Audio Chews: the hi-fi and music community

Alan

I have been playing with Colin's new Tellurium Q Black speaker cables for a while, and I promised to share my thoughts here, so here goes nothing. If you want to know a bit about why TQ cable is apparently different from other cables, this page from Tq's website has some graphs and stuff, where they try to explain what's going on in layman's terms without actually telling you what's going on, if you get my drift.

TQ Black isn't just another cable, in my opinion. There is something of a split personality about it - as a basic cable only (leaving aside it's particular 'talents' for just a minute) its really very good, perhaps just a little warm. My normal speaker cable is also very good, extremely deep in the bass, high in the treble, etc etc. It is so clean, just getting out of the way of the music completely.

So on first listening to TQ I was left ambivalent; I thought that as a basic cable, TQ was not quite as stellar as the cable I'm used to, but close. So why the forum fuss? (You should understand my comments are in comparison to NVA LS5.) The treble seemed ever so slightly recessed in comparison to the NVA. The dynamics are just as strong, but the deepest bass seemed very slightly recessed also. A good start, but what's the fuss about?

Well, there is something interesting going on with TQ Black (the other side of the split personality), and it's taking me a while to put my finger on it (not quite there yet). To put it crudely, the 'shape' of the sounds is more clearly defined (I feel such a moron describing this stuff).

I think I am referring to the leading edge of each note, which includes (but isn't limited to) attack, and slam in the lower registers. Every note's position in space and time feel perfectly framed, each note is a separate event that can be analysed as a single thing, or takes as a whole within the music. The way notes tail off is finely portrayed, I used to hear that only when I played in ensembles myself at school. These effects are made all the more realistic through excellent imaging.

I am noticing texture that is utterly compelling, like the wood in
an acoustic guitar or a cello, or whether a drummer is using wood or nylon tip sticks, the timbre from the alloy the cymbals are made of, stuff like that... in particular the rasp of brass
instruments is brilliant.

Where TQ does really well is in things I really can't describe, like the musical and emotive information that has to be handled so sensitively. Somehow, I find myself kind of forgetting about the HiFi system. That has to be a good thing. That's also one reason why it's hard to reach a conclusion about it - I've listened to lots of music and almost forgotten to assess the stupid speaker wire!

TQ write about phase distortion on their website as being a big problem. I think I can understand why, having heard the Black cable for a week now. One other effect is that louder listening really is less fatiguing than before.

This is all very hard to qualify, far less quantify. No-one should really listen to what I have said here, as your room is very different to mine, as is your personal tastes, your system, and on top of that you might not hear any of what I have described in the same way as I. You might even hear something else and completely disagree with me, but I am confident in this: TQ speaker cable does something a bit different to other 'normal' cables and is worth a listen. Preferably in your own system, because the difference builds on what your system already does; nothing very drastic changes but what you have might well sound better. Its almost like upgrading an amp or a CD player/DAC, swapping it out for another one further up the same range. Its all good, just more of the same.

Sometime soon I will swap my LS5 back in to see whether or not I am missing anything without them. At the current state of play, I feel the LS5 maybe slightly better at certain things, but the magic the TQ Blacks bring to the party outweighs the difference in musical terms.

Brain_Dead

"Amplifiers such as NVA's, Naim's and Exposure's which do no have a Zobell network on the output, are sensitive to the effects of capacitance and inductance."

A quote from Richard of NVA

This is not quite right having worked on Naim products they indeed have "Zobel Networks" The "Super Nait" I tested with silly loads of 47uf and it was very stable, and with huge transformers (1KVA) as loads also this amp was almost indestructible, I did try to kill it.( I was just carrying out orders) Also the Naim Nait 5i was fitted with a Zobel which worked very well, stable little monster. (I did kill that well 3 off them whoops sorry Steve).

Brain_Dead

"Cable directionality is a audible phenomenon. Indeed cable performance can vary with even more obscure factors than this. I have found with solid core cable it is possible to create directionality over a period of time. It's as if the cable beds-in when used aligned one way. If you then reverse one of the cables it can sound worse. But if left, it will bed-in once more over a period of time."

Richard again

I agree with this but I believe it to be a phenomenon of the dissimilar metals in the connector acting like poor diodes and after time and current small amount of the metal conductors changes place plating each other cancelling the effect.

Gold does this well , never plate Gold on to Copper as the gold slowly disappears into the copper so always use a barrier i.e. Nickel. and never solder with Lead use Cadmium base solder (nasty stuff) as this does not exchange molecules with gold.

Brain_Dead

Alan

It seems a black art as well as science, Col! Did you ever try alchemy?

:-D

Brain_Dead

Yep and got married, be-witched

Alan

Ha! Be-witch - my friend had one of those amps. It was a Chinese valve amp that Guy Sageant picked up & turned into the PureSound A30..

I think I understand - in the loosest possible sense - what you are talking about in the post about skin effect and silver on copper. When I swap the LS5 back in it will be interesting to see if I can observe that or not.

Alan

Having listened to the LS5 cables again, I have to revise my earlier opinion.

I did say I felt the TQ was somehow rolled off at the extremes, that perhaps the LS5 had wider bandwidth, and that although I preferred the TQ cable I still had this niggling doubt...

Well I don't doubt no more! :D As a matter of fact, there is no loss of anything at all with that I can hear with the TQ Black. The bass is every bit as deep as I enjoyed before. It is better controlled though, perhaps a bit more shape in the bottom (leave it!). As regards the ultimate treble 'sparkle', it's all there.

