"01-15-15: Sheilalagro
Perhaps that's it,more ambiance retreval-
Could have done without..
$1000 is alot for these cables,
Regret the purchase"
I wouldn't be too quick to judge here. Reading your original post, it seems like your instinct tells you something is wrong. There may be something too that. Sometimes with audio, you may think you have a problem and can't quite put your finger on what it is. It just may take a little time to unravel what's going on. Like I said in my first post, looking at the 2 AQ cables you have, they don't look all that different from each other. Given that, I wouldn't expect them to make big changes. No question, I could be wrong, but I would definitely do a little experimenting first.
Even if there's nothing wrong with your new cables, they won't necessarily sound the same if you move them to a different location in the system. I've always found that a more revealing cable will sound best going from a source to the preamp, than it will going from an amp to a preamp. But if nothing works, I would see if your dealer would let you trade it for something else.