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
I just read this sad thread where a bunch of people who had never heard they OPs system, seen the cables, or heard the cables convinced him to try to return them and then suspect they were counterfeit because they didn't sound right. Please apologise to the fellow for all the trouble you've caused him. The original seller was right. You buy cables and if you don't like them, resell them. I do it all the time. Not a big deal. Jerry |
@carlsbad2 Definitely a cautionary tale, for sure. I’m glad the OP didn’t make any identifying information public! And, you’re right, an apology is definitely warranted. Navigating this whole cable thing is not for the faint of heart! Best, JAMES |
@jimboman JAMES, you did the right thing sending the cables to Cardas.
1. Validated authenticity, for yourself, the prior seller, and any future buyers. 2. Cardas "repaired the mid/low bass attenuated signal" for you. Issues resolved. 3. Re-evaluate them after the repair, over 30 days, and decide from there.
Beware of counterfeits, see the Cardas website for more information.
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Audio cables/wires typically have some dominant characteristics, characteristics which they tend to impart to any system. Cardas tend to be warm… some very warm. Transparent and Straight Wire tend to be very transparent, imparting no net difference. Whether one sounds good on your system will depend on its components and your values. Matching cables to systems can be reliably recommended on this basis if the person knows the change they want. But Transparent cables will not warm up a cool system, and Cardas will not cool off a system. Some cables have little impact on some or all sound characteristics, and the nuances that are changed can vary from system to system. Often the change might be fitting the values of the system to the user. But in this case the effect of a well known cable was contrary to the known major characteristic. |
Thanks @ghdprentice. Would you mind commenting on the question of price range relative to total system value? There are so many price levels of cables, I'm wondering if there was a range commensurate with my system? I've read your comments in other threads regarding this concept, and would find your guidance helpful. Thanks, JAMES. |
