Rega Apollo, Audiolab 8000s and BW 685 - how can I make them work together???

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I have a Rega Apollo CD player, Audiolab 8000s amp, BW 685 speakers and Rumour 2 speaker cable.

What would be good interconnects to make the system warmer? Or is something more radical required????

It is very fatiguing with Chord interconnects. I'm looking for a natural, warm sound.

Any suggestions gratefully recieved!!

Many thanks - I'm new to Hi-Fi
 
Speaker wire is going to have an extremely minor effect on the sound, so you can shift speakers wire forever, and its not going to make much difference.

When you say 'Warm' do you mean more bass, or less treble, uncluttered midrange, or what?

The B&W speakers are generally considered on the warm side with good bass performance for their size.

On the surface, there would seem to be nothing wrong with your configuration.

So, I'm inclined to ask about the nature and size of your room, and where the speakers are placed?

I personally think the room will have a lot more influence on what you hear than the speaker wire will.

Steve/bluewizard
 
I had a home demo with the Chord epic speaker cable to match it with my Chord chameleon interconnects but didn't like the combination/sound (sounded tiring and abit messy in my opinion). I opted for the Rega couple interconnect with Rega sc42 speaker cable, these produced a more neutral and coherent sound which i prefferd. Try and get a home demo and see if you agree :smashin: . Cheers Gary


these are just my opinions.
 
I am with Steve on this one. I fall into the 'non-believer' camp that effectively means I do not think that either speaker cable or interconnects makes one iota of difference to sound quality or characteristics with the proviso that it is probably best not use the 'freebies' that sometimes comes with CDP's.

Having said that, I have used these and even then did not notice any sound degradation. Likewise with speaker cable as long it has the requisite amount of copper then that will be sufficient IMO. The idea that you should spend 10% (as advised by a certain 'Hi-Fi Mag) of total electronics and speaker expenditure on cables is rubbish IMO.

I find the following to be more than sufficient:

Cambridge Audio SYMPHONY 200 | Per Metre | Richer Sounds

Cambridge Audio ARCTIC 1M | Interconnect | Richer Sounds

I use Richer Sounds because of covenient proximity but find that CA Cables are as good as their electronics.

Of course, this point of view generally regarding cables and interconnects is just my personal opinion and many debates have raged over this issue on the Forum. You have excellent components in your set up so as Steve stated the less than expected sound quality you are receiving must be more than just Cables and Interconnects.

Cheers

Scorpion
 
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I am with Steve on this one. I fall into the 'non-believer' camp that effectively means I do not think that either speaker cable or interconnects makes one iota of difference to sound quality or characteristics with the proviso that it is probably best not use the 'freebies' that sometimes comes with CDP's.

Yes, we should have another icon/emticon for 'snake oil' on Hi-Fi forums :devil:

The idea that you should spend 10% (as advised by a certain 'Hi-Fi Mag) of total electronics and speaker expenditure on cables is rubbish IMO.

I'm afraid even I have suggested this before; but my defence is, in the context of modest Hi-Fi set-ups, it works out well & it's more of a reminder to people to budget for the interconnects, the 10% is a part of the overall budget, not on top of it! Connecting up three or four items with £15-20 interconnects is a bit of sting, for me anyway. But if I ever had a £10K setup I just don't think I'll be spending 1K of that on interconnects! In fact I'll still be spending £20 per interconnect!
 
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Hi coruja,

Good to hear someone not disagreeing with these views. I normally get alternative reponses disagreeing quite robustly suggesting that all sorts of different and subtle improvements can be heard by changing to other exotic (mostly more expensive) interconnects and sometimes speaker cable.

You can actually get decent interconnects for around £10.00 if you shop around. I was really using Richer Sounds as an example because I find the speaker cable to be excellent value for the money and that interconnect in the link is particularly well made and again good value for money IMO.

I think another point worth mentioning is that a £20 interconnect is not too much to pay if you are spending say £ 800 - £1,000.00 on a system. The main issue for me is that a more 'robust' cable which grips both components well, gold plated and more shielding just gives you more confidence that your system is 'more joined up'.

I take your point about requiring 3/4 interconnects it just depends on your perception of value for money.

I agree, there is no way I would pay more than £20 for an interconnect unless I won the lottery.

Also as I mentioned the red and white 'freebies' do work just fine and I was struggling to hear a difference. However, a £20 cable does give you more confidence, at least for me, and will more than likely last longer.:smashin:

Cheers

Scorpion
 
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I agree, there is no way I would pay more than £20 for an interconnect unless I won the lottery.

