Speaker jumper cables / diagonal wiring / worth trying

HI all,

Thought I'd share a recent experience. Ordered some custom solid silver jumper cables from DH Labs. Spades on one end and banana plugs on the other.

Two potential combinations. I'll describe what Audioquest recommends. Nordost recommends the opposite (switching the connect described below).

Speaker cable lug (positive) to upper (mid - tweeter) positive speaker terminal.
Speaker cable lug (negative) to lower (bass) negative speaker terminal.

Jumpers complete the positive / negative speaker terminal connection "loop" maintaining polarity. In the above case, use the jumper banana termination on the speaker terminal that has the speaker wire lug attached and the jumper lug termination to the open speaker terminal. This avoids any "lug to lug" connections on the same speaker terminal and should maintain the highest signal transfer integrity between the upper and lower speaker terminals.

Nordost recommends connecting the positive speaker lug to the lower speaker terminal and the negative speaker lug to the upper speaker terminal.

I'm currently trying the "Audioquest" connection recommendation. Once the jumpers break in, I will switch to see if I can determine and differences.

So what do you get?

Initial impressions are better "coherence" between the mid - tweet and bass drivers, an expanded soundstage, better dimensionality and imaging.

You should also try the "traditional" method, that being speaker wires (positive and negative) hooked up to the same (upper or lower) speaker terminals and connect the jumpers to the opposite terminals. Anecdotally, the speaker wire lugs should be connected to the lower (bass) speaker terminals for better bass definition but you should try it both ways.

Please note that if you are still using the original "plate" jumpers supplied with most speakers, do yourself a favor and switch them out with some decent quality speaker wire. They are IMHO garbage.

Have fun.

GG

PS: Theoretically, "bi-wiring" or "bi-amping" will yield better results. However, that is not an option for me at this point and the above may yield equally good results for less money.

Please note that if you are using the original "plate" jumpers supplied with the speaker, swap them out with some decent speaker wire terminated accordingly. IMHO, they are garbage.

I stopped worrying about this sort of stuff years ago and just started enjoying the music. I think of ROI, and with this sort of stuff – whatever difference you make, more significant gains can be made with investment elsewhere:

1. Time investment – you’ll generally get more return by simply moving a speaker 1cm than by changing any connection method, so I concentrate on room acoustics.
2. Financial Investment – you’ll generally get more return by swapping conventional components for better models rather than treading water trying to tweak what you’ve got.

I agree though that the plate jumpers are rubbish and should be binned.

Adam,

I fully agree with you that my intent is also to enjoy the music. Having said that, it doesn't stop me from trying new / inexpensive tweeks to enjoy it a little more. I'm not that "old" or cynical yet.

I'm sorry that you wish to disparage the intent of my post (read help others to try something for no cost and improve the sound of their system) or the minor upgrades to my system.

GG

PS: Please find someone or something else to vent your apparent anger / frustration. Happy holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Gordon Gray said:

Adam,

I fully agree with you that my intent is also to enjoy the music. Having said that, it doesn't stop me from trying new / inexpensive tweeks to enjoy it a little more. I'm not that "old" or cynical yet.

I'm sorry that you wish to disparage the intent of my post (read help others to try something for no cost and improve the sound of their system) or the minor upgrades to my system.

GG

PS: Please find someone or something else to vent your apparent anger / frustration. Happy holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Click to expand...

I think you've misinterpreted me there Gordon.

No cynicism or venting, anger or frustration - just my view on the matter to which I am entitled as you are entitled to yours. Different viewpoints is what makes the forum a valuable place to get information.

No disparaging of your post either - its a valuable post and one which can deliver returns - my comment related to whether the returns are worth the investment , and to illustrate the point I gave an example of tweaks which might well deliver a greater return for the investment of scarce resources. That's all.

Merry Christmas to you and your family too

Thanks Adam,

Guess I read too much into it.

You are correct. Return vs investment is always a challenge. In this case, I spent less that 1% of my system value on these new jumpers and expect a noticeable jump in performance, well beyond 1%.

Best,

Gordon

amey01 said:

I stopped worrying about this sort of stuff years ago and just started enjoying the music. I think of ROI, and with this sort of stuff – whatever difference you make, more significant gains can be made with investment elsewhere:

1. Time investment – you’ll generally get more return by simply moving a speaker 1cm than by changing any connection method, so I concentrate on room acoustics.
2. Financial Investment – you’ll generally get more return by swapping conventional components for better models rather than treading water trying to tweak what you’ve got.

I agree though that the plate jumpers are rubbish and should be binned.

Click to expand...

I would agree in many cases this may be a waste of time as are other tweaks that are tried to early in a systems setup.

Having followed Gordon's threads of improving his system through the years (though I have never heard it) I would think his setup might benefit from smaller tweaks such as this.

If you believe that cabling can make a difference as long as the rest of your system is high enough quality to have the chance to hear it than why not this?

It's not as though he said his new green lamp cord sounds better than the old brown cord for speaker cables.

Brad,

Unfortunately (from a $ perspective) tweeks and the ability to hear or not hear their effect, are system transparency dependent.

The bottom line is whether there is value to the money spent versus the benefit received for any tweek, regardless of the total system value thereof.

