Whatever happened to Straight Wire?

Level 3 and 4 in the SW line can absolutely hold its own against classic brands and most newcomers all day long.

I don't know if I'd agree with this statement. I didn't shed a tear when I sold off my Encore II interconects for (I believe) a less expensive offering from PS Audio. Even when I sold my cables, I told the buyers that the PS Audio cables were much better, but I guess at the price I was selling them for, they couldn't pass up the SWs.

I guess I did make an absolute statement about perhaps the most "variable" link in a playback system. What I should have said is in my system Maestro II speaker cables are as enjoyable or more so than many cables I have owned including Kimber 3035, Audience AU 24, MIT Oracle v3, Magnum M2, 750 shotgun, Nirvana SL, Goertz...just to name a few.

And by variable I mean synergy is impossible to predict without trial and error with cables, the combination of cartridges, arms, tables, electronics and speakers is almost endless. And in my findings the cables link this all up and either help or hinder the ultimate sonic signature. And throw in an audiophiles preference, some like it hot some like it cold and some like it in the many steps between....whew!

A new series of cables or so called "revised" version will not guarantee better sound. Sometimes older versions of a certain cable are more musical. Of course some of you will not agree with this statement.

Chris

Straightwire Maestro was my "first love" in premium interconnects. That was quite a long time ago.

I have been a long time Straightwire owner. I moved up the line quite quickly after Steve Hill in a telephone conversations offered to allow me to sample the low end Encore and Maestro speaker cables. I did and sent them back as they weren't even as good as Kimber 8TC.

I took the plunge and moved up to the Serenades and never looked back. I followed up on the interconnect side and did my whole system in a combination of balanced and RCA. For my VPI TNT Turntable I moved up to the Virtuoso "R".

While the Kimber 8TC outperforms the bass attributes of the Serenade, all other sonic qualities don't compare.

Though your right, Steve and his company have for all intents and purposes fallen off the planet. I live in the NY metro area and I can;t find a straightwire dealer to be had!!! What a shame.