Tell us about your stereo!
- Thread starter Hepcat
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gcczep
Ever Onward...
^LOL! I always associate "cable" in audio lingo to interconnects and power cords. These MLs are like hot high maintenance girlfriends... High powered amp...new aftermarket power "cables"...higher grade speaker wire...special connector plugs...a dedicated power outlet...it's own vacuum for the panels...its own riser. Jeeez.^^That's 10 Gauge Belden "Cable" George...
My Mirages that were stationed there prior to them have a bit more crunch but not the resolution of the details. The aural rewards are like the Song Of The Sirens from the flick "Jason And The Argonauts"... Or something like that.
Slip'nn2Darkness
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A easy question for LG concerning speaker cable wire.
OK.. I'm sure that a larger gauge wire seems to help deliver adequate amps to the speakers, But could you explain to me just what exactly a larger wire could improve sound over a smaller wire??
OK.. I'm sure that a larger gauge wire seems to help deliver adequate amps to the speakers, But could you explain to me just what exactly a larger wire could improve sound over a smaller wire??
There is a simple test anyone can do if they want to hear the difference for themselves Slip, but that would mean buying "monster cable" or one of the other brands that still make speaker wire. Or if one of your friends has large gauge cable that would be perfect.
You simply turn on your rig with your lampcord/regular speaker wire and play something you are familiar with. Listen to the whole side/album and when it's finished leave all the settings on your system where they are. Swap out the smaller wire for monster cable and listen to the same recording again. You will notice right away it sounds a little louder, and if you really pay attention more details will become apparent as well. It's a matter of physics, the bigger wire makes it easier for the amplifier to send a better quality signal to your speakers. It is one of the best things anyone can do at a reasonable cost to improve the sound of their system.
You simply turn on your rig with your lampcord/regular speaker wire and play something you are familiar with. Listen to the whole side/album and when it's finished leave all the settings on your system where they are. Swap out the smaller wire for monster cable and listen to the same recording again. You will notice right away it sounds a little louder, and if you really pay attention more details will become apparent as well. It's a matter of physics, the bigger wire makes it easier for the amplifier to send a better quality signal to your speakers. It is one of the best things anyone can do at a reasonable cost to improve the sound of their system.
gcczep
Ever Onward...
^I've never done that test... I still remember my initial foray into this audio thing. I had this dinky Onkyo speaker set up. Mind you, those things weren't bad certainly not necessarily Radio Shack speaker level but I had them wired using those tinny black sleeved silver wire that must've been 18 gauge or higher. Not knowing any better, I made do with it. When I switched over to 16 gauge there was better DEFINITION as Bruce noted. I'm no "golden ear" listener by any means but certainly am not tin hearing either and it was easy for me to tell. I'm running 12's right now but am attempting to delve lower into the 10's. The larger the wire, the better the conductivity.
gcczep
Ever Onward...
89 db sensitivity which is fairly efficient above the norm. I think a majority of large towers are around that area. My mid size Mirage OMD-15s are rated at 91 db which does not require too much power. A friend told me to lose the top fans as the side fins on the amps act as heatsinks to begin with. Maybe in winter when the joint needs extra heating...hee.
Changed my interconnects to the Parasound from standard Outlaws to Tara Labs Spectrum 1As. It took a bit of the edge off giving a rounder, fuller sound. It is more "relaxed" not as bright sounding... Can't wait for the Beldens to arrive on Monday or perhaps Tuesday.
Slip'nn2Darkness
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Makes sense about the larger the wire the better the signal. The amp I'm using right now must be from the early 90's. It has those screw out speaker knobs and from what I see about them is that they could only allow a 12-15 gauge wire through the small hole.
I solder the ends of the wire to help with better connection and stop wire fraying from shoving it into the hole.
But speaker wire is not cheap! Last time I priced some, it was way more than I expected. If they color coded the outside it was 5 bucks more than the ones the same size that didn't have markings..
But I'll be sure to buy the big stuff next time I redo my speaker wires..I'm getting ready to go with a rack system since I've always kept my stereo equipment in a big closet.
Thanks LG.. For that post!!
I solder the ends of the wire to help with better connection and stop wire fraying from shoving it into the hole.
But speaker wire is not cheap! Last time I priced some, it was way more than I expected. If they color coded the outside it was 5 bucks more than the ones the same size that didn't have markings..
But I'll be sure to buy the big stuff next time I redo my speaker wires..I'm getting ready to go with a rack system since I've always kept my stereo equipment in a big closet.
Thanks LG.. For that post!!
You mean your amp has something like these Slip?
If that's what they look like then I would use banana plugs, preferably the gold coated ones that is what I use on almost all of my gear if possible.
The only speaker connection I don't have are "Balanced" inputs, that is an entirely new level and I've never owned anything that had those. I have thought about it but am happy playing in the upper midrange of audio gear, the really expensive stuff is like a Ferrari, you pay so much for modest improvements I just could never justify that kind of investment, if money was no object that would be a different story.
George, it is nice that you can change around certain interconnects and get the sound of the ML's to "mellow" out, I don't go too far into that area but do have a few really good interconnects. For the average person with entry level equipment they might not really notice much of a difference, but when you start going up into the more expensive gear like Parasound/ML's then you will definitely hear the difference.
What pre-amp are you using?
If that's what they look like then I would use banana plugs, preferably the gold coated ones that is what I use on almost all of my gear if possible.
The only speaker connection I don't have are "Balanced" inputs, that is an entirely new level and I've never owned anything that had those. I have thought about it but am happy playing in the upper midrange of audio gear, the really expensive stuff is like a Ferrari, you pay so much for modest improvements I just could never justify that kind of investment, if money was no object that would be a different story.
George, it is nice that you can change around certain interconnects and get the sound of the ML's to "mellow" out, I don't go too far into that area but do have a few really good interconnects. For the average person with entry level equipment they might not really notice much of a difference, but when you start going up into the more expensive gear like Parasound/ML's then you will definitely hear the difference.
What pre-amp are you using?
