2michaud
02-23-2008, 01:13 PM
:oSo, I apologize for the long wait for this review, as I have been ridiculously busy with departmental exams, a full-time job, and getting accepted into college. But as promised, here is my review of Bill Ayotte’s custom-made speaker cable.
I have long been aware of the ongoing debate over whether or not expensive speaker cable makes any difference at all over el-cheapo cable. I have to say that for the longest time I was completely undecided in this matter. I was perfectly content with the 18-gauge speaker wire that was included with my Logitech Z-5500 computer speakers. I connected everything as it should have been, and I was on my way.
That was, until I got my Polk’s. I set my first set of loudspeakers up with 12 gauge Home Depot wire and never looked back. I figured they needed something a little heavier than the 18 gauge from my Logitech’s. I guess you could say this is when I started to lean closer towards the believing side than the naysayer side. So fast forward about 5 months, Bill’s cables finally arrive at my house.
Upon first seeing the cables in person, I was highly impressed and awed by the fine detail and craftsmanship that had gone into these two cables. From the braided covers to the locking banana plugs, the cables seemed to scream hifi. Not to mention the overall thickness of the cables compared to my 12 gauge Home Depot wire. These were my first impressions.
Finally, I had the day off of work and school - a rare occurrence. I decided I would hook up the cables, sit down with a couple cans, and have a listen. The process of connecting the banana plugs to my Harman Kardon AVR-247 was very simple, and the connection felt very good. However, I found the spades to be a little bit cumbersome and hard to work with on the other end. It was tricky to get the nuts tightened firmly onto the spades without one of the prongs going up into the hollow part of the nut. But in the end, I got the spades connected to my satisfaction. I disconnected my subwoofer, surrounds, and centre so that I could enjoy the RTi8’s on their own with the cables being the only thing between my speakers and amp.
I realize that this next part will be of great controversy, and no matter what I say, someone out there will be shaking their heads thinking what I fool I am. As I said before, I was riding the fence in the whole issue, neither a naysayer, nor a believer. Upon receiving my Polks, I would have to say that I became a more of a believer than a naysayer, and that is where I have sat for a long time.
I sat down, a good distance away from the speakers to form an equilateral triangle between my and the speakers as all experts recommend. I turned the volume up to a decent level, and turned on one of my favourite tracks – one that I was use to. This way I would be able to really tell the difference between the two species of wire.
After about 25 seconds, I was disappointed. I know half of the people bothering to read this far are likely going to stop here. Please stay with me. I felt that there was really no noticeable difference between what I had heard before with the Home Depot wire and what I was hearing then with the fancy stuff.
I went into this with a completely open attitude, and I was even a little bit biased. I wanted to hear a difference. I wanted to discover a whole new realm of high-fidelity audio, and sound. Unfortunately, these cables failed to fulfill these possibly lofty expectations.
Having said this, there is more fat to chew. I realize that my speakers are not the best sounding speakers out there, and they won’t ever compare to some of the speakers you fellas own. It may be, that speakers with built-in subwoofers can benefit from cables such as these. I also realize that I was using CD’s in a DVD player as opposed to vinyl. Lastly, my amplifier is rated at 50 WPC high current (some say equivalent to 100 WPC). It could be that with more power, cables such as these will begin to shine….which starts a whole new debate – whether or not high WPC really makes a difference…
The final word: I, myself, with my speakers, could not hear any difference between the cables from Bill Ayotte and my Home Depot 12 gauge. However I acknowledge the possibility that in different circumstances, these cables may sound as fantastic as they look.
Thank You’s:
Bill Ayotte, for making such a fine piece of work and generously passing them on.
Joe Armideo, for passing these cables on once more, and shipping them to me so professionally, free of charge.
Club Polk Members, for your encouragement and product wisdom over the months.
2michaud :)
I have long been aware of the ongoing debate over whether or not expensive speaker cable makes any difference at all over el-cheapo cable. I have to say that for the longest time I was completely undecided in this matter. I was perfectly content with the 18-gauge speaker wire that was included with my Logitech Z-5500 computer speakers. I connected everything as it should have been, and I was on my way.
That was, until I got my Polk’s. I set my first set of loudspeakers up with 12 gauge Home Depot wire and never looked back. I figured they needed something a little heavier than the 18 gauge from my Logitech’s. I guess you could say this is when I started to lean closer towards the believing side than the naysayer side. So fast forward about 5 months, Bill’s cables finally arrive at my house.
Upon first seeing the cables in person, I was highly impressed and awed by the fine detail and craftsmanship that had gone into these two cables. From the braided covers to the locking banana plugs, the cables seemed to scream hifi. Not to mention the overall thickness of the cables compared to my 12 gauge Home Depot wire. These were my first impressions.
Finally, I had the day off of work and school - a rare occurrence. I decided I would hook up the cables, sit down with a couple cans, and have a listen. The process of connecting the banana plugs to my Harman Kardon AVR-247 was very simple, and the connection felt very good. However, I found the spades to be a little bit cumbersome and hard to work with on the other end. It was tricky to get the nuts tightened firmly onto the spades without one of the prongs going up into the hollow part of the nut. But in the end, I got the spades connected to my satisfaction. I disconnected my subwoofer, surrounds, and centre so that I could enjoy the RTi8’s on their own with the cables being the only thing between my speakers and amp.
I realize that this next part will be of great controversy, and no matter what I say, someone out there will be shaking their heads thinking what I fool I am. As I said before, I was riding the fence in the whole issue, neither a naysayer, nor a believer. Upon receiving my Polks, I would have to say that I became a more of a believer than a naysayer, and that is where I have sat for a long time.
I sat down, a good distance away from the speakers to form an equilateral triangle between my and the speakers as all experts recommend. I turned the volume up to a decent level, and turned on one of my favourite tracks – one that I was use to. This way I would be able to really tell the difference between the two species of wire.
After about 25 seconds, I was disappointed. I know half of the people bothering to read this far are likely going to stop here. Please stay with me. I felt that there was really no noticeable difference between what I had heard before with the Home Depot wire and what I was hearing then with the fancy stuff.
I went into this with a completely open attitude, and I was even a little bit biased. I wanted to hear a difference. I wanted to discover a whole new realm of high-fidelity audio, and sound. Unfortunately, these cables failed to fulfill these possibly lofty expectations.
Having said this, there is more fat to chew. I realize that my speakers are not the best sounding speakers out there, and they won’t ever compare to some of the speakers you fellas own. It may be, that speakers with built-in subwoofers can benefit from cables such as these. I also realize that I was using CD’s in a DVD player as opposed to vinyl. Lastly, my amplifier is rated at 50 WPC high current (some say equivalent to 100 WPC). It could be that with more power, cables such as these will begin to shine….which starts a whole new debate – whether or not high WPC really makes a difference…
The final word: I, myself, with my speakers, could not hear any difference between the cables from Bill Ayotte and my Home Depot 12 gauge. However I acknowledge the possibility that in different circumstances, these cables may sound as fantastic as they look.
Thank You’s:
Bill Ayotte, for making such a fine piece of work and generously passing them on.
Joe Armideo, for passing these cables on once more, and shipping them to me so professionally, free of charge.
Club Polk Members, for your encouragement and product wisdom over the months.
2michaud :)