Audioquest/Acoustic Zen/Analysis Plus?

Philojet: I actually thought that the AZ WOWs were "hot" in my system. I went from those to the AZ Matrix REf MK-2s (more refined, but still "hot"), and, finally, to the Nordost Red Dawns. YOO-REEK-AH. It was all about speed, I guess. The RDs let my Cary 308 CDP, VTL Pre, and Rogue 88 amp do their thing.

Yes, Sean, is right: try it for yourself. If you mix gear like I do, you need to tweak a lot, but, if you're patient, you're gonig to find something that works.

Sean: I just got a laugh tonight along the lines you bring up. I recently picked up a pair of IC's I'd never heard previously for auditioning, and this evening I went to audioreview.com just to see what other listeners were thinking. All over the map! And very few with a similar take to mine. Just shows to go ya...

P.S. - This sort of seemingly random variability in reporting on cable sonics *could* be interpreted as supporting 'objectivist' claims that the perceived sonic differences between wires reside primarily inside our heads.

Zaikes: My thoughts on cable performance are that each cable acts as an impedance transformer between the components it is linking together. Since each component has their own input / output impedance, various levels of reactance, various levels of stability, etc... there is no telling what you'll end up with. This is why there are so many variances from system to system using the same cables. On top of that, using the same cable at different lengths can do much the same thing i.e. alter the impedances that the signal sees. Sean
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Adiorio I should address my stand on the AZ 'house sound' to you as my response was to your post. While of course YMMV regarding the sound of AZ products with your stereo I found them to be a little bass heavy, a friend uses the term 'driving force' to describe some products bass performance and this describes my experience with AZ products. I did not find any of the AZ products to be especially detailed but were not noticably lacking in those areas either. I think the Satori is a very nice deal, I really like that wire for the price. I do mean the single run, I have not heard a double run.

crazy4blues I found the WOW to be a little 'splashy' in the upper midrange but otherwise I think it too had quite a bit of bass which is why I describe my experience with it as warm.

Sean I have always enjoyed your thoughtful and informative responses and I welcome any comments regarding my (or any other) posts, I like another perspective myself. If anything I tend to get lazy and presume other have read the magazines and posts on Audiogon like I have, not always true I am sure. On the other hand when I post a question, I sometimes get responses stating audio basics when I would just like a response to my question. I will work on being more specific and deliberate (hence more respectful too) on my posts and responses.

Bottom line is, the more I listen to and learn about HI FI the more I respect system matching and that includes cables.

Phil: As i stated, i wasn't trying to "gouge" on you guys, but was just stating what is a fact. That is, ask 10 people a question pertaining to cabling and you'll get 10 different answers with the possibility for some overlap amongst those 10. Obviously, interpreting such data becomes more difficult than listening for yourself. Sean
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