Silver Cables with Lamm M1.2 amps


Long-winded question:

Recently I purchased a new set of amps (Lamm M1.2) to experiment with hybrids vs. my Krell 450mcx. They are powering a pair of Wilson Maxx II speakers. For reference, the front-end is dCS (Elgar plus and Purcell) with a CEC transport. The amps were demo units and probably had 100 – 150 hours on them, along with upgraded Telefunken tubes.

Upon first listening, the amps provided wonderful sound in the mid range, mostly with vocals, jazz and some limited other cuts. However, for about 50% of the music I listen to (rock and blues), they did not have ANY control in the low end (confirmed by several other listeners). They could reach low frequency notes; however, they did not have any modulate within this area. It was almost as if they were muddled and damp, like someone put a blanket over your head and had you only listen to low frequency notes. Admittedly, they were being compared to the Krells, which have tremendous low-end extension and great control of this part of the audible spectrum. At the time, I was using Transparent Music Link Ultra speaker cables and Transparent Reference interconnects.

A neighbor and I were discussing this problem and he felt that copper cables were not the right match for the Lamm/Wilson setup. Conveniently, he had a set of unused Audioquest Kilimanjaro speaker cables sitting around. When we tried them out as a replacement for the Transparent’s, the difference was amazing. Bass extension improved, control of the lows was better and the overall signature of the sound was much more to my liking. While they Lamm’s are still not able to give you the “punch” that the Krell’s can with Zeppelin or SRV, they are fabulous with so much more content that the change was incredible. Further, the mid-range and high-end are a little tighter, which to me is a bit of a balance point. The Transparent’s give you a very liquid mid-range, which is buttery, but a little soft. (Admittedly, the Transparent Music Link Ultra’s are not that great of a cable but they worked well with my Krell’s and my old Wilson WP6.) All in all, the silver Audioquest cables are really nice.

As such, I’m writing to see if anyone has experience with silver cables and this type of situation. If so, which silver speaker cables have you tried and what has been the impact. Also, I’m sure someone out there is using Nordost with this combination and I’d like to see what you think. I am not too familiar with silver or silver-coated copper cables and am curious to learn more. Thanks very much.
cgeoly
Once my W/P 8s finally broke in, I have also been auditioning alternative amp/cable combinations. My past experience with silver cables has not been positive: initially impressive detail that became etched and fatiguing as listening progressed. I was never pleased with Nordost cables and Wilsons (Quattro-fil, SPM, Valhalla; W/P 6s & 7s; JA-100s, Hovland Sapphire & Radia).

I recently heard Audioquest Sky/Everest, Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Ayre MX-Rs and ARC Ref 210s with the 8s in every permutation. AQ/ARC was my preference but KS/Ayre was not far behind.

In short, I am extremely impressed with AQ's silver cables and will probably pair them with Ref 210s or VTL MB 450 Signatures once I can audition them.

I'd like to audition the new Purist cables before making the plunge and I think I've found a relatively local dealer but after hearing the AQs I'm not sure I need to.
Cgeoly try Siltechs, they are one of my favorites.I used
to have the LS120GS.I regret selling it.
I think you should also audition the pranawire cables - uniformly great reviews and no-one seems to be selling them used - I know, I've looked. You may also want to audition the Silversmith cables - the silver are excellent and the palladium are even better.