Im currently using some gale xl105 speaker cable. Its pretty thick i suppose (105 strands). The problem is the imaging isnt too great. Would buying chord rumour (which I cant find any reviews for) or perhaps the acclaimed chord odyssey do the trick. Using, wharfedale diamond 8.1 speakers and cambridge audio 540a amp.
I'll be single wiring, not biring if i get either of these cables for the simple reason of price.
I dont really want a bright sounding cable, as the 540a is already a forward sounding amp! Any help?
Save your money and buy a decent CD player (e.g. NAD C542) then consider a good interconnect (e.g. Chord Chameleon Silver Plus), then consider speaker cable but anything above Chord Carnival Silver Plus is probably overkill in this system.
I strongly recommend one thing. Get some half decent wire and replace the biwire strips in the speakers with it (unless you're biwiring of course). Even mains flex will be better than those brass things.
Have done Jan, improved a bit but cant move them anywhere else becaues of the size of my room!
I'll be doing without a cd player, for now at least. My next addition will be a decent subwoofer. I miss a bit of the bass impact and for low level listening it really makes a difference! I may try that trick of yours frank, I have plenty of gale xl105 left, should i try that instead of the brass connector strips? I may go with the carnival silver biwire, its pretty cheap. I was also thinking the odyssey and rumour may be overkill tbh.
Also experiment with how you hook up the bi-wire stips. The feed wire goes into pos on top posts and neg into bottom posts or visa versa and then run jumpers cut from your speaker wire. Try this and try hooking up top posts with feed wire then bottom with feed wire. Also try toe in and make sure the distances from back and side walls are equal for each speaker. This was the biggest difference for me, accuracy is imperative.
I guess thats where things are wrong. The placement of speakers are quite different although toed in. Imaging is better than it was and I think some of its due to me getting used tot it. I have to admit I love the amp for its detail but its a tad bright at times. Im thinking whether now to grab a bargain on the nad c320 or stretch out and pay for the c352 for £250! Alternatively I may just buy a subwoofer!
None the less Im selling this 540a because of the headphone jack not working. Then I'll buy a NEW one with warranty and a subwoofer or a nad but more likely the ca and sub setup.
I do have one question though, is the 340a the same as the 540a only less powerful and without the cap5 protection? Or is it not as detailed etc..
If you have some extra xl105, try that between the biwire posts. You may find this cleans up things quite a bit. Also try the connections as Joseph describes above (this is how I connect speakers).
Now in terms of placement, ensure the speakers are equidistant from you at your seating position otherwise you will have problems getting an image. Also make sure that the distance between the speakers is equal to or less than the distance of the speakers from you. So if you're sitting 9 feet away from them, they must be 9 feet or less (preferably less) apart. Start by not toeing them in. It will be a vague image if any. Toe them in a little (10 degrees tops) and see what happens to the image. Then toe them in by miniscule amounts until the image snaps into focus. Don't overdo it because it ruins the timing.
Cheers Frank. I do have some spare xl105 so I'll try that. One thing I have noticed is that the soundo of this wire has mellowed a bit now, imaging is a lot better than before. The speakers are toed in already and 'precisioned' to a certain correctness, I learnt that trick already ;). Cheers for the advice!