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Post by leporello on Dec 1, 2007 12:04:26 GMT
Dear Friends,
Yesterday my Green Solo arrived. Previously I have been using an ANT Amber headphone amp. designed and built my Alex Niki Nikitin, formerly of Creek. As a relative newcomer to hi fi 'phones etc I've not bothered to think about the quality of my interconnects. Hence I need a decent new cable to connect the Solo to my Denon amp.
I'm looking at a number of options available on Ebay and amongst these I've seen a handmade silver litz connector for £34.00 ($70.00). Here's how the cable is described by the vendor...
" These high quality hand-made interconnects are constructed from four high purity .4mm diameter 99.99% SOLID SILVER conductors (2+ and 2-) within a slightly larger diameter TEFLON tube. This results in minimal contact between the silver wire and the inside of the tube thus giving a predominantly AIR dialectric, the best you can get. It is then hand braided in a LITZ configuration, very similar to the geometry used in some well respected high end cables. Solder used has 4% silver content.
True Litzendraht wire demands a braid weave where each conductor goes from the outside to the centre of the bundle. Hand braiding gives the gentle, loose braid required and is far superior to machine braiding which can result in a weave which is too tight.The LITZ braid principle rejects RF interference, one of the main causes of signal degradation.
Termination is with TEFLON insulated gold plated high quality phonos.
All joints and surfaces treated with DEOXIT."
To a newcomer like me, all this sounds very impressive and the price reasonable.
As my patent bullsh*t detector is still on the drawing board I'm unable to judge the merits of the above description and I'd welcome some informed comments or advice.
Thanks for your attention
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Post by gns on Dec 1, 2007 13:14:01 GMT
Sorry mate, that statement is a total load of bollocks.
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Dec 1, 2007 13:50:20 GMT
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Post by leporello on Dec 1, 2007 15:44:13 GMT
Sorry mate, that statement is a total load of bollocks. Thank you Graham for putting this technical stuff in a language that I can understand.
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Post by fanboi on Dec 1, 2007 19:32:55 GMT
Hi Leporello, even if you are not in the US the Blue Jeans cables are worth a look, I have bought a few sets and thought the pricing quite reasonable when sent to Aus.
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Dec 1, 2007 19:37:54 GMT
I like BJC because:
1. Pricing seems very reasonable. 2. They sound good and are well made 3. They do not seem to be hyping their products.
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Post by sometrolls2 on Dec 1, 2007 19:56:48 GMT
The Solo takes a significant amount of time to burn in, its prudent to let it do that and then look for the cable. Far more important than the cable are the 'phones, again its best to sort those out before the cable. After the burn in and 'phones are pretty much set, then try experimenting with the cables you have to hand, that way you can get an idea of at least your favoured material.
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Post by reds on Dec 1, 2007 21:33:29 GMT
I like BJC because: 1. Pricing seems very reasonable. 2. They sound good and are well made 3. They do not seem to be hyping their products. I have LC-1 I agree it's good for value
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2007 21:45:37 GMT
"The Solo takes a significant amount of time to burn in, its prudent to let it do that and then look for the cable"
I agree with Sometrolls2. Don't race out and buy a fancy cable until you know what it is you want augmented. I have 2 pairs of BJ LC1 cables,but gave 1 pair to a friend because it added too much top end in my system at the location used. My friend loved the same cable where he chose to use it.
SandyK
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 1, 2007 23:10:44 GMT
Why do you need new cable? What is wrong with your existing interconnect and how do you know it's the interconnect that's causing the problem? (whatever the problem may be)
Throwing money into a metre of copper just because you think you have to is a waste of money...... please tell us exactly what is wrong with your current length of cable........
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Post by reds on Dec 2, 2007 0:07:42 GMT
"The Solo takes a significant amount of time to burn in, its prudent to let it do that and then look for the cable" I agree with Sometrolls2. Don't race out and buy a fancy cable until you know what it is you want augmented. I have 2 pairs of BJ LC1 cables,but gave 1 pair to a friend because it added too much top end in my system at the location used. My friend loved the same cable where he chose to use it. SandyK Strange enough I found my LC-1 giving a little too much bottom end and now I only use them for my active monitors which give the right balance of sound.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 2, 2007 0:13:08 GMT
"The Solo takes a significant amount of time to burn in, its prudent to let it do that and then look for the cable" I agree with Sometrolls2. Don't race out and buy a fancy cable until you know what it is you want augmented. I have 2 pairs of BJ LC1 cables,but gave 1 pair to a friend because it added too much top end in my system at the location used. My friend loved the same cable where he chose to use it. SandyK Strange enough I found my LC-1 giving a little too much bottom end and now I only use them for my active monitors which give the right balance of sound. Placebo.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2007 0:50:34 GMT
"Strange enough I found my LC-1 giving a little too much bottom end"
Reds Strangely enough, I had the same experience. The top end was a little too detailed, most likely due to their having just over half the capacitance of a typical double screened coaxial cable type interconnect. It was making things like "drum whacks" sound quite a bit louder and unnatural. I think that the exagerration is due to the VERY fast rise and fall times of the waveform. Surprisingly, stuff like that also sounds better, with more impact, when wide-band electronics is used . In my case, I tried them in a 6 foot length from X-DAC V3 to preamplifier, in place of a quality pair of home brew shielded leads as previously mentioned. SandyK
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Post by leporello on Dec 2, 2007 2:38:18 GMT
