Cereal Killer
432
Look forward to hearing your experiences when you've installed all of them! And had time to run them in a bit. What have they replaced?
Elsdon Wonfor Audio LS-25 speaker cables
- Thread starter Cereal Killer
- Start date
FireMoon
pfm Member
Well I've replaced the cables from crossover to speakers and have admit, I'm surprised how much better, how much clearer the whole sound is. I am not someone who has spent years and 1000s on various different types of cable, I've generally spent around a 100 quid on two 4 metre lengths and found most cables are pretty similar. To be honest, I've often assumed that a couple of my components were the weak link rather than the speaker cable. That is, one assumes that a slight lack of finesse and detail are down to a cheap and cheerful DAC for watching TV through and that, that's just par for the course.
In the light of that, I've discovered that, the little Project DAC box actually is a lot better than I had assumed and that my speaker cables were the cause of the slight haze and lack of a truly "etched" clarity to the sound I've been living with. Furthermore, the LS-25 isn't simply throwing information out with a truly forward sound and hiding its' weaknesses with what could be eventually, a tiring and aggressive tone. There is an essential "rightness" about the whole frequency range and a genuine sense of effortlessness about the whole presentation. There is a real "heft" to the sound where appropriate and the bass is both deep and yet dry. Timpani hit with real impact from the skins and a true depth of tone without being in any sense, overblown.
I was quite prepared to be somewhat underwhelmed by the change if any, brought about by these cables, I was wrong, in the context of my system which is hardly a budget set up, they are a worthwhile upgrade and they will be staying.
One of my own key tests is how a system handles people in a crowd clapping in near unison. With these cables, the increase in the ability to hear individual people's claps within a large audience is verging on the staggering. This brings us to the eternally thorny question of , are they value for money, and my answer to that is, in my system, yes they are. The outlay of £300 is easily met in terms of the improvement in the overall sound of my system. I suspect if you have a pair of Quad amps driving a big pair of Tannoys, these speakers cables would be a perfect fit. Likewise, I can imagine a venerable pair of Yammy NS1000s would like them as well.
Kit used...
Linn LP12; Lingo 1 PSU; Nima Arm with TP sKale counterweight, Goldring Eroica L cartridge; on wall shelf.
Phono Clone ST
Project DAC box
Prism Orpheus for testing out high end DAC.
Handmade Passive Pre with Khozmo attenuator
Hypex nCore mono blocks
Self built "Nexus" monitors using Seas drivers and high quality offboard crossovers.
In the light of that, I've discovered that, the little Project DAC box actually is a lot better than I had assumed and that my speaker cables were the cause of the slight haze and lack of a truly "etched" clarity to the sound I've been living with. Furthermore, the LS-25 isn't simply throwing information out with a truly forward sound and hiding its' weaknesses with what could be eventually, a tiring and aggressive tone. There is an essential "rightness" about the whole frequency range and a genuine sense of effortlessness about the whole presentation. There is a real "heft" to the sound where appropriate and the bass is both deep and yet dry. Timpani hit with real impact from the skins and a true depth of tone without being in any sense, overblown.
I was quite prepared to be somewhat underwhelmed by the change if any, brought about by these cables, I was wrong, in the context of my system which is hardly a budget set up, they are a worthwhile upgrade and they will be staying.
One of my own key tests is how a system handles people in a crowd clapping in near unison. With these cables, the increase in the ability to hear individual people's claps within a large audience is verging on the staggering. This brings us to the eternally thorny question of , are they value for money, and my answer to that is, in my system, yes they are. The outlay of £300 is easily met in terms of the improvement in the overall sound of my system. I suspect if you have a pair of Quad amps driving a big pair of Tannoys, these speakers cables would be a perfect fit. Likewise, I can imagine a venerable pair of Yammy NS1000s would like them as well.
Kit used...
Linn LP12; Lingo 1 PSU; Nima Arm with TP sKale counterweight, Goldring Eroica L cartridge; on wall shelf.
Phono Clone ST
Project DAC box
Prism Orpheus for testing out high end DAC.
