I thought I’d take a bit of a punt and go for some slightly more expensive XLR cables to see if they made any difference/improvement.
I didn’t want to go mad, so chose the Audioquest Red River XLRs, which are at the lower end of their range. The vendor I sourced them from were considerably cheaper than everyone else and offered a complementary 96 hour cable burn-in foc.
(courtesy of Future Shop).
I’ve only had them in situ since this afternoon, but am very satisfied. Bass seems deeper and even better defined, transients have even more attack and decay, and at the risk of sounding like a hifi pseud, one can hear deeper into what the artist/producer was trying to achieve.
I was not sure what to expect given assertions that changing XLR cables to more expensive ones will confer no advantage. Having spent less than £300, I am not sitting here desperately convincing myself that I have not fruitlessly spaffed ££££.
Somewhat to my surprise, I have found changing mains cables and XLR’s have had very decent results.
Can you tell me a bit more about your setup in the photo? Are they 19s or 11s? After a demo have some white 11s on order, if yours are the same can you measure the tweeter height from the bottom of the cabinet so I can work out the height I need. Also, are they oak? I was thinking of Ash but might be too pale. The contrast looks great with yours, and the wooden rack. Turns out the company is just a few miles away so good to support local businesses!
I just had some made up by Designacable. They were about £45 for a 5m pair. They were/are Van Damme cable with Neutrik plugs.
I did not want to spend a lot as I had to buy the CanfordAudio transformers at the time as well.
I’ve only listened to a few CDs so far -Whitest Boy Alive, Dire Straits’ Love over Gold (well I had to, didn’t I?), The Doors and LA Woman for example, but their is a distinct difference. I have not listened to anything a little more “sensitive”, but I feel the 40’s are so even-handed all types of music will benefit.
For context, the SPL app on my mobile was peaking at around 81db: I mention this as there is no doubt that the 40A’s come alive with a little bit of volume.
I was occasionally struck by becoming aware of things on tracks I had heard many times before that had previously passed me by. I was sitting in my chair tapping away on my phone or tablet, not sitting intently in “hifi demonstration” mode, and I was certainly not in "confirmation bias"mode, either
I installed Stack Audio Auva 50’s under my 50ASL’s. I had stock spikes + Linn Skeets under them before. I left the 3cm thick granite slabs under the speakers also but might remove them later since I’m afraid my kid might knock the speakers down from them some day. First impressions of Auva’s are very positive.
I have some SCM 11s on order, in white. I must admit that since they clearly don’t protect against dust, and I have no small people or animals to worry about the grilles won’t be staying! I suppose the fact they are magnetic and don’t have any visble mounting points when removed is to be applauded.
Stillpoints under my SCM50ASLs were a big upgrade. They also raise the speakers a little getting the midrange driver to ear height when I’m in my listening chair.
(courtesy of Future Shop).
What material is that box?
