mcintosh & big $ interconnects

I hear differences with cables in my system. They are subtile but very noticible in some cases - like when I compared Kimber PBJs with my MIT T2s between MC7200 and a C712. In blind testing with my roommate (who is not into audio) we could consistently pick out which was which. The JM Labs are super resolving though. With my Paradigm Ref 100.2s I could not tell differences nearly as easily. Arthur

Hi Bigjoe,

Like yourself I`ve been a McIntosh user for the past 25 years and have not been disappointed at all. I`m using the 402 and C2200 for stereo and a C39 and 7106 for HT. As cables go I`ve had great sound with the Kimber Select ic`s,pc`s and speaker cables. The copper, hybrid, and silver all work well in the systems however, I fully agree with Theo regarding the Cardas Golden reference. They are excellent cables and work well with the McIntosh gear. They are more ``natural and lifelike sounding`` as opposed to the common ``Hi Fi`` sound. I use Golden Referece balanced and single ended, the Golden Reference power cords (w/out ferrites) and the Neutral Reference for speaker cables. Phono stage uses Golden Cross and the tuner gets Cross. Try them they sound wonderful. The only complaint I have is they take a long time to burn in but will be worth it in the end with excellent sound.

ive done alot of blind testing the last few days & ive come to a verdict.

cables do make a difference,ive yet to hear a difference in speaker wires but with interconnects there is a difference.

i put the audioquest cables in the mvp831 cdp & the loaner cables ( acoustic zen ) in the mvp841 & the difference was very little but its there.

im off to listen some more,im excited about finally hearing somthing.

i have now come to a decision,there is differences in some cables but with my gear the differences are so small that i cant justify the cost for such a small difference.

im not even sure if there was any improvements but there was differences that were more like very fine adjustments of the tone controls.

i can however see where cables would make a much bigger impact on SET rigs or rigs where the preamp has no tone controls.

im real glad i had the chance to borrow some nice gear from a very thoughtful & generous member(thanks dave)but after the blind testing i think my cash could be better spent trying out different dac's.

mike.

Hi Bigjoe, nice system you've got, finally became a Mac owner myself - 46 years old go figure. I got the 501's and using big $ cables (bought used btw). Using MIT 350 SG EVO and 350 reference and the sound is phenomenal, driven by a CJ premier 14. Using MIT Magnum 2's for speaker. Haven't compared any other cables, have always been extremely satisfied with MIT in my systems. Don't I get a Macintosh keychain or something since I'm in the club : -)