Audioquest

[John]

It seems like many of you use Audioquest speaker cables. They have a number of ones to choose from so would like to know which one(s) you guys are using. 
 

Thank You.

-John 

[BKDad]

Wind interconnects.

Castle Rock speaker cables.

They are not current models and I feel great shame.  I hang my head right now for even admitting this.

(Wireworld HDMI cables, Curious USB cables, BKDad power cables)

[bkeske]

I am using 'older' AQ Comet speaker cables, which were literally thrown-in with my Treo purchase. A very nice addition. Great cables.

[ctsooner]

I currently am using Hurricane cords that I’m selling to upgrade in the line. I use a dragon cord on the. Niagara 3000. The speaker cables are 1m William Tell Silver. Interconnects are a 3m pair of fire that I’m also selling to move to Thunderbird. I also have a 1m pair of WEL. All are XLR as I’m in a fully balanced system. 

[stratocaster]

I can never get my head around all the various AQ cables and the multiple tiers/prices etc...what's the most bang for the buck (sub 300) interconnect and speaker cable combo from AQ? 

[ctsooner]

Just look at the new catalog and see the sub 300 interconnects and cables.  The lengths make a big difference.  Go as short as you can on speaker cables.  I went from an integrated to monos and changes the speakers cables to 3' runs.  Very happy with them as I posted above.  I keep upgrading my cables as the top ones are like a new component upgrade. 

[GdnrBob]

21 hours ago, stratocaster said:

I can never get my head around all the various AQ cables and the multiple tiers/prices etc...what's the most bang for the buck (sub 300) interconnect and speaker cable combo from AQ? 

I would give John Rutan a call (Audioconnection). He knows these cables inside and out and can give you the best free info. 

I, too, was lost in the AQ lineup, but after a demo with John and Peter (@ctsooner), I found out that cables do impact sound-sometimes with great impact.

A short answer is to get the cables that Garth has made for AQ. You don't need to get the latest models. And, some have better synergy with different AQ cables than others- Which is why you should call John, as he knows this. (I can PM you his number if you want).

Bob

[John Gallup]

I'm using Firebird Zero and Thunderbird Bass to bi-wire the Quatros to the M5-HPA amps. Got them used from Stereo Unlimited. In another post on this forum, Richard V explains why he likes AQ cables. 

Quote

Several good reasons for that.  I know cables are used to color a system to taste by many people but when I developed the M5-HP (High Pass) i needed to have a neutral cable that would pass this color through.  I built a direct by-pass box to assess these colors and was amazed at how colored some of the popular cables were.  I chose the AQ cable because it was the most neutral of the ones I tested (about 20 or so different ones) as a pigtail for the M5-High-passes.  It is the primary wire we use for speaker and amp development for the same reason.  Many of our customers and Dealers have discovered the same and therefore also use them.  Others use different cables, amplifiers and ETC to their own taste and over the years I have experienced systems of happy owners where I don't recognize my own work but that is the beauty I imagine of an accurate Time and Phase Correct speaker.  RV

 

[Bruskie]

Welcome to the forum @John. I'm using AQ bi-wire William Tel into Quatro CTs. Using 8' of this from a stereo Pass amp but my next major upgrade will be monos w/ very short AQ bi-wires. Enjoy the ride.

Bruce

[ctsooner]

11 hours ago, Bruskie said:

Welcome to the forum @John. I'm using AQ bi-wire William Tel into Quatro CTs. Using 8' of this from a stereo Pass amp but my next major upgrade will be monos w/ very short AQ bi-wires. Enjoy the ride.

Bruce

Bruce, I was amazed at the difference shortening the speaker cables. I’ve learned to never doubt Richard.  He’s been telling us that for years and I’m glad I finally listened lol. 

[stratocaster]

3 hours ago, ctsooner said:

Bruce, I was amazed at the difference shortening the speaker cables. I’ve learned to never doubt Richard.  He’s been telling us that for years and I’m glad I finally listened lol. 

