Audioquest Diamond interconnects

I had AQ Diamonds interconnects awhile back ( x2 )..Used them on tube equipment and can only give you my feelings on what my system sounded like to me and what I moved onto...I found I actually liked the Lapis x3 better than Diamond 2 ( had both at the same time ) ..I found that the Diamond had an edge to it that I didn't like..Lapis had less edge than the Diamond so I kept the Lapis for a longer time..I eventually went to Ridge Street Audio ( I think it was the RSA ref i/c ) a less costly i/c at that time .I found the Ridge Street RSA interconnect had all the detail,air and musicality of the Lapis or Diamond "without" the nasties that the AQ ( both ) interconnects had..I would assume under the right conditions the AQ interconnects would work fine,but for my ears and application at the time I couldn't tolerate the hard edge..I have since moved up the Ridge Street Audio line and am very happy.......

I have had a few pairs AQ diamond 3 a long time ago and found them to be anything but bright.... in my system they were ultimately smooth and mellow. I must say that through the years I have found AQ cables to be nothing but truthful to the signal given to them....if your equipment is not up to it the top line cables will reveal it ruthlessly. I compared the Diamonds at the time to quite a few newer AQ cables and would say they would be closer to AQ Anaconda (psc+) than anything else. The Anaconda bettered the diamonds with AQ Amazon bettering them by quite a margin again. The Newer AQ cables are once again a leap ahead....Niagra is the best buy of the new range in at the moment with cheetah being the best buy of the previous range in my opinon. Hope this helped

Gentleman,

Very excellent responses. I find detailed comparisons like these very helpful. Given my own comparisons over the years I can say there have been times that I have agreed with both of your differing assessments ("detail,air,hard edge"........vs......."smooth,mellow,truthfull").Can't forget that used in the context of different systems it's not surprising that you each got a different take.Makes this hobby both fun and frustrating.

Audioquest, to be competitive, moved production to China and changed cable names. Older Python became King Cobra for 1/3 of the price. Viper now is Diamondback, I believe. I had King Cobra - very neutral cable a little smoother in highs than Diamondback (both neutral).