Also as I mentioned the red and white 'freebies' do work just fine and I was struggling to hear a difference. However, a £20 cable does give you more confidence, at least for me, and will more than likely last longer.:smashin:

Cheers

Scorpion

If you hear no difference then why spend more if you won the lottery?
 
I have a Rega Apollo CD player, Audiolab 8000s amp, BW 685 speakers and Rumour 2 speaker cable.

What would be good interconnects to make the system warmer? Or is something more radical required????

It is very fatiguing with Chord interconnects. I'm looking for a natural, warm sound.

Any suggestions gratefully recieved!!

Many thanks - I'm new to Hi-Fi

What is your room like? Carpet or laminate/wood/stone floor? What sort of furnishings?
 
I think the 10% to 15% on wire and cable is more of a reminder to simply keep these component in reasonably perspective relative to the rest of your equipment.

While we could argue that £500 worth of speaker wire will sound better, the fact is, if you have a £500 amp, you are foolish to spend that much on wire. You'd be far better off to buy a £900 and £100 worth of wire.

Doubling the cost of the amp or speakers is going to make a MUCH bigger difference than doubling or tripling the cost of the wire.

So, the goal is to find a reasonable proportion for these accessories.

Again, I think we need to hear from the Original Poster. I don't have any experience with that particular combination, but given the reputation of each component, there is no reason why it shouldn't sound very good. If the equipment is good, then that makes me think the room or the installation might be bad.

And, I will repeat the one thing I ALWAYS say, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE the speakers are wired PROPERLY; that in every case, with absolute certainty, the Amp(+) goes to the Speaker(+). It is the easiest thing to assume you got right, while at the same time actually getting it wrong. Don't assume it is right, CONFIRM IT.

Steve/bluewizard
 
If you hear no difference then why spend more if you won the lottery?

Fair question. However, in that event if one won typically between £5m - £10m the opportunity to buy the best available electronics, speakers etc for the new house (s) would also allow you to buy the most expensive cables even if they do not make much if any tangible difference to sound quality.

I would not think a few hundred pounds is going to make much difference when you have won such a fortune. Also, I would concede that more expensive cables in some applications are aesthetically better without necessarily providing an improvement in sound.

Of course, currently I am operating in the affordable consumer range albeit decent sounding to my ears, but if I won the lottery obviously this would change amongst other things for obvious reasons.

I would be surprised if your life would not change in such circumstances.

Cheers

Scorpion
 
I forgot to mention the Rega cables were also cheaper!! ;)
 
That's great, Rega's own cables at less than the CA cables I used as an example sounds like a good deal. :cool:

Cheers

Scorpion
 
I also echo scorpion, bluewizard and coruja with regards to interconnets and speaker cable.

I did succumb to spending £40/£50 on a ic at one time but found they made no difference when compared to £20 ic i already had. I've Still got some use a freebies on my second system to connect the tuner and it Sounds ok and i do not feel the need to spend on new ic to replace them for the sake of it.
Yes i believe they can make a difference but only marginal and not enough to warrant £200 on a 0.5m ic or £100 per meter speaker cable :D. For me that's just plain nuts.

We know the Audiolab 8000, rega apollo cdp and 685's are excellent buys but do they work well together, as the op wants. Maybe together, they will not produce the warm sound the op is after.

Are the either the audiolab amps or Rega Apollo cdp known for their warm sounding? As i've not heard either i cannot comment, but it was Just a thought.
 
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That's great, Rega's own cables at less than the CA cables I used as an example sounds like a good deal. :cool:

Cheers

Scorpion

Sorry i meant the Rega cables were cheaper than the Chord cables that they replaced. Cheers Gary
 
Not really surprised. I think most acceptable alternative cables are cheaper than Chord's.;)

Cheers

Scorpion
 
Actually just checked and you can actually buy what looks like a decent 1m Chord Interconnect for £24.99 although it is bottom of their range or so it appears.

I would consider buying a pair of these but that is just about my upper limit. Yes I know it is over £20.00 so I contradict myself but aesthetically it looks nice although seriously doubt it would sound any different to my current cables which all cost around £15 - £20.

Sorry, having difficulty posting links at the moment for some strange reason.

Edit: Now managed to post link:

http://www.futureshop.co.uk/chord-clic-2-rca-to-2-rca-audio-cable-1m-p-2172.html



Cheers

Scorpion
 
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We know the Audiolab 8000, rega apollo cdp and 685's are excellent buys but do they work well together, as the op wants. Maybe together, they will not produce the warm sound the op is after.

Are the either the audiolab amps or Rega Apollo cdp known for their warm sounding? As i've not heard either i cannot comment, but it was Just a thought.

