WireWorld Silver and Copper

[Gordon]

A couple weeks back in another thread, Rich mentioned he thought that ICs were perhaps a weak link in my system and Gordon thought otherwise. I'm certainly not going debate either since that is not the intent of this thread.

I tried the WireWorld Silver ICs and while much smoother than the Signal was, the body was not there for me and a bit of harshness I could not get over. My dealer was kind enough to swap them out with a copper wire and refunded the difference.

What I found with this set of wires is the body is more to my liking while the top may be rolled off a bit. There is a sense of added detail over the temporary Mogami ICs I was using and nearly as detailed as the Silver without being harsh to my ear.

I had a good time trying the Silver from both vendors and learned a littlle bit more about the impact of wires on my system. While most of the impact is slight and certainly not day and night, they are there and I'm learning that the subtle can make a difference.

Gordon

 

[slowGEEZR]

Great post Gordon. It just shows that cabling is very system dependent, what works in one might not in another. I too, as have many others here, have experimented with many different cables and interconnects to arrive at what works for our systems. Your reaction to silver interconnects somewhat mirrors my own in my system.

 

[JONERVI]

A couple weeks back in another thread, Rich mentioned he thought that ICs were perhaps a weak link in my system and Gordon thought otherwise. I'm certainly not going debate either since that is not the intent of this thread.

I tried the WireWorld Silver ICs and while much smoother than the Signal was, the body was not there for me and a bit of harshness I could not get over. My dealer was kind enough to swap them out with a copper wire and refunded the difference.

What I found with this set of wires is the body is more to my liking while the top may be rolled off a bit. There is a sense of added detail over the temporary Mogami ICs I was using and nearly as detailed as the Silver without being harsh to my ear.

I had a good time trying the Silver from both vendors and learned a littlle bit more about the impact of wires on my system. While most of the impact is slight and certainly not day and night, they are there and I'm learning that the subtle can make a difference.

Gordon

I own MC 501's/Spires just as you do, how about a qick comparison of the Mapleshade vs Wirewold or any of the others you've tried .........thx in advance

 

[Dreamer]

Gordon,

If you are interested in the detail and resolution of silver cables, but worried about the harshness sometimes perceived with silver, I would suggest "White Zombie Audio" cables. They are about 1/4 to 1/2 the price of the silver cables offered by the "big boys" and are made VERY well. They feature tri-litz braided solid core polished silver conductors, teflon shielding for each conductor, and LOC brand locking RCAs (or Neutrik XLRs if you prefer).

Their "Zero Point Zero" cables are stellar, and very reasonably priced. Their "La Cacanya" RCA cables are also very smooth sounding, and have extra braided shielding if you have a particularly "noisy" electrical environment. I use one of their older (discontinued) models for all my RCA interconnects, a pair of "Zero Point Zeros XLRs" between my DAC and preamp, and a short (half-meter) custom-made "Nosferatu Digital" RCA between my Oppo and DAC. They are the best sounding cables I've owned, and cost less than mid-line Monster cables... :clap:

I usually get mine from their EBAY store, but I have ordered a few from them directly, and they are VERY friendly, helpful, and easy to work with.

Check them out:

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/whitezombieaudiocables

http://www.whitezombieaudio.com/

Another good source for reasonably-priced pure silver cables is "Black Mountain Cables" on Audiogon. They were the only people who would make a pair of XLR interconnects in the LONG length I needed to go between my pre and monoblocks (5 meters), and their price was astoundingly low. Their build quality is not quite as spiffy as WZA, but they are well-made, use quality materials (Neutrik connectors) and shipped quickly.

I'm a HUGE fan of these small "mom and pop" manufacturers--they make their stuff by hand with care, they are easy to work with on custom orders, and they aren't out-sourcing their stuff to third-world slave-labor camps like some of the big "brand names". Sure they don't come is spiffy boxes, but you're just going to throw the packaging away anyway, so why pay for it?

Good luck! Don't give up on Silver cables--in the right setup, they can sound amazing...

--Richard

 

[Gordon Gray]

I switched from Mapleshade (copper) to DH Labs Revelation (silver).

Not too bad on the cost side, about $400 / m.

As some of you may know, I'm a big MS fan.

The main difference I heard was a bit more air on the top and a better defined mid / low bass presentation. Also very well made for the price.

Not OMG in the sonic difference category but, given the price, a worthwile upgrade.

The MS products are still IMHO, a great bargain for the price.

GG

 

[Gordon]

I own MC 501's/Spires just as you do, how about a qick comparison of the Mapleshade vs Wirewold or any of the others you've tried .........thx in advance

I've tried 7 different IC lines: Cardas entry level, Tributaries, Mogami, Homemade, MS, Signal and WW.

Of those, the MS and WW were my favorites. Had MS made the IC in a balanced configuration, they would be in my system now. There was great synergy between a C2200,501 and Spire. Plenty of detail and when the strings were bowed, the realism was goosebumping (if that is a word!). This combination also had the MS speaker wire installed at the same time.

When I went balanced, the Mogami, a very reasonable $35 IC came out of the wire box for awhile. Smooth but quite veiled. I lost a lot of detail but the sound was not unpleasant. The WW Silver while highly rated by other owners of McIntosh gear did not work for me and I traded them out for copper. The MS speaker cable was not keeping up with my upgrades. The detail and realism was there but the body seemed to diminish with the WW ICs.

I then bought the WW speaker and jumpers. I first put the jumpers in with the MS and it seemed to have no impact at all. Then I installed the WW speaker and for now, I'm happy. At least till I pay for my wifes dental work!

I tried the MS line after reading here and speaking with Gordon Gray. Had I not changed from RCA to XLR, I imagine they still would be in the system since they sounded so good to me.

On another note, there is a new site just recently opened by an absolutely insane guy known as MasterLu. Most of the guys there left the McIntosh forum at AK and joined his. Here is the link:http://audioaficionado.org/index.php
The site is only several days old but all the Mac nuts are in there. As in any brand specific site, it could get a little fanboyish but not to the extreme.

 

[Gordon]

Dreamer, thanks for the links and info on the Silver wires. Perhaps in the future I may revisit Silver. My line of work may have permanently prevented me from enjoying the benefit of silver (aircraft mechanic) but I'm always willing to try again.

Gordon

 

[JONERVI]

Gordon,

I really appreciate the detailed response and comparisons of the different wires you have tried. The Mapleshade Recording Studio, is just a 15 min hop from where I reside. I've been meaning to inquire about a tour, but my job keeps me pretty busy. Also thanks for link to the MasterLu site, he is indeed a McIntosh Fan

Thanks Again !!

 

[Gordon Gray]

Ho Jonervi,

Do you have any Mapleshade recordings?

If not, you really should try one. On the jazz side, Clifford Jordan / Live at Ethel's is quite remarkable. Hopefully other members will offer other recommendations.

Despite Pierre's "bling" marketing of his products, they are quite a good value. But his recordings say it all. About as pure and close to the real thing (on CD anyway) that you are going to hear.

Having purchased numerous MS products, I spoke with his staff regarding such a visit. My sense, from the response, is that Pierre will gladly accomodate the request and given the opportunity, I would encourage you to make the visit. I'm going to do the same next time I'm in the Baltimore area as well as visit the other Gordon.

GG