As an Electrical engineer, I thought that I knew enough about speaker cable. My Magnepan MG 3.7i speakers were connected to my Sanders Magtech amplifier using heavy zip cord from Monster Cable.

But ever since I bought my new Maggies (to replace my old original MG-1s), I had been unhappy with their imaging, and have been moving my speakers and my listening position, all without much effect.

After reading an ad in Absolute Sound for Kimber Kable, it seemed to me that they had some sound physics ideas. The cross-braided helices should reduce any pickup of interference from electrical interference, and the multiple strands insulated from each other should provide plenty of surface area for the higher frequencies, which travel on the surface of the wire.

Since there was a 30-day trial, I decided to get a 2-m pair of Kimber Kables for about $650 with banana-plug terminations.

My preconceptions about speaker cables were all wrong. As soon as I turned on my system with the new cables, a palpable sound stage opened between, and encompassing my MG 3.7i speakers. Imaging was back!

I have a SVS subwoofer, which I also have not been truly happy with. It connects to my Sanders preamp via SVS cables, so my new speaker cables should not really matter. However, the crossover to my subwoofer is set at 35 HZ, so a fair amount of the bass is actually produced by my Maggies. Suddenly, the muddy, flubby bass disappeared! The cannons in the 1812 Overture still shook my room, but they now sounded like cannon, and not bass drums. 

One of my favorite organ albums, "Toccatas & Fugues; E. Power Biggs, Organ of the Cathedral at Freiburg," sounded absolutely awesome. The first track uses different banks of pipes, which are placed about the cathedral. I could now hear their U-shaped arrangement clearly.

I will keep the cables. Color me a believer!