Speaker Cables for Crites Cornscala D

[pknaggs]

Hi All,

 

I have a pair of Bob Crites "Cornscala" D speakers on the way. If you have never heard them, you should....they are amazing.

 

Question - I need a recommendation on speaker cables please. Bob himself recommends a "good grade of 14AWG stranded cable". Could someone recommend a brand and model of ready made cables? Just want to plug and play, but hi-res music essential. The speakers will be hooked up to a Peachtree integrated amp.

 

Can we get specific here? Brand model link?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Pk

[esldude]

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/

[christopher3393]

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/

 

+1. Solid, great value, excellent quality control.

[Norton]

Great choice of speakers.

 

I use DNM with my Cornwalls:DNM Cables

[wwaldmanfan]

Hi All,

 

I have a pair of Bob Crites "Cornscala" D speakers on the way. If you have never heard them, you should....they are amazing.

 

Question - I need a recommendation on speaker cables please. Bob himself recommends a "good grade of 14AWG stranded cable". Could someone recommend a brand and model of ready made cables? Just want to plug and play, but hi-res music essential. The speakers will be hooked up to a Peachtree integrated amp.

 

Can we get specific here? Brand model link?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Pk

 

I'd like to think Bob's suggestion was the minimum gauge. Conventional wisdom says heavier gauge speaker cable is advantageous vs. lighter, (less resistance, etc.) i.e., 10AWG or 12 AWG vs. 14AWG, providing the terminals on your amp and speakers can accomidate it.

 

Blue Jeans sells Belden cable. It's fine, but I think Furez cable is better. This vendor sells it by the foot. The difference in price per foot between the 10/12/14AWG 2-conductor cable is pennies.

You can terminate it yourself with banana plugs or spade lugs, or go bare. If you want to get fancy, Douglas will construct custom cables to your specifications. Consult the website.

 

Furez Products

[pknaggs]

+1. Solid, great value, excellent quality control.

 

Thanks guys, Bluejeans Belden 5000 it is!

 

1. Now, for the connections to my Peachtree amp, banana or spades?

2. Also, if my amp has to be very offset (2' from one speaker, and 10' from the other), should I order two cables of equal 10' lengths? Or one of 10' and the other of 2'?

[baddog]

My recommendation would be speaker cables from DH Labs, high quality, good value. I have provided a link to their T-14 line, you could of course move up the line too if that was your desire.

 

DH Labs Silversonic - Products - Speaker - T-14

 

You can have them configured however you wish for termination on both ends. FWIW I use bananas on both the amp and speaker side. No wrong answer.

 

As to speaker lengths that is a rather sizable difference in length, you must have a good sized room to allow the speakers to be 8 feet apart.

 

I assume you intend to keep the integrated close to the side of one of the speakers?

 

I don't have a recommendation of whether to get a 2' and 10' or a pair of 10', I suspect the recommendation will be there latter.

 

Nice looking speakers!

 

p.s. I am sure the other recommendations are sound as well, I just have no personal experience with them.

[esldude]

Thanks guys, Bluejeans Belden 5000 it is!

 

1. Now, for the connections to my Peachtree amp, banana or spades?

2. Also, if my amp has to be very offset (2' from one speaker, and 10' from the other), should I order two cables of equal 10' lengths? Or one of 10' and the other of 2'?

 

I prefer spades for a solid air tight connection. But bananas work okay if space is tight on the back of the amp.

 

As for lengths, you would experience a timing shift of about 8 nanoseconds with an 8 foot length difference. In other words, you will never hear a difference of that vs a pair of 10 footers. The most optimistic difference in our ears hearing a channel to channel timing shift is around 5 microseconds (probably more like 10 microseconds). Going almost 1000 times smaller makes it a non-issue.

[wwaldmanfan]

I prefer spades for a solid air tight connection. But bananas work okay if space is tight on the back of the amp.

 

As for lengths, you would experience a timing shift of about 8 nanoseconds with an 8 foot length difference. In other words, you will never hear a difference of that vs a pair of 10 footers. The most optimistic difference in our ears hearing a channel to channel timing shift is around 5 microseconds (probably more like 10 microseconds). Going almost 1000 times smaller makes it a non-issue.

 

While that's true, there's no downside to making both speaker cables equal in length. Considering the nominal cost of the wire the OP has stated that he is going to use (less than $1 per foot), it may provide more flexibility in the future, should he decide to reposition equipment.

[cablin]

There are huge cable are available.

 

http://www.cablesdirectonline.com/

[Panelhead]

There is also an opinion that smaller gauge wire sounds better than larger gauges. Also that solid core is better than stranded. One proponent of this has always been DNM. I agree with Dennis in this.

With the high efficiency of these speakers even 16 ga should be fine. Crites recommendation seems spot on. Solid core is a little stiff with larger gauge.

