Need Opinions for Different Cable Manufacturers/Cable Designs


I have a McIntosh 200wpc receiver [MAC7200] and Focal Sopra 3 speakers - and am using low-grade cables. I'm looking to vastly improve my system with a complete cable upgrade. I like a warm sound with lots of clarity and detail and naturalness. I have been reviewing tons of literature and am intrigued by Cu/Ag and Cu/Ag/Au combinations. I will probably buy used, and look at offerings in the midrange to lower high-end range of products. Cannot afford the best each manufacturer has to offer. Looking to spend up to $2,000 for 3m speaker cables and up to $700 each for RCA and XLR cables. Again, I hope to buy used.

 

I am interested in opinions on the following manufacturers:

AUDIENCE

DH LABS

PURIST AUDIO DESIGN

SILNOTE

SNAKE RIVER

Please feel free to offer your opinions on these and any other recommendations you may have. I really appreciate your time and advice!! Thanks!

kinarow1

My experience with cables is that they can make a really noticeable difference, but I don' think I'd classify that difference as "vast".

I will say that one cable that sounds great in one system may sound horrible in another.   I love my GR-Research cable in my Xstatic-Krell rig, but it sounds really weak in my Totem-NAD system.   I found the Cardas Clear to be a good match in this system.   I really liked the Chord Epic Twin cables in with my Xstatics when I was running a PrimaLuna HP Dialogue Integrated with KT150s, but not once I upgraded to my Krell K300i.

This is all to say, that you have to experiment and listen to cables just like you do components.   Synergy is everything.   Buy new with return policies or buy used and resell what you don't like.   The good news with cables is that there are a lot of options out there and if you play it smart, there is very little financial risk.

Have fun and enjoy the music.

Buy used Audioquest Earth XLR interconnects, and JPS Labs Superconductor 3 speaker cables, and thank me later!!!  Happy listening.

You like a warm sound but you buy Sopras and now you want to fix it with cables. If a cable makes the Sopras sound warm, there must be something really wrong with that cable.

Townshend Audio F-1 Fractal cables are amongst the best. But you probably can't fix the Focal's bright tweeters except for using tube amps is my guess. 

You overlooked the best value of the bunch , the Wireworld Eclipse

they are not like everybody else , many for starters don’t all use Copper connectors  which is very important  for sonics as well as conductivity ,many use gold over bright sounding Brsss. WWorld use Silver over high grade copper. The wire 

is 6-9s pure Occ Copper in a straight Litz wire to avoid eddy currents ,

the comdilex dielectric is even better then Teflon and holds their patent.

the speaker cable can be ordered standard or biwire for it is very robust  awg 9 gauge , the interconnects similar geometric  and right in your budget .