EWA LS80 speaker cables
- Thread starter ex brickie
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jayjay8
pfm Member
The last one's I had were TQ Black, before that Kimber 8TC. As I mentioned in a previous post I tried the LS-25 a month ago and they were a vast improvement on the TQ Blacks. However, after using the LS-25's for a week my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a leap of faith after reading the rave reviews on pfm of the LS-80's so I returned the LS-25's and ordered a pair of LS-80's instead. And without doubt it is the best decision I have made in years! Honestly Peter, you owe it to yourself to try out the LS-80's! They will knock socks off your TQ Silver II's! From what I understand from colin and lordmortlock (see post #187) there is still a pfm loan set of LS-80's floating around somewhere so if I were you I would talk nicely to Alan and try them for yourself for a week or so.@jayjay8 Looks like you lucked outwhat cables did you replace with the LS-80, please?
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jayjay8
pfm Member
Pop over to the ABC Audio website where you will find the prices on the LS-40 and LS-80 cables. The LS-40's start from £425.....LS-80's from £825. I choose the LS-80's and I was lucky in a way because I only needed a 1.5m pair (£825) plus I paid an extra £40 to have the speaker end bi-wired (4 z plugs) so I didn’t need jumper cables. I know they may be expensive for some people but I was considering upgrading to the Tellurium Ultra Blacks anyway and the last time I checked 2 months ago they worked out around £930 (1.5 M pair) plus if you wanted the jumper cables an extra £231!! So, Paul the £865 I paid for the LS-80’s is a real bargain plus the fact you are getting a far superior cable for your money!
Paul L
coffee lounge for me
Thanks Jay, I’ve got some decorating work to finish so it will probably be several weeks and I’ve become a cable cynic through the years but seeing the people posting on here it has my curiosity and when I’m ready will look to try some at home. I’m also curious to try a decent coax between my Raumfeld connector and RME DAC.
jayjay8
pfm Member
They also have the IC-25 and IC-40 Coax Digital cables available to order on the website if your interested! BTW I am not on any commision! Just saying! he he
John
jayjay8
pfm Member
Forgive me if I am wrong but doesn't the Raumfeld connector only have a Optical (toslink) output and not a coaxial?
John
Paul L
coffee lounge for me
You’re probably right John and I’ll bear in mind, if coax is marginal improvement that will wait even longer then, I like the Raumfeld and whilst I have also used Sonos I have found Teufel as they are now called my preference as a user interface, I always thought it underrated and cheap too. Maybe I’ll see what the latest connector released after mine sports if coax is audibly better than optical, not something I have compared before.
peter_964rs
That's no moon!
@jayjay8 thanks for the recommendation, I'm glad you're pleased with your set but somewhat jealous that you need less length - I need 3m so it's close to £2k for me. I would need to talk fast to SWMBO!
We've taken to spending relaxed evenings listening to music in the background whilst (say) writing to coming guests, bookkeeping, etc, and without telling the family that cabling has changed to EWA I've had lots of comments at how nice the music sounds recently. Which must be the best recommendation of all! I may have to investigate that demo set of LS-80 sooner rather than later.....
We've taken to spending relaxed evenings listening to music in the background whilst (say) writing to coming guests, bookkeeping, etc, and without telling the family that cabling has changed to EWA I've had lots of comments at how nice the music sounds recently. Which must be the best recommendation of all! I may have to investigate that demo set of LS-80 sooner rather than later.....
jayjay8
pfm Member
Yes.. £2K is a lot of money but you will probably get many many years of relaxed evenings out of them. Compare these to the likes of the newer Kimber cables... Kimber Carbon 8 wire / Carbon 16 wire £1980/£3840 for a 3.5M pair. The top of the range Carbon 18XL is £5650! If you browse the Russ Andrews site you wont find one user review of the Carbons, plenty of Hi-Fi journal reviews since they were introduced in October 2019 but not one user review! At least the PFM posts of the LS-80's owners gives you some insight into what you can expect. But, as you mentioned the ideal situation is for you to try the demo set so you will know for certain if they are right for you.
I was browsing your website the other night...I was showing my wife your lovely Shepherd's Huts (Little Silver Fox, Leaf and Owl)...absolutly beautiful...may come down for a weekend or week sometime in the future! Unfortunately, I have spent this months pension on a pair of Speaker cables so the holiday will have to wait for now! Unless of course I return the LS-80's for a refund! NO BLOODY CHANCE!
peter_964rs
That's no moon!
