Morrow SP3 Review (Speaker Cable)

[daftcombo]

Oops. The noise level is the same actually. I just forgot to set the 0 dB with the generic cable. I just updated the graph and both are at the same level now.

The generic cable is even cleaner now. ;-)

 

[vkvedam]

I myself not into fancy cables so appreciate debunking such stuff. I have a question to @amirm or any others, how about doing a simple test in time domain along with the frequency domain? Or is it not required?

 

[PierreV]

Headless, not piggy bank? The standards are evolving.

 

[Calvin1219]

"Morrow Audio cables differ in three major areas of design from other popular cables. Our proprietary technology removes major distortions that are common in most other cable designs. "

Maybe it has indeed less distortion compared to some "HI-END" cables

 

[frogmeat69]

Thought this would get the piggy bank panther?

 

[Francis Vaughan]

This idea, that speaker cables should have a related (series) resistance to the Amp's Ro,

Not this again. Sure it is an idea. However it has exactly no underlying physics to support it. Even the most basic circuit analysis shows that this is simply wrong. It shows a total lack of understanding of basics of physics. Even mid-grade high school physics will teach you enough to know this is just made up. Not listening in school is not an excuse to continue to pedal this rubbish.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

how about doing a simple test in time domain along with the frequency domain? Or is it not required?

Depends what you mean. Time domain and frequency domain are duals of one another. Each contains exactly the same information as the other if the bandwidth of the measurement is the same. It is just down to the most convenient and useful way you want to present the information.

 

[Loathecliff]

As the mighty Amir is sleeping, this might be the time to ponder the ever increasing panther death rate?
I appreciate it's in the interests of tradition (& science), but do so many have to be sacrificed?

 

[AudioSceptic]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Morrow SP3 premium speaker cable. It was kindly sent to me by a member. The base cost is US $149 but in the bi-wire configuration/length I have, I think the total adds up to $187. Company however has a 38% sale currently which then gets it back to the $149 or so.

Even though the terminations are stiff, I like that the cable itself is not:

View attachment 126405

The banana connectors fit well in the various devices that I tested it on. For a custom made cable, I think the price and what you get is very reasonable. I know I would have to charge you three times as much to do the same.

Our mission here is to see if we can find any differences between this cable and any other. For comparison, I reached in my bin of ancient speaker cables and found some zip cord that is at least 30 years old (no exaggeration -- I never throw anything out!). I terminated it with random, not matched banana connectors I have/bought on Amazon that would scare any high-end customer out of the room! In other words, it is hard to do worse. I estimate the gauge to be 16.

Keep in mind company statement regarding fidelity: "Morrow Audio cables differ in three major areas of design from other popular cables. Our proprietary technology removes major distortions that are common in most other cable designs. "

We will test for that!

Speaker Cable Measurements
My audio precision analyzer has balanced banana connectors on input and output so I decided to start there. While this eliminates all other instrumentation wires, it has to live within confines of audio precision which means a source impedance of 40 ohm and sink of 200K ohm. Yes, not the same as any real amp to speaker config but we will get to that later. For now, let's treat these cables as interconnects and see how they differ. First let's measure the Morrow SP3:

View attachment 126406

Notice that I boosted the AP output to 20 volts to resemble in some way the higher output voltage of an amplifier. Not that it made any difference as the performance is the same as audio precision loopback (no wire). Nothing added, nothing taken away.

Oh, the two channels are shown are each leg of the bi-wire connection. In other words, there is one output from Audio Precision and two inputs. We see that there is no difference between the two legs as it should be.

Here is the same test with my generic cheap cable:

View attachment 126415

I ran this test at slightly different time so please forgive tiny differences. Overall, the two cables are identical as far as noise, distortion and level.

Let's compare the frequency response of the SP3 against generic cable:

View attachment 126408

Note how I am testing all the way up to whopping 200 kHz (20 times over audible band) and still there is not any difference between these two cables. I have zoomed way in to just 1 dB above, and 1 dB below and we still have ruler flat response. This rules out any tonality differences in this configuration.

