CANARE GS-6 Speaker Cables
CANARE GS-6 Speaker Cables
USER REVIEWS
[May 08, 2004]
masstar
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
quality construction dual shielding 75 ohm crimp connectors nice looking
Weakness:
cables in general may be a placebo As a follow up to my previous review... A fellow Audioreview member suggested I run some tests to substantiate what I heard with these new wires...The test is the tape/monitor jumper test - of a cable versus no cable. As it turns out, I discovered a faulty wire in my system that may have attributed to much of the sound "improvements' I heard when it was replaced. All the other wires sounded very close the same (transparent) as far as I could tell. Sooo, the improvements in my system are probably more attributable to simply replacing old wires with new ones, rather than the 'musical" integrity of L-5CFB. What I can say about L-5CFB is that it is absolutely neutral to music as far as I can tell, and that’s good right? In the end I’m back on the fence and playing it down the middle. My system is sounding great and that may be in part due to L-5CFB, or it may be that all wires are the same. I don’t have the time or the expertise or even the desire to know. If wires do make a difference then L-5CFB should be as good as almost anything out there…and if they’re all the same then I only paid a nominal amount to wire my system with some nice looking wires that Im proud of having made myself. Sorry I can’t be more concrete in my review…the great cable debate goes on I guess. But not for me, I’m done with it. And happy to be out! |
[May 06, 2004]
masstar
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
DIY, sounds great, low price.
Weakness:
None. This review is really for the Canare “System”, but to be specific, I used their L-5CFB coax wire and 75-ohm RCA crimp plugs. (L-5CFB is similar to GS-6 but with a solid core and lower capacitance.) This whole thing started as a desire to upgrade to a surround system and take advantage of the new DTS music DVDs that have been more available recently. In case you don’t know what this is, it’s a re-mastering of albums from the studio tapes in 5.1 surround…rather than 2-channel stereo. Cool stuff. So this was no small undertaking…I had to get an additional amp, a new DTS decoder, speakers, a better DVD player, and of course…new wire. I have never been a believer in wire, but I couldn’t put that out-of-the-box stuff on my system, so I paid for the basic upgrades, some monster cable - or in the case of my main-to-pre-amp connection…some Tara Labs Prism 22. Not top of the line stuff, just enough to do the job I always thought…the rest is just hype right? So this time I decided I wasn’t going to shell out to the retailers for wire…If you want it done right do it yourself – and it was a fun project. I didn’t expect my system to sound any better really, just thought id make some new wire, and while I was at it…replace the old stuff. I researched the hell out of it on the net…what makes good wire? Where can I get some at wholesale prices? How can I do it myself with the least amount of hassle? I chose the Canare no-solder RCA end links (which maintains 75 ohms unlike soldered plugs) and their L-5CFB wire (for its foil, foam and braided copper shielding, low capacitance, and 18 AWG core. I bought all the stuff, including some aesthetic stuff like shrink wrap and rubber boots, and took it all home and went to work. Took about 3 hours to make 9 cables. I was going to wait and hook it all up with my new surround stuff but thought id just replace the CD-Preamp-Amp wires first and see if I could tell the difference…I didn’t expect to, and was a little worried that it might sound worse. This is getting long so Ill try to finish up…It was WAY better! I had always been suspicious that my system was under-performing and chalked it up to the room, bad recordings etc. It was the WIRE. Lows, mids, and highs - across the board it was much cleaner and more detailed…no more tinny highs, much tighter base, easier vocals. I was actually shocked - and mad that I had been listening to that muddied crap all these years. Thanks to Blue Jeans Cable for many of the ideas and advice, and to whoever it was that took the time to post this killer DIY. - http://www.bus.ucf.edu/cwhite/theater/diycable.htm This cable system is a giant killer! Well, from my limited perspective anyway. Marantz AV-600 pre-amp Marantz DP-870 digital processor Marantz CD-63 CD player Hafler DH-220 power amp McIntosh MC 2200 power amp Definitive Tech BP-20s and 10s Canare 4S11 speaker wire Canare L-5CFB interconnects! Similar Products Used: Monster Cable inter-link 300 Tara Labs Prism 22 |
[Jul 14, 2003]
Bearenzo
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Reasonable price and reliable quality,Very natural sound, suit any kind of music.
Weakness:
long break-in time and not very fancy looking if I have to be picky. I bought this GS6 interconnect for 10 years and I'm still using it.And I bought a lots of other interconnects during the time but no one can provide me as natural sound as GS6. If you just wanna sit down and enjoy the music and forget about buying new equipment. this is it. Similar Products Used: Audioquest, Kimber, Siltech,audio technica |
[Mar 14, 2002]
Bonger
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
quality cable construction, reasonably priced, all purpose use
Weakness:
no directions on the cables After purchasing my new DVD player, I needed interconnects to hook up for DVD audio. As I required 4 sets of RCA''s, anything descent would have cost almost as much as my DVD player itself. I surfed the net and explored the option of building my own cables and found that most of the cost of cables is from the labor work. I went down to the local electronics store and was recommended these cables and rca plugs. As I have not used other high name brand cables, I can surely say there is a noticable improvement in sound quality...can''t say lots. But, there is slightly more detail and dynamic range compared to the cheap interconnects that came free with the DVD player. The benefits of constructing your own cable is that you know exactly what parts went into it. I''m definetely happy about building my own cables as something similar on the market would easily be 2x/3x the price |
[Dec 26, 2001]
John T.
Audiophile
Strength:
The best bottom-end (bass)
Weakness:
veiled, not entirely accurate or detailed This has a very thick lead wire, and it carries bass like nobody's business. I replaced all my subwoofer cable with this and am extremely pleased with the results. I wouldn't recommend this for regular audio, just subwoofer use. (Try the StraightWire Chorus - the best affordable cable out there.) I also use this cable for my bass-producing equipment in my recording studio and keyboard rig - works great! Similar Products Used: Straightwire Chorus, Wireworld Atlantis II (the best cable!) |
[May 05, 2001]
Marc
Audiophile
Strength:
balanced sound quality, fully shielded, low capacitance, very flexible, great value
Weakness:
not the most transparent cable in the world, but pretty damn good
Similar Products Used: Kimber PBJ, Audioquest, Tara Labs, Cardas Microtwin/Golden Cross, etc. etc. |
[Nov 19, 1999]
David Kelly
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
This "guitar wire" conveys muchmore information at both ends than the Audioquest Turquoise i replaced with it, VERY quiet and neutral.
Weakness:
Not marked for direction. You have to cut the neatly rubber-banded pairs apart, listen to each piece in both directions, mark the amp ends and tape the pairs back together. Switchcraft RCAs are not gold-plated. Amazing stuff at the price, which is $29.99 a 3-foot stereo pair from Markertek, but you have to test each piece for direction youself, so add what your time's worth. Similar Products Used: MIT terminator 3, Auidioquest Turquoise, Kimber PBJ |
[Apr 03, 1999]
Jeff
an Audio Enthusiast
This is a Canare's best interconnect and well worth the extra money over the Star Quad. Bass is much deeper and highs are smooth without being rolled off. It compares favorably to cables costing much more. Beats Kimber PBJ, Audioquest through the Quartz line and the lower priced MIT cables. 5 stars for value, 4 stars for sound. This cable can be ordered directly from Canare, and they will custom make it with your choice of connectors. |