@thezaks
from my limited experience, every component or cable tend to be harsh at start, gets smoother with time. depending on your equipment performance/transparency, you might like or hate that initial harshness. I have noticed this the most with my Firebird zero speaker cable, also with other cables/components when new.
in my humble opinion, AQ cables don't really have a sound signature of their own, they don't "color" the sound. so if you feel the sound is too soft and bass heavy after full break in, its possible this could be your equipment actual sound. I could be wrong, but I had a custom made amp which was warm and soft. I kept trying sub-consciously to enhance the details in my sound by introducing high rez silver cables, a high end DAC, a good transport. but that veil is not really gone. reached all the way to a speaker cable upgrade. after the firebid zero speaker cable fully broke in, I realized that amp should go. bought a diablo 300 integrated, and the cables passed the signal honestly as it did with the previous amp. the difference was; no more dullness of any sort, just the heavenly detailed, extended highs, sensational mids, extremely controlled and deep bass; i.e, the excellent sound of gryphon diablo 300.
AQ cables (the high-ish end ones) just simply allow you to hear your equipment to its maximum potential, without any alteration to signal or favoring any frequency over the other, while keeping noise incredibly low. wither it was a power cord, speaker cable, IC, or a digital cable. I could be wrong again with such statement, but I'm really happy with my full loom AQ here. just waiting my new Firebird PCs (1 High current, 2 source) to replace 3 thunders i currently have. I can only wonder what they would do, cause I have heard hurricane and I loved what it does vs the thunders. I truly shouldn't have left better PCs till the end, esp. with many knowledgeable people claiming the change the sound the most, but that mistake is soon to be rectified ))
hope I've been of help!