|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 26, 2020 20:34:36 GMT
 [img src="https://i.ibb.co/47GMnJv/P1020482.jpg" src=" ![]() " alt=" "]   Just for fun I have three speaker cables in the mix from about £2 per metre to £50 per metre. All well built. What do they sound like....I am about to find out. |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 26, 2020 20:56:43 GMT
[img src="https://i.ibb.co/47GMnJv/P1020482.jpg" src=" ![]() " alt=" "] Just for fun I have three speaker cables in the mix from about £2 per metre to £50 per metre. All well built. What do they sound like....I am about to find out. I recognize a couple of those cables lol |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 26, 2020 20:57:44 GMT
You should recognise all 3 lol
|
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 26, 2020 21:07:49 GMT
You should recognise all 3 lol Hahaha, I do |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2020 22:32:35 GMT
I have the ones in the middle picture.
Outstanding cables.
Had them 18 month and they won't be going anywhere.
|
|
|
|
Post by zleepy on Aug 27, 2020 5:04:33 GMT
What a tease, I really want to know more!  /Karl |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 27, 2020 5:36:50 GMT
First cable is Bigbottle budget speaker cable. Second cable full fat Bigbottle Mk1 speaker cable. Third cable is Chord Epic Twin (Original)
|
|
|
|
Post by stevew on Aug 27, 2020 5:47:39 GMT
Please let the £2 metre blow the rest away.
I’ve got long long runs to cover.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 27, 2020 6:12:23 GMT
Please let the £2 metre blow the rest away. I’ve got long long runs to cover. haha Steve, there will be some surprises!  |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 27, 2020 7:53:48 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 8:34:45 GMT
Come on Jimbo, what are your findings.
Were all eager to know 😙😙
|
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 27, 2020 8:39:50 GMT
I've just ordered a reel of the Bigbottle Budget speaker cable, just in case hahaha
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 27, 2020 12:29:36 GMT
This mini review came about as I had heard Olive'rs Bigbottle speaker cable sometime back and been impressed with how it worked with my system but now I have moved I wanted to know how it would perform in the new environment. I decided to use the other two cables as a point of reference and for a bit of fun I thought it would be good to compare the three. So my long term current cable has been the Chord Epic Twin which has been in my system for 5 years. I am not entirely sure of the construction as I believe this is an early version of the Epic Twin, however I do believe there maybe some silver in the construction. This cable allows my system to perform transparently, with great dynamics and resolution and does add a little zip to the top end. There is a clarity and brightness to the Chord which maybe too much in other systems especially if you have bright tweeters but in mine it sounds just right. Top end clarity is absolutely superb. It also allows excellent tonal texture to shine through but it can sound a tad lightweight. The Budget Bigbottle cable came about as a result of needing a budget cable for my retro lockdown system and it certainly did the trick, however I had not heard it in my main system so it was very interesting. It performed at about 80% of the Chords performance. It is pure copper construction and I used it bare wire without connectors. For the money there was absolutely nothing to complain about, however critically it lost some edge to a bit of detail and sounded a bit more light weight than the Chord. At about £2 per metre though it would certainly be my go to budget speaker cable and I would rate it better than my Talk talk cable and QED 79 strand from the distant past. Bigbottle speaker cable is in the system now and I about to have a good listen so will be back with my thoughts and final assessment very soon.... |
|
|
|
Post by myles on Aug 27, 2020 13:08:28 GMT
I love a cable off - makes me think I need to change mine.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 27, 2020 20:23:15 GMT
Tonight I plugged the Bigbottle Beast of a cable in and had a listen. Big wide and deep soundstage with everything clearly imaged. Midrange and bass both dropped an octave or two compared to the Chord. Gravity and weight come to mind. In fact it was exactly how I remembered hearing it last time round. So I did an A-B with a favourite track and kept levels exactly the same. The Chord shrank in the picture and I detected a graininess to the treble, not bright but a tad harsh compared to the Bigbottle however the Bigbottle cable did come across a tad dark in my system, not a problem for most folk who listen to digital or have brighter tweeters but just on the dark side in mine. Not a fault but just a system compatbility thing. Detail was all there but not as crisp as the Chord but probably more pleasant. The Bigbottle had a smoother more relaxed sound and as I mentioned a very wide soundstage which made the Chord sound a little constricted by comparison. It made my speakers appear bigger and at the same time had enough transparency to make them disappear in the room, some lovely tonal texture and richness to the timbre of some instruments that sounded harsher on the Chord. The Chord seemed eager to please where as the Bigbottle just sat back effortlessly like a V12 motor just cruising! So my 3 cable comparison came to a swift end. The Budget cable could hold its own almost to the Chord but did lack weight but for the money...... The Bigbottle slam dunked the lot. Now I need to listen to the Keris and maybe compare it against the original Bigbottle. Oliver can live with the budget cable for a bit! |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 27, 2020 21:12:21 GMT
The Spotfire speaker cables haven't been in your system since you had the 2M black retipped, has it?
