After my 5 1/2 hour listening session, with new tweaks on the old turntable, I have these comments about the solid core speaker wire.
First, out here in the prairie land of Minnesota, there isn't much to do other than try not to hit deer, pheasants and raccoons with the truck. So when a little fun project like the wire came along, down to the hardware store for some tubing. Yes, I had fun with it. Did it make the Van Alstine T8 and 170exr sound good...they always sound good. I have proved that current can travel down a solid conductor as well as a multi-stranded conductor, but I already knew that. I have switched back to my regular speaker wire and it is still that great AVA sound that I am fond of.
From a practical standpoint, the solid core wire concept has some issues with it. It must be shaped every inch of the way from amplifier to speaker. If the wire is not directly terminated to the speaker connections, a dual banana jack must be used as the wire acts like a spring and could easily pull out a single banana jack. I would also worry about unsheathed wire enamel getting nicked up with long term use(especially the positive side) and causing a short, although the enamel is fairly durable.
I have no easy way to do an AB comparison, but my ears tell me there is no suggested difference between the 2 different conductors. The non-standard one will cause some conversation with visiting friends, though.
I say if you like the solid core wire, like gooberdude, go for it. It certainly wont diminish the sound. I really enjoyed the music last night. I just can't claim a winner from one to the other for the time being.
W
