2. cables
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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

jimboman
jimboman OP
102 posts
 

Thanks @mclinnguy   Your comments are bang on the money!

decooney
2,101 posts
 

@jimboman ..."The feeling of wanting to revisit all your library is very strong right now."

A good first sign.👍

ghdprentice
7,110 posts
 

OP,

‘Don’t be in a hurry to upgrade your power cords. Enjoy the component in your system as is. Get to know it really well (while financially recovering). Then when you know the sound of your system start looking for power cords. 

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,269 posts
 

@jimboman since you already got the power cord…in my experience placing the best power cord on the amplifier makes a pretty big difference. Between the AQ and Cardas, I’d try the AQ on DAC and Cardas on amp. Worth a shot.

jimboman OP
102 posts
 

@ghdprentice , great advice as always. Thanks.  I’m really enjoying the Clear Beyond PC (even with the OEM cords on the front end).  It’s even making the Golden Reference XLRs sound much more full.  I’m going to leave the GFs in for a full month before attempting any further experimentation.  In the meantime, I’m really enjoying the music!

@audphile1 , I had the same idea as you to put the Cardas Beyond on the amp first, but the quickest swap was on the front end, and it’s sounding great!  I will, as you suggest, try the Beyond on the amp. But I’m gonna stand pat for awhile yet.  The current setup is really quite lovely!

Thanks again to you both for your help/advice. Much appreciated.

Best, JAMES

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