As for the rest of my ramblings, I am afraid I can't see how to make them make more sense (just can't express what I want to say properly without sounding all pretentious). How to explain what this cable does differently? The TQ cables have this knack of getting the dynamics spot on - dynamics of each individual instrument within the soundstage that is. In my opinion, these cables still do something pretty unique, or rather lets my equipment do it. Oddly, my amp ran hotter with LS5 (which it was designed for) than the TQ, perhaps it is just allowing my rig to sing.

PAC

Some very interesting insights Colin, and some interesting findings Alan. Can I ask Colin whether you'd consider if self inductance and dielectric materials used in speaker cables would have more impact than skin effect? Whilst I'm in the camp which believes that higher order harmonics are valid for "atmosphere" and therefore what happens bove 20Khz becomes valid, my own thoughts are that phase distortion can also be affected by distortions of propagation velocity of various parts (ie frequencies) of a signal in speaker cables, so getting capacitance and self inductance balanced seems a very tricky equation for a cable to perform benignly with respect to the load demands of the speaker and the abilities of a particular amp. In other words, speaker cable matching is just as important a consideration as with any other main component. I don't tend to do much these days with speaker cable design due to the costs associated with the R&D of producing a profitable world class cable and take my hat off to you for your achievements in this field!

Brain_Dead

All I will say is:-

1) I have a skip full of cable that did not work.

2) Materials, construction and maths is the key.

3) A very patient business partner in Geoff was the best thing I ever found. (and he is good a ducking when things go BANG)

4) Enjoy what you do and have fun is also a big help.

5) A Dad and a Granddad as teachers, and are as nutty as yourself.

Being a trained chemist and electronic engineer is nothing without imagination.

PAC

Great response Colin! I particularly like and agree with your Nr4! I've spent too long in a field of engineering that had little going for it in terms of job satisfaction and can honestly say for the first time in my life, I'm thoroughly enjoying the hifi business, challenges and all. It's not particularly financially rewarding for me yet but I'm in it for other motivations as it's great getting up and learning something new every day. I find it a great "people" business too. Some of the nicest people I've met have been through my enthusiasm for hifi.

Brain_Dead

Yes I am learning (spit spit yuk) how to write instructions for digital lies at this moment, the last stuff I wrote was for a "Singer System 10" mainframe confuser. That was 1980 ish, when I had all my own bits and no plastic pipes etc.

PAC

What! An Audiochews member speaking of "digital lies"! Careful Colin, the AC "thought police" will be after you!

Good on you anyway. Learning is fun at any time, and through learning I've shrugged off my own digital prejudices! Mind you, I find analogue an endless feast of variation and enjoyment!

uglymusic

We are taking note of your opinions 3:-O

Brain_Dead

So let get this right when the digital "0" is used all the time i.e. "00000000" is this the best level for digital music? or will plain old simple OFF be better? :-B

PAC

Or should that be "0-0, someone's just pressed the "on" button?" As someone once said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with digital that a big hammer couldn't fix ;)

Brain_Dead

Right ON Bruv

Alan

Right!! Your name is going on ze list also! Vat is your name?

PAC

Mein name ist Anna Log!

Mein Address ist 6L6, Vacuum st, Lumleyshire

I'll give you a proper wave as you drive by to compensate for your squiggly wave

there, all square

;)

Alan

I went to buy a watch, and the man in the shop said, "Analogue?" I said, "No, just a watch."

Brain_Dead

Nice read on Hifi Pig.

http://hifipig.com/rod-alexander-gets-sceptical-about-the-tellurium-q-effect/#comment-1470

Alan

I don't know who Rod Alexander is, but I enjoyed his review, in particular because some of his points resonated with me. I was highly sceptical of (what I read as) marketing speak, but I still enjoy the 'blacks very much. I don't know what it is they do that is so different to other cabling, but it's something quite fundamental. So I share his surprise, and his enthusiasm. Well done on another good write - up!

Brain_Dead

It was a bit "Mr Clarkson" Geoff said.

But still a good one.

chrisb

I really must get my act together and get a set of blacks to try. Do all the dealers have demo sets ? I haven't really used a dealer for a while.

uglymusic

Brain_Dead said:
It was a bit "Mr Clarkson" Geoff said.
But still a good one.

Don't let him near Ultra Black or Graphite. He might have some kind of seizure! 8-}

Brain_Dead

They are on there way with a Red Cross Ice Cream Van.

Now there is a thought, is resuscitation anloque or digital mmm.??

I suppose life is ON or OFF but old age is linear, decay.

uglymusic

Gawd. He's getting all philosophical on us :-O ;))

Brain_Dead

This site was mention on another forum site and is very interesting, read the section on cables.

I will not mention the other forum site by name and now will wash my mouth out with soap.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spkcbl_e.html

Alan

Brain_Dead said:
This site was mention on another forum site and is very interesting, read the section on cables.
I will not mention the other forum site by name and now will wash my mouth out with soap.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spkcbl_e.html

You're welcome to mention other sites, we don't restrict that sort of thing at all, so long as conflict isn't involved. I have read the TNT site before, it's way over my head I'm afraid but an interesting read. I take it you're one of the 5%? ;)

IslandPink

Colin is embarrassed to admit he has secret family on the other forum .

Brain_Dead

True, they make me look thick.

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