I’m very good at online solitaire and Bridges, I do that often when I listen to music lately. But as far as I know no one has made a living on that🤔
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I want to know who will be the first here to take the plunge for the monsterous Stealth Dream Royal speaker cables???
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I guess 2 guys here, who has been enjoying arm wrestling for the past 6 years!
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Here’s a question for some of you that may have experience:
For speakers that have bi-terminals:
- Use best speaker cables in bi-wire configuration
- Use best speaker cables with equal-quality jumpers
- Use two pairs of speaker cables in a bit lesser quality (say 60-70% cost of cable above).
Which way to go for best SQ?
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Work within your budget with the best obtainable single-wire cable and best jumper cable. Add a second cable as funds permit. I have done that currently with my Aerial 5T stand mounts. No plan to add a second set of single wire speaker cables.
One thing I’ll add is that AudioQuest’s Robin Hood and William Tell series offer a double run, with a mid/hi frequency cable (full-range IMO) and a bass cable. I have heard them and found them to be credible.
Galen, Iconoclast tech whiz, also recommends doubling up on speaker cables. I understand Iconoclast isn’t everyone’s flavor, but a trial costs you shipping only.
I heard a single run of Audience Front row cables driving Wilson speakers and left with the notion I could live with that.
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I like the idea with single-wired with jumper. It gives you more flexibility in future. Thanks!
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FWIW, I have transitioned from all of the cable connection scenarios mentioned. The best solution is to get the best cable directly connected to the drivers that can be directly connected, at least at the manufacturer’s provided terminals. This makes it dependent
on your speakers and your wallet. Choose the best and add on accordingly when you can.
No jumpers.
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I use two pairs. I think that is best.
FRO, my dealer George at Kyomi Audio has two pairs of the Dream Royals for sale at Demo prices. The two people most likely to buy them, myself and @minnesotafats have so far resisted. Even demo priced they are SUV expensive.
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I should have put my speaker cable comments in plain English like Al’s. Two pairs are best if you can swing it.
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Well, the reason I asked the question so I don’t have to budget a SUV (or two) for two pair of speaker cables, hence I didn’t list this option because everyone knows the answer 
Paul’s YouTube talked about this subject on how to use jumpers. he likes to connect them to lower frequency terminals first and using jumpers to high/mid. My take is a bit different. If I had Stealth V, I will connect to high/mid terminals first. Otherwise, I will hear the sound of cable+jumper sound instead of speaker cable alone.
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You are correct. Top and mids get the best.
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I would add to use two pair of the exact same speaker cables for bi-wire applications…Mix and match at your own risk…
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Ideally, yes. But (and this comes directly from the manufacturer, e.g., Stealth and Iconoclast)
you can use cables of similar design in a series and put the cheaper one on the bass cabinet with little or no detriment. For example, Galen promotes the Series 2 SPTPC for the top/mids and the less expensive Series 1 SPTPC or Series 2 TPC for the bass.
Well the series 2 doesn’t allow bass to pass through so that is really good advice.
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Ideally absolutely!!! In my experience using the same cables is the way to go. I have tried different configurations and jumpers and the best has always been identical pairs…
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The difference between Iconoclast Series I and Series II speaker cable’s low frequency response below +/- 90 Hz is very, very small (electrically measurable and verifiable,) while the differences in the series in the broader portion of the audio band where we would actually hear the difference is more pronounced.
We do indeed offer that for low bass +/- 150 Hz in a “bi-wire” configuration, that it’s not necessary to spend the additional funds necessary for more expensive copper. The TPC variant does a superb job with low bass. There’s absolutely nothing to be gained for low bass by using anything more than Series I, TPC cable assemblies.
Well over 95% of all Series II, SPTPC speaker cable sales are in “non bi-wire applications.” I think if they were in any way lean on bass that the non advertising supported reviews and customer comments might reflect something to that effect. Symmetry always plays into any choice of cable choices as does budget. Series II cables get out of the way and don’t filter much of the mid and higher frequency data on recordings. This is sometimes perceived as more energy in this portion of the audio band making low bass sometimes “seem” as less prevalent. It’s all still there but actually more balanced and natural than before.
“Most” audiophiles might find $25K+/+++/++++ speaker cables to be out of the budget while a +/- 8’ “set” of bi-wire Iconoclast Series II SPTPC and Series I TPC cables might leave enough to by the college kid a Civic with the left over funds.
We try to stay in our sand box and offer at least 98.97345% of the high dollar cable assembly, provide the science where it is applicable or appreciated, offer the assemblies within 1/2" of what length the customer wants and with the connectors that work best. And we try to provide the best customer service and experience in the industry.
Those Stealth cables have to be the “prettiest” cables I ever saw.
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Not true on bass extension. The series I just do it for less money as the series II which further optimized upper frequency improvements and are $$$ which is not necessary for the low-end. It saves you money.
We have all the measurements to show why you would split the cable types for bi-wire. Most don’t consider bi-wire “systems” and how to optimize that configuration, we did.
The 24 and 18 AWG converge Vp properties in the low-end (below ~ 300 Hz). The Vp is more linear and flatter with 28 AWG and here we see the 28 AWG provides a further benfit over 24 AWG. The copper has to be used properly to attain the tested properties and not deteriorate other important characteristics. But as far as proper integration of cable types, there is the data.
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Galen please share with us the measurements that support the differences we acknowledge hearing between TPC, OFE, SPTPC for speaker cables, and ETPC, OFE, and Ohno for interconnects.
I own a pair of Iconoclast Gen 1 speaker cables. I will never sell them. They are built better than any other cable I have ever owned. Outstanding stuff.
I have found when you spend $85,000 more on speaker cables they seem to sound like a step up.
If only they made speaker cables that cost $200,000 more! *shudder.
After all, it’s not the design or metallurgy or physics that matter. It’s all about the price.
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weedeewop,
I can’t define what makes the copper sound different! The metal science is different, yes. Grains and O2 are varying between the draw science used. We can definitely verify that, and of course the higher cost to run the lines slower to extract ever more gasses used to scaveng off the impurites and /or lengthen the grains. All we can do is offer audition and to buy what you do hear, not what you don’t. Seems fair, yes?
Lucky for me I found that the best designs with TPC or SPTPC copper sound really good. ICONCLAST was designed on purpose to try to get the most from TPC copper. I think we did exactly that. Sure, the IC cable has a UP OCC version but WOW, at a cost! Is it better? Most say yes but is it really a value? How can it be, it is expensive. Superior design exceeds just materials and no real design direction over marketing cosmetics.
The series I and II use the same materials, but series II andat your request further leverages the Vp analysis to as high as I can go in practice. Was it worth it? To my surprise the calculated numbers still matched the better sound. But it wasn’t “copper” that did that, it was the design.
This also was intended to be a series III, with the I on bass and II on the mid treble if it all worked as the calculations suggested. And it met the requirements and we published the bi-wire papers with true measurements to match the calculations and to show what happens in various configurations with several typical cables and ICONOCLAST. But copper didn’t do any of that either by actual “measurement”.
I know this isn’t what you want to “hear”, but it’s the truth to the study so far.
Best,
Galen
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