Hi Don,

Yes they are all excellent individual components although I have only heard the speakers in a friends set up and I thought the 685's were warmer than my MS Mezzo's which are quite bright in comparison but everything is relative.

It must be frustrating for the OP and again I can only echo Steve's comments about the room, speaker positioning and check all connections properly. However, in theory I cant think of any other reason why they should not work well together particularly with Rega cables.;)

Cheers

Scorpion
 
We are (or I am) straying off on a tangent, but rather than ask how little can we spend on wire and cables, let's ask how MUCH we can spend -

Speaker wire - Kimber Kable 4AG Speaker Cable - two pair, 8 feet, full range, terminated = US$5,948 -

Needle Doctor 1-800-229-0644, Kimber Kable 4AG Speaker Cable

Speaker wire - Kimber Kable BiFocal-XL - two pair, 8 feet, terminated = US$2,688 -

Needle Doctor 1-800-229-0644, Kimber Kable BiFocal-XL Speaker Cable


Audio RCA-to-RCA interconnects - 1 Meter, one pair = US$2,490 -

Needle Doctor 1-800-229-0644, Kimber Kable Select KS 1036 Interconnects

For a typical system, we are talking in excess of US$15,000 in cable and wire (£10,037).

I'm sure if I tried, I could find more expensive wire and cable.

So, using the 10% rule, that would mean a system cost of US$150,000 or UK£100,000. Keep in mind, it is easily possible to spend in excess of a million on a sound system.

So, again, I emphasize that cable and wire need to be in reasonably balance to your system cost.

Back on topic, we do need to hear from the Original Poster. I can see no reason why this system should be lacking in any way.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Nice cables and just a snip if you won the lottery. But yes I agree, as I think we all do, that these are excellent individual components that should in more than just theory but also in practice, work well together to produce a better than satisfactory sound.

In fact I would go further and suggest there is no reason I can think of why they should not produce a superb sound. Good CDP, Good Amp and Good Speakers and dare I say Good Cables.:)

Altogether an excellent system.

Cheers

Scorpion
 
Hey Scorpion

I agree, in theory and practice they should work well together, but I just thought it could be like the case of the Bumble Bee ( bare with me here). This small fat furry little thing with little wings to speak of, shouldn't be able to get of the ground let alone fly, but it does, so i thought it could something similar with this but in reverse. Great individual components, the maths says it should work well and it does, but not as the OP had hoped. All the tweaking and changing may make some improvement but not in any great strides. In saying that, no doubt it sounds great to somebody else as it is.

Again on cables, as Steve said, how much can you spend? If you are able to have say a £60, £80, or £100 budget per ic, and you want to spend the max then go for it. It your money and spend it how you wish.

Has anybody mention speaker positioning? if so - sorry i missed it, if not, then that could be something to look at as well.

In fact, has the OP disappeared? as there is no response to any of the suggestions and questions provided.:confused:
 
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Hi Don,

Yes I get your drift but it is still a mystery to me. Yes, Steve mentioned speaker placement in post #2. However, that should not be too critical to affect the sound in the way the OP described.

In my second system in my bedroom I have the tannoy speakers set up: left 'blu-tacked' to a chest of draws and the right speaker held in place the same way on a coffee table. Not ideal I know, but still sounds great to me.

Regarding cables, I totally agree, it is anyone's choice to spend as much as they wish. As you say it is their own money. If I so desired I could probably push to £50/£60 per interconnect but do not believe it is value for money IMO. Also paying that much x 6/7 would be disproportionate to the cost of my electronics and speakers.

I think enough has been said about cables on this thread as this was not the OP's Primary Issue.

Where is the OP by the way?:devil:

Cheers

Scorpion
 
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Ah Yes - Blu tac. never setup bookshelves speakers without them. Works wonders that does.
 
Hi thanks for all the posts - room is bedroom, wooden floors, speakers on drawers - next to wall.

Sound is detailed - but hurts the ears - not sure why - so looking to maintain the detail - but lose some edge......listen to Springsteen, Mellencamp etc
 
I think you answered your own question


room is bedroom, wooden floors, speakers on drawers - next to wall

- Small hard room
- speaker place on ??DRAWERS???
- next to walls

I think a few more details or perhaps a photo or a drawing are in order.

All speaker need space and need to be place away from boundary layers, meaning walls, ceiling, and floors. Though, fairly, that minimum space isn't alway huge.

Also, explain how you are able to place your speakers in or on Drawers?

A small room with a lot of hard reflective surfaces is not the best. And, the reflections are likely to muddy the sound; too much reflected interference with the sound.

As said, unless something is broken, there is no reason way this setup shouldn't sound very good.

Steve/bluewizard
 

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