Dynastrand Cables and DC Gold Speakers have arrived!
We are dedicated to providing high end audio gear to the professional and high end consumer market. We cater to individuals that have an appreciation for high quality sound and high quality construction. Our goal is to help you get the best sound out of your audio system. More Below...
When I first became interested in this hobby/obsession, I had no idea that cables could make much of an impact on how a system sounded. I am embarrassed to say that I was using the cheapest lamp cable from my local hardware store and was completely clueless about the merits of high quality speaker and interconnect cables.
My education came from friends who patiently guided me through the different options and explained what all those technical spec’s meant. They taught me the difference between the wire I was using and the high quality wire that they were using, and how in ANY system, not having the right cables can limit the overall performance. Like putting cheap tires on a Formula-1 machine, the car will still move from point A to point B, but the high performance aspects will be missing. All of that high end potential goes unrealized.
The facts are that bad cables can be detrimental to the performance of your system. Even if you don’t have a high end system you can still benefit by upgrading your cables. A good set of cables is not supposed to add or subtract, but be sonically neutral and preserve the signal and sound as it was meant to be.
The Technical Aspects
What are the main differences between cheap wire and high end cables, you might ask?
High end cables are superior in many ways including:
All of these aspects affect how the signal is delivered from one hardware component to another.
Conductor Purity
You may have heard the term 6N purity. What this means is that the material- copper or silver, is 99.9999% pure (six nines before the first non-nine digit). By contrast the ETP copper that is in the electric lines around your house are around 99.95% pure, and good quality oxygen free copper (OFC) has a purity of up to 99.999%. The differences between 6N purity and the other levels may seem small, but when you consider that with each added 9, the impurities decrease by a factor of 10! Impurities such as oxygen, sulfur, iron, nickel and cobalt can result in loss of low level signals which results in loss of detail and imaging to the music. This is where purity makes the difference!
Conductor Crystal Size
In the purifying process the conductor material (copper or silver) is melted and recast to remove impurities. During the casting process, the molten metal is drawn through a die to create the wire. Depending on the purity and the method of casting, the conductor material will develop crystals of long length. This is beneficial as the fewer crystal boundaries, the better the conductivity and signal reproduction. The OCC and Monocrystal conductors in the cables sold on this website have these large crystal properties and therefore less boundaries where the signal can be affected.
Construction
The size and shape of the conductor wire make a difference. Larger wires (smaller gauge) can carry more signal, but almost always at the expense of sound quality. Visit our FAQ for information on the “Skin Effect” and how it affects signal transmission. The shape of the wire can also affect how a signal is transmitted. The rectangular conductors used by Legenburg can reduce skin effect as compared to the same gauge of round wire.
The wire configuration (the relative position of all the wires) and the materials used for the insulation (dielectric) as well as the terminations play a huge role in the overall quality of the finished product. The first time I saw the “garden hose” sized set of Legenburg cables, I was astounded at the craftsmanship and the no expense spared quality of the construction.
How much to spend?
A good rule of thumb is to spend as much on your cables as the most expensive component in your system, but that is just one person’s rationale.
How do I know which Cables will sound right in my system?
High Caliber Cable is committed to your satisfaction and can provide demos of some or our select cable lines. We are sure there is a solution that will fit your needs. Contact us and we will do our best to make you a happy customer.
When I first became interested in this hobby/obsession, I had no idea that cables could make much of an impact on how a system sounded. I am embarrassed to say that I was using the cheapest lamp cable from my local hardware store and was completely clueless about the merits of high quality speaker and interconnect cables.
My education came from friends who patiently guided me through the different options and explained what all those technical spec’s meant. They taught me the difference between the wire I was using and the high quality wire that they were using, and how in ANY system, not having the right cables can limit the overall performance. Like putting cheap tires on a Formula-1 machine, the car will still move from point A to point B, but the high performance aspects will be missing. All of that high end potential goes unrealized.
The facts are that bad cables can be detrimental to the performance of your system. Even if you don’t have a high end system you can still benefit by upgrading your cables. A good set of cables is not supposed to add or subtract, but be sonically neutral and preserve the signal and sound as it was meant to be.
The Technical Aspects
What are the main differences between cheap wire and high end cables, you might ask?
High end cables are superior in many ways including:
All of these aspects affect how the signal is delivered from one hardware component to another.
Conductor Purity
You may have heard the term 6N purity. What this means is that the material- copper or silver, is 99.9999% pure (six nines before the first non-nine digit). By contrast the ETP copper that is in the electric lines around your house are around 99.95% pure, and good quality oxygen free copper (OFC) has a purity of up to 99.999%. The differences between 6N purity and the other levels may seem small, but when you consider that with each added 9, the impurities decrease by a factor of 10! Impurities such as oxygen, sulfur, iron, nickel and cobalt can result in loss of low level signals which results in loss of detail and imaging to the music. This is where purity makes the difference!
Conductor Crystal Size
In the purifying process the conductor material (copper or silver) is melted and recast to remove impurities. During the casting process, the molten metal is drawn through a die to create the wire. Depending on the purity and the method of casting, the conductor material will develop crystals of long length. This is beneficial as the fewer crystal boundaries, the better the conductivity and signal reproduction. The OCC and Monocrystal conductors in the cables sold on this website have these large crystal properties and therefore less boundaries where the signal can be affected.
Construction
The size and shape of the conductor wire make a difference. Larger wires (smaller gauge) can carry more signal, but almost always at the expense of sound quality. Visit our FAQ for information on the “Skin Effect” and how it affects signal transmission. The shape of the wire can also affect how a signal is transmitted. The rectangular conductors used by Legenburg can reduce skin effect as compared to the same gauge of round wire.
The wire configuration (the relative position of all the wires) and the materials used for the insulation (dielectric) as well as the terminations play a huge role in the overall quality of the finished product. The first time I saw the “garden hose” sized set of Legenburg cables, I was astounded at the craftsmanship and the no expense spared quality of the construction.
How much to spend?
A good rule of thumb is to spend as much on your cables as the most expensive component in your system, but that is just one person’s rationale.
How do I know which Cables will sound right in my system?
High Caliber Cable is committed to your satisfaction and can provide demos of some or our select cable lines. We are sure there is a solution that will fit your needs. Contact us and we will do our best to make you a happy customer.
