Alpha Core MI2 vs Audience AU24 speaker cable

The MI2 sounds slow, muddy, and flat compared to the AU24. This was one finding of a listening test I did with several people with 3 diffenent sets of electronics.

As a contrarian, I think you deserve an alternative response. I've owned and used many different kinds of speaker cable, and have done some "non-scientific" listening tests with friends using different speaker cables, and I found the Alpha-Core Goertz MI2 (copper) cables to be excellent. The MI2 cables have a very low impedance, and can cause some interface problems with certain amps (causing frequency oscillation in the amp), but that can be cured with the use of a Zobel circuit on each cable. For more info about Goertz cables, look into the A-gon archives -- there have been several very long threads about them, with some excellent input from our resident guru, Sean.

Rather like the guy who does the Remington shaver ads, I liked the Goertz so much I bought a bi-wired pair and have been extremely pleased with them. I'm not trying to "pimp" the Alpha-Core, but I think you owe it to yourself to audition them. You can get a set of cables from Alpha-Core for a money-back 30-day home trial, which is pretty hard to beat. (I agree that their ads with the woman using cables and interconnects as a halter-top are pretty stupid. The company's products deserve a much more intelligent marketing campaign.)

The Au24's are much smaller gauge. The Au24's have a much higher series resistance. The Au24's have a higher nominal impedance. All of these things add up to a leaner overall sound with more potential for dynamic constriction and smearing. The longer that the speaker cables were, the more discernable these differences would become. That's because the longer length increases the potential for each cables electrical characteristics to influence the sonic signature of the system.

In a system that was already lacking in speed and damping i.e. most vented speaker systems, the leaner presentation of the Au24's may sound more appealing. This would be due to one flawed sonic signature band-aiding or "complimenting" another flawed sonic signature. The end result would be improved system synergy" via three left turns making a right. Kind of the long way to get there with the potential for a lot more variables to occur along the way, but this is the route that most audiophiles take when building their systems.

Having said that, the Au24's are a better cable than most others on the market. Audience paid attention to many of the factors that other cables / cable designers simply take for granted / overlook in their search for profit margins. I could understand someone liking these cables over a wide majority of others, especially if the system leaned towards a slower, less damped, warmer sound. Electrically, they are a pretty solid design. The Goertz is simply a step above the Audience in several different areas of conductivity and performance. That doesn't mean that one would prefer it in their system over the Audience ( or any other cable ). Sean
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I am the only one who wonders about the usefulness of this comparison for a CAR audio system?

With the RFI, EMI and noise levels that one is going to encounter in a car, i personally can't see spending that kind of money on cabling. If i were to choose between the two, the Audience would probably win out of size, flexibility and convenience. Due to the shape, size and lack of dielectric insulation, the Goertz is more likely to become damaged in such an insulation. Otherwise, i would go with something along the lines of a good but inexpensive "star quad" type cabling. This design is less susceptable to both radiating and picking up stray EM and RF fields, making it more suitable for this type of installation. Then again, that's just my take on the situation and may not be worth too much at all. Sean
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