Handmade Passive Pre with Khozmo attenuator
Hypex nCore mono blocks
Self built "Nexus" monitors using Seas drivers and high quality offboard crossovers.
Cereal Killer
432
Nice write up and review, much better than my ramblings thus far. Give it a few weeks and they'll show a bit more of what you're already experiencing, on all levels..
What brand/make/model cables have they replaced?
What brand/make/model cables have they replaced?
FireMoon
pfm Member
They replaced some Rega cables I picked up for not a lot of money when sadly, a dealer died and his daughter was selling his stock off. Otherwise, I have used the German Loudspeaker shop Premium 4mm silver cables.
I'm essentially a skeptic about exotic speaker cables. Down the years I've tried a couple on loan and they were different to what I already had without being outright all round better than those I was already using. These are the first I have tried that are immediately obviously better than those I own without losing something that the incumbents provide. Probably the best compliment I can pay the LS-25 cable is that, it doesn't have any real sound of its' own which, in the final analysis, is probably what the designer is seeking?
I'm essentially a skeptic about exotic speaker cables. Down the years I've tried a couple on loan and they were different to what I already had without being outright all round better than those I was already using. These are the first I have tried that are immediately obviously better than those I own without losing something that the incumbents provide. Probably the best compliment I can pay the LS-25 cable is that, it doesn't have any real sound of its' own which, in the final analysis, is probably what the designer is seeking?
Cereal Killer
432
I'm from the same school of thought (was using German studio grade cables for years before recent experiments as mentioned in my OP)... These are only the third pair of cables I've spent good money on, have tried my fair share of the well regarded types and have found not much more than differences generally. The LS-25s are a clear improvement over the rest I've had thus far and to that end I think and hope I'll not need to buy any speaker cables ever again, as as you say, they appear to be completely transparent.
Spot on the cable should only allow the recordings to play as they were recorded this rule also applies to amp/pre-amps and all other kit. This is what the performer wanted, for us to enjoy his/her work as indented.
Thank you for you write up, Col
Dan the length of the cable does make a difference but it is the other way round, the longer the more capacitance is present and added with the inductance and resistance of the cable act like a filter, BUT this is so tiny on all good cables is not worth a worry until you get to tens of metres.
I use a 1M pair in the house and a 3M set in my log cabin.
Best Col
Cereal Killer
432
Dan, don't forget the distance from the floor to the speaker terminals!
Julf
Facts are our friends
Isn't that what the cable spacers are for? Sound quality is much better if you can run the cables in a straight line instead of having bends in the cable - think about the phase errors caused by part of the signal taking the outer curve while another part takes the inner curve!
Dan43
pfm Member
The Sopra are on the bottom so same level as the amp, kind of leaves me stuck if I change the speakers mind
Thinking.....
Cereal Killer
432
Think you should take your curly one away and have it for dinner this evening.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
A bend doesnt present a problem, because the outer cable acts as a "berm" for the inner one, thus both set of electrons enter the speaker at the same speed!
The Sopra are on the bottom so same level as the amp, kind of leaves me stuck if I change the speakers mind
Sound silly to me your considering such short lenght
Ok, the price counts
But as you point out..:
Other speakers
Decor changes or future movements !
Other gear, you seem to be on an adventure currently
Buying too short cables is plain silly
Get at least 2 mtr pair, easier to sell on if needed
Or get the lower version brand cable, maybe not that much difference as some suggest ?
Not possible to do a cable loan ?
Is anybody have compared the LS25 with DNM Reson calbe. I've switched from NACA to DNM and find the DNM more refined,darker and detailed but lacking a little bit of sparkle.
I'm quite happy with the DNM on harbeth loudspeaker but if the LS25 can maintain the refined and detail sound and add some punch, I will give it a try.
I'm quite happy with the DNM on harbeth loudspeaker but if the LS25 can maintain the refined and detail sound and add some punch, I will give it a try.
mattykyuss
pfm Member
Found the same with chord epic,the bass is good,the highs are real good ,i had tq black,sounded like there was a blanket over my speakers,lots of bass ,but no where near the highs and treble that have come alive with chord epic.