Cables for Dunlavy Speakers
Dario Solis
My current system is:
Conrad Johnson Premier Fourteen Pre-amp
Conrad Johnson Premier Twelve Mono Block Amps
Conrad Johnson CD Transport
Conrad Johnson DAC (Tube)
Dunlavy SC-V
Audioquest Lapis Interconnects
Dunlavy Speaker Cables
Question:
What speaker cables at a reasonable price could improve the above
setup? Would better interconnects help?
Thanks,
Dario
Carter
speaker cable. The Dunlavy cable is, i'm sure, high quality, however
John Dunlavy is skeptical about the effects of cable on speakers.
This calls into question the amount of time and energy Dr. Dunlavy has
spent on his cable. Anyway, I have tried cables from Tara Labs,
AudioQuest, Van Dun Hul, and Synergistic Research. Hands down the
Synergistic cables won. They are very nice. Keep in mind that my
speaker were only $1200 so, spending $500 on a bi-wire setup was all I
could manage. With the SC-V you might want to consider spending a few
more dollars. Just remember price does NOT equal performance, you
SHOULD bi-wire, and most important only YOU can decide what is best
for your system. Good Luck.
Carter
Howard Ferstler
know that it runs counter to rah-e policy to mention one's publications,
so I will just mention those in vague and general terms.
A recent issue of a noted audio magazine has my review of some Dunlavy
cables, done with the very able assistance of Cable expert, Fred Davis.
(Since Dunlavy speakers were also mentioned, I should note that the issue
also includes my review of the Dunlavy SC-II model.) In that writeup, I
note that some exotic designs (the Dunlavy wire, for instance) may reduce
inductance to the extent that the high frequencies are very slightly
louder than what would be the case with simple, heavy lamp-cord type
hookups. The price you pay for this will be capacitance at lower
frequencies that might cause instability with some amplifiers.
Other than the frequency-response anomalies (and note that they amount to
a fraction of a dB; more than likely inaudible with musical program
material), there is just nothing else that a cable is going to be able to
do to impact the sound. At least not to the extent that typical, non-blind
comparisons would be able to pinpoint them as easily as a lot of
enthusiasts apparently think they do.
I urge anyone who contemplates purchasing exotic and expensive wire to not
do so until doing some blind listening comparisons. I am not talking
about comparing two exotic cables, either. I mean the prospective
purchaser should compare one exotic brand to basic, 12- or 14-gauge
lamp-cord-type wire. They may discover that a lot of money will be saved
- and that money could be put to good use by allowing them to get still
better speakers or a somewhat better subwoofer, or even additional
recordings.
In the case below, if basic lamp cord had been purchased, Mr. Carter could
have invested nearly $500 towards still better speakers like the SC-II
model. Or, he could have put that money, plus a few extra bucks, toward a
subwoofer to augment the lower end of his SC-I's. I guarantee that either
of the latter two moves would have resulted in more of an improvement than
what the exotic cable delivered.
Dunlavy is more than justified in his feelings about exotic cable. His
cable attempted to extract the last nuance of performance he deems
important, but most good, thick, lamp-cord-type wire will work just fine
with Dunlavy speakers.
The cable business is a blight on audio.
Howard Ferstler
uh OH!
wrote:
>I note that comments have been made about Dunlavy and Dunlavy wire. I
>know that it runs counter to rah-e policy to mention one's publications,
>so I will just mention those in vague and general terms.
>
>A recent issue of a noted audio magazine has my review of some Dunlavy
>cables, done with the very able assistance of Cable expert, Fred Davis.
>(Since Dunlavy speakers were also mentioned, I should note that the issue
>also includes my review of the Dunlavy SC-II model.) In that writeup, I
>note that some exotic designs (the Dunlavy wire, for instance) may reduce
>inductance to the extent that the high frequencies are very slightly
>louder than what would be the case with simple, heavy lamp-cord type
>hookups. The price you pay for this will be capacitance at lower
>frequencies that might cause instability with some amplifiers.
The capacitance effect is larger at higher frequencies, just like
inductance, since it's in parallel. But you're right, it may cause
instability with some amplifiers.
>I urge anyone who contemplates purchasing exotic and expensive wire to not
>do so until doing some blind listening comparisons. I am not talking
>about comparing two exotic cables, either. I mean the prospective
>purchaser should compare one exotic brand to basic, 12- or 14-gauge
>lamp-cord-type wire. They may discover that a lot of money will be saved
>- and that money could be put to good use by allowing them to get still
>better speakers or a somewhat better subwoofer, or even additional
>recordings.
Absolutely. Some of the worst wire I've ever tried was very
expensive, and inferior to basic lamp cord of 12 or 14 gage. I like
running multiple pairs of cable, as suggested by Stewart, to lower the
inductance at the expense of capacitance, for very little money at
all. If you're a paranoid audiophile who wants pedigree and
materials, like I am at times, DH labs offers a silver-plated, teflon
insulated 14 gage for just under $4/ft.
>In the case below, if basic lamp cord had been purchased, Mr. Carter could
>have invested nearly $500 towards still better speakers like the SC-II
>model. Or, he could have put that money, plus a few extra bucks, toward a
>subwoofer to augment the lower end of his SC-I's. I guarantee that either
>of the latter two moves would have resulted in more of an improvement than
>what the exotic cable delivered.
Well, a lot of this whole stereo experience is the idea of the system
as a refined high-performance machine. Putting shiny rims on a car
doesn't make it go any faster, and putting those damn loud mufflers on
a Honda Civic isn't really a cost-effective way to get better
performance, but hey, it's his deal. I know that I'm never going to
spend more than I make in a day on interconnects, but I'm kind of
burnt out on tweaking. Give me good clean, stiff AC, an amp that can
put it to work, speakers that don't pull out any disasters, and a
source that puts out what it's supposed to, and I'll hook it up with
twisted pair and multiple runs of whatever wire I can get my hands on.
If I can afford silver plating and Teflon, so be it. Otherwise, get
those $800 plus speaker cables out of my face, especially those damn
bandwidth-limiting "networks."
>Dunlavy is more than justified in his feelings about exotic cable. His
>cable attempted to extract the last nuance of performance he deems
>important, but most good, thick, lamp-cord-type wire will work just fine
>with Dunlavy speakers.
And with most speakers. Absolutely fine. But if tweaking hasn't
already given you a blistering headache, there's no harm in fooling
around.
>The cable business is a blight on audio.
Perhaps an embarassment, but it seems quite lucrative.