Many thanks for your helpful replies. As I explained in my original post, I've just taken delivery of a Green Solo and being anxious to get the best out of it I first read the accompanying manual which recommends that I use good quality connectors. My current connector cost £1.99 (about a dollar, twenty US), thus my decision to get something a little better. I have read, although not fully understood, a great deal about burn-in and so decided to look on Ebay for a set of decent second hand connectors, thereby saving some cash and having ready burnt-in interconnects. I also thought that my existing was so far off being a quality connector that it would make sense to replace them immediately. My HD650s have about 80 hours on them and the Solo about 6 hours. I don't have a problem as such, but I do find the my HD650s a little more veiled than I had expected, in comparison to my 580s and speakers. No doubt this will improve with time, but I'm still inclined to replace my cheap Maplin's interconnects. Is anyone suggesting that I should stick with these? Given that the annual consumer fest is upon us I'm reluctant to spend more that £50.00 on my interconnects and am attracted by the idea of buying second hand. I came across the silver litz interconnect whilst looking for a second hand bargain. I've been an Ebay member long enough to sceptical about extravagant claims made vendors. However, I've also bought some great bargains, including a handmade mahogany headphone stand for fourteen quid. It's bloody ugly but it works. So am I wrong to look at the second hand option? Should I stick with my existing cheapo interconnects for another 500 hours or so? As is clear from my posts, I am very new to all this but I'd like to learn. Music is very important to me and is likely to grow more important as my physical mobility is beginning to limit my capacity to go out at night smuggling drugs and asylum seekers, mugging old ladies, getting drunk and vomiting into my neighbours' front garden. My fellow gang members are growing increasingly impatient with my excuses for staying in. So please be generous with your advice. Thanks for your attention.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2007 3:55:47 GMT
leporello Stick with the standard interconnects for a couple of hundred hours. By then you should have a fair idea of which way the tonal balance has headed.You can get many makes of double shielded OFC cables of coaxial type construction at a reasonable price. Look for leads with an ouside diameter of 6mm or more per side. Generally, cables using silver in their construction, tend to sound brighter, so if the sound seems well balanced,cables using silver in their construction may not be a good choice.
SandyK
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Post by sometrolls2 on Dec 2, 2007 4:42:50 GMT
I had 650s and 580s with the Solo and opted to get rid of the 650s due to not liking the veiledness and some tinnitus. For acoustic material they are great, but I thought they turned a lot of synth lines into mush. Have you really nothing better spare that could be swapped for the £2 jobbies?
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Post by fanboi on Dec 2, 2007 4:52:36 GMT
My recent experience with a DAC and Voyager, both still very early in their burn-in period, was that replacing a cheapo interconnect with something a little better (< $50 or 20GBP) paid an immediate dividend in SQ and allowed the cable to settle in with the components. I would add that my environment affords more than ample opportunity for RFI/EMI and perhaps the shielding on the replacement pair had as much to do with the improvement as anything else. It did make a noticeable improvement, more than that is conjecture. YMMV
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Post by charleyphogg on Dec 2, 2007 5:51:12 GMT
Patients man, patients. You have a new amp and new cans. Let them both burn in and then see which way/what you/they need.
Gotta get a baseline before you know which way your ears tell you.
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toad
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Post by toad on Dec 2, 2007 10:33:39 GMT
Patients man, patients. You have a new amp and new cans. Let them both burn in and then see which way/what you/they need. Gotta get a baseline before you know which way your ears tell you. I think I'd be tempted to spend £20 or so on an half decent interconnect rather than suffering a £2 interconnect for a few hundred hours burn in. I would steer clear of the silver for now though. I have a nice little .8 metre cable waiting for the arrival of my solo. I bought it from www.robertschofieldaudio.co.uk via ebay on offer at under £14 shipped. Go to their pro section and look for the rca - rca interconnects well down the page. They do much more expensive cables but the pro stuff is cheap but decent. They don't try to hard sell it either: "RCA to RCA Interconnects Made from Van Damme Twin Hifi Interconnect Cable and Neutrik gold plated phono plugs. Good quality twin phono to twin phono interconnect Suited to studio, touring, or domestic hifi"
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Dec 2, 2007 12:51:27 GMT
I like BJC because: 1. Pricing seems very reasonable. 2. They sound good and are well made 3. They do not seem to be hyping their products. I have LC-1 I agree it's good for value I have a few 1505F based cables from BJC, which are the previous generation to the LC-1. When the LC-1 came out I contacted BJC and asked about upgrading. The salesperson asked me how long I needed the cables to be. When I said 3 feet, I was told to save my money and stick to the 1505F. He added that the LC-1 would not bring any improvements in the short distance they were going to be used at. This example is also why I like to purchase from BJC.
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Post by tarkovsky on Dec 2, 2007 13:32:00 GMT
So what interconnects would you recommend for here in the UK with a solo and bass light (but accurate and hopefully keeping it that way) phones at about 3 or 4 four feet?
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Post by merton on Dec 2, 2007 19:24:02 GMT
gaham makes some cables... if ya gots da dough.
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Post by sometrolls2 on Dec 2, 2007 21:19:31 GMT
The 'Van Damme Twin Hifi Interconnect Cable and Neutrik ' are okay and can be DIYed for about £3-4 a pair.
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toad
Been here a while!
I am the Super Toad, the Original Toad, the Whole Toad and nothing BUT the toad.... don't forget it!
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Post by toad on Dec 2, 2007 21:41:27 GMT
The 'Van Damme Twin Hifi Interconnect Cable and Neutrik ' are okay and can be DIYed for about £3-4 a pair. Sounds good to me. Where do you buy the parts from? and in what quantities to get that price?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2007 21:48:18 GMT
"The 'Van Damme Twin Hifi Interconnect Cable and Neutrik ' are okay and can be DIYed for about £3-4 a pair."
To get it all at that price, it would have to have "fallen" off the back of a truck ?
SandyK
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