For a stereo pair of “your guess is as good as mine”, no information available (
) speaker cables costing more than £1400, I’d expect them to be damn near perfect, particularly as it seems I’m expected to just trust the manufacturer’s hype.
3 Likes
I used TQ Black which TBH didn’t think was overall any improvement over NACA5.
That was with a SU, whch I then added a 250DR, which updated to N272-250DR
I replaced TQ Black with the TQ Ultra black which was significant uplift specially in the bass and presentation. I did try the TQ Silver (not mk2) but that it was a tad bright but very detailed, of course that might be just what a different system or set of ears wants.
I did find it took a few days to settle in (or is that our ears take a few days to tune in?)
Since I went active (ATC SCM40A) any temptation to investigate speaker cable has been err isolated.
Sold the TQ UB for what paid , which with the sale of 250DR & old speakers funded the ATC.
1 Like
How are you finding the ATC 40As? I have them on home demo but I’m undecided as yet.
I’ve had mine for 3 years, they took a little while to dial in.
I found they had to be toe in about 5-10 degrees and 20cm from the back wall.
Before I went for the 40A i listened to the 40 passive powered by 272/555 + 250DR and then 300DR.
At the time I thought the passive with 300DR edged the 40A in someways, but the active just had a better sense of timing. Plus a lot more cost effective, as it zero cost of change to me.
Upgrade fund is waiting for a 272 replacement
Thanks @parleeking
I’m underwhelmed by the ATC 40s. I have the demo pair running from my 552 with NDX2/555PSDR as source. They sound very ‘hifi’ but ultimately boring and not very engaging. I’ve tried different room placements but I’m missing the synergy with the 552/300DR/TQ Ultra Black 2 speaker cables.
I may give the passives a listen.
You are coming at this from a higher starting point than I was, I think the 300DR is a much better amp than those in the ATC integrated. Obviously it should be for the price. Speakers are such personal & environmental choice, you should listen to as many as possible, eventually something will hit the spot.
That is where a good dealer can help.
1 Like
I recently replaced NACA5 with TQ Ultra Black II. The TQ is much better than NACA5. It does take a long time to fully open up. It took mine a good 200 hours to open up, and it still seems to be improving as I approach 275.
Be patient and it will reward you even more.
2 Likes
Just to clarify, the tellurium cables have blue, black and silver ranges blue for a warmer sound, silver for emphasis on higher frequencies and black neutral.
The next step up from the black would actually be the ultra black rather than the silver, with the diamond black at the top for those with the deepest of deep pockets!
That might be little bit bit like suggesting Silver Diamond isn’t on an upgrade path from Blue and you’d have to stick to the Blue family.
On their website, TQ specifically state: “The Silver performance sits beyond Black for very good reasons that you will hear.” Sounds like a valid option to me.
Anyway, it’s mostly marketing. Don’t know about Silver being specifically about high frequencies but it certainly does detail and clarity. I’m getting more bass too.
It’s obviously all about balance and good system matching, like any component purchase. All I can say is that’s it’s delivering for me.
3 Likes
This is very intersting, has anybody demo’d silver or black with older say 135’s or something similar
@jezoakley Interesting, thanks for the update. Just ordered a pair of Tellurium Silver II speaker cables… currently have the Mk1 Blacks. I was interested in squeezing some more detail out of my system while maintaining current bas levels etc so it will be interesting to see how these perform!
3 Likes
Maybe a set of ProAc’s, D30RS, or Bigger. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that ProAc’s are:
“They sound very ‘hifi’ but ultimately boring and not very engaging”
I have heard the active 40’s in the dealers showroom and thought they were fantastic.
I recently purchased a pair of ProAc D30RS and love them. With your system you may want to look at the D40’s or the K-3 speakers. I enjoy the ProAc and Naim combination as well as a few other members and you may want to give them a demonstration.
Anyway best of luck with your search and decision and have fun along the way to your final decision!
Thanks, I’ve not heard any ProAcs but I’d like to demo the D30RS and K3s.
Are they fussy with room placement? I’ll need them to work well near rear walls.
1 Like
Same here, the Black II is simple fantastic! Imho it‘s in the same upgrade SQ league like a Melco or a Cisco2960. Things sound so right…
2 Likes
The D30RS has a downward-firing bass port which makes the positioning of the speaker less of an issue. In my room they sit 20.5 inches (52.07 cm) from the wall. I have not heard the any of the K’ series speakers but there are a couple of members such as @timmo1341 who went from ProAcD40R to K6 and I believe once ran D30’s. Also @Skip, @ChrisBell and @newcomer have a pair of K6 speakers as well. I believe there may be other ProAc users around that may be able to offer comments as well.
Good luck with your decision and enjoy the journey!
Sorry, afraid I can’t offer any comment on D30Rs - I went from D20Rs to the K6s. Both my sets of ProAcs sit/sat about same as yours, 21” from back wall and about 24” in from side walls. I agree the downward firing bass port makes them easier to position than some. The D30s snd K3s use the same port arrangement, so logic would suggest… As ever, home demo is crucial - rooms are so individual snd idiosyncratic.
1 Like
The downward firing port allows placement near back walls. My K6 Sig’s are only 8" from the glass. Just be aware a new pair will take months to break-in and the bass will be lumpy. When I took delivery there was so much bass boom I thought I had bought the wrong speaker. Now I get great bass.
1 Like
My problem was a very large room with very high ceilings, and with the previous 3 speakers couples (Q-Acoustics 2050i, Totem Wind and Pulsar Ambient 7) always a bright sound, with the bass nearly absent.
Until I tried the ProAc K6s. Mines are among the first after the crossover review; as mentioned in the previous comments, a great downward-firing bass port that makes the positioning quite easier to find and a marvel of full range speakers. I have them 50 cm from back walls (although the downfiring bass port makes things easier, they breathe better at more than 30cms-40cms from back walls) and more than 2.5 m from the sides, 2.5 m between them and the listening position at 2.7 m, with the toe in recommended by ProAc (so that from the listening position you can only see the speakers front baffle). Perfect full-range sound, and above all, characterized by its musicality.
I couldn’t solve this main system with Naim, because, for the sake of simplicity, I was looking for an integrated amplifier, and neither the SN2 nor the SN3 were up to the task. I didn’t value, either by price nor for the collection of black boxes, to ascend in the Naim range. Finally I set up the system with Musical Fidelity NuVista 600, a hybrid integrated beast that offers a fantastic synergy with the speakers, as a ring to the finger I would say, and with the NDX2 as the main source.
In this system, I only have to update the CD and the speaker cable, currently NAD C546 BEE and Chord Epic Reference, with which I am happy but I feel that they limit the set. So, as soon as I can, if everything goes as expected, the Hegel Mohican and the TQ Silver Diamond will come, and there, I think will surely end my journey.
3 Likes
@jezoakley Just realised it was yourself that bought the silvers as well.
I’ve had them on the system just over 24hrs with it running overnight on low volume… still running now in fact.
My concerns for the new silvers where a) to harsh/bright and b) a drop in bass performance.
In both instances my concerns were unwarranted. Even at this early stage I’m hearing very good tight bass and no harsh edges… which bodes well given they’ll only improve over the next 3-4 days of running. They do have a feeling of being very clear, open… a whole lot more finesse over the mk1 blacks. My gut feeling is these aren’t going anywhere soon and if I put the blacks back on, they’ll sound muffled in comparison.
1 Like