AU24e Interconnects - but warmer

Yes they were used cables and gave them a few weeks to settle before any critical listening, and unfortunately just a bit too bright for my set-up (but they are so close to the sound I am after)! Sure with the right gear (tubes) they would be amazing, but the solid state need a bit of taming.

I'll so some reading on the Crystal Clear and Ridge St cables, cheers guys. Happy holidays to you too!

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I have some reading and searching to do!

@Kotta RE Bi-wire, I am only running a single run, and have it connected to the high frequency terminals. I have ordered some decent jumpers and when they arrive will move it to the lower frequency terminal to see if this helps, and maybe just try it with the manufacturer jumper as suggested.

@Erikt
My speaker cable is the AU24 and I'll be hanging on to that one. Yes I believed Marantz to have a warm character too, hence the AU24e interconnects. But I think my room is partly to blame, but I have done all I can (rug, heavy curtains) without taking over the downstairs of my place. Plus, the metal tweeter on the Paradigm Studio's (metal tweeter, quite a forward speaker) probably also contributes. But overall, very happy with the speakers.

@Philjolet - Agreed, however I did have a chance to hear the AU24e's in a much warmer system (Quad 606 and Kef's) and they sounded a lot better and quite neutral, but the AU24's really aren't suitable for forward / bright electronics and speakers at all.

@Mechans: Last night I did have a chance to borrow some v.old Cardas 300-B Microtwin's (which are a heap better than the current model) and they added some real warmth! Very musical cables, but I did lose some detail and soundstage, but I could live with it, (however they weren't for sale!).

Cheers guys. I have been playing around with a few different sets of IC's that I borrowed from friends over the weekend and it has made such a difference! I was able to do some a/b comparisons which highlighted how bright the Audience AU24e's are in my system. But each room / system is unique as I tried them in other set-up (Quad & Kef's) where they sounded great and very neutral. From all the comps done, I can say with confidence that the AU24e's are NOT warm, they are on the brighter side (but I still wouldn't say they are "bright"). For fun and as a benchmarking exercise, I put in some silver Nordost Red Dawns and they were unbelievably bright in my system. They really favour the top end and are light on the bass. Great for a system that is too warm however, really added life to the Quad set-up.

Happily, some IC's that I listened to (Cardas, Purist Audio) added the right amount of warmth to my system and removed the harshness from female vocals. I'm confident I will find the right balance of detail / warmth with all the suggestions given.

For others out there considering changing speakers / equipment if you aren't quite happy with your sound, start with IC's, can't believe the difference they made in my case! Even if an interconnect is meant to be "neutral" or "warm", try something else and hopefully you find something that works. This may take me a few months, but its a fun exercise.

I know that my room is a big contributor (not much dampening, highly reflective) so warmer IC's are a must. I would love to treat the room but this isn't practical (as its also the living room and I already got a rug) so in this case I needed to tune the system for the room, and not the other way around.

Cheers all!