@jayjay8 Thanks for your kind words about our properties, Owl is the one I managed to squeeze a small vinyl system into as a nod to my audiophile heritage. Although I left a copy of 'Abba Arrival' in there plus some random finds so perhaps not quite the gestalt I was hoping for
Am now listening to background music, '100 Drivetime Anthems' an el cheapo CD ripped to FLAC and in my Roon library, and I'm somewhat amazed to be absorbed in Mr Mister's 'Take these broken wings' which speaks volumes for the musicality of the IC-40. Quite the production effort in such an ubiquitous and overplayed song! And now onto Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding out for a Hero' and it's not the cider making me want to move my legs)))
Am now listening to background music, '100 Drivetime Anthems' an el cheapo CD ripped to FLAC and in my Roon library, and I'm somewhat amazed to be absorbed in Mr Mister's 'Take these broken wings' which speaks volumes for the musicality of the IC-40. Quite the production effort in such an ubiquitous and overplayed song! And now onto Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding out for a Hero' and it's not the cider making me want to move my legs
)))
jayjay8
pfm Member
Glad your enjoying the IC-40’s! I remember well Mr Mister's 'Broken Wings' and of course who can forget Bonnie Tyler! Bonnie of course comes from Skewen Nr Neath (Swansea Valley) about 18 miles from me. Met her a few times, she used to part own a nightclub in Bridgend (5 miles away) called Benz. You couldn't miss it as when you approach the club from the centre of Bridgend on the rear wall of the club was the front half of a Mercedes Benz car protuding out of it! It was a very popular club back in the 80's/90's. Been torn down now and is now a council run car park. She also featured of course on Mike Oldfield's "Islands" single and album ('86).@jayjay8 Thanks for your kind words about our properties, Owl is the one I managed to squeeze a small vinyl system into as a nod to my audiophile heritage. Although I left a copy of 'Abba Arrival' in there plus some random finds so perhaps not quite the gestalt I was hoping for
Am now listening to background music, '100 Drivetime Anthems' an el cheapo CD ripped to FLAC and in my Roon library, and I'm somewhat amazed to be absorbed in Mr Mister's 'Take these broken wings' which speaks volumes for the musicality of the IC-40. Quite the production effort in such an ubiquitous and overplayed song! And now onto Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding out for a Hero' and it's not the cider making me want to move my legs
I have been continuing with the TQ Burn-In CD over the weekend trying to get as many hours as I can so the LS-80’s can reach their potential, It should be around 50 hours by now. I did briefly try a some tracks earlier, I have had a permanent grin on my face ever since! Tracks like Michael Jackson “Black Or White” “Will You Be There” both from “Dangerous” Elton John “Daniel” “Song For Guy” “Nikita”….The Travelling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care” and “End Of The Line” it is unbelievable the sound coming out of those LS-80’s!
Talking of Abba, I have most of not all of their albums on CD and a few on vinyl including the half speed masters of “Voulez-Vous” and “Super Trouper” both double albums, last year I pick up a lovely copy of “ABBA/Arrival” (half speed master) on the Nautilus label (USA import) which was issued in 1976 in the States. Just £25 on flea-bay! Listened to "Voyager" on Prime Music Streaming but wasn't that impressed at the time even @ 24bit/196Khz ultra HD quality! Maybe give it another try as the CD is only £4.99 on Amazon at the present time!
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peter_964rs
That's no moon!
Alan Brown
Registered LUser
Hi Peter
There is a set, it's 3M long if that suits? It is in use at the moment, probably for at least another week or ten days. I can have it sent on to you as the next listener if you like.
peter_964rs
That's no moon!
Thank you so much that would be ideal! 3m is perfect. I will wait with bated breath
lordmortlock
Late to the Tannoy party
Thank you so much that would be ideal! 3m is perfect. I will wait with bated breath
Be prepared to part with money once you’ve heard them Peter! They’re very very good.
jayjay8
pfm Member
I second that! But boy will he get is money's worth!!
Just playing a bit of Barry White on my week old LS-80's.....Ecstasy! 
ABCaudio
Trade: ABCaudio, representing EWA
So after a few days of music on repeat I haven’t detected any further changes in presentation and things have settled down enough for me to opine.
It’s difficult to be measured in what I write because of the various gushing posts on this thread for EWA cables that make me wonder if I’m going deaf. But, actually, what this means is my existing interconnects are actually superb, at a lower price (a new EWA set seems to be about 50% more than an equivalent SLIC), and whilst the EWA IC-40 is better, it’s not night and day better. But it is very good!
