Kimber 8TC vs Paul Speltz Anti-cables

[Puma Cat]

Yep, that's the Technoarm with a Benz MC cartridge.

[jdandy]

Stephen.......I found the literature that came with the most recent purchase of Kimber 8TC speaker cable. You might find it interesting the aggregate wire gauge of 8TC is two 9 awg conductors, and the aggregate wire gauge of 12TC is two 8 awg conductors, not as large a difference as the 8TC and 12TC model numbers elude. A 2.5 meter length of 8TC has a DC resistance of 0.018 ohm, and a frequency response +/- 0.5 dB from DC to 300 kHz. A 2.5 meter length of 12TC has a DC resistance of 0.014 ohm, and a frequency response +/- 0.5 dB from DC to 500 kHz. In my opinion, Kimber 8TC at 9 gauge times two conductors is the price performance sweet spot between 4TC, 8TC, and 12TC speaker wire offered in the Kimber TC Series.

[Face]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Looks sweet, Dan.

Are these the newest WBT Next-gen Copper banana plugs? I heard a very controlled demo by WBT at RMAF 2009 using the WBT Next-gen Copper binding posts on a pair of speakers where, with the press of a switch, you could instantly A/B them to the traditinal brass-based WBTs on the same exact speaker, and the difference was notable. Copper definitely sounds better than brass.

Brass sounds like ass.

Whenever possible, I use gold plated copper binding posts, bananas, spades, RCA jacks, and XLR connectors.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Stephen.......I found the literature that came with the most recent purchase of Kimber 8TC speaker cable. You might find it interesting the aggregate wire gauge of 8TC is two 9 awg conductors, and the aggregate wire gauge of 12TC is two 8 awg conductors, not as large a difference as the 8TC and 12TC model numbers elude. A 2.5 meter length of 8TC has a DC resistance of 0.018 ohm, and a frequency response +/- 0.5 dB from DC to 300 kHz. A 2.5 meter length of 12TC has a DC resistance of 0.014 ohm, and a frequency response +/- 0.5 dB from DC to 500 kHz. In my opinion, Kimber 8TC at 9 gauge times two conductors is the price performance sweet spot between 4TC, 8TC, and 12TC speaker wire offered in the Kimber TC Series.

Dan, this info is very helpful, thank you. It may also explain why the TAS review did not really reveal any what I would consider compelling sonic advantages of 12TC over 8TC. Also, I'd like to know if Kimber has done a measurement system analysis on their ability to detect with statistical power the DC resistance specifications. We're only talking about 4/1000ths of an ohm difference, and that difference could be due to variations in measurement system precision rather than a true or real difference. In other words, if the standard deviations of the 0.014 and 0.018 ohm measurements are not small enough, they may not be able to actually statistically distinguish a difference between the two. One way around this of course, is to measure the overall resistance over a long run of the two, and then calculate the DC resistance per unit length. I'm assuming the spec is DC resistance in ohms/meter.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Face

Brass sounds like ass.

Whenever possible, I use gold plated copper binding posts, bananas, spades, RCA jacks, and XLR connectors.

I completely agree that brass is not the best-sounding material soundwise, esp. compared to copper, but gold is not the best-sounding material, either. It's used because it does not corrode. Silver, tin, and pure copper also sound better than gold.

[Rod#S]

With all of the high praise for the 8TC, do these cables do equally well over long distances? In reading through all of the cable threads it appears that most of the discussions revolve around cables for stereo setups or the front pair in a home theater setup so I am curious what people are using in their home theater setups for surrounds (sides and rears) which would require significantly longer cable runs.

[f1 fan]

Originally Posted by Rod#S

With all of the high praise for the 8TC, do these cables do equally well over long distances? In reading through all of the cable threads it appears that most of the discussions revolve around cables for stereo setups or the front pair in a home theater setup so I am curious what people are using in their home theater setups for surrounds (sides and rears) which would require significantly longer cable runs.

Rod...I use Kimber 8TC for my surrounds.

Dave

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[Rod#S]

Originally Posted by f1 fan

Rod...I use Kimber 8TC for my surrounds.

Dave

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

Thanks Dave.

[Puma Cat]

Speaking of Anti-Cables, while Iove 'em, they are very still and prone to breaking at their terminations. As I move one of my speakers into a specific position for critical listening, I've broken off all the terminations on that cable.

At the recent CA Audio show, I picked up a pair of DNM cables, made in Britain. These are also every reasonably priced at $15 per foot for a pair and are much each to manage, and they come with Nordost equivalent hollow banana plugs.

Some info:

How DNM Stereo Solid Core cable works:
DNM uses scientific principles to set the basic cable parameters, defining the magnetic and ultra-high frequency characteristics, both factors that really do affect the audio performance of a cable.

Less certain aspects of cable design, such as conductor shape and propagation velocity of the insulation material, add to the mystique of hi-fi cable design and increase the price but not the performance.

DNM Design considers the interface between amplifier and cable to be vital for best sound quality. We therefore concentrate on getting the basics right and our tests have confirmed that complex cables with speculative design features, even though they cost much more, usually lack in sound quality compared with DNM cables.

The main features of DNM audio cables are described below.

The insulation and cable construction:
DNM stereo solid core audio cables use LDPE (low density polyethylene) insulation in a unique ribbon that is designed to improve the audio performance.

The DNM stereo ribbon is dimensioned for the application and it contains four conductors that carry two channels for stereo or one bi-wire channel. The ribbon is a key element because it controls the all-important spacing between the conductors defining the RCL balance (resistance, capacitance and inductance) which determines the ultra-high frequency loading - a factor that definitely affects the sound quality of the driving amplifier.



The DNM conductors are encased in a semi-transparent outer ribbon. The ribbon has an offset between its own plane and the plane of the conductors, as shown above. This causes air to be the primary dielectric, reducing the capacitance between the conductors and increasing linearity. Carefully selected spacing between the conductors minimises the high frequency reflections that can reduce the performance of the amplifier.

An easy-separation feature is designed into the ribbon which has the added advantage of reducing its tendency to resonate when the speaker current causes the conductors to be magnetically pulled together (reducing the Q of the structure).

Here's what the cable looks like:



More info on aspects of how these manage eddy currents is at the DNM site:
DNM Products - Solid Core Cables

As good as the Anti-Cables are, I've found the DNM cables to be even better sounding....smoother with greater clarity and detail. They also thin and flat, as such, much easier to dress than Anti-Cables.