Merlin vsm mme owners, Cardas cabling Question.

I notice in previous posts that you're predominantly a home theater kind of guy. That's nice.>>>

Yup. I surely is! Hee Haw! Let's all watch Top Gun and Showgirlz!

Good grief, dude. I've got a dedicated theater with a 10 foot wide screen. But that doesn't have anything to do with the refined speakers I've used...from Canton and Fried TL to Royd, Heybrook and B&W. I'm new to tubes, but I've heard and owned a lot of gear.

If you don't know that Totems and MOST speakers are colored, then I suggest you attend some live concerts and recordings. Then try actually recording a live piano or cello and play it back on Totems, Revel, Focal, ML, and a lot of other speakers out there. They're all colored to varying extents.

The Merlin and a few others are among the most neutral speakers I've heard. You're free to disagree, but maybe it's in bad taste to bad mouth Bobby's efforts, especially since no one is really agreeing with you. Since you are not in agreement with most experts and experienced audiophiles, why push the envelope?

I don't care for Bryston amps, but I don't run around bashing them because I KNOW plenty of people enjoy their products. In audio, dead weight finds it's own level. If a product is smoke and mirrors people usually figure it out. With loudspeakers you can't fool anyone. And few speakers on the planet have the universal acclaim as do the Merlins. That's amazing since he is up against companies like B&W who have advertising budgets just as big as their R&D budgets. And yet the little TSM's are superior to every B&W monitor I've heard.

You simply sound frustrated with Merlin or Bobby or the world. Still worse, you don't own the product, which everyone agrees has seen many changes.
This is my last response to you on this matter.

Cheers,

Rob

Right you are, Bobby! I made my LAST comment...and being a "home theater kinda guy" I will now use my new Manley Stingray as a center channel stand while I watch Rambo III.

Rob

Bobby thanks for the input on the Transparent cables.

Bobbyapalkovic.... I have an all Ayre system with balanced interconnects including LP...V1xe, K1xe, C5xemp, VPI Superscoutmaster/rim drive/Benz LP, into Vandersteen 5A's. I had Ayre and Cardas cables in my system for over 5 months each. I thought that's the way the system supposed to sound until a friend came over with some high end Purist cables. The difference was absolutely stunning. This prompted me to audition lots and lots of cables. The best sounding ones for my system was Audioquest Sky/Everest, and Anti-Cables. These sounded very similar, so I got the Anti -Cables because of the price difference. In truth, no one could tell me which cables were better when I swapped out one for the other.

i was wrong stingreen in two respects, with the breakin and about your speakers. vandy's imho, are going to be aided by the purist or a cable that slightly constricts, so i see why you liked what you had. the ayre/cardas was too full and relaxed to interface properly. this thinning or lightness would make the 5a's sound quicker and more finessed. this doesn't make the ayre/cardas wrong, just inappropriate for you and your speaker. there are plenty of speakers that these wires sound better on than other types. this is not one size fits all.
and in general, speakers with tweeters that are crossed over lower tend to like these litz wires more than ones that are crossed over higher. this has to do with the amount of fullness in the treble itself.
thanks s,
best, b