Hi Dr Wong,

I am a registered member of 1388.com and have been enjoying “Dr Hi-Fi” and other articles quite often.

I have some questions regarding use of cables. I have sent similar questions to you before and I believe you might have replied. But unfortunately, I have not been able to continue with that previous email address and thus might not have read your reply. So, please allow me to repeat my questions here.

My system consist of:

Audion Sterling stereo power amp (EL34, 12W/ch)
Marantz CD63MKII KI-S player
Focus Audio FS88 Speakers with Atacama stand.

Currently, I am using some Belden cable for interconnects (CD to Amp), speakers, and also power cord.

I am considering to change the interconnect and speaker cable. Please give me some suggestions. Is silver cable better or copper type? I was thinking about high-grade copper such as Harmonic Technology (copper type) or Sonic Art (silver type). Any comments?

My music preference is: classical chamber music, Chinese classical music, vocal, and slow jazz.

In addition, about 6 months ago, I bought Svetlana EL34 tubes to replace the original Sovtek tubes for my amp. But now, the left side is giving out some noise. From what I know, this is due to the aging of the tubes. So after replacing them with the original Sovtek, this noise is gone. My question is, why is these power tube aging so soon? On average, I switch on my amp about 3 hours a day.

Thank you for your advice.

Hi,

Thanks for your support!

Belden cables are pretty good cables. Many DIYs in the States use Belden cables for their ‘Master Piece’. I for one time also used Belden cables. The problem is, they must be properly terminated using good connectors. Otherwise performance will be greatly affected.

Silver cables usually give a ‘nicer’ or ‘brighter’ high frequency. But the copper type, especially LCOFC type, gives really good bass. It depends on your system. The cables you listed are very good and worth considering. I believe they will make your system sound outstanding.

In 1388.com we also carry some cables like the Au24 and more. My suggestion is you should go around to audition them before you buy. Recommendations sometimes cannot be taken too seriously, because there are too many parameters, like speakers, amp, room and personal preferences.

The Sovetek tubes and the the Svetlana tubes should all last about one to two years. My suspect is you did not set the bias properly, or the connections are not good. Please kindly check the bias and the connections.

All the best.

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