Quattro Fil vs. Siltech SQ80b

Thanks for the thoughtful posts. Rackon, I am using a Rowland Concentra II and already have a pair of Quattro Fils. I actually wrote this post because I am thinking of trying the Siltech and it seems, at this point, the only way I am comfortable doing that is to buy them and then decide. I previousely used Cardas Golden Reference and they sounded great also. I think I prefer the Nordost at this point. The soundstage is like none I have heard. My system is so smooth, it can take such a revealing cable. Of course, I always have my eyes and ears open.

I can't comment on the very fine Siltech cable, but I have used the Coincident and currently have the Quattro Fil ICs in my system.

I love the QF, which has tons of detail and tonal information without thinness (at least to my picky ears). When I first connected the Quattros, the expanded size and openness of the soundstage was startling - and the soundstage was already good to begin with.

Be aware that Quattro Fil will not "fatten" any leanness in the source/upstream electronics, neither will it take away musical info from the signal. They are not expensive tone controls. Nordost SPM CAN sound a little lean in some systems, but the QF is wonderful if it's a match for your gear.

I auditioned a Rowland amp with the QF which was a great combo. Coincident is very, very good, but IMO the QF is in another league. I have Coincident tri-wire to my speakers, BTW, which is excellent for the price. One note about the above cables: they ALL take a LONG time (200-400hrs min.) to burn-in. If your dealer has a cable cooker, so much the better.

My comments and the previous posts serve to point out just how system and taste dependent cables are, which you undoubtedly already know. My own rig has very revealing but neutral speakers (Alon Vs), with smooth ss amps (Meitner MTR101 MkII mono-blocks), warmish tube pre (Rogue w/NOS tubes) plus the Cary 303 CDP. I need a fast, open cable to keep all this from becoming too much of a good thing. The QFs have been just the ticket. I listen to mainly classical, but also a fair amount of jazz, rock and "other". Hope this gives you some points of comparison.

I'm in the process of auditioning some top of the line Stealth ICs...but I have been very satified with the Quattro Fils and recommend them highly.

I used to have the Quattro Fil and between my pre and power amp before and I just replaced it with the Siltech SQ88b and the performance of this new Siltech cable blew me away.
Very dynamic with lots of air around instruments with a tight base to boot,in short it outperforms the quattro fil in all areas.Sorry no experience with the SQ80b.
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I have owned the Quattro fil and own the Coincident. In my system the Coincident has a wider, deeper soundstage without bleaching the tonality. The Quattro fil never sounded like music. I have been using the OTA IC from 47 Labs and this skinny, whimpy little cable has out performed these two cables in the audiophiles check list of what a cable should do. I have been listening to a $3500 IC from Venture. The Venture cable is worth the $$$ when compared to the Quattro fil I suppose. The 1 1/2 meter of OTA IC is about $75. This $75 IC not only competes with the Venture IC but out performs it in many areas thar matter most to me. Go in with a buddy and give this stuff a try. You do not have to spend the big bucks to get a great performing, musical IC. I'm sold.

I've had both, I think they are quite diffrent. I really like Quattro Fil, it's just that in all it's glory it sounds a bit sterile to me. More information gets through the Quattro Fil compared to the Siltech, or just about any other cable, it's just that it can sound sort of thin at times. Siltech was more forgiving offering a warmer sound. I ended up prefering the Quattro Fil to the Siltech. I had the Coincident too and I didn't think it was that good, probably worth the price but definatly not that good. I personally think Acoustic Zen Silver reference is much better than any of these, that along with Satori Speaker cable is my new refrence, and I think for now my cable search is over.

Tough question. If I were you I would try to borrow and demo. Every system is a little different. They are both nice cables. I am using the Quattro as a Pre/Power link, but have the Siltech elsewhere.

At 299.00 the Coincident IC toped the Quattro Fil in my sysytem.Just plain sounded better.