Some will complain that music is more "complex" so here is a complex, 32-tone signal with far higher treble response than any music:

View attachment 126409

There is just no difference at all. No distortion is removed and thankfully none added either.

Let's sweep the audible band this time looking to see if there is distortion at any frequency while measured to 90 kHz (4.5X audible band):

View attachment 126410

Once again despite our superb precision that crosses human hearing threshold, no differential between the two cables is found.

Differential In-situ Speaker Cable Measurements
As mentioned above, the impedances at the two ends of the cable is not the same as an amp and speaker. So I created a new test:

View attachment 126411

In a nutshell, I am measuring any difference between the signal at one end of the cable at the amplifier compared to the other (speaker). Of course, I didn't realize that my analyzer was set to 4 volt and hit "run" meaning the amp was producing its full power! Speaker was sitting face down and while I could not see it, I clearly heard it jump up and down followed by the loudest test sweeps you can imagine! It was as if an explosion had happened behind me!

Fortunately the amp and speaker survived the ordeal and we can look at the results. This is the frequency response differential between SP3 and generic cable:
View attachment 126412

I had to zoom this graph way in to show what you see. We are talking thee decimal places in 1 dB! Yet the two cables are showing the same response.

To go even more crazy, let's subtract the two cable responses:

View attachment 126413

As noted, worst case difference is 0.0065 dB! This shows how great our instrumentation is and how silly assumptions about cable differences are.

Conclusions
Company states that these cables reduce distortion. Distortion is a measurable thing so why do they not show it? Most likely this is an assumption and not anything ever measured. Problem was imagined and solution was put in place. With no verification of the problem, it is impossible to see if anything is fixed. Our measurements show that losses in these cables is incredibly small and no different than a generic, near garbage cable that I build to compare. No matter how hard we try, sound waves going in, are the sound waves coming out of the speaker wire.

On purely performance front, I cannot recommend the Morrow SP3 cable. There simply is no benefit in it. From form and function, you may want to look at such a cable if it makes you feel better to look at them. And they are certainly far cheaper than the bulk of "high-end" audio cables. I wish the company would revise its marketing and just emphasize the custom aspects of these cables, flexibility, etc. rather than trying to claim audio improvements that they cannot deliver on.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Minor quibble: 200 kHz (20 times over audible band) should be 10 times?

 

[voodooless]

So these are the "distortions" they are talking about:

Under the insulation of a cable, you will most likely find tiny bare wire strands all twisted together. This is called stranded wire. In stranded wire designs, the strands touch each other thousands of times at various points along the length of the wire, causing the signal to jump from strand to strand instead of flowing through a solid continuum.

The results are phase distortions at each point where the strands come into contact, causing distortion of the signal; blurred imaging, lost soundstage cues, bloated and non-defined bass, etc. Details like the 3rd and 4th echo off the hall, subtle harmonics and depth are lost.

Sure..

Different frequencies tend to ride at various depths in the wire structure; the highs, mids and lows tend to separate which cause time and phase errors in the signal. This is commonly known as the "skin effect".

Ah, the good old skin effect. And finally:

These insulation elements all form the dielectric of the wire, which has a tendency to absorb and release energy to and from the conductors. This occurrence produces a negative sonic affect; smearing of the signal and other distortions. The greater the number of insulating layers there are, the greater this distortion will be. The thickness of these layers is also a factor of concern, with thicker layers being the worst.

You measured this how?

And here is the bonus:

Have you ever heard of speaker cable lifts? They are little stands that lift the cables off the floor, improving the sound. The improvement comes by keeping the electrical field from reflecting back into the cable off the floor.

Well, at least they claim you don't need those lifts with their cables... Obviously, you don't need them with any cables.

