speaker cables and interconnects ...

OK...a little confession is in order here. I am a lifelong sceptic when it comes to high-end speaker cables and interconnects. Generic 12-gauge OFC copper cable has always been my speaker cable of choice. I have seen simply too much "snake oil" being sold where high-end cables are concerned.

But I get asked about cables and interconnects to use with my speakers all the time. And I thought if I were ever to offer any, I would certainly want to make sure they were among the best (if not the best) available. After all, if high-end cables had merit, certainly the better they were, the greater the difference they could make.

Enter Carl Smith. Carl is a trained engineer (AT&T Labs where Carl designed about 40% of all the extremely critical testing cables used in AT&T Labs) and a life-long dedicated audiophile. Carl spent a considerable amount of time and money investigating cables in a search for the absolute best wire, connectors, Teflon®, braiding methods, etc. He built and tested cables with virtually every type of high-end wire available. He left no stone un-turned to arrive at the best cables that he could possibly build using state-of-the-art methods and materials. Cables are Carl's passion. So I thought I'd give them a listen.

To my surprise, I immediately heard a difference (as did practically everyone at the Chicago Audiofest where I met Carl). And the difference was not subtle. But how could this be? It flew in the face of what I considered to be "the truth" about cables. I was so intrigued, I spent literally hours listening to Carl describe his research and methodologies. He approached cables in much the same way I approach speaker building.

One small example: he indicated that each wire in the braid occupies each and every position in the braid an equal number of times. So the capacitance and inductance of each wire in the braid is exactly the same.

After listening to his cables and then his research experiences, I became convinced that Carl had pretty much honed in on the "best" wire, the "best" connectors and the best construction methodologies available today. He really left no stone un-turned.

If cables can make a difference (and to my ears Carl's certainly seem to), then his cables should be about the best available. So if I were to offer cables, it seemed that Carl's would be a good place to start. After all, you simply can't do better than the best.

I talked to Carl about this and he agreed to custom-build his cables for use with our custom speakers. Carl's cables are not inexpensive. But neither are the materials used in their construction.

the cables

HP-6 (high performance) speaker cables

HP-6 speaker cables are bi-wire configured with the equivalent of 9AWG on the low frequency section (two 12 and two 14AWG high-purity, Teflon®-insulated, silver-clad copper wires).

The high frequency section is a 14 AWG Teflon insulated high purity silver clad copper twisted pair.

The geometry utilized is dual differential, commonly referred to as "star quad" in the broadcast industry.

Star quad configured cables are inherently "quiet" due to their high immunity to external noise fields.

Terminations for amplifier and speaker utilize clamped (not soldered) spade lugs for low distortion signal transfer.

The HP-6 is a very fast, very low distortion and subjectively quiet speaker cable.

EL-3 (entry level) interconnects

The EL-3 is an entry level interconnect with a truly shocking cost/performance ratio. The EL-3 features include:

• - Three wire braid geometry
• - High purity, (99.99+) solid silver signal conductor
• - High purity OFC signal return conductors
• - FEP Teflon® dielectric on signal and return conductors
• - Silver plated solder-less RCA locking connectors
• - Proprietary internal damping
• - Cryogenically treated

HP-3 (high performance) interconnects

The HP-3 is a high-performance, low- distortion interconnect with excellent sound stage presentation along with superb low-level signal retrieval. The HP-3 will reveal things in familiar recordings you haven't heard before. The HP-3 features include:

• - Three wire braid geometry
• - High purity, (99.99+) solid silver conductors for signal and return
• - FEP Teflon® dielectric on signal and return conductors
• - Silver plated solder-less RCA locking connectors
• - Proprietary internal damping
• - Cryogenically treated

HP-4 (high performance) interconnects

The HP-4 is a high-performance, low-distortion interconnect utilizing ultra pure (99.9999+%) continuous cast solid silver conductors for signal and return.

The HP-4 is an extremely high-definition, ultra low-distortion interconnect. Extreme clarity along with excellent sound staging are strengths of this interconnect. The HP-4 features include:

• - Four wire braid geometry
• - Ultra high purity, (99.9999+%) solid silver conductors for signal and return
• - FEP Teflon® dielectric on signal and return conductors
• - Silver plated solder-less RCA locking connectors
• - Proprietary internal damping
• - Cryogenically treated

RL-8 (reference-level) interconnects

The RL-8 interconnect is a reference-level, 8-conductor litz braided interconnect featuring superb speed, low end impact, sound staging and information retrieval.

The overall sound of this interconnect is truly outstanding. The HP-8 features:

• - Eight wire braid geometry
• - High purity, (99.99+) solid silver conductors for signal and return
• - FEP Teflon® dielectric on signal and return conductors
• - Silver plated solder-less RCA locking connectors
• - Proprietary internal damping
• - Cryogenically treated

cable pricing

Naturally, custom, hand-made cables using these types of materials are not inexpensive. But nothing was held back to deliver the best cables current technology will allow. If these cables were being sold at retail, they would cost considerably more.

contact us

Because these cables are custom-made to order, please contact us for pricing for your specific application.