I did A-B the new and improved green lamp cord with the old brown lamp cord. The former clearly outperformed the latter.

Frankly, regarding the new jumpers, the system has taken a step backwards in overall musicality (loss of liquidity) but I can certainly hear the initial benefits (better dimensionality, imaging, etc.). Based on past experience, I'm fairly confident that things will get much better once the new jumpers "break in".

Best,

Gordon

PS: Anyone can try this "diagonal" set up with their current jumpers and see if they hear a difference for $0.

Gordon, I completely agree with you about good quality jumpers. Having been in the high-end business for 25 years, you find all kinds of things to try at little to no cost.

I have tried both ways (Audioquest & Nordost) to wire the jumpers. IMHO, I never really heard a difference either way, but adding the jumpers, did make a big improvement.

I'm also a firm believer in using quality jumpers (from the same company and model of cable if available) and a better quality speaker cable, than a lower priced speaker cable that is biwired. I have tried this MANY times and have always come away with better sound.

Hi Fox,

Like you, I also have tried many different types. Latest before my recent switch was a pretty high quality jumper made by Analysis Plus. 12 ga. 99.999% oxygen free copper blah, blah. Seemed pretty good.

Once my CJ ET5 pre was broken in and I found the "correct" tube that suited my particular tastes, system took a big performance jump. After living with it for a few weeks, I felt I could take it a bit further based on the improvements I was hearing.

I've always been a fan of silver and decided to custom order silver jumpers from DH Labs. Jumper wire is from their current "top" speaker wire which is a major jump from my existing wire (their second in line). This is the same manufacturer that I use for all my other cables, except for two power cords.

As previously stated, the differences are very audible. Once "burned in", my gut tells me that it will be a decision I will not regret.

Out of curiosity, did you hear a benefit from "diagonal" wiring versus the traditional method?

Best,

Gordon

Gordon, I ment to ask if you were thawing out a bit with your heat wave all the way to the high teens in tempature?

Brad,

Sort of.

We are into the typical cold cycle that occurs here every year.

We've already had several -20 low / 0 high days. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!

So here's a story I like to tell and I'm very glad it never occurred again.

When I first moved to Jackson in 1981, I came here the previous Christmas to attend my then girlfriend's sisters wedding.

For seven days, the high was -40 and the low was -63. And this was with no wind chill. The first night I arrived, I left a bottle of scotch in my car overnight. Following morning, only the top 1" or so was still liquid.

I really like the Tampa area and have had the pleasure to visit on several occasions. Please go have a beer and play a round of golf for me.

Gordon

Holy Crap! Minus 63?? The coldest I was ever in was in beautiful Minot, ND at minus 36. That was unbelievably cold, I can't imagine minus 63.

Steve,

Once it gets to a certain point, it really doesn't matter.

The only question is how long you can stay outside. Hint, not much more at -36 versus -63.

Gordon

I believe that the main difference between jumpers lie in the contact resistance. I use Nordost jumpers with banana in one end and spades in the other. My speaker cables are spade terminated. That way, I avoid spade-to-spade connection which is difficult to "get rigth".

Before testing new cables/jumoers, it is very important to cut back some of the old acbles and make a "fresh" connection. Otherwise the new vs. old connection will drown out any cable difference.

And regarding cables, ALWAYS!!!! make the basic calculations of resistance, impedance and capacitance first, model them with the highly reactive load of our speakers and make sure that the cable is electrically suitable and doesn't act like a filter. Even very expensive cables can do that, and then our brain can be fooled into believing that rolled-down treble equals more relaxed...

Hi Bevensee,

Thanks for your input.

Agree with your first sentence to a point. The wire and terminators used are also significant factors. The rest, unknown from my personal experience.

Resistance calculations? Not for me. I rely on advice from people I trust, research the appropriate variables and most importantly, trust my ears.

Best,

GG

slowGEEZR said:

Holy Crap! Minus 63?? The coldest I was ever in was in beautiful Minot, ND at minus 36. That was unbelievably cold, I can't imagine minus 63.

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got you by 2 Steve, -38, St Zenon, Pq winter of '91, no where near Gordon's minus 63 ! Hey, BTW, how come you didn't come back at me on your 'intro' over @ 'AudioShark' ? ...:devil:….

Please know I am not bragging.

This stuff sucks. Even if it's a "dry cold".

FWIW, I've been in Chicago when it was 10 degrees or so. With a bit of a wind and the humidity, it felt as cold or colder than what I've experienced here.

GG

-40 (where the two scales meet) is when Canadians start thinking about throwing on a coat and discarding the sandals!

Bernard said:

-40 (where the two scales meet) is when Canadians start thinking about throwing on a coat and discarding the sandals!

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I didn't know there were places on earth that could get that cold!!

PS. At +40C is when we think about discarding the sandals and throwing on a coat

Now the real question is the impact of the cold on your jumpers!! .
But fwiw - this is a forum.... People are supposed to write about things like silly tweaks etc. right? I think I'll start a thread 'really enjoying the music today'. Then everyone could respond 'me too!!' Man, wouldn't that be interesting? Hahaha... Anyway- keep bringing on the tweaks. I love em. The reason we are here is obsession. Why not obsess ? And group obsessing is cool!!

Thanks Gordon. Tim.