Speaker cables for Quests

[wkjeffers]

I recently purchased a Aragon 4004 to run my Quest Z's and I am trying to improve what I feel is a constrainded sound of the ML's.

I spoke with a "system" approach consultant and he admitted he was not a great fan of electrostatics but it sounded like I had a cabling issue from the Aragon to the Quests. I currently use 12 gauge Beldin from Blue Jeans cable. standard stuff ( My engineering background was having a hard time with cable claims )

I found a white paper from Roger Sanders on this issue but $1200 to biwire his speaker cables ( 1 electrostatic pair and 1 magnetic pair ) is definitely out of my budget.

Any suggestions from members that have found a good combination or just know a cable that works well with Quests? Thanks in advance!

 

[VanDaRo]

I don't know if anyone will want to touch this. Cable discussions have a way of agitating peoples beliefs and no one wants to advise you to buy X-brand speaker cables only for you to be disappointed.

Questions:

1) Did your system sound constrained with the last amp(s) ? I believe that your Aragon has plenty of beans to drive any speaker -- but I could be wrong.

2) Are you sure that the MLs are not simply telling you about inadequate upstream components ? Logans generally demand a commitment to high quality gear from top to bottom. Source components ??

3) Do you think that the 12g speaker wire is allowing the system to fully flex its' dynamic capabilities ? Have you considered buying another identical set of wires, dropping out the jumpers, and bi-wiring ?

4) Are the ESL panels on those speakers getting long in the tooth ?? Often, new panels really wake up the sound.

Just me and my rambling thoughts...

~VDR

 

[Gordon]

I'll take a stab at it. I had a pair of Tributaries. Something did not sound right to me. Since I'm a new guy to ML, I read almost everything on this site to gain a beginners level of knowledge.

I found a post by Gordon Gray where he said he was using Mapleshades IC's. I ordered a pair of Golden Helix. They have a 30 day return policy so it was a no brainer for me.

I have not sent them back nor do I plan to.

Gordon

 

[Craig]

Cables do make a difference or at least some cables sound different from others and some cables sound the same. I think you will eventually discover this for yourself if you try a variety of cables. Would you agree that an electrical music signal contains very complex yet delicate information? I'm sure it wouldn't take much to lose or distort some of the music signal and once that happens there is no getting it back. I'm sure a coat hangar will suffice to power an electric motor and will also suffice to power a speaker to produce sound but I have my doubts that a coat hanger will provide optimum performance. Honestly, I have not tried a coat hangar so I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I'm sure its a good product for the money and I can't say that about all cables.

Of course there is test equipment to measure the audio signal basics like freq response, capacitance, inductance, current, etc. But how do you measure how a cable sounds? I don't know if we can measure things like imaging, soundstage, placement of instruments, dynamics and all those audio cues we listen for.

Regardless of the never-ending cable debate, cables should not be a priority upgrade in a system when there are many other things you can do to an audio system that will have a much more significant impact on overall sound quality. Room acoustics is just one area that provides a much higher Return on Investment than cable upgrades. As much as some cables costs there still isn't a cable made that is good enough to overcome bad room acoustics. I'm not implying your acoustics are bad, in fact I have no idea what your room is like. I'm just saying don't overlook other causes for sound issues.

Of all the things that could possibly effect the sound and make your system sound constrained why one would assume its the cables? It could be a number of things. But getting back to my point; cables do make a difference but in my experience its been a subtle difference and only noticeable when the rest of the system is setup optimally to include creating a room with acoustics that as little damage to sound produced within the room.

Cables are good for fine tuning after the rest of the system is optimized. You're much more likely to hear differences in various cables in a refined system. In my opinion, I don't think it takes long to reach a point of diminishing returns in relation to costs. And like the rest of the audio components, that particular point of diminishing return is an individual choice.

 

[MiTT]

I don't know if they're in your price range, but I just posted a set of Synergistic Research Signature 2's/Resolution Reference .5 Bi-wire, 10 ft. spades over in the classifieds. They sounded wonderful on my ReQuests and bi-wiring DOES make a difference on all of the ML Hybrids.

 

[BobF]

Totally agree with MITT to bi-wire as that has made a difference in all my Logans incuding the Prodigy's.
Best of luck,
Bob

 

[wkjeffers]

thanks !

Thanks for the feedback. To rundown some of these questions..... The cabling issue came up after discussion of room, placement, listening position, source components, IC, etc. I am using Denon 2910 for digital source and Rega P2 for analog with Audioquest IC. These are my first ML's and amps so I do not know what they would sound like with another amp. I have a NAD 2600 on mothballs that I might try, but I didn't think that would improve as the NAD is not the amp that the Aragon is. The preamp is Aragon also so I do not think that is it either. The panels are original as far as I know since I bought them used and that is another area I am considering might be the issue. How do you know when it is time for them to be replaced?

I am considering buying another set of cables to biwire and run them to the panels and use the belden cables for the woofers. That was the basis for this post- to get some advice on something that gets the best performance from the panels. Thanks again for everyones input.

 

[VanDaRo]

Be absolutely sure to consider panel replacement. The Quests are an older speaker; the dynamics and output could be down by a couple db or more.

I just replaced my panels on a set of Logans from the same era and all I can say is "WOW". The Sequel IIs sound like they did when they were brand new, so I can't recommend this course of action strongly enough.

~VDR

 

[wkjeffers]

yes, I am strongly considering doing this. I am going to contact ML about pricing in the next week or so. this may have been one reason I got them so affordably from the previous owner.

Thanks for the advice.