Nordost SuperFlatLine Speaker Cable Review

[Short38]

In the past I’ve used ribbon cable like this for speakers. I combined alternating leads as (+) and (-), respectively. With a 50-lead cable and 28AWG per lead you get an effective gauge of 14. I don’t remember the inductance of the cable, but it was quite low. One thing to keep in mind is that the ribbon cable insulation is not the most hard-wearing, so some additional sleeving may be required in some cases.

 

[Bach]

Is the stereo image also measured? Would expect a very broad and height limited sound stage.

 

[Ricardus]

Is the stereo image also measured? Would expect a very broad and height limited sound stage.

VERY two-dimensional.

 

[JayGilb]

Is the stereo image also measured? Would expect a very broad and height limited sound stage.

Did you post your comment to the wrong thread ?
This was a single speaker cable, so no stereo signal was used during testing.

 

[ahofer]

Did you post your comment to the wrong thread ?
This was a single speaker cable, so no stereo signal was used during testing.

I think it was tongue-in-cheek (think about the shape of the cable)

 

[Killingbeans]

Poe's law strikes again

 

[sapphireracing]

VERY two-dimensional.

Indeed, no depth to it, one could say it sounds flat.

 

[pseudoid]

We did have something new here which was the ease with which this cable picks up magnetic interference. Next time someone says audiophile speaker cables reduce noise and that is why the veil is removed, you can point them to this review and show that the opposite is true!

Would it be better to delineate the 2 main types of cable coupling? So that we can make a differentiation between these 2 types and to discuss them more specifically.

*Inductive/Current coupling is the main interference mechanism at low-ish frequencies, and
*Capacitive/Voltage coupling is the interference at high-ish frequencies.
Either can be called "noise" but their coupling manifestations are thru totally opposing mechanisms:
These 2 coupling mechanism can be further characterized based on whether they are *conducted or *radiated types of noise.

 

[JayGilb]

Poe's law strikes again

That combined with a lack of coffee...

 

[rdenney]

I'm using 12-gauge zip cord (because I had a reel of it) and it's undetectable by feet placed between an area rug and wall-to-wall carpet in my listening room.

And the rug/carpet doesn't do anything to hurt in the floor-reflectance department.

More seriously, I used 16-gauge twisted-pair Belden cable to wire an Allen Computer Organ to it's speakers, as specified by the manufacturer. The organ amplifier is at the front of a church, and the speakers are at the back. The cable runs are about 175 feet. If there is any loss of high frequencies as a result of that, I'm sure the worshippers are happier because of it. I used the same stuff (I had bought a 500' reel) to wire a pair of JBL CBA-50 speakers to their amplifier in runs about 40 feet long. Given that the room already reverberates low frequencies abundantly, I really only wanted to emphasize frequencies in the upper speech range. But I have played music over that system and it sound excellent, even with the bass rolloff from those small speakers. I'm quite sure any high-frequency roll-off would be slight at worst.

But the twisted pair of the wire does help to reduce noise inductance.

Rick "uses $10 line-level interconnects also" Denney

 

[Chrispy]

Is the stereo image also measured? Would expect a very broad and height limited sound stage.

LOL. At least I'd hope you're trying to be humorous.

 

[AudioSceptic]

VERY two-dimensional.

Yes, not like normal cable, which gives a more rounded image.

 

[EJ3]

That combined with a lack of coffee...

COFFEE? YES, PLEASE! (It's breakfast and COFFEE! time somewhere & I'll join in for either or just the COFFEE! anytime.

 

[pseudoid]

Poe's law strikes again

That dude was a conspiracy theorist.
[Notice that I intentionally omitted an exclamation point, or quotes or a smilie in my above statement]

 

[quattro98]

I couldn't read another cable thread, but if one is looking for flat cables, I've used the Sewell Ghost Wire on a ceiling before. After covering with joint compound and painting, it was not visible. It looks like you can get it from Monoprice too.

Ghost Wire 2.0, Super Flat Adhesive Wire, 16 AWG (2 conductor) or 18 AWG (4 conductor), White

Make speaker wires disappear right on the wall or under the carpet with Sewell Adhesive Speaker Wire. This super-flat speaker wire can be used on almost any flat surface. Perfect for running stereo signals across rooms, around corners, in automobiles, under flooring, or any situation where wires...

sewelldirect.com

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=42154

 

[Descartes]

A dealer tried to sell me these in Silver for a few thousand dollars, I just laughed and never went back to the shop!
I asked him if he ever head of Mogami and Canare he thought that they were birds!!

 

[fpitas]

A dealer tried to sell me these in Silver for a few thousand dollars, I just laughed and never went back to the shop!
I asked him if he ever head of Mogami and Canare he thought that they were birds!!

I'm sure audio dealers get pressed for snake oil cables all the time, and I'm sure it's tough to say NO if the customer is shoving hundreds into your hand. Actively trying to sell them though is a close relative to fraud, so you did well to leave criminals be.

 

[Overseas]

A dealer tried to sell me these in Silver for a few thousand dollars, I just laughed and never went back to the shop!
I asked him if he ever head of Mogami and Canare he thought that they were birds!!

Tell him you will buy if he can pass a blind test vs Mogami.

 

[John_Siau]

About the only justification I could see for using something with this form factor would be to run them behind baseboard or under a rug...

With these cables you can hide your money under the carpet instead of under the mattress.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I suspect that the mods throw in a troll once in awhile to keep things interesting and to keep us on our toes. I am pretty sure actually.

Maybe they even roll the dice if it’s going to be a cable, a DAC sound, a power regeneration etc troll.

Edit. ;-)