Belden 9497 first impressions

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Posted by KanedaK (A) on February 10, 2021 at 23:19:21

A couple of days ago my long awaited Belden 9497 cable arrived (it took a full month to arrive from the US to Europe)

First I used it only from the high-pass amp (I'm tri-amping, high-pass is 500Hz to 20KHz, feeding 104dB horns) to the only passive crossover in the system (between midrange driver and tweeter) and it sounded deep and neutral but slightly fuzzy in the treble. Before that cable I was using basic QED cable, for many years - almost as long as I can remember!

Between the (only) passive crossover (at 6KHz) and the CD midrange and tweeters, at that point, there was still the cable I put there years ago, without much thinking: no-name cable with the CD midrange (it is the cable that was delivered with the driver) and a length of QED cable on the tweeter.
So 36 hours ago I installed Belden cable on those spots as well... and since then, I haven't been enamored with the sound at all. Yes it's more detailed, but it's a little harsh, and my stereo image (which used to spawn far larger than the speakers, and used to be very enveloping) is now extra dry, and spreads only in the space between the speakers. It's also weirdly uneven and shut-in in the mid, and it seems peaky in dynamics, with some of the treble being more reactive than the mids that feel a bit muddy and dark. All the opposite of what I've been used to from that system (glorious mids, soft treble!)

Never did I expect this to happen.

So I'm wondering: does the wire need more break-in (in my system, it's difficult, because at such a high sensitivity, any meaningful current in the speaker cable means extremely high SPL, and the tweeter cable is the one that's gonna take the longest to break in, and is also the one that is responsible for that "dryness") OR am I just hearing the real sound of my not-so-stellar electronics?

On the low pass (60 to 500Hz) I still use the QED, but I have some more Belden wire on the way; tho they won't have to reproduce the low bass (which is the fourth way of the system, and electronically filtered) I wonder about the gauge. Is 16awg gonna be thick enough? That range is reproduced by 15inch drivers in W horns (PEAVEY FH-1 / Eminence Kappa 15C, 104dB, 8ohms, the amp is 100W class D)

The sub range <60Hz is reproduced by active Focal subs so no cabling is involved beside interconnects.

Any comments are welcome!

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Topic - Belden 9497 first impressions - KanedaK 23:19:21 02/10/21 (20)

If you liked the sound you were hearing before the change - Mike K 07:56:28 02/11/21 (13)

RE: If you liked the sound you were hearing before the change - Duster 09:05:37 02/11/21 (12)

No it is not. - Ivan303 09:22:56 02/11/21 (11)

RE: No it is not. - KanedaK 23:40:49 02/11/21 (3)

RE: No it is not. - Duster 23:02:43 02/12/21 (2)

RE: No it is not. - zacster 12:18:44 02/14/21 (1)

RE: No it is not. - Duster 12:51:07 02/14/21 (0)

RE: No it is not. - Duster 10:25:20 02/11/21 (6)

OK, Mr. Hall Monitor... - Ivan303 10:57:47 02/11/21 (5)

Not sure which slogan to put on a t-shirt... - 13th Duke of Wymbourne 18:32:26 02/11/21 (4)

RE: Not sure which slogan to put on a t-shirt... - rivervalley817 18:54:23 02/11/21 (3)

"Taking the biscuit" - 13th Duke of Wymbourne 19:18:19 02/11/21 (2)

RE: "Taking the biscuit" - rivervalley817 19:30:16 02/11/21 (0)

We watch a lot of BBC news on PBS of late... - Ivan303 19:26:51 02/11/21 (0)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - Palustris 07:29:06 02/11/21 (0)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - Duster 00:03:11 02/11/21 (4)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - KanedaK 03:26:01 02/11/21 (3)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - Duster 04:00:48 02/11/21 (2)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - KanedaK 22:52:23 02/13/21 (0)

RE: Belden 9497 first impressions - KanedaK 23:44:46 02/11/21 (0)

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