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Audioquest Water XLR Interconnects

Hi all -
Just installed a pair of Audioquest Water XLR Interconnects between my preamp and my monoblocks.

They are replacing a pair of Cardas Quadlink 5-c XLR Interconnects.

I'd like to hear what difference I should be experiencing, then I will tell you what I am finding.

Please let's keep this focused on the Audioquest Water XLR Interconnects

Thanks in advance....

Speackers: B&W 802 D (First of the Diamonds)
Amps: Classe Cam-200
Preamp: Bryston BP-26
CD Player: Mark Levinson 5100
onehorsepony
bewgow
65 posts
 
Paradigm Persona sounded close to neutral to me. KEF Reference series is more on the warm side. You need to go to a dealership and hear what you like. There are so many options. Some dealerships will let you bring your own gear to match the speakers and try it for yourself before you make the decision.
chayro
2,942 posts
 
So you’re going to change  the speakers to fit your cable? If you liked the speakers with your other cables, it sounds like a not so great idea. Of course if you want new speakers, that’s another thing. But it’s your money and your ears so have at it.
rixthetrick's avatar
rixthetrick
1,060 posts
 
Thanks onehorsepony, I am investigating Audioquest Water XLR, and Earth as well as others.
onehorsepony OP
30 posts
 

UPDATE… so this is what I’ve found thus far. I’ve gone back and forth on now 3 filters and can reproduce the same conclusions.

HYBRID FAST MINIMUM PHASE
I’ve found this filter to be very resolving especially on vocals. Allows any sibilance to be more prominent. However, after about an hour of listening, I start interpreting the filter as harsh/bright sounding, almost grating. Reducing the volume helps but removes the bass of the music I’m listening to

FAST LINEAR
This filters seems to calm the upper end down some, but at the same time feel like i’m losing some of the resolution in the vocals.

APODIZ FAST
I thought this filter calmed the ‘sizzle’ down from the HYBRID FAST MINIMUM PHASE filter. Seemed to allow the system to be played at moderate and louder volumes eliminating any listener fatique. Thought this is a filter to consider. Had my wife listen to this filter on several recordings, A/B comparing it to the HFMP filter. She felt it made the sound more 2 dimensional, ‘deep’ sounding, un involving.

Does any of this make any sense?

Which one would you suggest to try next?

thanks in advance…


raysmtb1's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
raysmtb1
793 posts
 
Buy a Macintosh preamp. It has these adjustments called tone controls and they allow you to make adjustments on the fly for poor recordings and little things like cables. Cables are not tone controls. I thought I was going crazy reading this thread, so much for the scientific method .
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