EWA LS80 speaker cables

[jayjay8]

ok hi all again.

ok i`ll start with what my system and cables are,
roon nucleus plus, light harmonic lightspeed 10g usb cable, cambridge audio 851 network player, tq silver diamond xlr between network player and pre amp, cambridge audio 851e pre amp, tq black diamond xlr between pre amp and 2 x 851w power amps, 2 pairs of ls-80 feeding a pair of proac reference 8 signature speakers.

i`ve not had my system powered up for a good while and initially i played acdc song "ride on". i love that song. i didn`t know what to make of the sound at first. i can`t explain it but it sounded odd! i thought it`d be a good idea to go make a cuppa and let the system warm up a bit. i kinda knew it would help. came back 20 or so minutes later and had a listen. soooo much better! like others have said, very deep bass. best i`ve had out of my speakers. nice texture too. bass was much tighter and clearer. bon scotts voice was dead centre and realistic in the extreme. more detail in his voice too. the guitar solo`s in that song sounded so good. they had the acdc rawness but was so comfortable on my ears. the soundstage was larger like others have said. more width, depth and height and more air and separatation between instruments.

next was diana krall "a case of you" off her live in paris cd. stunning! just stunning! her voice was sounding so natural. with my eyes closed she may have well been right in front of me in person. you can hear her lips opening as she sings. and you can hear people coughing in the audience. her piano may as well have been in my room too! perfect weight to the notes.

zz tops "la grange" was up next. wow! my poor neighbours. i had to turn the volume up just a bit. not that i needed to but this kind of sound encouraged me to. neighbours were out anyway lol. when i say i turned up the volume i really do mean just a little bit. not keen playing things loud like i did years ago. the sound was just so comfy on my ears yet still very revealing. i think thats a neat trick!

k d lang went on next " wash me clean". these cables brought out all the atmosphere that this song possesses with all the texture and weight. the acoustic guitar solo was just downright stunning! i love listening to acoustic guitar and these cables gave me all the reality there was and was absolutely pin point in the soundstage!

fleetwood mac "landslide" went on next in 24/96. the clarity was the best i`ve heard along with the natural weight and that voice just so heavenly. i found it mesmerising.

one cd i was dying to hear was the scorpions "acoustica". i only really dicovered it about 10 months ago but i love it to bits and through my system and these speaker cables just made it sooo much better! "dust in the wind" sounded so good and i think my favourite song "under the same sun" sounded on a different level completely to how i have been listening to it. the bass was just perfect as well as the acoustics. i listened to most of acoustica. again i found it just so mesmerising. another thing i noticed on "under the same sun" was i could very clearly hear the audience clapping along to the song which i`ve not heard before.

next year when i have the money i will be asking both colin and alan advice on the interconnect cables.

i would like to say that adding the ls-80 cables has really shown me how good this system is i`ve spent over 2 years putting together. i absolutely believe in cable burn in too and i`m thrilled to know it`s going to get better. i do have the tq burn in disc and i know it will accelerate the burn in process but because my power amps run so hot i`m very reluctant to leave it all running especially when i`m at work so i`ll let the cables run in in their own time and i think that`ll add to the fun of it all.

i will also hopefully be adding 2 more power amps to this system next year too. i love how versatile the cambridge audio power amps are. i started with just one in stereo mode then some months later added another one and ran them in bi-amp mode and they can be configured for monoblock mode at the flick of a switch too. adding the second was a really big step up in sound quality so god only knows how 4 will sound!

alan and colin thank you so much for your time and amazing efforts on these products and giving us all a large slice of pure heaven we can have on a daily basis!

Brilliant review of your system with the LS-80's and as the song says "Things Can only Get Better"

 

[Swann36]

ok hi all again.

ok i`ll start with what my system and cables are,
roon nucleus plus, light harmonic lightspeed 10g usb cable, cambridge audio 851 network player, tq silver diamond xlr between network player and pre amp, cambridge audio 851e pre amp, tq black diamond xlr between pre amp and 2 x 851w power amps, 2 pairs of ls-80 feeding a pair of proac reference 8 signature speakers.

i`ve not had my system powered up for a good while and initially i played acdc song "ride on". i love that song. i didn`t know what to make of the sound at first. i can`t explain it but it sounded odd! i thought it`d be a good idea to go make a cuppa and let the system warm up a bit. i kinda knew it would help. came back 20 or so minutes later and had a listen. soooo much better! like others have said, very deep bass. best i`ve had out of my speakers. nice texture too. bass was much tighter and clearer. bon scotts voice was dead centre and realistic in the extreme. more detail in his voice too. the guitar solo`s in that song sounded so good. they had the acdc rawness but was so comfortable on my ears. the soundstage was larger like others have said. more width, depth and height and more air and separatation between instruments.

