I received my pair of A-Zen reference II interconnects today and installed to burn in.
Immediate impression was based upon comparison with Cogan Hall ic's that had been the most neutral and revealing I had heard --until now.
I was searching for some upper mid-range and received a lot more, almost all of which was positive.
I did hear things I'd never heard before on recordings I knew well.
There was an expansion of sound stage (particularly behind the speakers, though all around them, too), a temporal and timbral coherence and very quick transient response. With the AZMs also came a seamlessness of integration by which I mean there was no clear boundary to the sound. I didn't feel that I was listening to speakers as a music source.
Also on first listening, there seemed to be a layer of sibilance or fine glare in the highs. (Bonnie Rait's voice on the Luck of the Draw, but also Pat Barber on Cafe Blue; the horns on Kind of Blue were piercing). On the other hand, I heard greater texture, depth and breath from both vocal CDs. There was simply More: more information, more stimulus to my visual imaginings during songs.
Haven't yet tried complex orchestral music, but there's a revealing quality to the combination that I liked and didn't, all at the same time. Most of my selections were small sized ensembles, whether rock, Jazz or folk.
I bought these interconnects at the recommendation of A-goners in an effort to 'fill-in-the-blank' with a missing upper midrange. That certainly happened, but there is no liquid lushness as was promised by more than one respondent.
For a final opinion, I will wait until the burn-in is complete and I've had at least three more sessions. I think there's promise there, but I'm not yet convinced.*Certainly* there's more clarity and more being revealed: I'm not sure whether I like what's being revealed or not.
Still, I was tapping my feet and singing along.
BTW this is the first time I've listened for any length of time without feeling the desire to turn on the sub...the speakers didn't sound 'full range,' but they did sound coherent from top to bottom. I will listen with the sub later and report --if there's a marked difference.
System:
Jolida level 1 mod CD100 w Svetlanas on Sorbothane pucks
Jolida 502 w/ Sylvania and RCA black plate tubes
Triangle Stratos (3-way w/ rear firing bass woofer)
Quad L-series subwoofer
Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II interconnect
MIT 750 speaker cables
13x16' wood and plaster room with 2 windows (scrim curtains)
and carpeted floor
no room treatment at present
Please let me know if this information is of any use, and what experience you may have had with A-Z-M cables.
Cheers, David
Immediate impression was based upon comparison with Cogan Hall ic's that had been the most neutral and revealing I had heard --until now.
I was searching for some upper mid-range and received a lot more, almost all of which was positive.
I did hear things I'd never heard before on recordings I knew well.
There was an expansion of sound stage (particularly behind the speakers, though all around them, too), a temporal and timbral coherence and very quick transient response. With the AZMs also came a seamlessness of integration by which I mean there was no clear boundary to the sound. I didn't feel that I was listening to speakers as a music source.
Also on first listening, there seemed to be a layer of sibilance or fine glare in the highs. (Bonnie Rait's voice on the Luck of the Draw, but also Pat Barber on Cafe Blue; the horns on Kind of Blue were piercing). On the other hand, I heard greater texture, depth and breath from both vocal CDs. There was simply More: more information, more stimulus to my visual imaginings during songs.
Haven't yet tried complex orchestral music, but there's a revealing quality to the combination that I liked and didn't, all at the same time. Most of my selections were small sized ensembles, whether rock, Jazz or folk.
I bought these interconnects at the recommendation of A-goners in an effort to 'fill-in-the-blank' with a missing upper midrange. That certainly happened, but there is no liquid lushness as was promised by more than one respondent.
For a final opinion, I will wait until the burn-in is complete and I've had at least three more sessions. I think there's promise there, but I'm not yet convinced.*Certainly* there's more clarity and more being revealed: I'm not sure whether I like what's being revealed or not.
Still, I was tapping my feet and singing along.
BTW this is the first time I've listened for any length of time without feeling the desire to turn on the sub...the speakers didn't sound 'full range,' but they did sound coherent from top to bottom. I will listen with the sub later and report --if there's a marked difference.
System:
Jolida level 1 mod CD100 w Svetlanas on Sorbothane pucks
Jolida 502 w/ Sylvania and RCA black plate tubes
Triangle Stratos (3-way w/ rear firing bass woofer)
Quad L-series subwoofer
Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II interconnect
MIT 750 speaker cables
13x16' wood and plaster room with 2 windows (scrim curtains)
and carpeted floor
no room treatment at present
Please let me know if this information is of any use, and what experience you may have had with A-Z-M cables.
Cheers, David