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Elsdon Wonfor Audio LS-40 speaker cables

Thank you, @flutteringwow for a nice solid write up. If I'm completely honest, I would have loved the LS-40 to come out on top, but if it's going to be bested then a £17k competitor is just about acceptable. :)

More seriously, it's all subjective anyway and people are free to hear, and post exactly what they hear; I'm glad to see that happen. I look forward to seeing what you think of the LS-80, for sure.

Generally, I'm sorry to see the negative tone that's recently coloured this thread. I genuinely hoped that a trial tour would add to the forum as well benefit EWA. I've been a member here for twelve years or so, and I wouldn't want to bring pfm down in any way.
 
Hi everyone.

First of all I wanted to say big thank you to ABCaudio for allowing me to take part in demo tour of LS-40.

I try to keep my audio gear quite simple, I have all in one Cyrus Three (stealth) and Tannoy XT6F speakers, room is 18sqm so they are big enough. From the very beginning there was something wrong and finally decided to try different cables, ultimately I own Tellurium Black (first gen) and switching to LS-40 made me think "this is Endgame for me".

As many before mentioned I was able to listen music much louder as high tones were not that harsh and dominant, I could hear wispers without any sybilants, my ears did not have to adapt to played music at all. Midrange was finally without brigtness with absolutely all possible details, I tried live music, some albums that I know well and the results were great everytime. And low tones, firt impression felt like my woofers are two inches bigger, some folks here mentioned it is like having subwoofer, but yo nget some delays with sub and here I could here bigger bass with ease, especially lowest frequencies. All sounds were greatly separeted what leads me to mention about soundstage, it was not maybe bigger but much easier to notice thanks to hearing all niuances without any problem, I was amazed how even tiny simple sound was heard.

My conclusion is LS-40s are easy to listen to, the sound is complementary, none of the frequencies seems to be emphasized. Very plesant listening experience for me.
 
Apologies for the tardy post concerning my time with the LS-40 speaker cables. Big thank you to Alan for loaning them out and allowing me extra time to listen.

Tracks used for auditioning:

Gretchan Peters;
This used to be my town.
If heaven.

Joni Mitchell;
The dry cleaner from Des Moines.

Karrin Allyson;
Every thing must change.

Mary Gauthier;
God damn HIV.
Last of the Hobo Kings.

My 6m x 4m listening room has double glazed glass on three sides on a 1m high rendered block wall. The Speaker end has single glazed doors with side windows into the kitchen.
Window boards covered in around 20 assorted orchids plus other plants, a wooden dining table and chairs and two rattan sofas and a chair.

My speakers cables were from Missing Link, many years ago. Silver plated copper in a soft black rubber insulation. One is 7.5m long and the other 2.5m. Speakers are Audio Physic Virgo 25, chosen after listening to many many brands including home auditions. The first speakers that really worked in the room.

Amp is Lyngdorf TDAI 2200 with Room Perfect. Sources, Vortex box streaming flacs & quobuz and an Audio Analogue Paganini cd player.

After listening to all of the above tracks with my existing set up I swapped over to the loan cables, immediate thoughts were an increase in volume, with more and better defined bass. Everything sounded cleaner and crisper, I listened to a couple of tracks and swapped the cables back. Bemusement, it sounded exactly the same, bizarrely though I still perceived an increase in volume when I swapped back to the LS-40. I then played a track using my pad as a peak hold spectrum analyser, despite what I thought I could hear there was no difference in the peak dB readings. I then changed only my left (2.5m) channel cable to the LS-40 and listened again, sounded the same with no shift in left to right image.
I stopped listening at this point as I couldn't reliably draw any conclusions. However I had been suffering with a 10 day bout of migraine attacks and these do affect my hearing, fortunately Alan was kind enough to allow me to keep hold of the cables for a while. I didn't re visit them until returning from a surprise trip away with my good lady, this entailed a good deal of relaxation, a bottle of veuve clicquot and some medicinal canoodeling.