next was diana krall "a case of you" off her live in paris cd. stunning! just stunning! her voice was sounding so natural. with my eyes closed she may have well been right in front of me in person. you can hear her lips opening as she sings. and you can hear people coughing in the audience. her piano may as well have been in my room too! perfect weight to the notes.

zz tops "la grange" was up next. wow! my poor neighbours. i had to turn the volume up just a bit. not that i needed to but this kind of sound encouraged me to. neighbours were out anyway lol. when i say i turned up the volume i really do mean just a little bit. not keen playing things loud like i did years ago. the sound was just so comfy on my ears yet still very revealing. i think thats a neat trick!

k d lang went on next " wash me clean". these cables brought out all the atmosphere that this song possesses with all the texture and weight. the acoustic guitar solo was just downright stunning! i love listening to acoustic guitar and these cables gave me all the reality there was and was absolutely pin point in the soundstage!

fleetwood mac "landslide" went on next in 24/96. the clarity was the best i`ve heard along with the natural weight and that voice just so heavenly. i found it mesmerising.

one cd i was dying to hear was the scorpions "acoustica". i only really dicovered it about 10 months ago but i love it to bits and through my system and these speaker cables just made it sooo much better! "dust in the wind" sounded so good and i think my favourite song "under the same sun" sounded on a different level completely to how i have been listening to it. the bass was just perfect as well as the acoustics. i listened to most of acoustica. again i found it just so mesmerising. another thing i noticed on "under the same sun" was i could very clearly hear the audience clapping along to the song which i`ve not heard before.

next year when i have the money i will be asking both colin and alan advice on the interconnect cables.

i would like to say that adding the ls-80 cables has really shown me how good this system is i`ve spent over 2 years putting together. i absolutely believe in cable burn in too and i`m thrilled to know it`s going to get better. i do have the tq burn in disc and i know it will accelerate the burn in process but because my power amps run so hot i`m very reluctant to leave it all running especially when i`m at work so i`ll let the cables run in in their own time and i think that`ll add to the fun of it all.

i will also hopefully be adding 2 more power amps to this system next year too. i love how versatile the cambridge audio power amps are. i started with just one in stereo mode then some months later added another one and ran them in bi-amp mode and they can be configured for monoblock mode at the flick of a switch too. adding the second was a really big step up in sound quality so god only knows how 4 will sound!

alan and colin thank you so much for your time and amazing efforts on these products and giving us all a large slice of pure heaven we can have on a daily basis!

your thoughts are much appreciated as I ponder as an end game cable purchase the 40s or 80s

 

[jayjay8]

your thoughts are much appreciated as I ponder as an end game cable purchase the 40s or 80s

I did consider the LS40's myself but I choose the LS80's eventually and I don't regret it for one minute! Neither will you if you choose the LS80's! It's a no brainer!

 

[Rug Doc]

Sorry, am I understanding cotrrectly - Have you bi-wired with two runs of LS80 per side?

You need to hear Colin’s USB cable.. of all the cables he makes, the USB blew me away the most.

 

[jayjay8]

Sorry, am I understanding cotrrectly - Have you bi-wired with two runs of LS80 per side?

You need to hear Colin’s USB cable.. of all the cables he makes, the USB blew me away the most.

I dont know about other LS80 users but on my system I had Alan configure my LS80's so that they were Z plug single wire on the Amp end and Z plug Bi-wired on the speaker end so eliminating jumper cables. Two runs of LS80's would have been too expensive. I have been considering the LS-40 USB cable myself so maybe sometime in the future, my main aim at the moment is for a pair of LS40 XLR interconnect's to replace the TQ Ultra Black XLR's I recently sold on flea-bay!

 

[Rug Doc]

Thanks for explaining! Okay cool, LS80 is LS40 x2 (putting it very basically) so yes you’ve done the right thing. Thank god you didn’t use two runs - it would have been both expensive and unnecessary!

I havent heard the 40 usb, only the 25 (I believe) but I could not believe the difference it made.

 

[grahamf]

your thoughts are much appreciated as I ponder as an end game cable purchase the 40s or 80s

i`ve no idea what the 40`s are like. i only found out about ewa cables when i saw a pair of lc=25 interconnects going on ebay and read in the advert they we`re from the same man colin that designed the tq cables so i looked into ewa cables. the only speaker cables i was considering were the black diamond cables before i discovered ewa but the price of the black diamonds were eye watering! i did consider the 40`s but after finding this thread and reading peoples experiences i went for the 80`s. for me they are worth every penny i paid i`ve no regrets at all and the best bit is i have them for the rest of my life.

just an update....i have 6 hours on the cables now. i`ve been listening at low levels through the evening and i don`t feel like i`m missing out on anything. my previous cables i was using (chord odessey on treble and epic on bass duty) weren`t very good at low levels and lacked bass and detail. the 80`s sound very open sounding with very good bass. i`ll have a listen again tomorrow afternoon a bit louder

 

[grahamf]

ok a little update. got 8 hours on them now. the soundstage has widened a bit and deepened and the other noticeable thing i noticed is yesterday i was listening with the volume at -38. well today i listened at -40 so it seems i needed just a little bit less volume to get the same level. i haven`t noticed any other changes though. something i`d like to point out is my speakers are no way set up properly yet and neither are the power amps. the speakers are on make shift shelves. i have target r5 stands they are going on but need to sort my room out and get rid of a load of stuff but just dont have the time or energy to do it. hopefully early next year i`ll get that done. i`m expecting quite a difference once the speakers are on their stands. the speakers are very fussy with placement. thats something i`m really looking forward to.

