Earlier this year I replaced my speaker cables and all of my interconnect cables with Audience Front Row pieces. A close second for me was Audioquest Thunderbird. This all replaced the Tellurium Q Ultra Black I had been using for the past ten years.
Need Opinions for Different Cable Manufacturers/Cable Designs
I have a McIntosh 200wpc receiver [MAC7200] and Focal Sopra 3 speakers - and am using low-grade cables. I'm looking to vastly improve my system with a complete cable upgrade. I like a warm sound with lots of clarity and detail and naturalness. I have been reviewing tons of literature and am intrigued by Cu/Ag and Cu/Ag/Au combinations. I will probably buy used, and look at offerings in the midrange to lower high-end range of products. Cannot afford the best each manufacturer has to offer. Looking to spend up to $2,000 for 3m speaker cables and up to $700 each for RCA and XLR cables. Again, I hope to buy used.
I am interested in opinions on the following manufacturers:
AUDIENCE
DH LABS
PURIST AUDIO DESIGN
SILNOTE
SNAKE RIVER
Please feel free to offer your opinions on these and any other recommendations you may have. I really appreciate your time and advice!! Thanks!
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Your comment "warm sound with lots of clarity and detail and naturalness" were the words I used in the journey to find IC's and speaker cables for my Marantz/Focal setup. Started with AQ (need to go very high in price), then DH labs (great value, however the Be tweeter reproduced a graininess in HF), now with Cardas Clear Reflection. Made a significant difference - detailed, yet full and without any grain or roughness in the sound. Made listening to the music, not the system, more pleasing. Yes - with your sytem cables will make a difference. |
@kinarow1 I have a MAC amp and a pair of Revel speakers in a two-channel system. I usually avoid proffering opinions on speaker cables and connectors in general because this is the best way to start a fight in an empty bar. If by "looking to vastly improve my system" (emphasis on "vastly") you mean VASTLY improve the sound, you are not going to accomplish this with expensive speaker cables, unless you're using lamp cord now, have poor contact connection points, etc. Using good quality, well-made speaker cables constructed with at least 12-gauge or thicker premium copper conductors in your system is about as good as it gets. If this is not what you are already using, you should be able to find something like this from a number of reputable manufacturers, without spending an arm & a leg or sacrificing your first born (e.g. AudioQuest; Monoprice; Kimber Kable; Chord Company; etc.). If you live close enough to a or a number of high-end audio shops, they often have various brands of speaker cables that they will allow you to audition at home. |
- 92 posts total