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Blue Jeans, Cat 5e DIY or Audioquest speaker cable?

post #1 of 10
6/6/07 at 11:45am
Thread Starter 
Hi all. I picked up some Paradigm Reference 60 v3's on closeout and a Denon 2307 CI receiver. I'm using a Toshiba XA2 HD DVD player as a source. I'm trying to decide on which speaker cable will yield the best improvement over the monster crap cable I've used as leftovers.

Don't mind spending up to $100 but simply need about 2 pairs of 10 foot runs.
Choices are:

1) Blue Jeans 4S11 Canare - boring jacket but supposedly good sound

2) DIY Cat 5e recipe cable - from AVS forum (will they work ok on the paradigms?)

3) Audioquest GBC (?) from HCM audio (retail for $279, now $79 for pair)

Any one have experience with any of these?

Thanks
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post #2 of 10
6/6/07 at 12:29pm
Cat 5 speakers wires are a royal pain in the ass to make. Have fun on that one

Honestly, I'd keep the Monster cable and put the money in basic acoustic room treatments if you have none.

Start cheap with thick gauge zip cord if you really want to ditch the Monster cables. Then borrow more $$$ speaker wires from friends and see if you can hear a difference.

- Steve o.
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post #3 of 10
6/6/07 at 5:20pm
12AWG zip cord will do the trick. If you think that a name brand wire will make a difference then buy your own lengths of raw cable from the local HiFi dealer. I have used 12AWG stinger wire (audio store brand) for about 15 years ($0.65 per foot)
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post #4 of 10
6/6/07 at 8:24pm
CAT5e FTW
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post #5 of 10
6/7/07 at 6:28am
belden 10awg less than a 100 for 100 ft from bluejeans.
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post #6 of 10
6/10/07 at 1:13pm
I got 250' of no-name 12-gauge for like $50. No difference in sound.
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post #7 of 10
6/10/07 at 3:57pm
Ya I'm running 12gauge home depot stuff. Its all the same.
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post #8 of 10
6/10/07 at 5:44pm
CAT5e is cheaper (1000 ft for less than $100), and it only takes two runs of it per cable for a 12 gauge equivalent, and once you factor in the weaving you get around 400-450ft of cable for less than $100. All you need then are the connectors, which I got 8 for $24. I'd say CAT5e is one of the lowest prices and definitely an overall great performer.
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post #9 of 10
6/10/07 at 7:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scorch123 View Post

Cat 5 speakers wires are a royal pain in the ass to make. Have fun on that one

Steve o.

I heard it gave Paris Hilton a rash when she made it in prison.

What is it that you're looking for? Nice looking wire, probably with something like a techflex sheath that's preterminated?
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post #10 of 10
6/10/07 at 9:26pm
Quote:


Cat 5 speakers wires are a royal pain in the ass to make. Have fun on that one

Well, I can't entirely argue with you there, it will make your hands a bit tired/cramped. It's a worthwhile investment, though, and you won't need to do it many times. Besides, it makes a great candidate if your a geek like me and have a spool of 1000 ft of 23AWG cat6 handy, and another 500 feet of cat5e
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