[thejoneser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Those interconnects seem reasonably priced, they have a lot of choice too, from $119 to $525 for the smallest size. Hope they turn out good. edit: only top end use cotton though...

No offense, but I wouldn't get caught up in cotton as a dielectric. The finest ICs in the world (such as Tara Labs, Audioquest, etc.) use teflon air tubes instead of cotton in their high end pieces. Although I will agree that cotton does do a decent job.

 

[AudioCats]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The best IC for the money is the DIY VH Audio silver recipe which is basically the same as he's selling ready made. .

is that the one with two cotton wire spiral around a foam teflon core?

By the way, have you tried using VH cotton silver in quad braid (square braid) configuration? if so, how was it?

Thanks

 

[lator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif lator, please post your impressions when you have the HGA DNA

I got the cables yesterday. They are demo cables properly pre-burned in, I checked this from the dealer beforehand. I used em between Electrocompaniet ECD1 dac and ECI-3 integrated. Speakers are Acapella Fidelio.

I noticed a serious synergy malfunction. Sibilance, music lacked body and impact, soundstage was 3-dimensional and recorded layers came through exceptionally well. Not for my system. Copper DIY cables used as reference.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif is that the one with two cotton wire spiral around a foam teflon core? By the way, have you tried using VH cotton silver in quad braid (square braid) configuration? if so, how was it? Thanks

That's the one though I sued my own center core of choice making for an even more flexible cable.

I never braid cables anymore so no.

 

[Tbln]

You could also take a look at Slinkylinks.

Slinkylinks

Love the sound in my set-up.

 

[PhaedrusX]

sound quality aside, is durability an issue with silver cables?

i'm curious how fragile they are compared to copper, and if breaking is a serious concern when they are constantly bent under normal conditions.

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhaedrusX /img/forum/go_quote.gif sound quality aside, is durability an issue with silver cables? i'm curious how fragile they are compared to copper, and if breaking is a serious concern when they are constantly bent under normal conditions.

I think that's more a function of overall cable build quality and/or the processing/drawing/annealing of the wire itself. Isn't silver actually a little more malleable and/or ductile than copper(?) In that case, there should be fewer "fragility" issues with silver than with copper, I would guess--all other things being equal.

While turning/routing of cables is practically unavoidable, bending or anything else that might introduce a permanent discontinuity to the cable, should be strictly avoided, IMHO. Under normal turning/routing useage, silver should fare quite well.

 

[PhaedrusX]

hmm...i was under the impression that silver wire is more brittle than copper.
for long interconnects with gentle bends i agree that breakage probably wouldn't be much of a concern. i was just thinking about short "U" shaped cables for stacked components.

 

[spritzer]

A properly damped silver wire of good quality should only break under same conditions as good copper wire. It's a good rule that you should never force the wire and always have it resting against something for added support. My own cables use very thin silver wires (28-32AWG solid core) and I can wrap them around my wrist with no damage.

 

[skullguise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian_the_King /img/forum/go_quote.gif Big Signal Cable fan here, although I have never heard the silver IC's

I heard them briefly in another person's system, they seemed great. Not harsh at all, like some silvers can be.

Martin Dewulf at BFS likes the Signal Cable silver speaker cables a lot, FWIW.

Another option is to look for a set of Revelation Audio Lab's cables used on Audiogon. To my ears, Brad's headphone cables are the best I've heard, and the IC's and speaker cables are very likely in the same family sound.

Given Brad's/RAL's recent difficulties (which it SOUNDS like he is slowly rectifying), I wouldn't recommend buying new. But used has some great deals. I'm considering buying some myself....

 

[Golden Monkey]

As mentioned, the Homegrown Audio kits and finished cables are nice, and quite reasonable. I use the Veritas Digital Coax in my system, and they were $89 for .5 meter cables finished (non-kit). Not harsh, very fast and accurate. These are solid silver cores, not stranded. The Silver Streak IC's are now superceded by the DNA's, so they may be coming down in price. They are 8 strand silver braids, and have nice wooden separators. The DIY kit is a great price if you want to go that route, and the instructions are easy to follow.

 

[stevenkelby]

Silver "work hardens" until it snaps. Copper "work softens" until it snaps, but that takes a lot longer.

Haven't heard any top end silver RCA's so I'll butt out now.

 

[loveholic]

Acoustic Zen's Silver Reference II is probably the best choice below the $1k/m mark.

 

[milkpowder]

Just in case you're wondering, I have been reading the suggestions/discussion

Thanks. My search continues

 

[rapzoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenkelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif Silver "work hardens" until it snaps. Copper "work softens" until it snaps, but that takes a lot longer. Haven't heard any top end silver RCA's so I'll butt out now.

Best to check your metallurgy, copper work hardens. It does not work soften.