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Canare 4S8 Star Quad Speaker Cables

Bi-Amp, Bi-Wire, or Conventional Wiring Configurations

Canare 4S8 Star Quad Speaker Cable with Vampire Wire #HDS5 Spades, front-right channel

Canare 4S8 Star Quad Speaker Cable, shown here in a 2 meter bi-wire configuration, terminated with Vampire Wire #HDS5 Spades (front-right channel shown)

Canare Star Quad Speaker Cable gets it's name from the 4-condutor quad-style construction that minimizes the "loop area" between twists of the conductors.  This "double balanced" pairing reduces susceptibility to electro-magnetically (EM) induced noise from sources like light dimmers, fluorescent light ballasts and AC power transformers.  The Star Quad design also improves the damping factor at the speaker. 

Canare 4S8 is similar to the it's larger sibling, 4S11, but with a slimmer profile.  Each of the four Star Quad conductors is 16 gauge and when used in pairs, the effective conductor size is 13 gauge.  The outer jacket diameter is 8.3mm (.327 inch).  This slimmer profile makes it a great choice when running multiple cables to each speaker, as in bi-amp or bi-wire setups.  For example, one might use a conventionally-wired 4S11 to drive the low-range, and conventionally-wired 4S8 for the high range. 

Of course either of these cables can be wired for bi-amp and bi-wire configurations, but conventional wiring improves the damping factor and also takes greater advantage of  the inherent EM-rejection qualities of the Star Quad design, so there are some reasons that those who are serious about audio performance might prefer to go with multiple cable runs per speaker.

The diagram at the right illustrates the unique Star-Quad construction.  Large numbers of thin annealed copper wire strands ensure excellent flexibility, long life and maximum conductivity,.  The Star Quad conductor arrangement and the round shape of the cable is maintained by a cotton filler material, without compromising flexibility.  For improved frequency response, dielectric capacitance is kept low, thanks to specially modified polyethylene insulation.  The jacket is extruded from a special PVC compound that remains pliable even at very low temperatures.

The result is a super flexible cable, with a professional, high-quality look and feel.  Even some of the very expensive esoteric cables do not achieve this look and feel.

Termination Options

We are offering these cables singly so that you can combine and customize them to exactly fit your needs.  For example, if you need a matched stereo pair, purchase one front-left cable and and one front-right cable.  Here are the customization options:

Number of  Channels

These cables are sold singly, so any number of channels can be accommodated, but here are some popular combinations:

  • 2-channel (stereo)
  • 3-channel (stereo plus center channel)
  • 5-channel (for 5.1 surround)
  • 7-channel (for 7.1 surround)
  • And of course, they can also be used in multiples per channel, or combined with Canare 4S11.  For bi-wire configurations, spades can be stacked on the amplifier, assuming your binding posts have enough clearance.  If space is at a premium, the #SB banana plugs are also stackable.

Length

Common lengths range from 1 meter to 20 meters, although any length up to 100 meters is possible.  When purchasing multiple cables for multiple channels, as an example, you might specify matching lengths for a purist stereo hook-up, but use asymmetrical lengths for less critical surround and effects channels.

Vampire Wire Terminations

As they say at Vampire Wire, "Without the proper connector - it's just wire!"  Vampire Wire audiophile grade connectors feature high-purity base metals and a superior direct gold plating process to ensure unspoiled sound transmission. Choose from any of these Vampire Wire terminations (shown at the right) for your cables:

  • #HDS5 spades (blade width ~ .250" inside, .414" outside)
  • #SS9 spades (stepped blade width ~ .250" / .351" inside, .575" outside)
  • #BAR spades (blade width ~ .195" inside, .315" outside)
  • #SPD spades (blade width ~ .262" inside, .453" outside)
  • #PIN1 pins (.077" wide x .113" high)
  • #SB Single Banana Plugs
  • #DB Dual-gang Banana Plugs

Also available (but not shown) is an option for tinned bare ends.  With this method we dip the bare wire ends into molten Cardas Lead-free Silver Solder.  This method does not facilitate combining two conductors, so it is limited to wiring configurations that use four terminations per end.

Fan-Out length for each end

This is the length of the outer jacket that will be removed from the cable during the termination process.  Our standard fan-out is 0.2 meter, but you may want a longer fan-out when bi-wiring or bi-amping.  For example, in a bi-amp setup, the amplifiers are sometimes placed side by side, so you would need a longer fan-out in order to reach both amps.

