Kimber Kable 8TC Exotic Speaker Cables that Look/Measure Great

[fmw]

They have to be measured in another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.

I seems to me they might first have to define it. Maybe they have. I once wondered what pace and rhythm were when Stereophile described the sound of an amplifier. It turns out that actually had it defined. I'm still waiting for some amplifier manufacturer to provide a pace and rhythm specification.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... I'm still waiting for some amplifier manufacturer to provide a pace and rhythm specification.

I think you will pass unto/into stardust first.

 

[avengineer]

... I'm still waiting for some amplifier manufacturer to provide a pace and rhythm specification.

So what happens if your amp's pace is up +3dB but it's rhythm is down -3dB? A fracture in the pace/rhythm continuum? What if you put your amp inside the pace/rhythm equivalent of a tesseract?

Oh, my brain hurts.

 

[haraldo]

I thought this is supposed to be a serious discussion.....

 

[Tao1]

We love poking fun at exotic speaker cable manufacturer claims. But, when an exotic cable manufacturer actually produces a product that measures, looks and sounds great, while making virtually no questionable product claims, we aren't laughing. The Kimber 8TC is such a product. This is a great speaker cable product that an audiophile and audioholic can be proud to own.

Kimber 8TC Speaker Cable Review

Please share your experiences with Kimber products and let us know if your system runs a set of 8TC's.

I saw the post on Facebook, and wasn't sure if it was sarcasm or not. I was honestly confused, especially since it looked like a snake oil wire with all the different gauges of solid core wire. This post clears things up though.

Nice to see you guys call things as they are in BOTH directions.

 

[lovinthehd]

Holy three year thread revival. Kimber made a reasonably priced cable? Good for them....if they did. I only went back two of the four pages.

 

[Strum und Drang]

It doesn't matter what I believe b/c I can't do a quick enough switch out to make a reliable determination. I believe they make the look of my system more impressive for sure though

Hi Gene:

Why don't you use either a receiver or an amp that has A and B channels? Then you could hook up these kimber kables and BJC. I do this all the time to do comparisons.

Since they want big bucks (cp to 12 gauge OFC wire) for their stuff, the big questions are, "is there an audible difference for the better and, if so, are these differences significant enough to warrant the cost? Another important question is does the kimber color the sound? Many people that claim they can hear a difference with exotic speaker wires probably are because the wires add color to the sound. I've read some reviews by people into this stuff actually admit this or that speaker wire "colors" the sound making it 'warm' or 'bright' etc.

 

[Speedskater]

Whether there is or is not an audible difference is always situation specific,
The major factors are:
a] Total end-to-end resistance/impedance of the cable.
b] Impedance curve of the loudspeaker.
c] Are we doing a sensitive ABX test or just listening to music?

 

[Strum und Drang]

Whether there is or is not an audible difference is always situation specific,
The major factors are:
a] Total end-to-end resistance/impedance of the cable.
b] Impedance curve of the loudspeaker.
c] Are we doing a sensitive ABX test or just listening to music?

What is a "sensitive ABX test?" I don't measure any of this stuff except with my ears and use them to determine if speaker A sounds better or not than speaker B, etc. You can scientifically measure many differences that go beyond human hearing abilities. Many people that advocate for very expensive speaker wires claim they can hear a big difference for the better. This is subjective and it does enter into purchasing decisions.

 

[lovinthehd]

This is subjective and it does enter into purchasing decisions.

Or is it the purchasing decisions have entered your subjective determinations of audibility?

 

[Strum und Drang]

I cannot get out to test stuff. So, I buy online and when and if it gets delivered (not always a sure thing anymore now that Amazon uses such "reputable" delivery companies as OnTrac) I then listen. I am definitely hoping that what I bought does what it should. But sometimes the product falls a little short. Sometimes it falls short of the online reviews and hype.

So, the decision to buy does affect if I like the product or not, and I am biased in favor hoping the product works out. But, I have not dug in and I can still be disappointed, lick my wounds, and try something else.

For me to test drive the Kimber Kable speaker wire, I would spend over $500 for that wire with bare wire terminations at their website. I don't know if that wire would make fireworks go off and the Blue Angels do a flyover above my Apartment. But if they did not, I would be disappointed. My OFC speaker wires/small tower speakers already sound wonderful in my living room. Those Kimber Kabel wires would need to beat wonderful. That is hard to do. I am not going to be self-delusional and play "Let's pretend these are the best thing since sliced bread." For what those wires cost, I could buy an Oppo 203 universal disc player or spend a little more on their Sonica DAC/Streamer. Either of those OPPO products would be a much safer use of my money than jumping off the cliff for the Kimber Kable speaker wires. I have many more itches that need scratching first before I get the $700 speaker wire itch.

It can be hard to admit purchase mistakes. Some people buy into their bad marriages. Some people stay in bad marriages for decades and become experts at rationalization. $700 speaker wire would probably be a smaller boo boo than a 20 year long bad marriage.

The Audioholics review of the Kimber Kable speaker wire did not say if it beats wonderful. People with Blue Jeans Cable and other brands of OFC wire are already getting wonderful, affordable performance from a very basic, generic commodity like, mundane product. Exotic wire companies are competing against mundane wonderful.

 

[Speedskater]

What is a "sensitive ABX test?" I don't measure any of this stuff except with my ears and use them to determine if speaker A sounds better or not than speaker B, etc. You can scientifically measure many differences that go beyond human hearing abilities. Many people that advocate for very expensive speaker wires claim they can hear a big difference for the better. This is subjective and it does enter into purchasing decisions.

A "sensitive ABX test?" is one that is setup by skilled operators with experienced listeners and using very demanding test signals. An ABX test is about hearing very, very small differences. The differences are too small to have a preference. It's not a preference test that might apply to most loudspeakers.

 

[Strum und Drang]

Maybe I can go to Pet smart, buy a baby white rat, start feeding it baloney, do a growth curve on it, and see if it can discern minor sounds produced by my new, $700 speaker wires. The fully fledged, full of baloney rat should be able to hear how great those speaker wires are, and accurately describe just how nuanced they are. I can then set up my own ABX test with my skilled operator, great listener, rat. I should get excellent test results. After all, that rat will be full of baloney.

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

Why not just wrap the speaker wire in baloney..?
Should be cheaper than the rat in the long run...
and you get nifty baloney scented wire...

It's a win win...

 

[Strum und Drang]

Good question. The rat is a multi-purpose tool. It not only can accurately judge the best speaker cables, it will also provide companionship in lieu of a dog or a cat. Plus, if you have leftovers that are about to go bad, the rat also functions as a self-powered, self-propelled portable garbage disposal. (or, you can just rent a 14 year old)

I actually did a growth curve on a white rat in high school science. Amazing how much they can eat and how fast they grow. And they do like baloney. Something that life is full of.

I'm very happy my Polk towers do not need $700 speaker wire to sound wonderful.

 

[Pogre]

Rats can be cuddly once you get to know them.