He's not using Naim amps -- I think it's a Sony 5-channel receiver -- so he doesn't need NAC A5 to keep the amp from oscillating... and probably wouldn't pay that much anyway.

Can anyone recommend good budget wire that's relatively easy to find? He, like me, lives in that consumer Mecca known as the U.S. of eh. All the same, I understand that the entire world's output of goods doesn't show up on our doorstep.*

Joe

* Anyone's who's tried to find good tea in this country with attest that the leaves the Brits wouldn't give to their swine shows up in most grocery stores in the form of Lipton, the Brisk tea.

quote:

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Anyone's who's tried to find good tea in this country with attest that the leaves the Brits wouldn't give to their swine shows up in most grocery stores in the form of Lipton

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Hey Joe,

If you pick up a copy of the same 18th centruy Hogarthian guide to good living that Mick Parry has a copy of, you will know precisely what tea to buy. You'll also learn that:

-vodka is for impotent psychopaths
-condoms are for sailors
-whiskey is a healthy drink
-foreigners can't make anything as good as Brits

Vuk.

Things I have tried and were OK...

1) Cabtletalk 3.1, 2.5 GBP/m
Basics done well.

2) Chord Co.
Carnival, 3 GBP/m
Rumour 2, 10 GBP/m
Oddessey 2, 17 GBP/m
(I and my Naim dealer use Oddessey - I use 4, bi-wire)

3) Try some very cheap solid core mains cable. It is depressing how almost good it is for pence/cents.

4) QED Silver Aniversary 5 GBP/m
Silver plated, v good treble - everything else OK

Stuff to avoid

1) QED Siler Profile 12
Flat multi-strand silver plated.
Last years waste of money.

2) String

Tea - recommend Twinnings Earl Grey. Not the bags.

Cheers
Jonathan

PS 1 GBP = 1.59 dollars and 1 metre = 3.281 feet, assuming unlike the gallon you yanks have not made it bigger!!

Hi Joe,

I'm using two 65 foot lengths of Tributaries 12 gauge wire right now in my main system and it seems to be doing fine. My original plan was not to be using my main system in this setting with this wire but things kind of evolved this way once I finished my basement. I was gonna originally use the wire with a Marantz reciever and NHT Super One speakers. I really had a hard time justifying buying 130 feet of speaker wire at $5 a foot for that kind of system. Now that I'm using the Tributaries with the main system, I still do have a hard time thinking of shelling out $650 for wire.

The 12 gauge cost me 75 cents a foot. I think they also had a 16 gauge equivilent at 35 cents a foot. With the long runs I used I went for the 12 gauge. The cable is directionally marked and is OFHC. It's also made in the US so you shouldn't have a hard time finding some. I know a dealer who has some if you can't find any.

Regards,
John

Thanks for the suggestions but I think even the cheapest cable on your list is more than he wants to spend. He needs quite a bit and he's not an audiophile, so you need to recalibrate what's considered expensive by the average guy. Think cents per foot.

By the way, I'm not American; I'm just living here, eh. Proof of Canadian citizenship follows:

* I can tell you which leaves make good toilet paper

* I find -40C just a little chilly

* I've worn a Halloween costume over a snowsuit

* I've cleaned grease off the barbecue so bears won't prowl on the deck

John,

Is Tributaries 12 a speaker cable or wire you've used as speaker cable? I haven't heard of it.

Joe

[This message was edited by Joe Petrik on TUESDAY 09 January 2001 at 16:52.]

Back in the good old days they used to make speaker cable from "RS" 46 strand 4mm CSA cable twisted together, if you get hold of some stranded cable 2.5mm or thicker and lightly twist it,that should be within his price range, get it from electrical wholesalers they should be the the cheapest.

pete

My apologies for lumping you in with the "oh my gawd" nation.

Maplin do a 100m (c330 feet) reel of bog standard speaker cable that some of my friends use on things like computer surround sound packages. I think it is called 'flex' - or soemthing similar and works out about 10 GBP for the reel including postage - which is about .... erm ... 5 cents a foot. I have not heard it do more than be plugged into a Yammaha sub/sat computer audio speaker package. All I can really report is that it does conduct electricity.

I was serious about the tea. Even nicer with a drop of talisker in it.

Jonathan

You forgot that you can also balance a two-four (for our international that's a case of 24 bottles of beer) on your shoulder, while riding a beat-up 10-speed bike with the racing handles turned upward.

Vuk.

It's a hi-fi speaker cable. I think I'm using SP12 but SP16 is cheaper. See:

http://www.tributariescable.com/tributaries.html

[This message was edited by John Gilleran on TUESDAY 09 January 2001 at 18:44.]

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Anyone's who's tried to find good tea in this country with attest that the leaves the Brits wouldn't give to their swine shows up in most grocery stores in the form of Lipton
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Ain't that the truth. I have to get M&S to ship my teabags over from old blighty! Tea in Canada ain't worth s__t. Orange Pekoe?!?!

Most non-specialst hi-fi dealers sell unbranded 42 and 79 strand cable for less than £1m.

Tell your mate to use 79 strand on the front and centre speakers with the 42 strand feeding the rears.

Rob.

Try your local Home Depot/Hechingers/Lowes for speaker wire. You can get 250 foot rolls pretty cheap. I've got my Sony home theater set-up with it and it works fine. It's about a 10/12 guage multi-strand with copper on one conductor and steel on the other. Seems to work fine for home theater.

If you want all copper, just go to a local electrical store and get a big roll of large guage lamp cord. It's cheap and works fine for home theater. Make sure the lamp cord has a marker for the " + " connection side.

It amazing what low expectations can do.

Arthur Bye