If there was a pair on the way to my house I would try 14 stranded and 16 ga solid core to see if there is any difference. Go with the easiest if not.

[Deaf Cat]

Hmmm...

I don't know about anyone else, but would it not be an idea to demo different cables just to see if one if preffered to another?

 

Just as an experiment, I wired my Rega R1 speakers with 1.5mm house lighting circuit wiring (solid core), then tried 2.5mm, more ease & weight to the sound with a larger cross section of copper, then tried coax cable, (1mm solid copper core), 100% copper shield (earthed), then doubled up the coax to give more c.s.a. this was my fav so this is what I have still in play...

In my main system I plan to have Virtual Dynamics once they are re-terminated from bi-wire to bi-amp.

 

From Experience I would demo just to see if you like one cable more than another ;-)

[witchdoctor]

Thanks guys, Bluejeans Belden 5000 it is!

 

1. Now, for the connections to my Peachtree amp, banana or spades?

2. Also, if my amp has to be very offset (2' from one speaker, and 10' from the other), should I order two cables of equal 10' lengths? Or one of 10' and the other of 2'?

 

Get the same length cables because if you ever change your setup you will be fine and not be locked in to keeping your amp 2 feet away.

Please don't kill those magnificent speakers with low rent BJC. Check out www.thecableco.com and talk to a sales rep. They have thousands of cables and likely are very familiar with your speakers. You can then borrow cables to try for a small deposit. You will be using those speakers for years and you need to be 100% certain. try auditioning BJC too if you like, but make sure you compare it to some higher end stuff.

 

One more thing, you may want to consider placing thise speakers on Isoacoustc stands:

 

[witchdoctor]

Hmmm...

I don't know about anyone else, but would it not be an idea to demo different cables just to see if one if preffered to another?

 

Just as an experiment, I wired my Rega R1 speakers with 1.5mm house lighting circuit wiring (solid core), then tried 2.5mm, more ease & weight to the sound with a larger cross section of copper, then tried coax cable, (1mm solid copper core), 100% copper shield (earthed), then doubled up the coax to give more c.s.a. this was my fav so this is what I have still in play...

In my main system I plan to have Virtual Dynamics once they are re-terminated from bi-wire to bi-amp.

 

From Experience I would demo just to see if you like one cable more than another ;-)

 

This is excellent advice. BTW, I am using Virtual Dynamics power cords, excellent choice.

[Deaf Cat]

Virtual Dynamics power cords, excellent choice.

 

:-D

 

I keep an eye out for any 2nd hand ones now but they are still so so expensive :-0

( budget priority now is house wife kids ;-) )

[gmgraves]

Hi All,

 

I have a pair of Bob Crites "Cornscala" D speakers on the way. If you have never heard them, you should....they are amazing.

 

Question - I need a recommendation on speaker cables please. Bob himself recommends a "good grade of 14AWG stranded cable". Could someone recommend a brand and model of ready made cables? Just want to plug and play, but hi-res music essential. The speakers will be hooked up to a Peachtree integrated amp.

 

Can we get specific here? Brand model link?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Pk

Glad to.

 

https://sewelldirect.com/silverback-speaker-wire-by-sewell-enhanced-loud-oxygen-free-pure-copper-259-strand-count-10-ft-terminated

 

You can choose any length you need. These are 12 Gauge, oxygen-free copper, with high (259) strand count. They come terminated with very high quality, tight-fitting banana plugs, so they really are "plug-and-play". The bananas are so tight and strong that there is a video on Sewell's web site showing somebody picking up a good-sized speaker cabinet by the speaker cables. Since Crites recommends a good-grade of 14 Ga speaker wire, it sounds like his speakers aren't in any way fussy about cables the way some types of speakers are. So, being a standard wire size larger than he specifies means that these are perfect! No need to spend more, no need to make-up your own. BTW, Amazon sells these and they are (at least the last time I looked) a bit cheaper than they are from Sewell directly.

 

Someone mentioned Blue Jeans speaker cables. They are very good, but they'll cost you a good deal more than than the Sewell.

 

10 ft of 12 Ga Blue Jeans cable terminated with banana plugs on both ends = US$37.25

10 ft of 12 Ga Sewell "silver back" cable terminated with banana plugs on both ends = US$14.95

 

They will sound identical, both are guaranteed, and one is less than half the price of the other and looks very expensive without being very expensive! It's what I use on all three of my systems and I have Magnepan iso-dynamic speakers, Martin-Logan electrostats, and Napa Acoustics SP-208 desktop speakers. All sound excellent!

[witchdoctor]

:-D

 

I keep an eye out for any 2nd hand ones now but they are still so so expensive :-0

 

( budget priority now is house wife kids ;-) )

 

 

 

Supply and demand. It is a testament to their SQ that demands remain high and the only supply is the second hand market.