I wonder if that new found balance with the cart may have played a part, but yes they can sound a bit darker, if the system doesn't have a brighter sound.
However, it does lend itself to absolutely stunning midrange and the texture is the best of any cable I have tried.
I'll happily loan you the Keris, but I don't listen to sub £500 speaker cables these day, so the Spotfire need to come back hahahaha, 😆
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 27, 2020 21:23:25 GMT
The Spotfire speaker cables haven't been in your system since you had the 2M black retipped, has it? I wonder if that new found balance with the cart may have played a part, but yes they can sound a bit darker, if the system doesn't have a brighter sound. However, it does lend itself to absolutely stunning midrange and the texture is the best of any cable I have tried. I'll happily loan you the Keris, but I don't listen to sub £500 speaker cables these day, so the Spotfire need to come back hahahaha, 😆 I am listening to Aldous at the moment and the midrange and vocals are stunning, lush,detailed,atmospheric,lucid,natural,smooth and in the room. |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 27, 2020 21:33:02 GMT
The Spotfire speaker cables haven't been in your system since you had the 2M black retipped, has it? I wonder if that new found balance with the cart may have played a part, but yes they can sound a bit darker, if the system doesn't have a brighter sound. However, it does lend itself to absolutely stunning midrange and the texture is the best of any cable I have tried. I'll happily loan you the Keris, but I don't listen to sub £500 speaker cables these day, so the Spotfire need to come back hahahaha, 😆 I am listening to Aldous at the moment and the midrange and vocals are stunning, lush,detailed,atmospheric,lucid,natural,smooth and in the room. They have that quality dont they...to remove the film that keeps things at arms length. I love those cables dearly. It may sound odd, but I've never found anything like them |
|
|
|
Post by firebottle on Aug 28, 2020 6:27:56 GMT
I am listening to Aldous at the moment and the midrange and vocals are stunning, lush,detailed,atmospheric,lucid,natural,smooth and in the room. They have that quality dont they...to remove the film that keeps things at arms length. I love those cables dearly. It may sound odd, but I've never found anything like them You're the man Oli with cables, with your wide research pattern, perhaps guru comes to mind |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 28, 2020 6:39:43 GMT
I am listening to Aldous at the moment and the midrange and vocals are stunning, lush,detailed,atmospheric,lucid,natural,smooth and in the room. They have that quality dont they...to remove the film that keeps things at arms length. I love those cables dearly. It may sound odd, but I've never found anything like them I can now understand why your systen sounds as it does. Take away those cables and you would loose a lot. In fact your digital would go thinner and bright. Your soundstage will shrink and you not have the mid/bass texture coming through. |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 28, 2020 7:29:11 GMT
They have that quality dont they...to remove the film that keeps things at arms length. I love those cables dearly. It may sound odd, but I've never found anything like them I can now understand why your systen sounds as it does. Take away those cables and you would loose a lot. In fact your digital would go thinner and bright. Your soundstage will shrink and you not have the mid/bass texture coming through. Absolutely right. I'll lend you a pair of BB-Keris and you can report back in those. They are unlike anything you will have tried before. Drop me a text when you're passing and we'll do a quick change over |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 28, 2020 7:45:28 GMT
Just a thought jimbo Did you connect the ground wires? |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 28, 2020 8:02:57 GMT
Just a thought jimbo Did you connect the ground wires? No I did not. Do you think they mske much difference. I did not think so last time I borrowed them? |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 28, 2020 8:03:29 GMT
Might be coming past your Gaff today so get ready for quick unplug!
|
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 28, 2020 9:05:28 GMT
Get the wire attached....see what happens.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 28, 2020 12:37:58 GMT
Get the wire attached....see what happens. Grounding wires now attached to a proper grounding screw I never knew existed on the Croft amp until I looked closely and had the lid off. Nice surprise.
