Interconnect cables.

Interconnect cables. Used to be so easy to locate. I'm trying to find some mid level cables for my SP-14 to each M125. So I want two separate cables perhaps 10 feet or so long. Also need speaker wire. What are you all using, and where did you buy it?

As a side note, I just hung up on Klipsch 'customer service'. I wanted to talk to a human about a pair of Cornwall speakers. Just get some info. I gave up after two transfers and then to on hold hell. Man, these things are $4,000 a pair. Seems like everybody wants to sit and take orders on the web. Guess customers with questions don't rate anymore. Thank God VTA doesn't do things that way. (I feel better and this rant over.....).

I made my own interconnect cables to my M125s. with Sommer Cable. I ordered 10 ft of red and of black. They are very flexible, soft and comes with a double shielding, made of the copper conductor and one additional layer of carbon coated shield material which is softly bound to the signal conductor insulator. Mated the cables to Neutrik Rean RCA plug connector. It works for me, I got about 25 bucks in the pair.

Frank111 wrote:Interconnect cables. Used to be so easy to locate. I'm trying to find some mid level cables for my SP-14 to each M125. So I want two separate cables perhaps 10 feet or so long. Also need speaker wire. What are you all using, and where did you buy it?

As a side note, I just hung up on Klipsch 'customer service'. I wanted to talk to a human about a pair of Cornwall speakers. Just get some info. I gave up after two transfers and then to on hold hell. Man, these things are $4,000 a pair. Seems like everybody wants to sit and take orders on the web. Guess customers with questions don't rate anymore. Thank God VTA doesn't do things that way. (I feel better and this rant over.....).

I bought a pair of Klipsch Forte II's about 23 years ago from an Audio place here in upper east tn. I was talking to the owner a few months ago and told him I still had the Forte's. He was friends with Paul Klipsch and even went to his funeral. He doesn't sell Klipsch anymore after Mr Klipsch death, all he told me they are "junk" now. I can't say they are or not, because I just have my Forte's and have not listen to the new ones, but it sounds like their customer service is.

I usually make my own interconnects borrowing from Kimber Kable the classic unshielded 3-wire braid. I use either Kimber TCSS wire (same as their PBJ cables) or I use Homegrown audio wire.

For a simpler, no frills cable, check out Blue Jeans cable. http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm

Blue Jeans cable has great quality (Mogami, Belden, Canare) at great prices....made to order.

Thanks for the input guys. This will give me some options.

corndog71 wrote:I usually make my own interconnects borrowing from Kimber Kable the classic unshielded 3-wire braid.  I use either Kimber TCSS wire (same as their PBJ cables) or I use Homegrown audio wire.

For a simpler, no frills cable, check out Blue Jeans cable.  http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm

Yeah, what Audio Bill and Corndog said. I'm using their locking banana-ended sonic-welded cables on the speaks, and use mostly their RCA-ended cables for interconnects. Couldn't be happier; they are quiet, and Belden makes the best wire, which except for their four-conductor Canares is all BJC uses.
Turnaround via a web order is overnight, too. Order on a Tuesday, delivery on Thursday, via USPS priority.
Their RCA ends are quite beefy, so expect a very tight fit.
Ironically, most of the "high end" audio cables are made with Chinese-mf'd wire which doesn't hold a candle to Belden standards.

Frank111 wrote:As a side note, I just hung up on Klipsch 'customer service'. I wanted to talk to a human about a pair of Cornwall speakers. Just get some info. I gave up after two transfers and then to on hold hell. Man, these things are $4,000 a pair. Seems like everybody wants to sit and take orders on the web. Guess customers with questions don't rate anymore. Thank God VTA doesn't do things that way. (I feel better and this rant over.....).

Klipsch and Associates, when it was owned and run by Paul Klipsch (the company name predates there being any employees...it started as a one-man company and there were no "associates"), no longer exists.  The company that Mr. Klipsch left behind when he died in 2002 at age 98 was sold in 2011 to Audiovox, infamous importer of cheap car stereos and low-end audio.  

No wonder you received such poor service.

Audiovox has renamed itself Voxx International.  The company also owns the Acoustic Research, Advent and Jensen brands, and RCA for audio gear.

.

Some like Monoprice, but I think they're shite ... tried them once and had a few connectors just fall off - add to that the ungainly (and unbendable) jackets, and I steer clear ...

Big fan of the Mogami cables. I have something like 42 of em in my system with no apparent noise issues. Not all that expensive either.

http://www.performanceaudio.com/shop/Mogami/Patch-Cords-1700/

I hear that Cardis makes a nice cable wire for DIY'ers who want to put on their own connexion hardware on. I'm too lazy to try that exercise.

I haven't yet ordered any cables. Kind of got side tracked with some other things. But the Blue Jeans Cable and Signal Cable sites have cables that I'm sure will meet my needs and price. I am amazed that some people would spend hundreds of dollars let alone a thousand for cables. But it's their choice for sure.  I'd rather use the money on upgrading speakers.

I'm going to take some time to figure out how I'm going to place the amplifiers and preamp, CD and Turntable in the area I'm planning on using for this set up. I can then get the measurements for the cables I need to order.