How short are your speaker cables? I guess part of the challenge with 1,2 and the 3's is that the connections are about couple of feet from the ground. So unless your amp is on a tall stand next to the speaker, the shortest cable run you are looking at is about 5-6 feet..

[ctsooner]

I have a 1m pair. It’s tight but it works. 

[JonM]

I have 3 foot Robin Hood bi wires between M5s and my Quatros. They are definitely as short as I would ever go. Truth be told 4 feet would be a bit more ‘luxurious’ for strain relief but 3 feet works. 

[Holmz]

My VTLs were like 1M or 3’…. Was tight, but it works.

if you go to 5’, them you might as well go to 8 ‘

[Stringreen]

On 2/26/2023 at 7:36 AM, ctsooner said:

Bruce, I was amazed at the difference shortening the speaker cables. I’ve learned to never doubt Richard.  He’s been telling us that for years and I’m glad I finally listened lol. 

Isn't that odd....John Rutan let me borrow a pair of WMF Lowe cables and they just didn't work with my Ayre and 5A speakers.  Maybe trolls, I thought the sound was the poorer of their other top line stuff.

[ctsooner]

12 hours ago, Stringreen said:

Isn't that odd....John Rutan let me borrow a pair of WMF Lowe cables and they just didn't work with my Ayre and 5A speakers.  Maybe trolls, I thought the sound was the poorer of their other top line stuff.

That can happen. I used them when I owned my Ayre AX5/20. The pairing was as neutral as I’ve heard that integrated sound. Ayre is already a very neutral and revealing amp. Some may not like such neutrality in their system. For me, it worked great. This is why there are so many products out there for us. 

[Stringreen]

Isn't that odd Part 2......I wonder what system neutrality is....   I played with an orchestra in Alice Tulley and in Carnegie within hours of each other.  One venue was uncomfortably bright, and the other accepting  and voluptuous.....  Its where we find the bigger smiles that wins.......

[ctsooner]

I guess that make sense.  As I've said all along, I listen to a lot of poorly recorded rock etc...  As for bright, I get fatigued/headache easily from that and it includes specific venues.  I have my favorites and try to visit places I've heard about, but never been to.  When I audition cables, I'll have two or more brands around and hopefully in similar price ranges.  I used to get sent cables constantly from various folks to listen to.  For my ears, I can say that all the Nordost and Kimber cable I've had in my systems over the years were on the bright side for my ear (again we all hear totally differently).  Cardas is a really nice cable, but can lack some detail at times.  I do like MIT and Transparent a lot.  I owned the highest end MIT cabling throughout my system for years and when Karen started Transparent, I used their top cables and liked them a bit better in my system.  Crystal Cables are uber expensive and I've always found them to be a bit thin.  I've recently have some of the lesser known brands who's names I won't share, but they were all north of 10k for power cords.  They were ok, but for a 10k plus power cord, I was shocked that they weren't even in the ballpark of the Hurricane as it was dark and lacked layers of detail.  

AQ to me is the sweet spot.  I do use Wireworld ethernet still as I haven't gotten around to testing it against the AQ Diamond ethernet.  In time I guess, lol. 

[Stringreen]

When I first bought  Ayre stuff, Ayre had its own named cable ....of course I got a full set of them, but was way disappointed.  It seems they were  actually made by Cardas.   I talked to Colleen who told me they needed breaking in....however, they needed to be removed.  Their offers are way better now, but still not for me.  ...just shows to go you that all of this is a matter of taste.  (my wife doesn't understand why I don't like chocolate)

[ctsooner]

Yes, they are Cardas cables and not my favorite.  Not bad at all, but not alive and dynamic (haven’t heard them in a while ). 
 

my son hates chocolate and his mom studied chocolate making in France and has a side hustle making them for folks. Best chocolate I’ve ever had. Lol. 

