What kind of Cables are you using for your 4345s, or any type of Horn speakers ?

[jamdel]

Dear all,

What kind of speaker cables are you using for your 4345s, or any type of Horn speakers, to tone down the harshness and "In your face" kind of results ?
Is Nordost in your menu ?

Thanks for your reply...

[Mr. Widget]

What kind of speaker cables are you using for your 4345s, or any type of Horn speakers, to tone down the harshness and "In your face" kind of results ?

I use horns that are very much not in my face... and I get the desired results with every wire I use... cheap basic copper is my preference.


Not to reinvigorate a flaming controversy, but if you are experiencing a sound that is hard, harsh, in your face etc... wire is not the solution. Using the proper electronics might help, but look at your speaker first. If you are using genuine JBL 4345s... they are helped by a bit of taming with an equalizer.

Bo has posted on several threads describing his experiences... I have heard the results and concur with his solutions.


Widget

[Robh3606]

Hello jamdel

I have 4344 clones and run them with standard good quality 12 ga. speaker wire. Nothing special. I agree with Widget look at the speakers first. They way they are designed they can peel paint if the levels are not correct on the midrange and compression drivers. I can adjust the L-Pads on my 4344's to make them sound like garbage if I want.

You could also have a problem with the L-Pads as well. I would write down the settings and run the L-Pads through there complete rotations a couple of times. That will clean the whiper on the pots. Return them to where they were and if it's still in you face turn down the horn in 1db steps. See if that helps.

If you can get your hands on an RTA to see how they look. You should be able to get them very flat if desired or roll them off a bit as well with just the L-Pad adjustments. The link shows you an in room RTA measurement of 4344.

http://www.audioheritage.org/photopo...=500&ppuser=23

Rob

[Tom Brennan]

I use whatever is handy---zip-cord, some Parts Express flat speaker wire I bought because it is....flat, that real skinny stuff that comes with a Sonic Impact amp and speakers---whatever.

[brutal]

No horns, but I'm starting to use 6moons DIY Whitelightning Moonshine cables.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/w...moonshine.html

[mech986]

Be sure that your 4345's have the proper 2308 or L91 slant lenses over the midrange.

If you are really having trouble, you could also consider having the 2420 mid driver checked to see if the diaphragm is OK. If it need replacement, then consider a JBL aluminum unit or a titanium aquaplassed diaphragm.

Be sure the midbass driver is in good condition and the seals are all tight on all drivers.

Always check to see the speaker is operating at it normal and nominal designed parameters first.

Bart

[BMWCCA]

I'm starting to use 6moons DIY Whitelightning Moonshine cables.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/w...moonshine.html

I'm about to make a set of four speaker cables for my bi-amped 4345s from this idea. Anyone have anything discouraging to say before I waste a perfectly good $7 outdoor extension cord on this project?

[jcrobso]

I use whatever is handy---zip-cord, some Parts Express flat speaker wire I bought because it is....flat, that real skinny stuff that comes with a Sonic Impact amp and speakers---whatever.

I used 16ga zip cord or 14-2 power cable for years before all this fancy speaker wire came on the market. I'm not trying to start anything but any wire 16~12ga will do the job.
Horn speakers do have a tendency to sound in you face(it's there lot in life) at others have said try changing the L pads. John

[Doc Mark]

Morning, Jamdel,

When we first got our L300's home, the horns were WAY too much of a good thing, and very "in your face"!! They sounded harsh and "spitty" to both me and Sweet Bride. But, all it took to get them just right, was to crank them way down with the L-pads. A bit of experimenting, and we soon found the setting that makes them sing sweetly, and naturally, with no more harsh and "spitty" sound! If this doesn't work for you, then check out what the other guys have suggested, too. When they are working properly, and have been setup for your listening environment, they should not be "in your face", but should offer you wonderful dynamic range, and at the same time, sweet, natural sound. Good luck, have fun getting them dialed-in, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[boputnam]

I ... run ... standard good quality 12 ga. speaker wire.

You've gotten lots of good advice.

I'm with Rob on this, and I use twisted-pair. Keep lengths the same and short as possible...

[SEAWOLF97]

Back in the days (1972/3 ?) that I didnt have 2 nickles to rub together and cudnt even afford RailroadShack speaker wire , somewhere I came up with a big roll of 4 (solid) wire telephone cable ( you know, that stuff with pink casing) ..anyway I ran it to a speaker and twisted 2 wires into one , for each terminal , surprisingly , it sounded very good....wouldnt hesitate to do it again , (after the upcoming depression)

[frank23]

hmmm, a "what cables" thread, a recipe for high-end vs. plain copper works for me...

I use Van den Hul cs-122 for my low and high and Kimber 8TC for the mid driver. The 8TC sounds better than cs-122, but is much more expensive so that is why I use the 2x3m of 8TC that I have for my mid, the most critical part of the spectrum (200-1800Hz in my speakers).

For interlinks I use Van den Hul "The First" and "The Second" carbon cables.

I have an active 3-way system, that´s why I need to tri-amp and tri-wire.

Did the cables make it sound less harsh? They didn't need to in my case. I think interlinks can mess up your sound quite easily. Speaker cables do more with the ambience I think and do not create harshness. And I don't think you can EQ-out harshness. I think harshness is down to some factors you can influence like equipment and down to a factor that you can only influence if you are going for it. That factor is the crossover inside the speaker and its connections.

Btw., what is most important for good sound is good capacitors in your crossover and no "bi-amp" switches like JBL's sometimes have. Each capacitor type has its unique sound and I find our compression drivers are very sensitive to that. No wonder I think JBL itself is using biased capacitors (what is it called) in its high-end crossovers itself.

[MikeBrewster77]

(what is it called)

Charge-Coupled

[tom1040]

Quote: Was someone complaining about something "in your face"?


Yes. The OP.

[midlife]

I'm using vintage 1970s cables "included" with your cassette recorder purchase rca's. Lamp cord speaker wire. Intend to upgrade when the system gets to its permanent install. What are good connects & speaker cable that are reasonably priced. (ie; that I can afford to buy and not finance).