Taobao Talk: Cheap Cables
Letter from Shenzhen (23-2): Wired!
Amendment 2/20/23: In haste of editing, I left out some important sentences in my writing on Sommer. Duly corrected. The new sentences are in italics.
I actually wanted to write about the very cheap Preamp pictured above. But the thing is, the story of this Preamp has an interesting twist behind it that involved cables. So, to prep for that, I’m “forced” to write about the cables first. So be it, it’s time anyway.
The story about my cables here in China is pretty much similar to tubes. When I first bought the Aiyima T9, I had barely enough cables to connect things, just making do. It was after I revamped my main listening room (the study, chronicled here) and acquired the Beydas LS3/5A that by necessity I started to buy things, including cables. There may be minor overlap with my previous diary-like articles chronicling my journey here, so bear with me.
My reasoning for choosing the cables I did was similar to what I did for tubes (explained here). Here in China, I don’t have my go-to cables, none! All I have are leftovers (described in my Aiyima T9 article). No Gotham (GAC-2,4, DGS, 2111, 50025,40, etc); no Belden (9497, 1810A); not even Mogami (2534, 49). I’d not like to buy them again. And whatever has to be cheap. And are they cheap and good!
Note that TB prices vary a bit, and some of the prices I got might have been a bit lower than now as I did order quite a few things during 11.11 and 12.12. The difference most of the time though is not significant.
https://m.tb.cn/h.Un3PHPh?tk=sJlLdSfydjW
Canare L-2B2AT This was the first one I got. At the ridiculously low price of RMB 3.70 per meter, I got 15 m, and wired my whole system basically with it. This is a slender, soft and very well-made cable. I had the slightly more expensive 2T2S before (here) and the 2B2AT surprisingly has more resolution. In fact, I was very satisfied. Good and clean transients, very even tonal balance and good rhythm. I previously also had another pair of Canare cables, the ones that came with my Softone CDP, a coaxial cable that sounds close to the 2T2S, both on the warm side. The L-2B2AT is to be preferred.
Canare L-2B2AT This was the first one I got. At the ridiculously low price of RMB 3.70 per meter, I got 15 m, and wired my whole system basically with it. This is a slender, soft and very well-made cable. I had the slightly more expensive 2T2S before (here) and the 2B2AT surprisingly has more resolution. In fact, I was very satisfied. Good and clean transients, very even tonal balance and good rhythm. I previously also had another pair of Canare cables, the ones that came with my Softone CDP, a coaxial cable that sounds close to the 2T2S, both on the warm side. The L-2B2AT is to be preferred.
Recently, I opened up the BRZ FU-50 amp, and was delighted to find that it uses the L-2B2AT as signal cable! Cheap, but good! I shall one day re-wire my 6J4/6P3P preamp (here) and perhaps I shall use this cable.https://m.tb.cn/h.UNLIl0k?tk=Q9HjdhIUGih
Belden 8451 I was happy with the Canare but, one day, as I was surfing TB, I accidentally came across my old friend Belden 8451. And man, this one I know well! Although I really haven't written about it, in NYC I have used it as interconnect as well as signal and hook up cables in various projects (serach 8451 in the blog if u like). I know its sound shall be a little more textured than the Canare I’ve been using and shall benefit the FU-50 amp (whose sound is a little leaner than the APPLause 300B). At the even lower price of RMB 2.80 per m, I ordered 17 m. In fact, if I had encountered it before, this would have been my first buy. Too bad I didn’t think of looking for it. In fact, this is an obscure Belden that I’m surprised to have found on TB. One bad thing about TB algorithm is that the bigger and more trafficked stores and items show up much more often than smaller ones (browsing gets boring after a while); perhaps there is a TB fee for giving stuff prominence too. So, sometimes it’s a matter of luck. The inner construction of the Canare L-2B2AT and Belden 8451 are very similar, but the skin of the Belden is quite a bit stiffer and more unwieldly (as per usual). This is genuine Belden.
For the 2 above cables, I’d recommend you first try out a little of both and compare before buying larger quantities.
