I have always thought that interconnects make a big difference, but for some reason I have been less convinced with speaker cable.

I have just tried replacing my Nordost Solar Wind, 5m speaker cable with the free in the box, OFC, 2 x 6mm2, speaker link’s that came with my Musical Fidelity 550k Mono Blocks.

I was expecting the sound to be more constrained mess etc, but I found the opposite. With the Freebies I would say that the sound is definitely more dynamic on both the top and bottom end.

On one hand, I would say the sound definitely has more detail overall, but on the other, I would say it has lost its leading edges and has become more “soft”. Make sense?

I’m not sure which I prefer yet, I do miss the sharpness and focus to the sound, but I do like the increased bandwidth.

Does anyone here believe in cable burn in? I’m not convinced, but will leave the cables in for a few months, switch back and then decide. I’m getting new speakers in hopefully two months time, so I’ll wait until they are broken in, if I decide to sell my Nordost Cables.

Anyway, my point is, is that the Nordost cost me about £415+ a few years back, yet I’m not convinced they sound head and shoulders better than the freebies. Is it just that the freebies have a lot more copper to transmit the signal? And if I were mad and rich enough (which I am not) and upgraded to a Nordost speaker cable with more cable, that I would get the increased bandwidth anyway, and still keep the focus.

Its worth noting, that the links, are less that a meter long, which is all I need, compared to the 5m of Solar wind spiralled on the floor. Any thoughts?

Remember that with the likes of Nordost your paying for all that marketing bluff.

Well I have has a listen all afternoon and I am really impressed with the "freebie" cable.

For a while, I did think that even though there was more bandwidth and detail, that the midrange didn’t just sound right. I then looked at my chord signature links, and the arrow, was pointing the wrong way. I know that its AC and direction shouldn’t make a different, but I swapped it anyway, and everything seemed to come to together.

I but back the Solar Winds, and it was it the sound was being chocked. What has confirmed that the new speaker cable is working, is that I'm going through loads of albums, having a listen to each one in its entirety and enjoying it.

Even though I spent a small fortune on the cables originally, I’m so happy, because its like I’ve just had a free upgrade.

The thing with cables is that they can sound down right rotten in one system and wonderful in other, it's down the how they interact between the amplifier and loudspeakers which makes them sound so different and why people claim they sound good or rubbish, it depends to what they were connected to, that's why reviews of cables are 100% pointless unless you say in what system they were tested because they may well react differently in another.

Your pay for thickness and purity and type of metal, these are what cost, the rest is just marketing and a pretty jacket and box.

I have been there two matey..
It's a minefield to find the right one. I hated the nordost ( can't remember which....they were a loan ) but my dealer swears by them. I'm back to chord carnivals now ( the old type ) And they are the best I have tried. And dirt cheap.
I tried a pair of Silver inters recommended by JS bach and whileI have no reason to doubt his opinion...I relegated em to the TV.
The freebies with the tv were eventually put back in favour of these to. I gave them to my daughters ex . He loved em !!!!
A loan of cables is imperative and next time I need a fix I will search high and low for a dealer good enough to lend me some.
Meanwhile if any of you stirling chaps ever find such a dealer you could stick his name on this forum eh ?

Like Mark, I used Chord Carnival biwire for a few years and liked it. I changed to Atlas Hyper biwire and still use it but will be getting SHB speaker cable in due course. I still have the 2 x 3m terminated Carnival so if anyone wants to try it let me know, currently resting in a kitchen drawer!

my old Hitachi LC-OFC cables that cost a tenner do well on my system .... have tried some expensive cables, but keep on coming back to the Hitachi

my experience and ears has shown that (on my system) cables only make very slight changes

I think your right there JB the connectors are as important as the cable themselves and contribute to the overall presentation.

Unless of course it's QED silver wire which sounds like a piece of wet string no matter what system it is used in.

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What you're hearing is a very common 'trick' some of these so called, "High End" speaker cables do.

Using certain materials (of very high purity) and particular construction techniques, they manage to project a 'cleaner' midrange often at the expense of low end extension which, if you think about it, is a natural result. Less bass, more prominent midrange.

This is a clever ploy because it impresses ( initially) the listener by the absolute clarity it offers, especially with the human voice, and comes at a hefty price as you have already discovered.
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I think your right, I'm listening thinking does the midrange sound more thicker, with less claritfy. But then I go away and have a listen and think, its still all there except this time with more dynamic range.

I still do think that cables make a difference and would never spend stupids amounts on them, but in future, I'll pay more attention to people who say dont spend hugh amounts. Though there are a lot of cable skeptics who never have tried.

I guess if it is hugely system depandant, I can sort of see how somone would ditch an interconnect costing hundreds, for one that cost £20. Though, in my head, I still cant understand, why they would think the cheap (and nasty?) cable would sound better.

Personally I find silver a little ' shrill ' As does my vinyl loving pal at work.
Copper suits my gear better . Maybe because of the Kef ' hyper tweeters ' on my speakers. It sounded a little glossed over to if you get me ?
Mind you thats just after two trials.
I don't think this topic is really answerable to an and anyway..to many opinions and system variables .
We need to find that dealer with the free trial offer !!

Russ Andrews, he does a 60day no quibble return policy.

Silver plated causes the problems you mention, it just makes the treble more strident whereas pure silver is a different kettle of fish.