Hifi cables from the UK

[deepakgang]

Hi Friends,

Im in the UK for few months now and so thought I will check if I can get some bargain hifi components from here. So I just wanted to post this question to learn if I can get cheap cables from the UK for my components. Here are my components:

NAD - PreAmp
NAD - PowerAmp
CA - CDP
Speakers - Monitor Audio

SO I require 2 interconnects and the speaker cables.. It will be really helpful if anyone could share there expertise in selecting some suitable cables for me.. My budget is not too high. Will I get anything around 30 pounds (per cable?)

Thanks
Deepak

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Or even 3 pounds per cable! :lol:

Richer Sounds might be a good place to look. Here's their interconnect site page. The seem to have a rather restricted manufacturer range, though, these days. My eye caught something at GBP20 recommended by them as minimum for a good cd source cable.

Where are you in UK? If we know a locality, people might be able to recommend specific hifi shops.

 

[TaureanBull]

GBP 30 is a very high range. You can get very good cables. Richer sound is a very good bet and it has lots of branches all over.

You make like to check their clearance section too.

 

[oracle1974]

Hi

You may check this link on ebay:

Chord Cobra Plus Interconnect RCA to RCA 1m Pair | eBay

Thanks

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

GBP 30 is a very high range.

Well, I did mention about GBP 3! But GBP3,000 is probably possible too

Here's some of the slightly more expensive stuff: Russ Andrews

 

[ravi_d]

I have Cambridge Audio AUD300 interconnects bought from Richer Sounds for 20. The cable is good but the plugs are so tight they feel like while removing they will rip the RCA sockets apart from the amplifier :sad: So stopped using it and bought Chord Crimson Plus interconnects.

For speaker cable Chord Carnival Silver Screen is good. There is huge difference between terminated and bare cable. The bare cable is about 5.5 /m and with terminations its about 24 extra.

 

[rameshbitra]

Recently I purchased VAN DAMME speaker cables (50 mts) from UK..I dint want to take 50 mts reel with me when i m going to leave UK..so i bought it thro Shopyourworld.com and it was neatly delivered..

VDC News

Merchant Link:
VAN DAMME|268-502L|VANDAMME HI FI SPKR CABLE 2.5 | CPC

Discussion abt this cable:
Van Damme UP LC-OFC cables - AVForums.com

 

[deepakgang]

Thanks all for the quick responses.. well Im in Southampton... I intend to check Tottenham court road when I visit London hopefully... I guess it will be cheaper online

 

[sud98]

You can try Blue Jeans Cable -- Quality Cables at Reasonable Prices

They are quite good and have very reasonable pricing.

 

[rameshbitra]

yes it is cheaper online..I have seen lots of online websites where they have lesser price than Richer sounds & Peter tyson..

 

[deepakgang]

All - Im seeing a number of deals online, eBay, riher sounds etc.
One question - should I go for unterminated wires? How and where can I get some good termination and fit to the cables if I opt for that.

 

[nandac]

>I intend to check Tottenham court road when I visit London hopefully... I guess it will >be cheaper online

exactly. tottenhem court road (right outside the tube station on the road perpendicular) is lined with electronics shops. most of them owned by desis/pakistanis/bangladeshis. you should try your luck there.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Luck is the word! Many of those shops pretend to compete with each other, but actually belong to the same company. Still, the street makes for great window shopping, and if you do find what you want at a the right price then that's a winner for you.

 

[gobble]

For speaker cable Chord Carnival Silver Screen is good. There is huge difference between terminated and bare cable. The bare cable is about 5.5 /m and with terminations its about 24 extra.

Is this termination from Chord factory or done on the spot by the dealer?

Because I heard a big difference too in a cable I borrowed (terminated) and my cable (unterminated) does not have the same snap and slam.

To phrase my question differently - Can I just get banana plugs to improve this ?

--G

 

[hydra]

...
Because I heard a big difference too in a cable I borrowed (terminated) and my cable (unterminated) does not have the same snap and slam.

Could this be because of oxidation that has built up over time in your unterminated cables? I've read that this (oxidation build-up) can affect reproduction of lower frequencies.

To phrase my question differently - Can I just get banana plugs to improve this ?

I'm interested in knowing this too. I've already bought 2 pairs of banana plugs from here (bought them on an impulse). They are supposedly gold-plated. Haven't yet taken the effort to use them yet. I just located the MX-Zone in my city, and on calling them up, I found that they have MX gold-plated banana plugs (and pin connectors) in stock. They are about 90/- per plug/connector. I've been wondering if I should just keep the eBay ones with me and use MX plugs (MX being more trustworthy).

Also is there any particular procedure we should follow when we solder the wires to the plugs? That is, is there any special kind of solder that has special advantages?

Really sorry for derailing the thread.

 

[gobble]

Could this be because of oxidation that has built up over time in your unterminated cables? I've read that this (oxidation build-up) can affect reproduction of lower frequencies.

I coated them tips with silver solder to make them like banana plugs. Still the slam and snap is missing compared to the terminated ones

Also is there any particular procedure we should follow when we solder the wires to the plugs? That is, is there any special kind of solder that has special advantages?

Really sorry for derailing the thread.

I thought these have an airlock mechanism and no solder is required?

--G

 

[hydra]

I coated them tips with silver solder to make them like banana plugs. Still the slam and snap is missing compared to the terminated ones

Ahh, silver solder! That's what I was asking about.

Perhaps the terminated ones have more contact area or something like that (just guessing). Now I have to try and terminate my cables.

I thought these have an airlock mechanism and no solder is required?

The ones I bought from eBay (the ones I've linked to) don't need soldering -- they are the screw-type (a screw secures the bare-wire to the connector).

The MX plugs I was thinking of getting will need soldering. I don't have a soldering iron at my place (not that I would know what to do with a soldering iron if I did have one), so I was thinking of taking the cables to an electronic repair shop (or to my car audio installer) to have them soldered.

Well, I still haven't been able to go to that shop and buy the banana plugs and pin connectors yet, so all this is moot right now