Any general suggestions on Silver vs Copper, which cable placements will most likely make a difference as well as if I should replace the AC cables on any of the equipment (of course the Niagara does not come with a power cable. Thats everything so far.
My experience, many AQ models over many years:
- Silver is better - usually gives a good bit more detail without getting too bright. But the "bigger" silver models are usually better, as the entry level models can often be a little lean / lightweight and sterile by comparison.
- Silver is worth it when you're searching for good deals on USED cables. However it's hard to justify their current "new" silver prices. In that case I'd say copper is more than good enough; use the saved money for other upgrades.
- I found the best improvement from Hurricane PC's is on power amps. But I still really like the old NRG-1000 cords. I'm also quite happy with NRG-1000 type cords on all my source and preamp equipment.
- Speaker cables are #1 importance, then PC's on amps (and maybe Niagara) #2, then ICs and source PC's #3.
- There are often great used deals on older AQ models but the lines are VERY confusing at first and you have to watch out for counterfeits - especially on certain models: Sky, K2, WEL Signature anything. And all the new stuff :(