[Jim Heckman]

Recently, in response to an unprecedently strong urging from Rutan, who, as stated above, does know AQ wires, I bought two pairs of AQ Thunderbird ICs (the entry model in their Mythical Creatures top line).  He said Garth was emphatic that they were an optimum match for my AQ William Tell Silver Biwire speaker cables, which theretofore I'd been disappointed in, and would really open up what the WTSBs could do.  So I got them and boy was he right!  They've made a gorgeous difference, replacing very good other ICs.  The improvement is among the biggest improvements I've gotten from any upgrade in decades of system upgrading.  Without going down the checklist, much better resolution, and improved listenability due to improved musicality are the main specifics.  I don't know how important the pairing with the William Tells is, which Garth was reported to have cited specifically.  They take a good while to break in (100 hours or so, if I recall?).  They are far from cheap, but I feel they are very cost effective, given the level of sound quality improvement they've made in my (very) high end system.  Money well spent!

[audioNeil]

I have a lot of money sunk into cables, so I'm not one to talk, but I can't get over the prices of "tiers" of cables from the various manufacturers.  Do they deliberately create terrible lower-line cables so that they can justify their $10000 ones?

I love a good cable as much as anyone - good build, nice connectors, and a sound that matches my system.  At the same time part of me is convinced that the cable manufacturers are manipulating us into thinking that more expensive is objectively better (rather than just different).  I have a funny feeling that if I had a large selection of cables, I could find ones at 1/4 the price that would fit my listening requirements.  The problem is that we don't have the time or the availability of such a supply to test ourselves.  We then default to the higher priced cables, in the hope it will give us a shortcut to better sound.

[BKDad]

I don't know about that - either way - but I did a bit of checking on the suggested AQ cables.

From what I could tell, I could sell our Quatro CT's and use that money and the price of the cable upgrade to upgrade to Kento's.  Or, not sell the Quatro's and buy a pair of M5-HPA's for that cable money.  (I think the M5-HPA's now include custom speaker cables, too.)

Not exactly, but in the ball park.

I'm not knocking the new AQ cables, because I haven't heard them.  They just aren't in my top 10 list of things I just have to buy right now.  

I won't say that audio cables are rip-offs or anything of the sort.  They clearly do make a difference.  You can measure that if you want to, have the right test gear, and know what to measure.  You - OK, I - can clearly hear differences.  But, the whole thing reminds me of going to a jewelry store.

[Jim Heckman]

To audioNeil:  I have no basis for disagreeing with you.  I will say that for higher cost cables I try to audition them in my system, sometimes possible, sometimes not.  I find the answer to your reasonable points to be twofold:  first, experience, meaning having tried enough cables, I've come to believe that higher priced cables are often better.  Also, I've come to learn which companies can be trusted in this regard.  And that is the second point:  trust.  Over years I've learned companies I think I can trust, and AQ is one of them.  I will add, as I've written in other forums before, that I think cable upgrades are the most cost effective money you can spend for system improvements.  Also, re trust, it is invaluable to have a dealer with the knowledge of cables whose recommendations you can trust.

To BKDad (I can't figure out to respond to each of you separately):  I am very cognizant of the (relatively) celestial prices for much high end gear.  And the totally discretionary nature of such purchases.  So, a jewelry store, yes.  Somehow I've justified it over the years, and I do not feel guilty about it.  Pondering the subject takes you to places out of the realm of the usual values brought to such discussions.   Metareasoning, maybe.  If you place the whole thing in a moral context, you have to go to those places or get stuck in the mud.  I've probably just made no sense, or responded meaningfully to your post.  I suppose my main point is to agree with your jewelry story analogy.  

 

[John Gallup]

I've spent quite a bit on cables, mostly Audioquest, including Firebird speaker cables with Thunderbird bass bi-wiring between the M5-HPAs and the Quatros. One thing that persuades me this is a good approach is that Richard has said here that he tests systems with AQ cables. The amps even have jacks you can use to replace the battery packs on the 72v DBS shielding systems.

The other thing that persuades me is that I like the sound.