, has a great influence on the ability of that system to reveal any differences from one cable to another. IOW, the more revealing the system, the better it is at actually displaying the sometimes V subtle differences between cables.

I am not sure if you have stated previously, but what CD player and pre/power or integrated amp are you using?

[arcam_boy]

Amp is a Musical fidelity A5 integrated. CD player is Musical Fidelity KW DM25 DAC & Transport.

[Lex]

Mark, cable satisfaction is partly a product of build quality. CAT quality has always been first rate. Functionality speaking, a speaker cable is a bit less effective a tuning mechanism than an analog or digital cable, however, it is important to have a quality speaker cable as well.

If you want the highest grade silver speaker cables, gonna cost you some bucks, but most people fall in the middle camp, and simply want a good cable that is neutral sounding. Cat achieves this. As to money back, money back guarantee's are tricky overseas, due to the long delays that can occur, and the loss of shipping funds. Most cables are sold all sales final overseas, it's the only way I can be fair to you and to me. On the plus side, we've not done a return in over a year, in fact, I can't recall the last return.

[cug]

Mark, cable satisfaction is partly a product of build quality. CAT quality has always been first rate. Functionality speaking, a speaker cable is a bit less effective a tuning mechanism than an analog or digital cable, however, it is important to have a quality speaker cable as well.

True - it is just satisfying having a nice looking, good working cable connecting the nice working, good looking components. That one thing I hate from my transparant copper cables: they are old and not only because of that, they are ugly. Also they have bare ends, which means connecting is not as nice as with banana plugs. No problem normally as I connect them when I move in, and disconnect when I move out (or change speakers).

But nevertheless, the haptic feeling a good cable gives is not to be underestimated. You don't have the feeling of a weak or cheap element in the chain and you don't worry about that particular part too much.

And still, of course, you need an electrically sufficient cable to transfer the information. So, what you normally get (Lex, please correct me), is a good AWG 11 / 12 cable with a precious feeling, often handmade by small manufacturers with quality interconnects - the price is often the work (time) that has to be spend on buying all the components, keeping them in stock, maybe getting a bit of revenue from them and then, biggest part: bringing the pieces together so that it looks and feels good.

If you want the highest grade silver speaker cables, gonna cost you some bucks, but most people fall in the middle camp, and simply want a good cable that is neutral sounding. Cat achieves this.

From the prices it seems to me, as if my calculation is quite true: no "magic" involved but some quality components and a good craftsmanship. So the price is about right (really good I guess depending on the amount of manual labour involved).

As I definitely need some interconnects to replace the crappy stock ones and my old cables didn't survive the move from Germany (got lost somewhere), I'll order a pair in the next weeks - just haven't decided which ones. As I only need a cd player --> amp connection, I can get away quite cheap, whatever I do. Plain old stereo has its advantages ... :P

cug

[dan87951]

I just popped over to the CAT cables website, they seem pretty reasonable and look to be of great build quality! I would save yourself a1200 bux and get those in my opinion. Another plus it supports this website that we all use. Audioholics has a good primer on cables! In my opinion anything over $500 for 2 cables is just NUTS.

[cug]

I just popped over to the CAT cables website, they seem pretty reasonable and look to be of great build quality! I would save yourself a1200 bux and get those in my opinion. Another plus it supports this website that we all use. Audioholics has a good primer on cables! In my opinion anything over $500 for 2 cables is just NUTS.

Guess what I did - and for a simple stereo system it is quite cheap ... ;-)

When they arrive, the setup is complete until late summer when I have to decide to either upgrade the electronics or not.

cug

[dan87951]

Guess what I did - and for a simple stereo system it is quite cheap ... ;-)

When they arrive, the setup is complete until late summer when I have to decide to either upgrade the electronics or not.

cug

That's the spirit! :T

[Hi-5]

i connect my 805s to my Ra1062 using a clearance cable wire from Circuit city. $9. it sounds fine but i am looking for something better but not those brand name stuff. i like to buy some silver wire and bare connect.

i think a wire which is not very thin should be ok. there are some very thin connection wires inside the amp and speakers (even expensive ones) and signal goes through those wires before going into your speaker cable.

[imbeaujp]

Here is a quote from the document linked below:

"The simple truth is that resistance, inductance, and capacitance (R, L, and C) are the only cable parameters that affect performance in the range below radio frequencies. The signal has no idea whether it is being transmitted through cheap or expensive RLC. Yes, you have to pay a little more than rock bottom for decent plugs, shielding, insulation, etc., to avoid reliability problems, and you have to pay attention to resistance in longer connections. In basic electrical performance, however, a nice pair of straightened-out wire coat hangers with the ends scraped is not a whit inferior to a $2000 gee-whiz miracle cable. Nor is 16-gauge lamp cord at 18¢ a foot. Ultrahigh-priced cables are the biggest scam in consumer electronics, and the cowardly surrender of nearly all audio publications to the pressures of the cable marketersis truly depressing to behold."

So made your own experimentations (real world) and buy the cables that give you the best improvment that YOU can ear on YOUR system. Borrow some to your local dealer and test them. Cat cables seems to have some nice products to try in your tests.

Personnaly, I have some old Monster Cables and Generic "Part express" cables on my system. There are no difference between them.

[imbeaujp]

Here is the document...

[Mig17]

speaker cables do make sense but power cables is not at lesat in my set up
Although this forum is not for cables talking

thanks