A Surprise and Dark Horse Those 2 are what I mainly use for interconnects. I thought everything was well, but audiophiles always get surprised, right? Well, as ELO repeatedly waxed lyrics about his “Studer” cable (latest here), a reader astutely commented that it looks like the Sommer SC Classique. We all dived in and did some detective work. I looked at the SC Classique: it is a 1 conductor coaxial cable and cannot possibly be used as XLR (the "Studer" comes in both XLR and RCA versions). I asked ELO to take a pic of the connector with shell removed. I then identified it as most likely SC Club Mk II. Now, this is a 2-conductor cable and comes in both naked and tweed-clothed versions, the latter similar in looks to the SC Classique. My friend Seng and I looked at the spec’s and found the 2 versions to be identical though the naked version is substantially cheaper, and I managed to source it here. It proves very good. Sorry, this is a bit of a teaser, but full report shall come later from ELO and his friends (I'll chip in).
https://m.tb.cn/h.Un3lc94?tk=QM76dSfzSTY
Belden 1309A This is the curiosity. There are variations. I actually got 5m of the thicker 2.5mm x2 version before I even got the Canare loudspeaker cables I recommended previously (here). During 11.11, when I got the bargain Weiliang LPS (here), I noticed they also have the 1.5mm x2 version, and I got another 5m for RMB 9.80 per m. This was to enable me to bi-wire the Beydas LS3/5A.
The Canare’s (2 or 4 conductors) are faster but have less depth and flesh than the Belden. The Canare’s fare better with my floorstanding Sansui. But with the Beydas, I prefer the Belden for its organic sound. Bass goes deeper and is more tactile. This does come at a cost, as the Belden is a little darker sounding. In fact, aurally it reminds me of my go-to bi-wire cable, the Belden 1810A. They even look and handle similar.
But! Big Issue! If you look at official info of the Belden 1309A, it doesn’t look remotely like this cable. Plus, there is only one official 1309A, but here there are 3 versions of this “1309A” (professional cable companies won't catalogue as such). Beside the two I mentioned, there’s even a 4-conductor one! It is known that there are counterfeit Belden cables around, so like ELO’s mis-appropriated “Studer”, this one is better designated as “Belden” and “1309A”. But, if you ask me, it sure sounds and feels like Belden (especially the darker 1810A), and I do recommend it for people whose systems are too bright.
Rean RCA Connectors For RCA connectors, there is no greater bargain than Neutrix subsidiary Rean, which I have long used. There are high quality gold-plated ones as well as non-gold-plated ones. Both are very good, but personally I’ve always tended towards non-gold ones (nickel-plated would be even better). At RMB 2.55 per connector, I bought dozens.
https://m.tb.cn/h.UnWCHh2?tk=WER1dSf8kBU
Unitek USB Cable Since we are on cables. For the longest time, I have used Unitek (read this article where it went against another supposedly budget champ, Belkin). For the longest time I used my 1m USB B to Mini with my Meridian Explorer. And then when Aiyima T9’s stock USB cable, which looks good, proved unsatisfactory, I resorted to the Unitek again, with adaptors (here). Then I got some B to A from the official TB store in Shanghai. The only problem is that the shortest length (reason is people buy them as Printer Cables, which are usually longer, even very long - the hifi use is just incidental) I could find at a good price is 1.5m (I’d prefer shorter 1m), for a measly RMB 5.80. It proves very close in performance to my go-to 1m + adaptors. Some of my other devices, like my 1-bit TDA1305 DAC, came with USB cables. I always tried them out, but none can get close to the Unitek. Highly recommended!
Aside from the Sommer, there are others coming up. Reader Attila recommended the Belden 8428 and I procured some. I was shocked how unwieldly its construction is (the cotton strands are positively nuisance), and so I haven’t terminated it. Next time...
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Yes , the "Studer: / Sommer is absolutely a stunner and sleeper. Originally sell as guitar cable....LOL
ReplyDeleteIs the Sommer in question the "guitar cable" or the "microphone cable? They are very different
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DeleteYour question made me realize that in haste of editing I left out some crucial information and the paragraph was misleading. Please re-read the corrected version. In addition, the coaxial SC Classique is the one sold as guitar cable, whereas the 2-conductor SC Club Mk II is misleading marketed by some as associated with "Studer" or "Revox".
DeleteThanks for the clarification DJ! shall look for the Club. But what about Sommer/Studer's balanced cable, which model it should be?
DeleteThe Sommer SC Club Mk II has 2 conductors (red and blue, just like your "Studer") AND a shield, so it can make both RCA and XLR cables! So the "Studer" (both XLR and RCA) is the clothed version of the Sommer SC Clun Mk II.
