Good point about the power cord. However, I recommend the Cardas... the same levels... as the Audio Quest will likely be too neutral. I experimented extensively with Cardas, Transparent, Wireworld, and a couple others. For my system I needed absolute neutrality... and could not afford the Transparent High Current, so the Audio Quest was perfect. The Cardas, did exactly what the OP wants.
A cable too perfect?
I recently acquired an Audionet AMP 1 v2 that only accepts RCA single ended connections. Since all my cabling was balanced, I had to start looking for replacements for my Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II's. Of course I could just get an RCA pair of those, as I like the sound, but I thought I would take the opportunity to check out some other options. I also thought I would start on the lower end cost-wise. I had some old Audioquest RCA's laying around and used those to start. And I bought some low cost Acoustic Zen WOW's to tide me over. And then on to Stager Silver Solids, I like these, but I don't think I love them. I also bought some Neotech cable and connectors and I am working on building a set.
But then, my dream cables showed up at a significant bargain, Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper! I was quite excited to add these to my system, and they replaced the Stager silver cables. Well, to say the difference was striking is not sufficient. The level of clarity and detail is amazing, and the soundstage is excellent. At first I thought they were kind of bright, but that is not the case, I think it is just the extreme clarity. A friend came over and he did not think they were bright either.
So, the problem, I don't find them engaging. It is possible the sound is a bit on the lean side. Everything is there, but there does not be a sum to the parts that is the music, yet I think they are absolutely accurate. It is slightly better if I turn it up, but I don't tolerate higher volumes for long, and value a system that sounds good at lower volumes. I prefer a bit of warmth, although I like to term it as a "richer" sound.
They have only been in place for a few days, so I will give them a bit more time. I know the answer, "try something else", but curious if others have run into such stark contrasts and is this what I can expect at the higher end of the cable world?
Suggestions for alternatives that might suit my needs are welcome, if you have actually tried them, and you believe that cables make a difference.
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@zlone run them in for 200hrs if they’re new. Keep in mind your amp needs to be on when breaking the preamp to amp interconnects. But to mitigate endless changes…My recommendation - you need a baseline. Get Bluejeans belden RCA cables, switch to all stock power cords. Listen to your system for a week or so. Then introduce AZ Absolutes back in. It’s a cheap and effective way to get to the culprit because at this point you don’t know what’s not engaging. The cables or your amp. Don’t continue dumping money into it.
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- 45 posts total