BAT to BAT - What's Best?

I used Signal Cable's Balanced 2 interconnect between my VK500 and 3i along with their shotgun biwire speaker cable. I was very happy with the performance and even happier with the cash left in my pocket (although not for long, being an audiophile ain't cheap).

I have all BAT gear and very happy using Audioquest DBS cables. Depending on your budget you can go with Panther or Cheetah. I use Cheetah and find that it has detail, texture, and still has a very even tonal balance with high end extension and bass weight /detail. These are the best silver cables I have listened to (if you exclude AQ Sky).

Lots of deep pockets here. A renowned maker of OTL gear once told me he uses Belden microphone cable. It was his belief that balanced cable mitigates many of the shortcomings of RCA cables/connectors. Just one man's opinion, of course. BAT and your dealer would probably say something else all together.

Cables like Canare, Cobalt, bettercables.com and bluejeanscables.com all offer great values and might get you there. Way too much voodoo in cable land, but that is not to say the above suggestions are invalid. What's important is that you hear the difference, which is not always for the better.

Try fatwyre.com for loans and suggestions. Best of luck in your quest.

People don't spend thousands of dollars to get the 3-dimensionality, decay of notes, ambience, bloom, etc., inherent with BAT gear only to have it destroyed by cheapo cables. I tried 2 pairs of Belden XLR cables and they worked ok from sources to my then line stage, ARC LS5. However, they so dramatically reduced the above qualities when used from the line stage to the amp that you're better off just using solid state gear and leave behind the extra attention needed with tube gear if you are going to go with such a cable. There's only voodoo in cable land when other links in the chain have not been properly addressed first.

And the issue of whether or not the cable is balanced or single-ended also has little to do with this. Sure, running some truly-balanced products like the BAT or Aesthetix or some ARC in balanced mode vs single-ended can make quite a dramatic difference in dimensionality. But just changing from SE to balanced is not suddenly going to bring on the 3-dimensionality if the cable's topology/materials/design does not have this ability in the first place.

John

Gee... I really appreciate the input folks. Truly. I do appreciate the input about the Cable company....been therre, done that....will again. Doubtless. Great way to addition things beforehand....

I suppose I should mention the source and speakers too, although I was holding beck there as to not taint the input.... I'm using a Sony SCD xa 777 es SACD PLAYER IN TWO CHANNEL PREDOMINATELY. . . a pair of Phase Tech PC 10.5 Towers, (all original but play flawlessly, apart form their inherent deficiencies, but on the whole great units for their cost, 2200.00 new), and a Velodyne CHT 10 INCH 100 WPC sub.

I know I'm lacking in the speaker end and sub as well. . . but hey, ya gotta startt somewhere, huh?

I'm adding very soon a MIT 3 RCA for the CD to pre link. . . and am inclined to go with the same brand throughout....possibly not the same model, but same brand....

I'm on an island with my ambitions for testing future wires it looks like. No one has made mention of the Synergistic, or Nirvana. I felt better hearing Audience mentioned, as well as Cardass GR, and Nordost Quattro's.... Thanks for that. I was feeling a bit out of place there for a time....I've had little faith in wires for the most part. Especially costly ones. . . but hearing is believeing....and it was an Audience XLR in place of an old cheap XLR of mine that turned my head around....

So OK. Purist it is....didn't like the speaker cables I tried, but perhaps the IC's are different. . . and a nod to Acoustic Zin ? is it? so I'm figuring tha that ought to cover it for a time....and thank you all for your time and consideration....oh, yeah, and most valued experiences.

I'll add those mentioned above and 'see' for myself...figuring the addition of loudspeakers is not going to change waht is being supplied, only reproduce it....so giving the best signal to the loudspeakers is the focus for the time being....

anything else I should know about in terms of IC'S IN YOUR OPINION (S) ?...ONCE MORE YOU ALL HAVE MY DEEPEST APRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS...