Fans of Blue Jeans Speaker Cable?

Thats exactly the difference I noticed between the belden and the rocket 44's. Beldens had better highs and more weight to the bass, more detail but perhaps slightly fatiguing and the 44's had better, smoother mids. Overall, I preferred the belden because of the micro details.

I've continued listening to the Canare cables, and my initial impressions have been confirmed as I've gone along. It seems to me like the bottom end has filled out a little bit since I hooked them up, but I'm willing to admit that this might be placebo effect! In any case, as I've been enjoying the music I haven't felt like I'm missing anything on the bottom end.

The one place where I do still notice a difference is in the highs. With the Anti-Cables, high-frequency sounds and the soundstaging cues that go with them are holographic and immediate-feeling, completely smooth and effortless and clean. The Canares do have a touch of grain in the highs and at times sound a touch "slow" in comparison (I always listen for percussion instruments like shakers and tambourines for this), and cymbals and the like seem to sit a bit further back in the soundstage.

That said, the Canares have a buttery midrange (which isn't a real deficiency of the Anti-Cables) that I've been increasingly drawn to. In my system at least, the Canares have provided a more flesh-and-blood sense of singers and instruments. I feel like I'm hearing a whole human being singing in space rather than a human mouth singing in front of a microphone. A drum kit in a room rather than an assortment of drums with microphones perched over them. Subtle and expressive aspects of instrumental technique--from Kenny Burrell's touch on the fretboard to Andrew Bird's breath control as he whistles--are easier to pick up on and follow and are presented in a natural, organic way. I am, in short, enjoying the music.

Both sets of cables are absurdly good values, to my mind anyway, and do lots of things well. Though I'll probably try something else in the future (audiophilia, ahoy!), I've put the Anti-Cables up for sale (not without second thoughts!) and am sticking with the Canares for now. Vive la difference!

Two revisions to what I wrote above--one that I simply didn't mention, and one as a result of further reflection. The first is that I do think the lower midrange/upper bass has filled out as the Canares have broken in. Guitars and drums in particular feel fully fleshed-out with appropriate weight behind them.

The second is that I'm not sure it was quite fair or accurate of me to characterize the Canares as a little slow. I just listened to Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is a great and certainly eccentric, spacious-sounding studio album. On a number of tracks, as the band plays a little loosely and slightly behind the beat, very rapidly shaken maracas sit on the front edge of the beat, driving the songs forward. There's no blurring of the maracas' attack or speed, and the rhythm is insistent and clear. I do think I'd become used to the slightly more forward presentation provided by the Anti-Cables, which emphasizes the leading edges of such sounds a little more. The Canares aren't slow, per se, just a little more laid-back in presentation.

I recently purchased LC1 cable for my subwoofer and 12 gauge BJC speaker cable (5) with locking banana plugs. I am greatly surprised at the level of detail from my HD Music since I changed my overhyped ouster cable.
System:
Denon AVR 590 receiver
Speakercraft AIM8 Two 5.1 in ceiling speakers
Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2 DAC