AQ vs Van Den Hul

Boxer, I bought them from Music Direct. Looking back, I think the Rocket’s silver spades and possibly the silver drain wire used in the interconnects may have been the brightness culprit. I’ve avoided using anything with silver since.

I changed to a different brand of cables and suddenly, my system was much easier on the ears with a more spatial, 3-D presentation. It was a dramatic difference and I have since sold the AQ. As usual, YMMV.

@dustsailor  Don't write off silver cables. Some silver cables may sound bright especially in some systems.  I feared the silver "brightness" factor but finally, after much reading and the fact that silver is a better conductor than copper of equal quality, took the leap to all silver interconnects and speaker cables.  CAUTION.  Get wires with very pure silver, preferably AQ Perfect Surface Silver, or Wireworld's OCC®-7N Solid Silver. These are just high quality examples not an exhaustive list.  So what did I get with the change?  The revealing of minute details and a more expansive soundscape adds interest to listening.  It is cool to hear a musical detail in a familiar piece that you've never heard before.

Dustsailor, You certainly received the real thing from Music Direct. Thanks for answering. 

No problem, Boxer. I’m glad you like your AQ, the products I tried were a little too forward in the upper ranges for my tastes.

@whostolethebatmobile
The VDH copper stuff is silver-coated, right?