[dave_c]

I should be receiving my XR45 from Empirical Audio sometime soon and I need another set of speaker cables to biamp my Triangle Titus 202's.  Right now I have a set of Zu Wax that I like.  I was thinking I should just get another set, but the thought crossed my mind that maybe there are better matches then the Wax (which do sound good).

What are you all using out there?  Especially people with modded XR45's.

[sunshinedawg]

I'm using wireworld orbit cables with my modded 45.  They sound pretty good.  I've never compared them to anything else though.

Waiting anxsiously for your review of the modded monarchy usb.  I wanted to ask you why you went with the unsampling DIP instead if the classic monarchy that just cleans up the signal.  It seems to me that the most imortant things would be the accurate superclock and the jitter reduction regarding the mod you had done.  Maybe I'm wrong and the upsampling is just as important?

[dave_c]

I'm still waiting to receive everything back, but I'll post my findings once I do!

[AphileEarlyAdopter]

Dave,
I am using Zu Wax with my XR50 with good results.
I have sent you a PM with some questions. Please check it.

[Ears]

I am using The HD 14 on all three digital receivers I own...Kenwood 7100,Pany45,JVC RX-10 until final comparison for H/T,digital and analog qualitys are done.

After that I will go back to using all Analysis Plus cables that I previously was using on the 45's front channels only.

The lucky winner will have full mods and I will use two fully modded receivers for biamping in H/T mode.
The winner in modified form, will get a chance to compete whith my modified Sim Audio i-5 for 2 channel sa-cd duty also.

[dave_c]

Did you use your AP cables before you decided to do your shootout?  I had a pair of AP Oval 9's in a previous system and enjoyed the sound.  Did you find that they had good synergy with the Panasonic?

[jasonc]

Eichmann eXpress 6 is what I'm using now with my SA-XR45 and is also my favorite.  Before the Eichmann I was using RSA MSE Gen II.. Zu Wax and before the Wax was Analysis Plus 12's.
The eXpress 6 (a Cryo treated pair received from Cryotweaks) give a great top to bottom sound with lots of detail in my setup.

[dave_c]

I was looking at the eichmann's too.  Glad to hear that you like them.

[eastein]

47 labs OTA cable is terminated as bare wire and easy to fit on small posts.  it is sold as a 50 meter kit but sometimes it comes up in shorter pairs on audiogon.  sound is exceptional very close to the audience au24 that I use on my gaincard.

[ABEX]

47 labs OTA cable is terminated as bare wire and easy to fit on small posts. Sound is exceptional very close to the audience au24 that I use on my gaincard.

That's cool!

I have stated the post acceptability to others also.

A dealer that uses mine said it beat his DNM he carried which is a Solid Core Cable also. DNM pioneered the use Solid Core Wire for audio I believe.

I tried mine against 47's and it was alittle better in Bass presentation.Try doubling the negative side to your speakers to see what results you get.

There are a few people around that are using OTA with good results.

47Labs stated to a reviewer that it's their biggest selling product.

Good luck!

[Ears]

Did you use your AP cables before you decided to do your shootout?  I had a pair of AP Oval 9's in a previous system and enjoyed the sound.  Did you find that they had good synergy with the Panasonic?

I had to use adapters on the oval 9, but have not found any gear they don't work well whith.

Whith these digital receivers, even the HD 14 which I had never tried sounds great.

[Dmason]

i am using the Analysis Plus Clear oval and it sounds just great.

The Kenwood sounds better out of the box than the Panny 45 ever did, IMO, and analogue IN is a huge improvement over the former.

[Andrew JC]

I'm using ZU cable WAX on my XR25. I'm happy with the sound. However the connection is not that solid. Hopefully the XR70 will be a different story.

[TheChairGuy]

i am using the Analysis Plus Clear oval and it sounds just great.

The Kenwood sounds better out of the box than the Panny 45 ever did, IMO, and analogue IN is a huge improvement over the former.

DrDmason,

You're not cheatin' on me and the JVC now, are ya'?  

[JoshK]

I think the more interesting question with digital amps is do speaker cables really matter?  Since the amps have such low output impedance (I am no physicist) wouldn't this make cables matter less?  Have many people compared cables on these receivers?  I think those are the more interesting questions.  

My guess is they will make less of a difference, provided they do not limit bandwidth, than they would on a tube amp.

[TheChairGuy]

Wow, good point Josh...I heven't tried anything but the Mohawk CAT-6 in the JVC....springs clips mitigate me trying much else.

I might have some 16ga zip cord arond, tho, to try...

[Dmason]

JoshK -- brings up a point that I tend to agree with. I noticed no difference comparing one configuration with another, with my Tripath ZR amp. No detectable difference in timbre, anything, which we hypothesized must have at least something to do with output impedances. Beyond that, I prefer the Alpha Core cables, and this may be to do with inductance issues, etc., OR, even the fact that they are soldered to the input receptacles, doing away with the spring-things.

Divan-Dude -- I said the Kenwood sounded better than the Panny, at least outta the box. The 45 sucked large for quite a while, as I recall, plus, the analogue inputs work just fine; Panasonic figured that one out, which suggests that they have been paying attention. Dr. John Meyer of Newform up in Midland Ontario has suggested that Panasonic is paying a great deal of attention to the buzz.

 I look at it this way: the TI sound appeals to the cognitive brain, with its transparency, clarity and tonal accuracy, therefore, I am keeping it for the 24/96 sample-based pro-audio sound engines I own, all of which have SPDIF. The JVC sound appeals to the emotional brain, with its lit-from-within, through-the-lens, burnished sound. Calling it "tube-like" is really a half-assed analogy, it just plain sounds fantastic!  It is completely load-invariant and can power any speaker I have thrown down the hammer on, including the ultra-tough 83db @ 4Ohms Dynaudio contour 1.8...What it does for orchestral and electronic is spectacular.

Today I plan to jam along with some of my favorite difficult practice stuff, -remastered vintage Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, so it will be a Purepath-JVC hybrid-American-British type o' sound.

[ooheadsoo]

Dmason, is the difference a big one or are we getting into the region of splitting hairs?  Happy to know that cables seem not to matter.

[Dmason]

Cables have never mattered toooo much to me, as i am averse to the snake oil, pseudo science that accompanies much of the marketing hype, but some designs do make sense. No, less difference than a reactive AB type amp, or maybe a low powered tube amp, in my experience. Plus, the investment is so low with these receivers, that I cannot get too excited about cables, like it is some sort of perceived responsibility to attach suitably horrifically expense cables to equally expensive amps, like I have done, once or twice.

It seems that because "digital" amps behave and react differently, that cables, and therefore their attendant expense are much less of an issue.

[eastein]

I was hoping replace the OTA's on my set up but on a Sharp sd sg-11 to cheap rca/radio shack speakers the OTA's SMOKED a pair of cat 5 cables.