Remember, BJC at this point in time is contracted by Belden to only do the termination for the connectors. They cannot not sell you cables, and could not sell cables shorter than 10ft without Belden’s approval.
The speaker cables are fairly stiff due to the matched paired complex tight braiding or weave. Therefore they want to bend across an axis which is natural for them. A pair of cables shorter than 5 feet would likely twist, kink and damage the cable as you bend it to connect between your equipment and speakers. A speaker cable of 10ft allows for a more natural bend. It also means the cable is future proof in case you decide to place your speakers further apart.
The interconnects also have a natural axis or way they wants to bend due to the air core. A length shorter than 3 feet or 1 meter and you risk kinking, bending or squeezing the cable thereby damaging the air core and defeating the sound attributes you purchased the cable for. Once again 5 feet allows for a natural bend in the cable. I have a 24 foot pair of TPC interconnects and I am very careful not to snag it, step on it or pinch it to avoid damaging the air core. On occasions when I have taken it to friends homes to demo. I guide it, but let the cable coil in the direction it wants to go. You will not damage the sound by letting the cable coil on itself behind your equipment out of the way. Admittedly it may not look as neat and tidy as some people might like.
To arrive at it’s superior musical performance certain electrical, mechanical and construction principles, and use rules need to be followed. In my opinion a company who tries to give you every option you think you need is probably doing you a disservice because they risk designing inferior products.
frank7036 said
Unfortunately I need 8m (26ft) of IC - Iconoclast it isn't going to be unless I reconfigure the entire room layout...
Why not, I know several people including myself who use RCA interconnect Iconoclast TPC cables which are 25 feet and longer without problems. I like the 10ft length of speaker cable with an 8 foot price. Besides it’s easier to manipulate, hide the cables, and swap in and out other pairs of speakers without moving my heavier primary speakers.
26ft of IC costs not incl. shipping cheapest would be AUD 3800 (RCA) or AUD 5420 (XLR). Or I could go nuts, 24K or 35K! This is one IC pair. Hmmm, I think I have some explaining to do with the better half.
Anyone interested in broaching the subject to Belden?
I wouldn't be surprised if Galen is reading these forums, otherwise word could very well get to him via forum members who know him. I think he is the key to getting this deal done.
@pncd ,to me, a group buy sort of approach could only work through Hanson which, as you note, is suboptimal. But a group might actually get their attention. I dunno, probably tough to pull together with the variety of choices available, and with those folks not yet exposed to the benefits of the cables relying for guidance on the opinions/experiences of people here, plus the informative literature Galen has put together.
Right now, I am technically in demo mode, having not yet put down $. But that’s about to change, as I truly am sold. And it will not be a small commitment. But even the least expensive of the Iconoclasts is not an insignificant investment.
Right now I am in no position to buy anything, but a group buy usually is set up with a goal of a predetermined minimum. There would be a sign up page, and if that number is met therer is a discounted price.
It is usually done with one or two products/items. It is popular with car enthusiast websites. It would be more difficult to do with these cables due to the many options. Model and length for example.
With car parts, we all were buying a header system, another time it was a custom roof rack. I participated in the header purchase, which was run through a distributor, with the manufacturers blessing. It was a new product and it helped them get exposure, and free advertising.
To do it with the cables, it would probably be the standard 10ft length speaker cables and maybe two or three standard lengths of ICs.
When I had mentioned having Blue Jeans turn one 10ft set into two 5ft, my thinking was buy the 10ft and pay them to cut and terminate them. Assuming that they would be willing to take the job. It was just an idea, as I have no intention of buying any cables at this time.
jeffstarr said
With car parts, we all were buying a header system, another time it was a custom roof rack.
I have installed headers on a number of high performance cars, but none with roof racks. I do not expect these two products to be installed on the same vehicle. :)
Has anyone compared Iconnoclast TPC interconnects to Analysis Plus Silver Oval interconnects? I’m thinking about XLR connections bt DMP - BHK Pre and possibly Pre and BHK Monos.
jeffstarr said
With car parts, we all were buying a header system, another time it was a custom roof rack.
I have installed headers on a number of high performance cars, but none with roof racks. I do not expect these two products to be installed on the same vehicle. :)
I am auditioning a set of the TPC RCA interconnects 1.5 m. I’ve been running them for a month or so and find their sound fantastic. Very open and transparent. I’m a Nordost guy and am comparing them against their Heimdall 2 and find them very similar, which I think is high praise as I think they are amazing cables in their own right. Keep in mind they are half the cost of the Heimdalls at $610 or so. I couldn’t discriminate between the two in an A|B comparison but I can tell a slight difference, maybe, when comparing the Red Dawn ICs. I find the Iconoclasts a touch more transparent than the Red Dawns. Very slightly better instrument discrimination. Similar leading edge and sustain, bass weight and treble. The termination quality if top notch with a very snug fit that loosens slightly with time. Galen is incredible to deal with and very open to questions and loves to explain the tech behind the product, which I find very appealing. Highly recommended. I look forward to trying his speaker cables in the near future.
What are your impressions of your Iconoclasts Cables?
Hey, sorry I was semi-offline and out-of-town for a while for some personal [all good] time. I love the cables. And I am all in. I ordered additional UPOCC balanced ICs to complete the speaker system and the primary headphone station, much to my wallet’s chagrin.
As of 2 days ago, I have an all UPOCC-SFTPC chain in my speaker system. The difference is not subtle. While my ears are not what they used to be, I am still sensitive to width and depth of soundstage and detail. And the ICONOCLAST cables render an audible improvement in those areas. I had pretty good cables in this system already, but these are superior in every respect.
Agree. What I truly love about the cables, besides the excellent sonic characteristics, are the fact that they are based in actual science. Galen sends you white papers and talks about theory based in real engineering and, you know, actually measures things! It is a breath of fresh air, to be sure. If anyone wants these files he sends out, let me know and I’ll forward them. I can’t imagine Galen would have a problem with that.
Hey Elk, I’m sorry I missed your post last month about headers and roof racks. It was the same vehicle, the Kia Soul. While I didn’t buy a roof rack, I did have the header.
It had issues with the welds where the tubes met the mounting flange. I had them repaired and ceramic recoated, then I sold them.
