JBL Speaker Cable!

[coherent_guy]

I came across this on the JBL Home Japan website, not one but two kinds of JBL speaker cable. Check it out here:

http://www.harman-japan.co.jp/produc...00_jsc500.html

I can't read the japanese but the english titles and the pictures give some clues. Is this cable a combo of copper and silver or silver plated wire? The "alternate spiral stranding" is similar to what Cardas calls their "cross" cable structure. The multi gauge conductor, a cable composed of multiple strands of varying gauge wire, is a style used by many manufactuers, such as Cardas, Kimber, and Monster Cable.

So, what do you all think? The prices are 1200 and 600 yen, which is $10.27 and $5.14, that I would think is the per meter or foot price. Think we'll see this in the US market? Would you give this cable a try? Does anyone have any? I'd like to check it out. Is it possible to purchase things from the JBL Japan website?

[edgewound]

It's your money. If you can hear a difference....go for it. If you think you hear a difference, take a break....then listen again.


Harman Japan is not above separating you from your money to further their cause.

[boputnam]

If you think you hear a difference, take a break....then listen again.

The "alternate spiral stranding" ...

...looks like what us plebes call (dual) "twisted pair". Always preferable to side-by-side (the other choice shown...)

[richluvsound]

...looks like what us plebes call (dual) "twisted pair". Always preferable to side-by-side (the other choice shown...)

Hi bo,
I know nothing about about cables , so any insight would be very useful.
And thank you for your post on my Bryston questions .I must admit I'm leaning towards QSC . I can buy both QSC's new for what the same price as one used Bryston 4 ssd. Which models should I look out for ?

Regards,Rich

[coherent_guy]

...looks like what us plebes call (dual) "twisted pair". Always preferable to side-by-side (the other choice shown...)

uhh, you might want to put your glasses on, or actually look at the second picture. NOT that it matters to you anyway. Enjoy!

[jim campbell]

Hi bo,
I know nothing about about cables , so any insight would be very useful.
And thank you for your post on my Bryston questions .I must admit I'm leaning towards QSC . I can buy both QSC's new for what the same price as one used Bryston 4 ssd. Which models should I look out for ?

Regards,Rich

the bitter taste of poor quality lasts much longer than the sweetness of the low price..............i dont mean to dis the qsc but i would audition both befofe you spend your hard earned sterling.imho the brystons are worth it.if i didnt believe that id sell you mine

[boputnam]

uhh, you might want to put your glasses on, or actually look at the second picture.

(see attached - maybe this will help...)

NOT that it matters to you anyway.

What...?

I know nothing about about cables , so any insight would be very useful.

Twisted pair is recommended for RF rejection - near as good as shielded...

the bitter taste of poor quality lasts much longer than the sweetness of the low price...

A truism...!

[louped garouv]

Twisted pair is recommended for RF rejection - near as good as shielded...

I can attest to that....

had a real bad RF issue when I went with an active crossover, got some (pretty cheap) twisted pair cable, problem cleared right up....

[coherent_guy]

Bo,

While what you have posted is true, it has nothing to do with what I posted regarding the description of the cable on the JBL Japan website. I have included the second picture below.

If you visited the JBL Japan site and the page describing the speaker cables, you could see what they call "Alternating Spiral Stranding", which can be seen in the picture below. Each layer or level of strands within an individual conductor is wound in the opposite direction of the one below it. As the next layer of individual strands are wound over the previous layer, the direction of the winding is changed, so the wires in each layer cross over each other at an angle, almost if not perpendicular, rather than parallel to each other.

If we number the four individual images in the picture below from left to right, one, two, three, and four, images two and four show the winding geometry of the layers of strands. I don't think it is difficult to see the changing direction in the layers of wires. Unfortunately, I don't have a translation of the text in Japanese that accompanies the English title of "Alternate Spiral Stranding", which I imagine would describe the structure and its purpose. This type of winding geometry is used by Cardas and by Shunyata, and is not a twisted pair or "star quad" design, as named by Canare. As can be seen, this has nothing to do with a twisted pair, but describes the lay of the strands within the individual conductors, four of which are used in the JSC1000, a twisted pair design, and two in the JSC600, a parallel pair.

