Stage III Concepts Cables - Any Advice/Feedback/Thoughts is deeply appreciated.

The Esoteric F07 or Grandioso F1 would sound better than Solution 530 at much less cost.With these units or Esoteric So3 power amp with there preamp.Then you could have kept your cables and not gotten Stage 3 which are great but overpriced.Gook luck though!!

I guarantee you that if you swapped out STC’s with even Anticables, you wouldn’t know which cables were being used.  At some point these things become a religion.

ebms 

The F1 is a decent amp I guess at its price point. I've heard it driving a pair and Wilson Yvette Speakers and it was ok I guess. I mean I don't know I thought maybe the speakers are were not that great but then again I heard those same speakers in the same system with a 5 year old $2500 Naim amp and it sounded great so it wasn't the speakers or the system. The Naim was way better.

Sorry man, there are plenty of amps out there to throw up there against the 530 but that F1 is not one of them. I'd take that used Naim any day over it and that thing used prob goes for maybe $1500 but in fairness to that F1 amp what is it?

Parts and labor are what? Maybe $2000 or maybe $2500?

The caps alone in a 530 cost more than that and trust me it's not all about money for great sound but to say money in high end audio doesn't matter is being a bit disingenuous at best.  To say the F1 will sound better is just silly. 

Now like I stated I bought my Soulution used. Sure it is a current model amp that goes for $55,000 but I certainly didn't pay that for it. 

I can tell you right now that this 530 amp in a very fair fight legit and fairly as can be handily beat out a mint pair of $27,300 Pass Labs XA-160.8 Monoblocks no problem. Once the Stage III Kraken power cable was plugged into the Soulution it was a no contest, clear as day much better amp and I loved my Pass Labs amps. I love Pass labs and have owned over a half dozen of their amps. I am a huge fan of Nelson and am a sucker for his pure Class A sound but in a very fair fight the 530 trounced it.  


dave_b

I actually owned anti-cables and was a believer of them and really liked them. Had them for a while along with others (Cardas, Nordost, HiDiamond, Audience) all around the same time feeling my through the cable wabbit hole. 

Then I bought a pair of interconnects from a small company call Darwin. Really good prices and really really good sounding interconnects.
The pair I bought was called the Darwin TRUTH. Tony Bender is one of the owners and is a really nice guy. They are under a $900 for 1M. They were these little clear plastic tubes that has a single, pure, solid silver, cryo treated little cable in there.

OMG, did I love those cables. They made those anticables sound like I was using fishing string. I thought those anti-cables were solid until they got their brain bashed in by these Darwin. Destroyed them, it was amazing to me at the time. I remember it clear as day. 

Anyone could hear that difference. It was gigantic. Those Darwins were awesome and I had them for a few years as my main IC's and still own a pair and try them every now and again and they always hold their own. The Kubala-Sosna are quite a bit more refined with better bass and over all a better cables but those Darwin were raw with bit. Some could call them a bit brite but I loved them, They pealed the layers off like only silver will do or so I thought at the time anyways. They give your system a shot in the arm, some jump and life. I loved them. The problem with them is the clear plastic kinks and once it kinks that part is soft and will always kink in that same area so not the most rugged cables but they destroyed the anti-cables.

I have really good Kubula-Sosna Emotion that I have been going back and forth with the Stage III and there is a pretty big difference. 

I get your point, people can go overboard with cables and I get it and agree with you in that to a point as it is what I am doing right now. It is a slippery slope but now a days these cables matter and can change a system just like that. I get it there are still plenty of people that don't believe in them. 

I respect that and appreciate everyone's take but they matter to me and seems to be to some others as well. 

Thats great dude its your money.Im now using M3s maybe i should jump on Soulution.However I’m very happy with Audia flight #4 amp and #1 preamp with Purist Dominus cables for now.I did like the Soulution mono amps at $155.000.The top Esoteric amp and preamp is certainly as good as Soulution and made as well.I m sorry i did not really mean F1.

ggc
I second, Ayre Twenty Series of electronics. Extremely musical, are the best descriptors here.  Happy Listening!