Audioquest Design Question

@chayro - My virtual system is not up-to-date.  I have replaced the BJC LC-1 interconnects with AQ Chicago and noticed a significant improvement.  I also replaced the BJC silver plated digital cable with AQ Cinnamon and noticed no difference.

I really liked the sound of the AQ Chicago interconnect in my system which is why I've been looking to possibly try a better AQ interconnect.  It seems that their "house sound" is pleasing to my ear, so I'm hesitant to open the can of worms that goes with bringing other brands into the mix.

My goal isn't necessarily to achieve the absolute best sounding system that's possible if I were to spend a lot of time and money trying different things at every level.  I a W Audio power cable to satisfy my curiosity about power cables making a difference (or not) which led me to purchased the AQ interconnects which led me to purchase the QA digital cable.  My personal results were that the power cable and interconnects were both significant improvements and I don't think there was any real difference from the digital cable.  I'm ok with recognizing that digital cables might make a difference in a better system than mine and am now toying with possible next steps for the interconnects without spending a ton of money or having to invest a lot of time and energy since I struggle to even get to sit down and listen as much as I'd like.

I may have a piece of gear sold soon and that'll make it easy to justify trying a few other cables.  I would purchase ones with a money-back guarantee and only keep them if they sounded better.

If your system is up to date, I see you're using Blue Jeans, which are fine, basic cables.  Plus, you have a good baseline from which to judge other products, which will either sound better, worse or the same.  IMO, the only way to find out is to buy something with a trial period and listen for a week or 2.  I have had speakers where BJ speaker cables were absolutely fine and others where the system sounded horrible with them.  No other way, but to try.  

I've always been confused by AQ due to their huge range of cables. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them but they create massive confusion with choice.

I do have one AQ Toslink cable which has served me very well but I'll upgrade soon.

If someone new to audio or someone who wants to move up a level I'll always recommend Cardas. Not a huge range but quite diverse and big differences between models.

There are plenty of better cables but Cardas is a reference, easy to compare other cables against due to it's house sound and easy used resale value.

@jasonbourne52 - I don't disagree.  In a lot of cases the technical information provided by companies producing audiophile products is laughable.

In the case of AQ, the consistent message is that the best performance from interconnects (really cables) is minimizing distortion that degrades the original signal to a minimum.  They also state that the further you go up the line the line you go the better it gets.

When I asked how they measured the distortion the answer was that they listen.

Obviously, it isn't possible to definitively state that distortions are less simply because the listeners think that it sounds better.  Not all distortion is the same and some is actually more pleasing to the ear and some isn't.  What they can say is that as your move up the line of AQ cables the sound is better to their ears, so if your listening preferences align with theirs you will likely enjoy their products.

More technobabble from a company wanting your dollars. 

@ghdprentice - I spent some time today chatting with AQ support and they did answer some questions for me related to the expected quality of their two interconnect series.  They did say that they are moving towards the Yukon setup with the single ended cable being double-balanced and the balanced cables being triple-balanced.  They also rated the Golden Gate ($80 for 1m) to be a slight upgrade over the Chicago ($100 for 1m).  It appears that the Sydney should represent a high value point in their lineup as they ranked the Red River (different series) just ahead of the Golden Gate (same series) and the Sydney is the same price as the Red River (different series) but two steps above the Golden Gate (same series) and they say that sound improves as your move up their lines as should be expected.  Since their primary design evaluation method is listening, it would make sense that AQ cables should have a signature sound.

I have spent a lot of time (~ 1,000 hours or more) evaluating cables, interconnects and power cables. I have never found any value in understanding the technology… or anything a web site says about how things are constructed. You just have to listen to them. Reviews are good about how they sound but that is no garentee they will perform that way in your system… although generally a good indication.

The only exception is that the composition of the conductor in inexpensive versions tend to somewhat predict the overall character.. copper warm, silver coated copper more detailed, silver highly detailed… maybe harsh.