Is Audioquest Emerald still a good cable?

Does it still conduct electricity? Does it still have its insulation jacket intact? Do the plugs make proper contact? Is it still long enough to go from point A to point B?

The rest is keeping up with the Audio Jones of this world.

I still have my Emeralds from many years back, recently tried them in a new analog setup. Compared back to back with Ridge Street Audio Poiema's, no contest, Poiema's win hands down. Cables make a difference! Believe me, I have about 10 different cables lying around that beat my Emerald's and some of them cost very little. Your components deserve something better.

the X is the warmer one versus the X3. Still very good with the taut bass delivery , though at times can sound dry compared with the likes of harmonic technology. For somewhere under $150 , go for the truthlinks. ANother similar cable should be the acoustic zen's w . Do not go back to blue heaven, it will sound "thin" in the lower end and is not as emphatic in midrange delivery as the emerald Xs. I am taking a comparative analysis for cables under the $150. If you can go any higher to $200, look for the likes of maple audio ambiance, JPS ultra's and the lower model of the RSA Poiema's, mse2.