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Cable upgrades
Happy Holidays to all!
I’m reconfiguring my system and am interested in upgrading my interconnects and possibly my speaker cables, and I was wondering if you could make some recommendations.
I was running Audio Sensibility Impact SE XLR between my Benchmark DAC3 HGC (as a DAC/pre) and my Benchmark AHB2 power amp. The amp is running bi-wired Kimber Cable 8TC (I think that’s the model #) to a pair of ATC SCM40 tower speakers. In this setup the bass is tight and the mids are clean - overall I’m quite happy - but sometimes I feel, for my ears, I’d love a bit more openness / brightness in the higher end.
My questions are: would improved XLR interconnects help to open up the top end a bit, without being harsh, and perhaps increase the dimensionality of the soundstage? Or would I be better off starting with upgrading the speaker cables? I’ve been looking at the Cardas Parsec level of cable, and could perhaps stretch to the Clear line, pending your recommendations.
Also, one other question: pending the possible move to 2 AHB2s (in mono-block configuration), do both XLR interconnects have to be the same length? If not, would it cause any timing issues between, say, a 2' XLR and a 6'?
I’d appreciate any guidance. Many thanks in advance.
Best, JAMES
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- 137 posts total
@soix Yessiree. I'm a frost-bitten Canadian boy. 😎 |
Hi again: An update on my audio journey: I purchased a set of Cardas Golden Reference XLR interconnects, and after a week of running them in my system, I'm sad to report that these cables were not a good fit. While they brightened the top end, and seemed to punctuate the mids to create a bigger soundstage, the mid/lower bass frequencies were hampered. I kept hoping the cables would settle in, and the low end slam would return, or that my ears would adjust, but... I ended up putting the AS Testament SEs back in the system, and the frequency balance that I enjoy returned immediately. The process did help me realize that I like the way the AS cables sound -- and this was a huge benefit. If I can find a local dealer who will let me demo some higher end cables before purchase, I'd be open to trying again. But making a blind purchase and hoping it will be a good fit in my system -- especially as one goes higher up the price spectrum -- seems unwise. So, lots to learn in the upgrade journey. Perhaps my number one lesson, is to make sure one enjoys the system they already have. Best, JAMES |
James…if those XLRs are new, my recommendation would be to give them a minimum of 200hrs of signal/play time. If you ran them for a week 24/7, they’re not done cooking yet. Keep them in and give em 40-50hrs more. If they don’t work for you then, move on. I think you may have potentially rushes to judge them. |
Hi @audphile1 Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I believe the Golden Reference cables are previous gen Cardas cables, and as such, this pair has had two owners before me. So I didn’t think burn-in would change their signature much. That said, I wondered if they would benefit from a running in period, so that’s why I gave them a week trial. Maybe it wasn’t enough? (I’d say, to my ears, they improved slightly during the week, but the lower bass was still substantially attenuated) When I switched back to the Audio Sensibility cables, they just sounded ‘complete’ to me. It was the opposite of my expectations. And it would have been much easier to return the AS cables, as they come with a 30-day return policy. I learned a few valuable lessons in the process, though. Switching the two sets of cables gave me a fresh perspective, helping me properly judge the effect of the change on my system. And I also learned that I don’t want to pursue gear that I can’t evaluate in some fashion before purchase. Best, JAMES |
- 137 posts total