When I consider the price, both the EWA and SLIC cables represent excellent value at their respective price points. I guess the optimum comparison would be to a well-known and established brand – let’s say Chord to avoid hackle raising by saying TQ
But I can’t do that, because I think the SLIC cables I have fall into the same VFM category, and I bought them and not (say) Chord Sarum, so I can’t do that comparison. Noting that I have only heard top Chord products at shows (I don’t feel like dropping in on a dealer and wasting their time asking for a demo of something that expensive that I’m unlikely to buy) and I speculatively bought the SLIC at a reasonable price I thought was worth a punt, based on a few limited reviews. A bit like EWA, really. Also, full disclosure, obvs I’ll be selling my SLIC interconnects shortly, because I’ll keep the EWA IC-40 interconnects, so whilst I’ll state these are slightly better, it’s up to potential purchasers to decide if I’m bigging up the SLIC for the sale. I’m not, but you can have that thought if you like.
My SLIC cables are Eclipse C vII and there is a now a vIII. This could close the gap.
As noted in an earlier post, I’ve replaced the RCA SLIC cables with XLR EWA IC-40 (using Furutech connectors) meaning there is a change in level for which I must compensate. There is also the possibility that differences in sound are just because single ended RCA sounds different to balanced XLR – some will avoid balanced connections because it sounds less rhythmic, less musical, more hifi – and then the balanced connections on my Accuphase amp and DAC were lower use or unused and may have also needed some degree of running in. So it’s not a complete like for like comparison. But the advantage is I’ve been able to connect both cables to the amp simultaneously and switch between inputs and adjust volume remotely to match without shifting my bum from the sofa. The Accuphase tells me volume as a digital readout so I can be precise, too. Then, I’ve also switched cables out in case having both connected at the same time did something (it didn’t).
Now, on the evaluation:
TONALLY they both sound very similar, and uncoloured. I would like, perhaps, a smidgen more of a sense of richness from each; am listening to flute and harp in the background and they sound real but just a fraction more tending towards a recording of a thing rather than the thing itself being present. But, if an interconnect is a conduit of what is being sourced and transmitted and reproduced through the DAC/Amp/Speaker chain then the smidgen of richness I’d like could well be lacking in the DAC, the amp or the speaker. The two interconnects sound equally neutral. There is more slam in the bass with the EWA. I’m not sure it goes any deeper though. Midrange and treble response seem the same.
NOISE: They are extremely quiet. If I whack the volume right up, the SLIC is slightly fuzzier in the background and slightly less quiet, but that’s like a 5-10% thing and might just be the balanced connection.
DYNAMICS: Here the EWA is superior, both at the macro and micro level. Those dynamics rise and fall faster, with less of a sense of overhang. There is more precision in how that flute I mentioned is mouthed (I used to play flute) you can sense more of the breathing and the pulse of air as the flautist shapes the volume changes in their playing.
DETAIL: Again, the EWA is superior. I was listening to the cymbal at the beginning of ‘You look good to me’ on Oscar Peterson Trio’s ‘We get requests’, and this has more definition of how it is struck, how it resonates and how it decays. If I were a cymbalist – drummer? – I would find it easier to be able to say what type or manufacture of cymbal with the EWA than the SLIC. It has a more 3D quality to it as well, as if I could close my eyes and find it easier to see. I took notes about a rock track (but didn’t note and forget which one) where the electric guitar ‘yowl’ was better defined and more extended and subtle rather than a mash of sonic assault. Could have been Santana, Knopfler or Prince even. The micro-dynamic detail described above helps create a more believable and nuanced image, not just that I can hear more sounds, but that I can hear how a sound is shaped (eg aforementioned flautist pushing more or less air through their instrument).
SOUNDSTAGE: There is more image presence and body on the EWA. It feels more real and extends further into the room, and a little bit more behind the speakers and indeed outside of them or behind me even. There may be a fractional increase in soundstage width.
TIMING: I enjoy both cables. I was rather hoping that the much-vaunted phase coherence of EWA would really come through here, and I’m sure it’s excellent, but I don’t detect anything that makes me think timing is significantly better except to note what I’ve noted above about detail and dynamics and to confirm that all this extra is nevertheless presented in time and in its place in the context of the overall performance. Meaning that timing is of course excellent and my feet tap for both.