Morrow Audio cables DO NOT use heavy insulators. Each strand of wire is individually insulated from one another and are held together with cotton weaving

Fancy stuff.. I ripped all of the cotton wrapped cables out of my house (except for one spot that is impossible to reach.. I guess I should not have done that

 

[diddley]

i keep reading Moron audio

 

[FreaK]

Cable was already in use by the member so broken in.

No, you're wrong Amir! I'm pretty sure the owner doesn't burned in for more than 350 hours.. (company says at least 400 hours needed)

 

[AndreaT]

Zero, zilch, null differences. Maybe boutique cable sellers should consider the spin of the electrons and Schrödinger cat in their marketing hyperbole.

 

[milezone]

Aesthetically, these cables look nice to me. More so than some of the more generic, or over built over engineered, options out there... Perhaps part of the holistic equation of sonic enjoyment, is the visual pleasure achieved through simple elegance of cables in the context of an audio system. I appreciate the measurements nonetheless in the interest of fewer people wasting their time debating tedious content. I just wish I could find a pair of cables that looked this nice on the cheap.

 

[SimpleTheater]

I'm waiting for when a company, like Morrow, designs a blind test using their cables versus a super expensive cable like Synergistic Research.

I believe it would be marketing genius - "No one could tell our $200 cables from SR's $30,000 cables. NO ONE!"

You control what is tested and make it a one-time test, with as many well-known audio cable guys (like Fremer, Guttenberg) you can get. Also include some owners of SR cables as well. Document and film everything. Never bring $5 generic cables into the testing environment, just yours vs SR, and then put it up on YouTube.

I'd watch, probably over and over again.

 

[Ismapics]

Not this again. Sure it is an idea. However it has exactly no underlying physics to support it. Even the most basic circuit analysis shows that this is simply wrong. It shows a total lack of understanding of basics of physics. Even mid-grade high school physics will teach you enough to know this is just made up. Not listening in school is not an excuse to continue to pedal this rubbish.

It was like: let me put a bunch of fancy words together and see it makes sense. Totally agree with you. Also, no manufacturer ever of any of these products, ever, publishes tests, measurements or DBAB for any of they products. None. That should give anyone warning about reality.

 

[jfree77]

You know for an "audio company", their YouTube videos sound like garbage. Terrible mixing, tons of white noise.

Maybe they used generic cables for the mixing/recording?

 

[Cuniberti]

I'm the member that sent the cable in for testing. I was shopping around for a flexible 8' pair of bi-wire cables and felt for the money these were an ok deal. BTW, I use bi-wire because I lost the terminal jumpers years ago during a move and they are impossible to find now. Anyway, What I was interested in was this concept of individual strands vs conventional shielding. These SP3 cables have 192 runs per channel (13AGW). As you pay more the runs go up to 2034 (8AWG) "Anniversary Speaker Cable Pair" at $7000.00. There SP1 has 64 runs. Can I assume from this review that individual strands vs conventional shielding have no audiable effect and it's another snake-oil marketing gimmick?

 

[Francis Vaughan]

i keep reading Moron audio

Sadly they are far from being morons. They have what we call a 'nice little earner' going on here. Their web site really leaves one with no sympathy for them at all. Grudging admiration perhaps. They have done a fine job with the woo and pedalling their products to all incomes. They have snake oil for every pocket and a reason why they should have a slice of your money, no matter how much you have.

 

[waynel]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Morrow SP3 premium speaker cable. It was kindly sent to me by a member. The base cost is US $149 but in the bi-wire configuration/length I have, I think the total adds up to $187. Company however has a 38% sale currently which then gets it back to the $149 or so.

Even though the terminations are stiff, I like that the cable itself is not:

View attachment 126405

The banana connectors fit well in the various devices that I tested it on. For a custom made cable, I think the price and what you get is very reasonable. I know I would have to charge you three times as much to do the same.

Our mission here is to see if we can find any differences between this cable and any other. For comparison, I reached in my bin of ancient speaker cables and found some zip cord that is at least 30 years old (no exaggeration -- I never throw anything out!). I terminated it with random, not matched banana connectors I have/bought on Amazon that would scare any high-end customer out of the room! In other words, it is hard to do worse. I estimate the gauge to be 16.