After my 'experience' with the new Klipsch customer service, I might be using the Klipsch Quartets that I now have rather than trying to deal with the new Klipsch company.  I was really surprised to find out that Audio Research is now part of the same conglomerate that Klipsch is (Vox Int'l).  I guess when it comes down to it, Klipsch could only be that company as long as Paul Klipsch was involved and in control. I sort of feel lucky to have a pair of speakers that came from the company when he was there. I would never sell them now. And maybe they'll be fine for this system after all.

Frank111 wrote:I haven't yet ordered any cables. Kind of got side tracked with some other things. But the Blue Jeans Cable and Signal Cable sites have cables that I'm sure will meet my needs and price. I am amazed that some people would spend hundreds of dollars let alone a thousand for cables. But it's their choice for sure.  I'd rather use the money on upgrading speakers.

I'm going to take some time to figure out how I'm going to place the amplifiers and preamp, CD and Turntable in the area I'm planning on using for this set up. I can then get the measurements for the cables I need to order.

After my 'experience' with the new Klipsch customer service, I might be using the Klipsch Quartets that I now have rather than trying to deal with the new Klipsch company.  I was really surprised to find out that Audio Research is now part of the same conglomerate that Klipsch is (Vox Int'l).  I guess when it comes down to it, Klipsch could only be that company as long as Paul Klipsch was involved and in control. I sort of feel lucky to have a pair of speakers that came from the company when he was there. I would never sell them now. And maybe they'll be fine for this system after all.

Tyler Acoustics, Magnepan and Vandersteen all answer the phone with the boss or a family member. Just happens they make the best speakers these days, too.

I'll take a look at those companies too. I think Magnepan is located close by. They may be priced a little above what I can do right now though.

Frank111 wrote:I'll take a look at those companies too. I think Magnepan is located close by. They may be priced a little above what I can do right now though.

Frank, you'd be surprised. Vandersteen, yes, very high budget. Maggies, not so but you need to price in a subwoofer. Best roll of the dice is Tyler. Give him a yell. Bet you'll get what you want for what you can afford.

I've actually considered building a pair of speakers. Something I never thought I would consider. I have found someone who supports Klipsch speaker repair, and has some plans on the web for cabinets that you can build. He sells the speakers too, so it's sort of an extension of what I am doing with my amps and preamp. I think it's Bob Crites or something like that. I have a friend who is a great wood worker, and can cut the panels for me and help me assemble them.

I know that there are a lot of refined speakers out there that you could never make yourself, but I'm becoming sort of a realist about audio in that if it sounds good to me, I'm going to be fine with that.

I also have another system that I've owned for 20 years or so. I'm using Mirage M-1 speakers for that one, and they are very good sounding. Very different from a Klipsch. Maybe I just want to go old school at bit with this all; tubes and Klipsch type speakers. This is a timeless package vs what's hot today and out of date next year.

A few months ago, I did some web surfing for "value" speakers to replace my $700 mtm kit speakers from Parts Express.
I read some good things about Tekton Lores which cost $1000 a pair factory direct and are 98db efficient for ! watt in.
Bought a pair and gave my mtms to Goodwill. I'll never go back to speakers of 85 to 90db efficiency. If you love the Cornwall's
dynamics, you should check into these.

Forgive the thread drift here, but ramon, I think you have a point. I do not expect, owning M-125s properly tubed, that amplifiers can get much better. Maybe our focus should be on speaker dynamics and efficiency instead. The difference between a 90 dB speaker and one down in the mid-80s is remarkable to me, and the 90 dB demands half the juice from the amp. There are some crazies out there building 100-plus dB speaks that are not horns, and they need only a half-dozen watts to juice them up. One of my tube vendors even claims to have built a 130 dB/watt speaker, but you need a pretty big room for them. Big theaters with wimpy tube amps used to thrive on them.

Frank111 wrote:I've actually considered building a pair of speakers. Something I never thought I would consider. I have found someone who supports Klipsch speaker repair, and has some plans on the web for cabinets that you can build. He sells the speakers too, so it's sort of an extension of what I am doing with my amps and preamp. I think it's Bob Crites or something like that. I have a friend who is a great wood worker, and can cut the panels for me and help me assemble them.

I know that there are a lot of refined speakers out there that you could never make yourself, but I'm becoming sort of a realist about audio in that if it sounds good to me, I'm going to be fine with that.

I also have another system that I've owned for 20 years or so. I'm using Mirage M-1 speakers for that one, and they are very good sounding. Very different from a Klipsch. Maybe I just want to go old school at bit with this all; tubes and Klipsch type speakers. This is a timeless package vs what's hot today and out of date next year.

If you are talking about building a pair of Cornscala's I have been considering these for quite sometime they seem to be very popular because of their versatility many driver & crossover options and high efficiency as soon as my financial situation improves I will be moving in this direction.
Please keep us posted on the route you take.

If you're looking to build speakers then Danny Richie at GR Research is your man. He has several performance levels and makes sure they all sound good and are easy to drive.

http://gr-research.com/