Wiring Configurations

  • Conventional Wiring (2 terminations on each end)
  • Bi-Wire (2 terminations on the amplifier end and 4 terminations of the speaker end)
  • Bi-Amp (4 terminations on each end)

Performance / Value

It's confusing, because price does not necessarily relate directly to sonic or aesthetic improvement. We had to solve this dilemma for our own custom installations.  Our customers tell us that they want performance, but they would rather have extra components than to tie up thousands of dollars in speaker cables.  That's why we settled on Canare's Star Quad speaker cables for use in our custom installation work.  Canare 4S8 is a great option (or companion to) Canare 4S11.  Although much of the cost is in the terminations, 4S8 is still a bit less expensive.  And quite a bit less expensive when comparing conventional wiring to bi-amp or bi-wire configurations, so bi-amp or bi-wire configurations that employ multiple cables per speaker do not add as much cost as it might at first appear.

Review

At Cable Solutions, our philosophy is that the perfect cable is one that adds nothing to the sound, and that takes nothing away.  We have customers using these cables in systems that range from modest home systems to multi-million-dollar commercial venues and the common theme in all of the comments that we have received over the years is neutrality, clarity, accuracy, detail, extended frequency response, tight bass, openness, and low noise.  We've had customers tell us that these cables revealed nuances in their favorite music that they had never heard before.  That fits in with the comments about tight bass and openness because as the bass becomes tighter, the overall soundstage opens up and one begins to hear details that were previously obscured.  Others have commented that these cables are less fatiguing to listen to.  That would probably be the lower noise.  We have sold some very expensive speaker cables over the years, but these are the ones that stand out as sounding better than their specs and price would suggest.  We hope you will get as much enjoyment from your set as so many others have.

 

Canare Star Quad Speaker Cable, detail drawing

Canare's Innovative Star Quad construction is illustrated here.

Canare 4S8 Star Quad Speaker Cable with (4) Vampire Wire #HDS5 spades

(4) Vampire Wire #HDS5 spades are shown in the bi-wire / bi-amp wiring configuration.

(2) Vampire Wire #HDS5 spades on Canare 4S8 Star Quad

Shown here are (2) #HDS5 spades, as would be used on the amplifier ends of a bi-wire or conventional wiring configuration.  The elongated, offset blades are a good fit for a wide range of equipment and the design also leaves plenty of room for heat-shrink coverage.  These are our most popular spades.

Vampire Wire #SS9 spades

Vampire Wire #SS9 are our second most popular spades. The stepped blade was originally intended for use with the oversized binding posts on B&W speakers, but they also work well with many other binding posts as well.
(shown here on Canare 4S11)

Vampire Wire #BAR spades

#BAR spades are perfect for small barrier strips or any such small terminals.
(shown here on Canare 4S11)

Vampire Wire #SPD spades

Vampire Wire #SPD spades are the best choice for larger barrier strips, such as those used on some Vandersteen speakers.  (formerly known as #SPD8)
(shown here on Canare 4S11)

Vampire Wire #PIN1 pins

#PIN1 pins work well with equipment that has large spring-clips.  Also appropriate for use with banana plugs such as Vampire Wire #DB.
(shown here on Canare 4S11)

Vampire Wire #SB single banana plug, installed on #HDS5 spade

Here is an example of the Vampire Wire #SB single banana plug, installed on an #HDS5 spade. (#SB requires #HDS5 spades or #PIN1 pins)
(shown here on Canare 4S11)

Vampire Wire #DB double-gang banana plugs

#DB double banana plugs. (#DB requires #PIN1 pins)

- Configure your custom cable here -
Canare 4S8 Speaker Star Quad Cable
("Add To Cart" to see configured pricing)
Option Description Select Options
Length in meters (feet)
Channel Usage
Fan-out Length on Amplifier end in meters (inches):
Terminations on Amplifier Ends
Fan-out Length on Speaker end in meters (inches):
Terminations on Speaker Ends
Quantity
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Why Cable Solutions?

The best cable, the best connectors, and one of the finest solders available...when you take a system this good and put it in the hands of technicians as good as ours, it becomes an awesome system!  Design excellence, high quality materials, meticulous workmanship, and superior service...put it all together and you get a superior product.  Don't get stuck with bad advice, poor service, slow shipment or an inferior product.  If you want the best, here it is!