I had adjusted my Von Schweikert VR9 SE Mk2 upgraded speakers to my equipment and cabling for nearly a year (7 control features). One problem I thought I had was too much bass with the 1000w powered 15" Rel subs in the rear despite minimal gain at +2 clicks. I just purchased a pair of Westminster Labs Ultra power cables for both the speakers and the WL Rei amps. The clarity, dynamic range and even/neutral frequency response was significantly better than my 15X lower cost cabling which was very good but I had to set my bass phase to -90 degrees. So, installing those four power cables sounded a little lean, lacking in body/richness as you would say. Then I readjusted the phase back to 0 degrees, aiming the bass between instead of outside of the speakers and voila! Great rich ffull bodied sound like I've never heard but with all the clarity. I was rather surprised but the distributor informed me that the higher end WL and Masterbuilt cabling brought more richness/body to the sound. Now my speakers are not sounding overloaded with in phase bass. I did not try other high end power cables as for 25 years, GroverHuffman builds great power cables at very reasonable prices. 15X the GH price and one has to be careful. There is no question as to the SOTA quality of those WL and Masterbuilt (I've heard over the last decade) power cables (as well as ICs).
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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@gp4jesus Good advice under any circumstances, it seems to have a positive effect to reseat connections once in awhile. However, for my ears and system, it seems to take a few days for everything to sound totally right after reseating and cleaning connections. |
Good to hear, it is fantastic equipment.
Yours is a common story with AZ, I and many others have found them to be special, and relatively cost effective within this hobby. It is my plan to let them soak for longer. |
Had a full loom of "great" cables like this once. It did not start out this way, but seemed to become increasingly "less engaging" of a sound as I added more of the exact same type of cable throuhout the entire system. Tonal balance was lost. Yes, letting the cables and dielectric relax and settle inside of each cable 200+ hours did help and sound did change some for the better, but that leanness you refer to was still kinda there. Did not really go away. It was simply not a great match for my amp and preamplifier at the time was the final conclusion. Took a while to admit this and back out of it all - to literally start over from scratch. Went back to a baseline. Others have suggested that familiar "baseline". Then I read the statement you posed above. Sure, give it more time. If that does not work, go back to the entire set of those former/familiar cables and listen for 2 weeks. You’ll find your answer with no more advice from anyone here needed. Hopefully you kept a few of those old cables around to re-test. Exactly the reason I don't immediately resell former cables. Sometimes pairing up an amplifier known for that added "clarity" and "detail" with a set of cables known for the same characteristics can give you exactly that as.a result. I’ve found some combinations of expensive cables can simply tilt too far in a direction you now hear as no longer being "engaging". This can happen.
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