DeleteThe Belden 8428 is the thickest cable I've ever seen. It looks like a power cord, honestly. In my system, it combines the typical tinned copper Belden cable's midrange/top end with the typical Gotham sound in the bass: Rhythmic drive/pace and tapping your feet quality. If that's your thing. As far as USB cables are concerned, I'm coming from the Belkin Gold and then the Wireworld USB cables. The Starlight and before the (budget king) Chroma. In my system, they are the best sounding cables in their price range. They were a significant upgrade from the competition. However, my taste in music has changed and started to listen more jazz recordings from the late 50s and 60s. The recordings are usually high quality, but even on the latest remastering, saxophones often sounded bright and syllable. (LP don't have these problems) I was looking for a cable upgrade that might correct this phenomenon. I didn't like to pay an arm and a leg, so I gave a try to the budget priced Pangaea Audio USB cables. I started with Pangea Audio Premier and the SE version, but still no cigar. What I heard was promising, less bright, lush, more organic sound, but still wasn't enough for me. Yes, they were surprisingly good sounding cables and made me curious about their top model, the Pangea Audio Premier XL MKII. And that's when finally I heard the difference in sound character that I was looking for: A natural, smooth, high resolution saxophone sound free of bright edginess. From the beginning, even without burn-in, I could hear it right away. I like this cable, it is calm, detailed lush, wide soundstage, and overall richer sounding vs anything I had before. Maybe be the separate power line has something to do with the sound improvement? The endgame for me.
ReplyDeleteAgain, love your postings! Incidentally, I finally terminated the Belden 8428. It IS everything you said! As you inferred, midrange like the 8402 but without the horrible drawback of slow bass (a little more air on top too). Very very fine cable indeed. It's staying in the system (DAC to 1:1 transformer), where I had the Sommer SC Club Mk II just a few days ago. Glad to hear about the Pangea, at least they are not unaffordable! Incidentally, have you received my email? Would love to have you pen a few cables articles, so many in your arsenal!
DeleteDon't forget to let the cable pass the burn-in process (300-500 hours) in order to get the best performance. Yes, I received your email. I'm down to 3 cables now: Belden 8428, Gotham GAC-2 and Gotham GAC-3 Classic. All XLR cables. If I have something new to write about them, I will email it to you. Probably I'm not going to keep the GAC-2. The Belden 8428 is just a better cable in every aspect in my system. The GAC-3 is a different beast, it sounds accurate and neutral and honest and not as forgiving as the other two. I will do a final comparison, between the GAC-3 and the Belden 8428.
ReplyDeleteI see! You are lucky as you use XLR, which make the 8428 a LOT easier to terminate. Cramming all that mess into a small RCA connector is sobering, to say the least!
DeleteMy experience with GAC 4 is great, but the Studer/Sommer better it in every aspects across the spectrum, hence I took down all Gotham cables.
DeleteI compared the GAC-3 and the GAC-2 to the Belden 8428. At the end, I gave them both (GAC-3 and GAC-2) away. The first thing I noticed right away was how anemic the GAC-3 sounded. Less meat on the bones! Imaging seemed to be a little smaller also. The size of instrumental outlines were a little smaller. Like everything within the sound stage shrunk a little. Saxophones and other brass instrument now came with an occasional bright edge. Like little needles or bites in the air, just pesky! The only positives or the GAC-3 had over the Belden was a a tad more transparent and maybe a little more detailed sound, but at the expense of overall enjoyment. The GAC-3 is not a bright cable, and it was my favorite before the Belden! The GAC-3 is the recording engineer's choice for a good reason, however for music playback maybe not be as forgiving as the Belden. The Belden has that typical tinned copper's warm sound vs the analytical and neutral character of the GAC-3. The GAC-2 sounded even more anemic compared to both. Less of everything! However, had the best bass response. The Belden is doing everything right, but the GAC-2 bass had just a tiny bit more rhythmic drive/pace in my system. This quality of the GAC-2 bass was more obvious in compression to the GAC-3 but not as much to the Belden. GAC-2 also sounded just a little more relaxed compared to the GAC-3 but fewer details and resolution. Also had that bright, unpleasant saxophone sound, but was easier to ignore. The GAC-3 might be a great cable if your system is already on the side of smooth with a good pace. Then it may flesh out those inner details and bring out the maximum resolution. Otherwise, for the rest of us, the Belden 8428 might just be the endgame.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thx for the contribution!
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