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Warm Interconnects

First, apologies as I know this has been asked before...a lot. I'm looking for a warm interconnect to balance out my system, but not wanting to break the bank if I can help it. I know everyone has favorites and the one I hear more often than not is the Cardas Golden Cross, but would like to find something similiar in tone but at a lower price. I've read/researched room treatments, speaker placement, etc and tried most of it, but it's the same results. I'll list my setup here, but to start I own Monitor Audio Silver 8s (last of the British made). They're bright in character already, I know (gold tweeter, but same as their gold reference line).

System is -
Benchmark DAC1 with HiFi tuning fuses fed by Shunyata Taipan Alpha Helix power cable
Musical Fidelity A308I Integrated fed by PS Audio Mini-Lab power cable
Monitor Audio Silver 8s
Shunyata Hydra 4 fed by Taipan Alpha Helix
Audioquest Bedrock 8' Bi-wire speaker cable
Tributaries .5 meter SCA-150 Silver RCAs from DAC to amp (these, I believe, are the major culprit as I hear that silver doesn't go well with solid state gear).

I'm demoing a pair of Home Grown Audio Silver Lace RCAs at the moment, but this was just to confirm silver is poor with my setup (and it looks like silver is, though the Silver Lace are an improvement).

Any thoughts are appreciated.
mb9061
lator
1 posts
 
I am sorry but I have to recommend Cardas Golden Cross as well. They helped to balance out my headphone setup, I also had silver interconnects before that. I have tested HGA with my current speaker setup as well and has come to similar conclusions that silver is not good for this setup either (solid state electronics). I have tried Shunyata Altair Helix with my speakers and it seems to be nice balance, I have yet to find proper speaker cables though so I have to look into it some more.
thorman
1,262 posts
 
For a cheap fix go to Ebay and find an early pair of Monster M series interconnects..Lush with exc. bass..Should also be $100 ish.........
5u4
10 posts
 
Agree with Thorman, the older beige M1000i's were a nice sounding warm cable, however when I tried the newer black jacket version, they were not the same.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I also have a pair of Monster M1000i. They are a great buy for sure. They lack a tiny bit of articulation when compared head-to-head with the Cardas Crosslink but they have a more open midrange.

Another great warm cable is the van den Hul First Ultimate mk2. It has amazing capabilities but never sounds bright or etched. Quite an enigma. It surpasses all other cables I have tried in terms of soundstaging as well.

I very highly recommend any van den Hul for your system (except for maybe the Orchid which is more on the lean side of things). The First Ultimate is kind of expensive but the D102mk3 and the Well are also first rate and never bright. You might also want to consider their speaker cables - like the D352. I used to have a pair and they weren't bright at all (not enough for my system and tastes actually). I think these cables will give you exactly what you seek.

Arthur
soix
9,456 posts
 
The original Acoustic Zen Matrix Refs were tonally rich and on the warmer side, and if you can find them you'll probably get a great deal since they've been replaced by a newer version. The new version takes a step closer to the Silver Refs and sounds a bit leaner than the originals, so they may not be appropriate for your needs. Best of luck.
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