I would continue listening tonight and over the weekend and let you know if it has made a difference.....?
|
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,398
|
Post by Bigman80 on Aug 28, 2020 12:44:15 GMT
Get the wire attached....see what happens. Grounding wires now attached to a proper grounding screw I never knew existed on the Croft amp until I looked closely and had the lid off. Nice surprise.
I would continue listening tonight and over the weekend and let you know if it has made a difference.....?
Ok, cool. An update would be awesome |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 30, 2020 6:34:34 GMT
Another listen last night to the Spotfire Bigbottle speaker cable and this time with the earth leads attached. Although I was not expecting much difference it did have an influence on the sound. Most significantly it controlled the bass. Instead of being a bit flabby it tightened it up and it sounded a lot more controlled, a bit like moving from an unregulated amp to a regulated. Now in some ways depending on how you hear this you may feel you loose some of the natural dynamic expansion but this is probably not accurate to the recording or really what your system should be doing. The control the earth lead brings about does mean you listen to a slightly more focussed sound and as I say especially in the bass which is really a good thing.
I have pondered this controlling aspect of equipment and cables for sometime especially as I have a regulated preamp and none regulated power amp. I could have had both regulated or non regulated or the other way round but I found that the combination I have works well with my speakers. Generally I think folk would feel regulation oand control is the way to go but sometimes it can go too far. However if you do have flabby or uncontrolled bass or room odes that boom this has got to be the way to go.You may then just need bigger speakers to get more bass?
The Bigbottle speaker cable sounded magnificent with vocals and projected a very wide soundstage that was expansive and smooth. Instruments and details did not pop out like they did with my Chord cable but they were there none the less. Vocals had a realism too them and the tonal texture of instruments sounded superb. Again it sounded generally bigger that my CHord allowing my speakers to sound bigger than they atually are.
If anyone is a cable sceptic and just wants to see how much they do have an influence on your system then they need to borrow this cable as it has an immediate and profound effect.
|
|
|
|
Post by karma67 on Aug 30, 2020 6:59:26 GMT
Another listen last night to the Spotfire Bigbottle speaker cable and this time with the earth leads attached. Although I was not expecting much difference it did have an influence on the sound. Most significantly it controlled the bass. Instead of being a bit flabby it tightened it up and it sounded a lot more controlled, a bit like moving from an unregulated amp to a regulated. Now in some ways depending on how you hear this you may feel you loose some of the natural dynamic expansion but this is probably not accurate to the recording or really what your system should be doing. The control the earth lead brings about does mean you listen to a slightly more focussed sound and as I say especially in the bass which is really a good thing.
I have pondered this controlling aspect of equipment and cables for sometime especially as I have a regulated preamp and none regulated power amp. I could have had both regulated or non regulated or the other way round but I found that the combination I have works well with my speakers. Generally I think folk would feel regulation oand control is the way to go but sometimes it can go too far. However if you do have flabby or uncontrolled bass or room odes that boom this has got to be the way to go.You may then just need bigger speakers to get more bass?
The Bigbottle speaker cable sounded magnificent with vocals and projected a very wide soundstage that was expansive and smooth. Instruments and details did not pop out like they did with my Chord cable but they were there none the less. Vocals had a realism too them and the tonal texture of instruments sounded superb. Again it sounded generally bigger that my CHord allowing my speakers to sound bigger than they atually are.
If anyone is a cable sceptic and just wants to see how much they do have an influence on your system then they need to borrow this cable as it has an immediate and profound effect.
they look like a twisted pair from the pic,are they shielded? |
|
|
|
Post by jimbo on Aug 30, 2020 7:05:48 GMT
I cannot tell you that Kevin (Admin: That's Jamie lol), this is only a pic of the end of the cable but I agree under the sheathing they do look twisted. Not sure what else is lurking inder this monster!
|
|
