Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
A few years ago I replaced my system's original Carol 12 gauge standard speaker cable with this cable. The difference was as if my speakers were never removed from their packing cartons. Highs were much more refined and the bass definition noticeably strenghtened. I recently upgraded my amplication but kept this cable. I was not totally satisfied with the sound of my new system, so I tried replacing this cable with DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 speaker cable. The increase in the definition of the sound was noticeably pronounced and immediate (even my wife commented on the difference). In summary, this cable is OK if you aren't too picky about your system's sound and do not want to spend a lot of money. Otherwise, definiately do not get this cable and research/shop around. The T-14 cable is slightly pricy but worth the extra cost; a good online resource for good deals on used cable and other gear is www.audiogon.com.

Strengths:
Can make a big diffence compared to basic speaker cables.

Weaknesses:
Not even close as being as good as "audiophile" grade cable.

Similar Products Used:
Basic carol 12 gauge speaker cable DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 speaker cable

Price Paid:  $30.00 from PartsExpress

Summary:
I bought the cable based on the reviews here. It was a perfect 5 at that time. I have been usingit until recently I bought a pair of used Groneberg cable. It cost me $70, but the improvement is unbelivable. The lesson I have learned is that to make you system sound better you need to compare whenever you get a chance.

Strengths:
Better than 16g cables.

Weaknesses:
Can not compete high end product.

Price Paid:  $30.00 from Ace Hardware

Summary:
I found that cable at Ace Hardware ( ?? not a good place to find a good speaker cables actually) but fisrt time I look it I knew that it is a good cable (coating with silver)
I try it at my Bose AM7 speaker and the result is very good, more bass, better clarity. I have used 3 different brand before I used this Carol.

Strengths:
I never found a silver cable at this price, very good quality.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Monster Standard Cables

Price Paid:  $50.00 from Home Depot & Parts Express

Summary:
I held off on reviewing this product for a long time because I didn't have much experience with cables. I have been using two runs of Carol Command silver plated 12 gauge wire bi-wired to my Meadowlark Kestral HRs. I found a subtle improvement between the Carol silver plated "Studio grade" wire and the standard Radio Shack 12 gauge wire.

I wanted to believe that this wire was pretty much as good as my system needed. I realized I was wrong about this when my dealer lent me a set of Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables. The difference between the Nordost and Carol cables was not subtle at all -- the Nordost was much better in every respect. Switching to the Nordost I found that everything came into focus better. Imaging had been kind of blurry with the Carol wires in my system (I didn't realize until I tried the Nordost wires). The Carol wires missed a whole level of detail that the Nordost revealed. Music had more impact, and the timing sounded better with the Nordost cables in the system. There was no downside to the improvements I heard with the Nordost cables.

I thought I could get away with doing cables on the cheap, but boy was I wrong. If you have invested a lot of money in your equipment, I think you have to spend some money on speaker cables to hear it at its best. I have come to this conclusion reluctantly -- the Nordost cables will cost me about $300 (to me this is a lot of money -- especially for speaker wire) -- but now that I have heard the difference they make I can't go back.

Equipment:
Meadowlark Kestral HR speakers
NAD C350 Integrated Amp
NAD C520 CD Player
Music Hall MMF-2 turntable (w/Grado Red)
DH Labs BL-1 Interconnects

Similar Products Used:
Nordost solar wind, Radio Shack 12 gauge

Summary:
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but i appreciate the sound coming out of my audio system valued at about $4000 .Of course you start out with the reciever , amplifier, speakers, etc.. So I have had this current system for about 1 1/2 years and now have the main sound system and were looking for better wires without mortaging my house or upping my credit card. I read the reviews here on the website and decided to give it a try after paying only .30 a foot more than what you would get for MONSTER wire at an everyday store. GET THIS STUFF!!!! It made a wide difference from day one on my system... I did an A/B test with the MONSTER wire i got at the above mentioned stores and none would come close. the A system was biwired, and the B system was single run. The B system was the CAROL brand wire and was no comparision to the "A" speaker with the MONSTER wire biwired...
Put it this way , you can have the best tv out there but with a crappy antenna it won't give you justice.
This wire is still cheap but you can get it. For $70.00 for a 50 foot roll, if you dont like it, it's not like you'll have to make up for it the next month working to compensate for the loss.

Strengths:
for about 1.50 a foot? NONE!!!,, better detail in lower range, somewhat harsh mids and highs, but havent broken in yet.Silver coated wire at a horribly low price!!!!!!

Weaknesses:
NO weaknessess for this price.

Similar Products Used:
Monster cable from Home Depot, Circuit City, Radio Shack