Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8 question.

First, keep your CJ for a long time. The 2250A is a sleeper of an amp. As you upgrade the rest of your system the amp will deliver more and better sound. It really needs a good front end for you to get the maximum out of it. Enough said on that.

I have tried several speaker cables with the CJ 2250A and 2500A. While everything is system dependent, the Analysis Plus products consistently performed the best. The Oval 9s are as low as you want to go on the food chain and delivered clear, detailed music. You could live with these for a long time. However, moving to the Solo Crystal 8 you gain degrees more in dynamics, speed, accuracy, specificity and music. Using the 2500A, commpared to the new Big Silver, the 8s are a hair cleaner, maybe not as quiet. The AU 24, one of my favorite wires for its neutrality, sounded a little "sharp" compared to the 8s, but gave up none of the dynamics or specificity. The AU 24 are amazing with Blue Circle amps and the Channel Island DM mono blocks. Neither of the Nordost wires tried (Red Dawn and Valkyrja) improved the sound over the A+ Solo Crystal 8s with the CJ amps. They seemed flatter (no pun intendend) and not as crisp. Detail was there but there was an ever so slight veiling effect, they almost sounded out of phase.

So, IMO, with these 2 CJ amps, you just get more from the A+ Solo Crystal 8's.

Thanks for the info, I got the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal 8's about 2 weeks ago on Audiogon, they were just the length I needed and also the biwire I was looking for. Plus they had the WBT locking bananas on the speaker end which I like a lot, makes hookup much easier.

Now for the sound? I got a pleasent suprise just like you guys said, across the board gains in speed, detail, accuracy, plus it is just a more musical cable than the others I have tried. It blows away my Audioquest Mammoth, and while the Transparent Music Wave Super and Kimber Monacle XL could match it in some areas they couldn't match it in all areas. I really like the way this cable sounds with my CJ 2250A and Audes Blues speakers, it is very dynamic and still gives me the little tiny details and intimacy I am looking for. I don't think I could do much better without spending in the 1500 dollar range, so I am planning on keeping the Solo Crystal 8's awhile.

My next upgrade will be a really good digital source, something like an Accuphase DP 75 or the Marantz SA 11S1. I think I could gain a lot of depth and detail on redbook with one of those units.

Glad to hear that we did not steer you wrong. Congratulations on a good buy. Now enjoy your music for while and do not get wire happy again too fast. Make other changes if you must and remember that one of the beauties of the Solo Crystal 8 is that it is a hard wire to replace unless you want to spend a lot more. As for your front end, give the Muse 10 a serious listen.