I hope this clears things up.

[boputnam]

...what you have posted is true...

I hope this clears things up.

No, I got that part. But, being a self professed plebe, as I stated, I focussed on pictures 1 and 2 of things that I could understand, and which I think matter - that being twisted pair vs side-by-side ("zip cord").

There's been a number of threads here about cable "technology" - such as What can cables do...? or even the Slicing the BS... thread. Maybe this should have been added to them (deleting, of course, my obviously superfluous and insane posts...)?

It's your money. If you can hear a difference....go for it. If you think you hear a difference, take a break....then listen again.

This is quite sane, and should be a sticky.

I'll tell you what - JBL had some hoses at CES 2007 running to the Everest II. Either they really mean it, or really wanna sell them. Dunno which. I'm too embarrassed to show you mine...

[scott fitlin]

Well, in one of the Drew Daniels articles he stated wire is wire. I actually like ordinary wire myself, but, these days assoteric wires make an item more saleable.

JBL does have a marketing dept. Marketing knows they gotta do certain things to sell the goods.

[coherent_guy]

...looks like what us plebes call (dual) "twisted pair". Always preferable to side-by-side (the other choice shown...)

I simply described what JBL Japan calls their Alternate Spiraling Strand. I thought you called it dual twisted pair. You later described dual twisted pair. I said your description of dual twisted pair was correct, but not what I was referring to.

No, I got that part. But, being a self professed plebe, as I stated, I focussed on pictures 1 and 2 of things that I could understand, and which I think matter - that being twisted pair vs side-by-side ("zip cord").

There's been a number of threads here about cable "technology" - such as What can cables do...? or even the Slicing the BS... thread. Maybe this should have been added to them (deleting, of course, my obviously superfluous and insane posts...)?

This is quite sane, and should be a sticky.

I'll tell you what - JBL had some hoses at CES 2007 running to the Everest II. Either they really mean it, or really wanna sell them. Dunno which. I'm too embarrassed to show you mine...

I was merely clarifying my post and the apparent misunderstanding, no other implication was made by me. I had never seen a speaker cable made by JBL, I thought it was interesting and that others might find it to be as well.

[coherent_guy]

JBL does have a marketing dept. Marketing knows they gotta do certain things to sell the goods.

I read recently in the forum somewhere that the diamond pattern surround found on compression driver diaphragms was a marketing thing only, or a quick fix for a FR problem. That's a shame if so. Or is it a marketing thing now to say that the diamond surround is no good compared to the new and improved one, whatever it may be?

[Mr. Widget]

I read recently in the forum somewhere that the diamond pattern surround found on compression driver diaphragms was a marketing thing only, or a quick fix for a FR problem. That's a shame if so. Or is it a marketing thing now to say that the diamond surround is no good compared to the new and improved one, whatever it may be?

Unlike cables, surrounds are part of a mechanical system. Change the surround and you change the performance... JBL pioneered the diamond surround, some have copied it and others have not.

According to some engineers it is effective at controlling secondary resonances of the diaphragm to extend the higher frequency response as JBL claims but it also adds smaller less noticeable break up modes. JBL uses the diamond surround because they believe it is the best compromise in diaphragm design. These are real engineering issues... not BS and marketing hype.


Widget

[Rolf]

I was merely clarifying my post and the apparent misunderstanding, no other implication was made by me. I had never seen a speaker cable made by JBL, I thought it was interesting and that others might find it to be as well.

And you are right. "Others" find this very interesting, but as you probably know every attempt to say that "wires make a difference in sound" will be killed by some here, as well as on other forums.

If JBL uses these inside their speakers I trust them in that it has a purpose, and making the sound better. What I do not know is if these cables is suitable from amp to speaker. If they are they are a true find for only $10 a meter (about 3ft). The ones I use now is much much more costly.