Audiometallurgy Ag-0 as a Subwoofer Cable?

I’ve been experimenting with using silver to improve bass quality for a couple of years. I first wrote of those experiments in a thread under “cables” at Audiogon entitled, “Creative Cabling for Bass Quality” where I reported silver helps with LF definition.

I was (am) also a big fan of Audiometallurgy ICs and their magnetic technology, an affordable alternative to MIT (my favorite cable brand when I can afford them). I wondered to myself if a silver blend version of an Audiometallurgy IC would help quicken the bass of the woofers. However, at the time AM wasn’t making silver ICs. I wrote Sandi and asked if they’d ever thought of doing ICs in silver, and she confided they’d just started planning for the Ag-0 ICs.

Changes to my system over the last year got me thinking again about trying silver in the preamp – amp interconnect. First, I stopped biamping, using only a TAD60 tube amp to drive my main speakers, and then upgraded to biwire MIT Shotgun S1 speaker cables.

I next added a Von Schweikert subwoofer to take a bit of strain off the tube amp (and for movies/TV watching); with music I keep it set to a low volume and low crossover point (since my main speakers run full range). I tried various dedicated sub interconnects, including Monster 600, Analysis Plus Super Sub Oval and Audioquest Sub 3, but for music anyway I didn’t feel the Von Schweikert was quite keeping up with my speedy Legacy woofers. I didn’t know if it was the subwoofer, or the cables, but . . .

Enter the Audiometallurgy Ag-0 IC I picked up in an auction for $96 for a 1.5m pair, and had Sandi combine into a single 3m cable. I can report that it is an awesome subwoofer cable. After about 30 hours break in time, it became quicker and more musical than using any of the dedicated sub cables I had, resolution was the best I’d heard (including a MIT IC I tried).

To test SW cables I switch (in the preamp) the main speakers to “small” (in my preamp that’s called “Crossover,” which I then set to crossover at 60hz) and turn up the subwoofer so I can better make out what the sub is contributing. On one tune I often use to test bass, “Stop That” by Bob James (Grand Piano Canyon), the deepest bass notes came through cleanly distinct from one another. Cassandra Wilson’s percussionistically brilliant interpretations offer some of the most difficult challenges to LF resolution (I swear she puts a mic on her bass drum), but “Just Another Day” (Belly of the Sun), “Lay Lady Lay” (Glamoured), “Death Letter” (New Moon Daughter), and from her album with Jacky Terrasson, the great piano-bass combo in “Chan’s Song” (Rendezvous) . . . all came through cleanly resolved. When I returned my speakers to “full range,” I found the sub blended seamlessly.

So the Ag-0 seems both a real bargain and a great SW cable. If anyone else experiments with using the Ag-0 as a subwoofer IC, I would enjoy hearing of your experiences.

Happy listening,
Les