I tried HT pro silway II against the transparent supers (These were the old version and were not XLR) and decided on the HT. The supers had a fuller bass and mid bass but not as controlled as the HT, though there are times when the bass is very subdued on the Silways. Acoustic guitars seemed to be fuller and be a bit more real sounding with the transparents though some acoustics can be a bit thin...maybe i was projecting my preferences. The winning characteristic between the two cables, however, was in the upper frequency detail. On one recording, what was just hiss with the transparent turned out to be brushwork on a snare and highhat. The HT are very open with my system though at times they seem a little forward though the highs dont ever get harsh. Word of warning break HTs in well. My first set was supposed to be broken in but they really stank when i put them in. Sometime in the course of trying to figure out where to go next they under went a dramatic change..and this happened rather abruptly. Bass got fuller, thightened up a bunch and the highs smoothed out. I have VTL 185 monoblocks and 5.5 pre with an audio research CD-2 and dunlavy altheas and HT pro-9 speaker cables. I'm using stock power direct into the wall with dedicated power lines for the system. Himiguels comment abouth HT power cords being warm is interesting as some other people think they can be bright. Oh well, i need to do some work on the room before i embark on a power cord quest. cheers