AU24e Interconnects - but warmer


Hi Guys,

Wondering if anyone could assist on interconnect cable advice. I recently got some Audience Au24e interconnects (RCA) on Audiogon. Amazing levels of detail, openness and transparency, but with my listening (lots of female voices) it is just a bit too harsh on the upper mid / top end. Eveything else I love about this cable, but I can't live with it. I am using Paradigm Studio 100's v5 with a Marantz PM-15S2 Amp and SA-15S2 CDP. Speakers are quite forward in their character and I have wooden floors (hence needing some warmth). Any ideas on an interconenct that is a bit smoother (and max ~$400 second hand) but still gives good detail (which I love)? I was thinking something in the Cardas range (Microtwin - I have heard this is warm, but perhaps too?, Golden Cross etc?)

Thanks Guys!
dwnload
Cheers guys. I have been playing around with a few different sets of IC's that I borrowed from friends over the weekend and it has made such a difference! I was able to do some a/b comparisons which highlighted how bright the Audience AU24e's are in my system. But each room / system is unique as I tried them in other set-up (Quad & Kef's) where they sounded great and very neutral. From all the comps done, I can say with confidence that the AU24e's are NOT warm, they are on the brighter side (but I still wouldn't say they are "bright"). For fun and as a benchmarking exercise, I put in some silver Nordost Red Dawns and they were unbelievably bright in my system. They really favour the top end and are light on the bass. Great for a system that is too warm however, really added life to the Quad set-up.

Happily, some IC's that I listened to (Cardas, Purist Audio) added the right amount of warmth to my system and removed the harshness from female vocals. I'm confident I will find the right balance of detail / warmth with all the suggestions given.

For others out there considering changing speakers / equipment if you aren't quite happy with your sound, start with IC's, can't believe the difference they made in my case! Even if an interconnect is meant to be "neutral" or "warm", try something else and hopefully you find something that works. This may take me a few months, but its a fun exercise.

I know that my room is a big contributor (not much dampening, highly reflective) so warmer IC's are a must. I would love to treat the room but this isn't practical (as its also the living room and I already got a rug) so in this case I needed to tune the system for the room, and not the other way around.

Cheers all!
yes yes. I am a tuner too. I don't swap speakers or components on a continual quest. I can get "the sound" I seek with cables. I'll swap them out for variety too!

Cheers
The Au24e's are not bright - they are more neutral then the stock Au24 (which I have as a speaker cable and IC from CD to PRE) I have an e' from the Pre to my SS Amp.
The "e" is just more revealing of your equipment upstream.
Try throwing in a Nordost cable (Red Dawn, Baldur etc..) and see if you hear the same issue.
R. Levi likes WyWires better than the Au's. I've not heard the Au's but do own the WyWires. I agree with R. Levi - best ICs under $1k. No harshness here, and much cleaner/clearer than Cardas Golden Cross.
With the Studio 100 speakers you are always going to have some degree of brightness, recommend the Cardas Golden reference or Golden Cross cables