 

[ex brickie]

The LS80s are superb….. and I have no problems using jumper cables

 

[RoA]

thing i noticed is yesterday i was listening with the volume at -38. well today i listened at -40 so it seems i needed just a little bit less volume to get the same level.

How does that work?

 

[jayjay8]

How does that work?

I think I understand what he means....the same thing happen's to me ever since I introduced the LS-80's into my system. I am able to turn the volume down on my Audiolab 8300A amp a good 3/4 db lower since I introduced the LS-80's. I guess in laymans terms the extra clarity the LS-80's produce means less distortion and therefore you can reduce the volume accordingly. If that makes sense!

 

[Jezzer]

I think I understand what he means....the same thing happen's to me ever since I introduced the LS-80's into my system. I am able to turn the volume down on my Audiolab 8300A amp a good 3/4 db lower since I introduced the LS-80's. I guess in laymans terms the extra clarity the LS-80's produce means less distortion and therefore you can reduce the volume accordingly.

Am I right in saying that your speaker cables cost more than your amplifier?

 

[jayjay8]

Am I right in saying that your speaker cables cost more than your amplifier?

Actually the Audiolab amp was over £130 more than what I paid for the LS80's...I only needed a 1.5M pair of the LS80's! However, the Audiolab 8300A Amp can be had for £899 (£100 off) @ Richer Sounds at the moment but only in Black! I have the Audiolab Trio i.e 8300A amp / MDAC+ / 6000CDT CD transport all in Silver and they sound fantastic.

 

[Jezzer]

Seems a lot to spend on speaker cables in relation to the rest of the kit (10% rule if that is such a thing) but as long as you’re happy that’s all that matters.

 

[jayjay8]

Seems a lot to spend on speaker cables in relation to the rest of the kit (10% rule if that is such a thing) but as long as you’re happy that’s all that matters.

Yes, your right about the 10% rule in general but the fantastic difference the LS80's as made to my listening pleasure in the last 6 months I have owned them is well worth the extra outlay.

 

[RoA]

It's that sort of comment that makes me wonder about this LS ... ' devotion.

I know cables can impart their respective electrical properties on sound, I use two different sets depending on speaker/amplifier combination but that much?

I think not.

Would I have to put a percentage on how much a speaker cable can change the overall sound I'd say maybe 5 to 10% absolute maximum in an optimally set up system.

Less than an amplifier or speaker change and less than moving speakers around in less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps even less than listening to music at 11pm as opposed to dinner time.

 

[jayjay8]

It's that sort of comment that makes me wonder about this LS ... ' devotion.

I know cables can impart their respective electrical properties on sound, I use two different sets depending on speaker/amplifier combination but that much?

I think not.

Would I have to put a percentage on how much a speaker cable can change the overall sound I'd say maybe 5 to 10% absolute maximum in an optimally set up system.

Less than an amplifier or speaker change and less than moving speakers around in less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps even less than listening to music at 11pm as opposed to dinner time.

Your opinion is duly noted....and it is your opinion only! I doubt if it is shared by any other members on this post! But as you have said repeatedly in your previous posts your an old cynic so I will take your comments with a pinch of salt!

 

[steveinspain]

It's that sort of comment that makes me wonder about this LS ... ' devotion.

I know cables can impart their respective electrical properties on sound, I use two different sets depending on speaker/amplifier combination but that much?

I think not.

Would I have to put a percentage on how much a speaker cable can change the overall sound I'd say maybe 5 to 10% absolute maximum in an optimally set up system.

Less than an amplifier or speaker change and less than moving speakers around in less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps even less than listening to music at 11pm as opposed to dinner time.

As with any product, let your ears decide...

 

[Bronzeage]

I have no business ties to EWA, but I can say hand on heart the LS-80s really do have a very positive effect in any combination of components I have tried. Every now and then I switch back to Van Damme to see if I am just deluding myself, but the difference is always rather stark, that sense of space and reality is greatly diminished.

Of course it is good to be sceptical in this world of constant scams. Sadly, even our own ears and judgement can fool us from time to time.

 

[eisenach]

Does anyone know how Alan is, and whether he's fulfilling orders again ?
Best wishes to him anyhow. It was very trusting of him to send round the trial cables, and I'm very happy with the LS40s I bought directly from EWA, and with the XLR interconnect that I picked up on eBay in August.