Feeling much relaxed and recharged I sat down to listen again. After about five minutes I realised what I had heard before as increased bass, volume etc was infact nothing of the sort, what these cables did for me was to remove an imperceptible amount of smear around every note, bringing each note into crystalline focus. Once I had identified what I was hearing I realised they created realistic spatial images around instruments and vocalists, with my eyes shut I could sense her standing in 3D. Without the smearing every note was easier to diserne, female voices were exquisite, I have heard Tina May live, sitting 4' from her so I know how she sounds in the flesh, these cables were a revelation to me.

Why haven't I purchased them ? Firstly the cost, due the lengths I require it would be ruinously expensive. Secondly, I was only aware of the smere issue once I'd tried the LS-40 and it doesn't take long to have forgotten the improvement. If my room was acoustically better and not joined to the kitchen so I have to listen to the oven and extractor through the door and if I had the readies under the mattress maybe. Mind you, I get to take a lump sum when I retire, I am very tempted.
Thanks Alan.
 
Are these cables back with Alan ?

I have the touring LS80s coming next week and would really love to have both 40 and 80 available to compare.
 
Good evening,

Not normally one for posting on these things but I thought I'd share my thoughts on the EWA range.

System (before)
Innuos Zenith (Naim PL)
Curious USB
Hugo TT2 (Chord Epic RCA)
Naim SN3 (Chord Epic Spk Cab, Naim PL)
ProAc SM100 ** stuffed with more high density damping foam (I believe these belong to a forum member here before me - Robby?)
Something Solid stands
Atacama Eris 5 stands
Chord Silent Mount SM7 all round

Added recently;

MC5 (ebay) Innuos Zenith
- Made the system sound more like music than Naim
- Much less manic / hyped (the PL definitely hyped anf irritating to go back to)
- Deeper tighter bass
- More open
- More transparent
- More balanced

EWA IC25 RCA (Alan) TT2 > SN3
- Removed a whole world of mush and cack.
- Balanced the sound out a lot
- Just made the system sound more right and a heck of a lot more enjoyable, detailed and open
- Mega detailed but all cohesive/balanced i must add

EWA LS40 5m (Alan)
- Balanced out the sound again
- Much more natural instruments and voices
- Lowered distorted sounds immensely
- Bass is kicking and tight (thump!)
- Loads of insight
- Open, detailed but lets music flow

EWA MCS5 (Alan) SN3
- Similar effect to the MC5 on the Innuos but much better impact
- This smashed the noise floor and opened the sound out a great deal
- To EWA claims it did make the amp sound MUCH more powerful but balance

EWA IC25 USB
- Possibly one of the best additions
- A cherry on top that appeared to shrink the noise floor so much that the treble stop sounding hashed and grainy
- I actually love the USB effect

Overall
- I disliked listen to my system at times; It was too heavy handed, unbalanced, unclear with a lot of recordings. House music was a painful affair. Not being able to enjoying the flow. Instruments sounded blunted.
- I decided to take cables seriously (over components) after listening to a 282/250, Burmester 082 and many other expensive rigs that didn't fix my problems.
- The EWA loom has transformed this system to one I am now very happy with. Music just sounds much more right, much more airey, deeper, cohesive amd together. Previously my system wouldn't sound like I know music can (through some cheaper active speaker experience) but i have been determined to see if you can get close in a passive system and I quite like elements of this setup.
- Overall I've spent a lot of money with ABC and being honest I always had the 30 day money back in my mind unless they really made an impact. (Nothing has, or is going back).
- 5 years ago i would have thought £2000 was a lot for a whole system. So this is a big change for me.
- I think considering the other brand price points this is exceptional value for money and super high performance and I suspect my SN3 isn't even doing them full justice in terms of transparency.

Fit and forget type stuff. If I had to stop here now, I could, just about. I have my eye on some Wilsons Tune Tots long term.

Naim (a word)
- I've had Naim since i begun, not really finding I like other amps, however I am now ready to try other amps again as. The Naim sound is great in some ways (Mid range). Other ways not so much (Hyped bass - or at least I percieve it that way).
- The Naim bass has always been a bit much.
- Somewhere between the ProAcs and the Naim the presence region is missing a very slight amount. Just a bit too warmed on the upper mids, treble. We're talking super fussy here even for me. But i sense it.
- So EWA has helped me removed elements of Naim and see there is life after Naim. Getting rid of the Powerlines was a great step. These really over egged the sound.
- That said the SN3 is really quite a fun, capable and authorative amp (maybe too authorative and slightly constrains the music?)

