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Audioquest Firebird Zero

I've tried several speaker cables over the past year; Shunyata Alpha and Sigma, Wireworld Silver Eclipse series 7, Audioquest Oak and Redwood, Audience Au24 SX, and I own Clarus Crimson speaker cables. I prefer the Clarus over all of the aforementioned speaker cables. I've had the Audioquest Firebird Zero speaker cables on loan for three days. My initial thoughts were everything is a little clearer through them compared to my Clarus Crimson. Not a night and day difference, but definitely clearer. The Clarus are slightly more 3-dimensional to my ears. My wife on the other hand just keeps saying the AQ sounds sharper, clearer, there are less impurities in the music. I'm not sure what she means by impurities, but she keeps repeating it. Maybe she means a darker background? My plan was to have a home audition of the Thunderbird Zero speaker cables, but they had banana plugs on the amplifier end and I can't use them. I took the Firebirds with the logic that if I can't hear a difference between them and my current cables I didn't need to have a home audition of the Thunderbirds. $14K for an eight foot pair of speaker cables is freaking crazy and sad! It would be easy for me to dismiss it  because there isn't a night and day difference, but once you hear the difference it's very hard to ignore. Financially I just can't justify spending $14K on speaker cables and hope to hear the AQ Thunderbirds sometime next week. Once again I'm reminded that absolutely everything makes a difference. For those that can easily afford $14K, $20K or more speaker cables I understand, because cables can be equivalent to a component change. Does it ever end?
ricred1
gfroman's avatar
gfroman
142 posts
 
If anyone is looking for a pair of 8ft William Tell BASS speaker cables, I have some like new in the box for sale.
They are on USAM.
Sold my WT ZERO cables last week, as I moved up to the Thunderbirds!
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
WOW, what a ride.  New update:

I basically have sold all my cables and cords.  I have a 2m Hurricane and 2m Basic power cord and Niagara 1000 that I'll soon put up for sale I think (unless I use it in my second system).

New set up is as follows:
Niagara 3000 with Dragon power cord into an Edison outlet that is on it's own circuit.  All other power cords are Hurricane's and that includes on my Quatro's for the sub bass.
I use a Horizon (WEL Signatures first year's name, but identical to the WEL Signature) and the Fire IC into the Vandersteen M5-HPA mono's.  Still using The Memory Player server with built in DAC and analog volume control.  I'll be selling my digital soon and moving into something else (auditioning a few things)

I also am using the Fog Lifters.  I have heard that at a dealer and the demo was great.  Heard the slight (very slight) difference.  They help manage the cable runs.

Still burning in.
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Still burning, but man does this system sound better than anything I imagined I could afford.  The new AQ line of cables is my favorite and that includes the even more expensive lines from some of the smaller companies that I've heard in my system. 
nglazer
846 posts
 
Try the Silversmith Fidelium SC's. You will be astonished at how good they are at any price, let alone their modest price. Real ear-openers. Neal
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
All burned in.  Holy crap is this bliss.  I can't believe how GREAT the Dragon cable from the Niagara 3000 to the dedicated outlet (Edison outlets) sounds.  I installed my older Hurricane and kept going back and forth over the lsat week.  The Dragon at that one choke point makes. a WORLD of difference.  So inky black quiet with amazing micro and macro dynamics.  All the AQ cables are neutral. Is the Dragon worth the price increase over the Hurricane?  To my ears it's like an upgraded component.  I didn't think it would have that big a difference.  It should when you consider the price difference, but we all know cables/cords can only do just so much, but if your system let's you hear the differences and can scale, this will be a good way to see how much it will scale.  I'd still look to upgrade a preamp or source before going to a Dragon from another cord, but at this level, you may need to go up 10k in a speaker or preamp.  JMHO
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