DOWNSIDES: I mentioned brashness in an earlier post and this is reduced but present and in fact when I listen carefully its present in both cables; just that the EWA is slightly more transparent to it. I think it’s elsewhere and I think I know where but won’t muddy the waters in this post with an aside into that. Importantly, I know for a fact that a better product can sometimes unbalance a system and make it sound worse; a more transparent interconnect could (for example) reveal the DAC to be hard and unyielding, or bright. A better amp might control a speaker so well you wonder where the bass, that was previously experienced as full but was in fact woolly and imprecise, has gone. I’m pleased to say I’ve not really seen anything go awry in my system; the balance is still where it was.
What I’ve wrestled with mostly is the thought that my SLIC cables are worth £x and the EWA cost me £y and is it that much of a difference? Well, in a better and more resolving system than mine with (in particular) better acoustics and no huge wall of windows close to the RHS of the system about which I can do nothing causing annoying first order reflections, the subtlety of the improvements I’ve described could well be more pronounced, and as I improve the system, I’m sure I’ll hear more. The EWA interconnect is a very transparent conduit that does less harm, and at this level differences are hard won! And, if you were considering another mfrs product at £z, chances are you’d be very happy paying £y.
I currently use TQ Silver ii speaker cables. At some point I will consider replacing them – they were better than NACA5 I was using before, but again with more of a subtle and nuanced improvement than the ‘Oh my God that’s so much better’ statements I keep reading – and might well consider EWA LS-80 at that point J. Ditto for power cables, I’m using Nordost or Puritan cables, if I had the money, I might have tried a Shunyata cord but would be interested in the EWA alternative. Each incremental improvement should improve transparency, and I’m quietly confident the IC-40 will be a fundamental part of that, because it does represent an improvement and is obviously very transparent, well balanced and also well made. I’m happy to keep it in place!
I hope that helps anyone considering one.
I don't check into the forum too often, but so much effort deserves an appreciative response. Thank you Peter, for taking the time to share your thoughts and doing so in an even handed way. You write very well and I am jealous! I hope your IC-40 settle in nicely and give you everything you could hope for in time.
I am just so happy when Colin's work is enjoyed and enthused over.
ABCaudio
Trade: ABCaudio, representing EWA
So, this morning after 12 hours of Burn-in I finally audition my LS-80's. Couldn't decide what CD to try (over 880 to choose from at the last count) but I finally choose the soundtrack to one of my favourite films of the '80's "The Mission"...Ennio Morricone/London Philarmonic Orchestra/Incantation.
From the first track "On Earth As It is In Heaven" I was astounded from what I was hearing from the LS-80's, the soundstage was vast, filling the room with pure pure music! Above my head, behind me, just everywhere! Almost like a 3D sound (whatever that sounds like). Moving on to one of my favourite tracks of all time " Gabriels Oboe" with its timpani intro, this track is so beautiful and for some strange reason it always brings a tear to my eyes everytime I listen to it! Two more tracks "Brothers" and "Carlotta" the RPO and acoustic guitar...sublime! Then "Remorse" with its oboe and chanting chorus and I presume Incantation thrown in with the mix! Pure magic! The haunting "Penance" would have fitted well in a Alfred Hichcock movie! Then we have the main theme "The Mission" again another fantastic track, just close your eyes and drift away for 2 mins 47 secconds! Followed by "Refusal" the RPO Orchestra and Incantation coming at you from all angles, timpani, violins, trumpets, oboe, flute, clash cymbals and everything else in between building up to a rousing crescendo! Then,"Alone" another Alfred Hitchcock type track (with a touch of John Williams "Jaws" thrown in) the RPO strings, clash cymballs and timpani. The timpani and tom tom's seem to be talking to each other!
So, to conclude do I think the LS-80's are worth the money? After only a couple of hours listening to them today I would say 100% YES!! With over 50 years experience in hifi I have tried many many speaker cables over the years from Kimber (8TC and 12TC),QED,Chord, Atlas,Tellurium etc etc but I can say without a shadow of a doubt the LS-80's are THE BEST speaker cables I have had the pleasure of trying!
Thank you Alan and of course Colin from the bottom of my heart. You have made an old man very happy today!
And this is just a lovely testimonial, thank you John for taking the time. Your enthusiasm is infectious and appreciated, as is your kindness. Thank you so much for your kind gift!
jayjay8
pfm Member
Hi! PeterThank you so much that would be ideal! 3m is perfect. I will wait with bated breath
I'm so glad your finally getting the LS-80 loan set in the coming weeks. As you know I have had immense pleasure out of my LS-80's since they arrived last week so much so that I have made a few
CD compilation's of some fantastic tracks that sound awesome from the LS-80's. If your interested I would be more than happy to to send you a few copies prior to you recieving the LS-80 loan set. Just let me know if your interested.
John