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Surprisingly good sound from Belkin PureAv bulk pcocc speaker cable. Comparisons with DHLabs Q10...

Posted by machani (A) on April 2, 2007 at 17:32:26

The PureAv cable is 16AWG and of twin axial geometry, with two PE insulated speaker cables enclosed in a thick gray PVC jacket. Each cable is made up of PCOCC copper strands of varying gauges which Belkin calls "hybrid" geometry. I bought a 100' roll for just $36 + shipping from Provantage.com (part number AV53102). At only $0.36/ft his is perhaps the best deal in bulk pcocc cable anywhere in the world!

My Quad 22L speakers are AWG hungry, so I decided to use one set of PureAv for the HF terminal and three sets of PureAv for the LF terminal - in "twisted triad" form as depicted in the picture. This gives an aggregate of 11.5 going to LF. (Previously I had been running DHLabs T14 and Q10 speaker cable in external bi-wire configuration, with one set of T14 going to the HF and one set of Q10 going to the LF).

The PureAv cable required about 20 - 25 hours of run in to remove the initial congestion, after which it started to sound smooth and articulate. Doing an A/B with the DHLabs Q10 combo, I found the PureAv to be more articulate in the midrange to midbass region. It was filling in a huge gap that the DHLabs Q10 seems to be "glossing over". This particular difference was more than subtle. Even on deep bass notes, I found the PureAv to be a tad more delineated, revealing more timbre.

I found the DHLabs emphasizes the treble more, with female vocals sounding a bit more forward than the PureAv. Also, the DHLabs seems to have a bit more of the top end sparkle.

The PureAV's treble is detailed but does not have the added forwardness. The top end extension is pretty good, with the sparkle not as apparent as the DHLabs.

In the end its in the midrange where the PureAv really excels, bringing out body and details that the DHLabs simply glosses over. I find the soundstage from the PureAv fuller when listening to full range ensembles. Overall, the sound of the PureAv is natural, detailed, musical and non-fatiguing. Listening to the PureAv,I find there's no sugar coating or silver lining, just pure relaxing, music.

Because of DHLabs extra smoothness and top end sparkle, it might be appealing choice to many. But I find it hard to put back the DHLabs on my system. The PureAv stays on for now.

Canadian buyers note that TheSonyStore carries this cable for $79 CAD ($70 USD) per 50' roll. Provantage, who sells 100' rolls for $36 USD, ships via DHL whose brokerage fee is very modest compared to UPS. (They charged me just $7 CAD for the brokerage fee plus $5 GST).

Stripping the cable can be a bear, so please check the links at the bottom of this post for some tips. The central strand, of about 22AWG, is individually insulated with its own PE jacket and must be stripped before terminating.
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C N Machani

• Links to tips for stripping the PureAv cable   (Open in New Window)

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