If you can afford it, don't be fooled by the 'cable shmables' crowd. Cables can change the game.

Thanks to Alan and Colin. Particuarly Alan who has had to put up with my constant questions.

But you've made a few grand out of me.

Another MCS5 will be needed at some point.
I don't want to hear the LS80.

Goodnight.

Cheers
A
 
Basically a litz that's prepared for us, insulation material is proprietary.
Thank you.

The picture upthread showed a 3 wires per side configuration moulded into a twin-lead-like polymer jacket.

So your primary insulation is silk (the litz part) and the secondary is the proprietary polymer (brown in the photo)?
 
There are multiple materials being used (no silk though), some unusual. The spec for LS-40 (1M):
  • L: 0.8 µH
  • C: 18.4Pf
  • R: 1mR x 10
  • Common mode: less than 0.5 µH
 
It works, as I can attest. I have heard it bettered by one cable. But seeing as that cable is no longer available except in a somewhat updated form at around double the price of the the LS-40 (and not actually back-to-back tested in my own system) I felt it inappropriate to comment further. If I had been able to test it on "common ground" - using the same systems apart from the speaker cable changes - I think the differences would have been VERY close. Certainly the price difference would not justify the performance increase.
 
It works, as I can attest. I have heard it bettered by one cable. But seeing as that cable is no longer available except in a somewhat updated form at around double the price of the the LS-40 (and not actually back-to-back tested in my own system) I felt it inappropriate to comment further. If I had been able to test it on "common ground" - using the same systems apart from the speaker cable changes - I think the differences would have been VERY close. Certainly the price difference would not justify the performance increase.
Litz wire for speaker cable use is seemingly popular today, with non-trivial prices.
 
Speaking for myself I have to say that very little of my system was purchased new, and non-trivial prices are NEVER popular with me!
Sure, but people have very different definition of non-trivial prices for cables.

To me, $500-2000 per pair is non-trivial, but for many this would be a modest price point.

No worries either way. But judging by the number of companies offering litz based audiophile solutions, this approach seems popular.
 
Sure, but people have very different definition of non-trivial prices for cables.

To me, $500-2000 per pair is non-trivial, but for many this would be a modest price point.

No worries either way. But judging by the number of companies offering litz based audiophile solutions, this approach seems popular.

The Litz based wire system ten years ago was poo poo to most people, saying there was no point, then I made and designed cable for my company Tellurium Q, and again people gave it the poo poo , snake oil song.
Strange this is the second time copy cats have copied my work, in the late 1970,s I did Gold Plated power plugs and sockets under Inca Tech, then everybody copied but at first the poo poo snake oil humans slated my idea.
Odd world nobody seems to have there own original thoughts now, copy and steal seems to be far too common place in the world.
Now EWA is the cable I wanted to make at TQ but the material to do this at the time was not available and would not work. But I am happy to say I found improvements and now we have a much better cable and without the silly price's the accountants and greedy sales people want.

Oh and we do publish specs. But not trade secrets, a lot less coping and stealing then.
 
The Litz based wire system ten years ago was poo poo to most people, saying there was no point, then I made and designed cable for my company Tellurium Q, and again people gave it the poo poo , snake oil song.
Strange this is the second time copy cats have copied my work, in the late 1970,s I did Gold Plated power plugs and sockets under Inca Tech, then everybody copied but at first the poo poo snake oil humans slated my idea.
Odd world nobody seems to have there own original thoughts now, copy and steal seems to be far too common place in the world.
Now EWA is the cable I wanted to make at TQ but the material to do this at the time was not available and would not work. But I am happy to say I found improvements and now we have a much better cable and without the silly price's the accountants and greedy sales people want.

Oh and we do publish specs. But not trade secrets, a lot less coping and stealing then.
Litz wire was used in Monster Cables in late 1980s. There is very little new under the sun.

Perhaps the pushback from the engineering community was due to litz wire being associated with high frequency applications - radar, microwave and high frequency SMPSs.
 


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