Keep in mind company statement regarding fidelity: "Morrow Audio cables differ in three major areas of design from other popular cables. Our proprietary technology removes major distortions that are common in most other cable designs. "

We will test for that!

Speaker Cable Measurements
My audio precision analyzer has balanced banana connectors on input and output so I decided to start there. While this eliminates all other instrumentation wires, it has to live within confines of audio precision which means a source impedance of 40 ohm and sink of 200K ohm. Yes, not the same as any real amp to speaker config but we will get to that later. For now, let's treat these cables as interconnects and see how they differ. First let's measure the Morrow SP3:

View attachment 126406

Notice that I boosted the AP output to 20 volts to resemble in some way the higher output voltage of an amplifier. Not that it made any difference as the performance is the same as audio precision loopback (no wire). Nothing added, nothing taken away.

Oh, the two channels are shown are each leg of the bi-wire connection. In other words, there is one output from Audio Precision and two inputs. We see that there is no difference between the two legs as it should be.

Here is the same test with my generic cheap cable:

View attachment 126415

I ran this test at slightly different time so please forgive tiny differences. Overall, the two cables are identical as far as noise, distortion and level.

Let's compare the frequency response of the SP3 against generic cable:

View attachment 126408

Note how I am testing all the way up to whopping 200 kHz (20 times over audible band) and still there is not any difference between these two cables. I have zoomed way in to just 1 dB above, and 1 dB below and we still have ruler flat response. This rules out any tonality differences in this configuration.

Some will complain that music is more "complex" so here is a complex, 32-tone signal with far higher treble response than any music:

View attachment 126409

There is just no difference at all. No distortion is removed and thankfully none added either.

Let's sweep the audible band this time looking to see if there is distortion at any frequency while measured to 90 kHz (4.5X audible band):

View attachment 126410

Once again despite our superb precision that crosses human hearing threshold, no differential between the two cables is found.

Differential In-situ Speaker Cable Measurements
As mentioned above, the impedances at the two ends of the cable is not the same as an amp and speaker. So I created a new test:

View attachment 126411

In a nutshell, I am measuring any difference between the signal at one end of the cable at the amplifier compared to the other (speaker). Of course, I didn't realize that my analyzer was set to 4 volt and hit "run" meaning the amp was producing its full power! Speaker was sitting face down and while I could not see it, I clearly heard it jump up and down followed by the loudest test sweeps you can imagine! It was as if an explosion had happened behind me!

Fortunately the amp and speaker survived the ordeal and we can look at the results. This is the frequency response differential between SP3 and generic cable:
View attachment 126412

I had to zoom this graph way in to show what you see. We are talking thee decimal places in 1 dB! Yet the two cables are showing the same response.

To go even more crazy, let's subtract the two cable responses:

View attachment 126413

As noted, worst case difference is 0.0065 dB! This shows how great our instrumentation is and how silly assumptions about cable differences are.

Conclusions
Company states that these cables reduce distortion. Distortion is a measurable thing so why do they not show it? Most likely this is an assumption and not anything ever measured. Problem was imagined and solution was put in place. With no verification of the problem, it is impossible to see if anything is fixed. Our measurements show that losses in these cables is incredibly small and no different than a generic, near garbage cable that I build to compare. No matter how hard we try, sound waves going in, are the sound waves coming out of the speaker wire.

On purely performance front, I cannot recommend the Morrow SP3 cable. There simply is no benefit in it. From form and function, you may want to look at such a cable if it makes you feel better to look at them. And they are certainly far cheaper than the bulk of "high-end" audio cables. I wish the company would revise its marketing and just emphasize the custom aspects of these cables, flexibility, etc. rather than trying to claim audio improvements that they cannot deliver on.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Hmm, maybe you were measuring in the wrong direction could you please flip them around and measure again to put this silly directional cable thread to rest?