[kuma]

I have been trying out a pair of 47Labs OTA cables. That's right. Those really under naurished copper wire with a plastic thingy.

Supposedly, they need 200+ hr. running in time. 50 hrs. in so far, the trebles still need to open up but the midrange clarity, articulation and bass out of these skinny guys are excellent.

I am using them between Shigaraki DAC and Nagra preamp. I've heard lot about these cables in the past and indeed they are nice cables for the money. I've only compared these to NBS Signature II, RS Golds and Fusion ICs. Giving NBS a run for the money. Altho, NBS is still ahead so far on treble air and bass bloom but the neck to neck on extension and weight. Midrange? OTA has a lovely clarity and tactile feel.

This is a proof that thicker isn't necessarily better.

These are with standard plastic ends. Some substitute 'em with Eichman Bullet Plugs.

 

[Orpheus]

you know, not to dampen your spirits, but i think these cables are a bad idea. one of the reasons we have terminators is to keep the cable inside from corroding. why not just make the whole darn connector out of copper then?--why even bother with gold plate?

also, i worry about the durability of these things. you know, if you do bend the copper enough, it WILL break. by the same token, those bare ends are bound to become frail over their life of usage. and those wires don't look particularly thick--you're gonna have to be very careful in using these things.

ALSO, if you look closely inside your jack, you will see that in many models, the clamps that would contact the pin are in 2 pieces, or more. that bare wire could easily be cut in between those plates, or could get stuck and break.

quite an ingenius design though. good idea.... but not practical.

 

[kuma]

Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus you know, not to dampen your spirits, but i think these cables are a bad idea. one of the reasons we have terminators is to keep the cable inside from corroding. why not just make the whole darn connector out of copper then?--why even bother with gold plate?

I never worry about corrosion that much. Just clean 'em once a year with Kontak should do it. Goldplated connectors are for anti-corrosion but they can sound rolled off.

I can certainly understand your skepticism as I have avoied these cables as I thought fragile and impractical.

Well, these are pretty secure and I don't know how you can break 'em unless you pull in and out regularly.

All'n'all these are pretty good economical alternative ICs that can compete with big dogs.

If you can overcome your fear and prejudice on these cables, you might find 'em not so bad idea.

I wasn't expecting much out of em to be honest. I love these pleasant surprises and glad I've tried 'em

 

[Orpheus]

heh he... well, just be ready for a "i told you so"

it's all good. enjoy man. hope you get a big supply of Kontak for christmas.

 

[fliz]

i too just got these cables.

although they're only .4mm thick copper, the teflon is stupid thick. i suspect it's mostly just to protect the thin wire from being damaged. 47 labs recommends one use the wire for speakerwire too. i'd imagine they only intend it for high-efficiency systems.

i was extremely skeptical the first time i heard about them (especially when i found out the price.... $25 per plastic connector!? that the same price as an eichmann silver!)
i decided to give them after i had a chat on the phone with ken of neuance audio. I was extremely impressed with the shelf i purchased from him, so when he told me that he replaced his NBS Statements with OTA wire i realized i should give it a shot.

now that i have them, i realize that although delicate, the little plastic connector is a pretty ingenious idea sinse radioshack intercom wire compared favorably to my silver ICs w/ eichmann plugs. The lack of solder must really make some difference.

I recently started using the OTA wire instead of ratshack wire. the difference is obvious. there definately seems to be a little less air in the treble when compared to the silver, but i'm waiting to reserve judgement for after burn-in when i'll recompare to my old interconnects.

regardless of which i like more, i'm still going to experiment w/ using the OTA connectors with 32 guage bare silver wire

f

 

[usc goose]

and i thought headphile was the only one doing it.

 

[fiddler]

Orpheus, I tend to agree with you this time.

Bare copper WILL oxidise over time, that's fact, which will worsen the connection over time. Copper oxide is a terrible conductor. Now, if you pull those out regularly, then the rubbing action would probably "clean" the contact a bit, but with interconnects in a home setup, you probably wouldn't be doing a lot of that. And of course, you probably wouldnt' WANT to unplug them many times because of the fragile construction... it's a catch-22, IMO. It probably sounds good, though (for now).

 

[DarkAngel]

I have known about the OTA cables for a couple years now because of very long thread at Audiogon.

Same concept are the Bogdan cables..........bare silver wire in plastic tube with plastic Eichman Bullet RCA (silver or copper versions) I have had great success with these vs conventional IC designs.

Bogdan

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally posted by kuma This is a proof that thicker isn't necessarily better.

Insecure minority induced thread crap:
YES. I am a member of Team Skinny

-Au24-top to bottom.