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Audioquest Firebird Zero

I've tried several speaker cables over the past year; Shunyata Alpha and Sigma, Wireworld Silver Eclipse series 7, Audioquest Oak and Redwood, Audience Au24 SX, and I own Clarus Crimson speaker cables. I prefer the Clarus over all of the aforementioned speaker cables. I've had the Audioquest Firebird Zero speaker cables on loan for three days. My initial thoughts were everything is a little clearer through them compared to my Clarus Crimson. Not a night and day difference, but definitely clearer. The Clarus are slightly more 3-dimensional to my ears. My wife on the other hand just keeps saying the AQ sounds sharper, clearer, there are less impurities in the music. I'm not sure what she means by impurities, but she keeps repeating it. Maybe she means a darker background? My plan was to have a home audition of the Thunderbird Zero speaker cables, but they had banana plugs on the amplifier end and I can't use them. I took the Firebirds with the logic that if I can't hear a difference between them and my current cables I didn't need to have a home audition of the Thunderbirds. $14K for an eight foot pair of speaker cables is freaking crazy and sad! It would be easy for me to dismiss it  because there isn't a night and day difference, but once you hear the difference it's very hard to ignore. Financially I just can't justify spending $14K on speaker cables and hope to hear the AQ Thunderbirds sometime next week. Once again I'm reminded that absolutely everything makes a difference. For those that can easily afford $14K, $20K or more speaker cables I understand, because cables can be equivalent to a component change. Does it ever end?
ricred1
divertiti
225 posts
 
Yeah, 14K is ludicrous, hell even the 4.5K for Thunderbird is ridiculous for a cable. I think the game changer comment was made relative to the previous Audioquest product offerings, rather than overall objective price/performance value, which would be hard to establish.

If you run efficient speakers with relatively low power requirements, the smaller gauge Folk Hero cables should be close in performance as the higher priced ones, which might boost the value.
ricred1 OP
2,043 posts
 
divertiti,

I agree with with you that it's a game changer relative to the Oak and Redwood. I listened to both in my system and was underwhelmed. In that respect the Firebird Zero is definitely a step-up to my ears. I listen last night for a couple of hours and decided to keep my Clarus Crimson cables. There just isn't enough difference between the Firebird Zero and Clarus Crimso to justify the expenditure. 
bikeboy
1 posts
 

ricred1

I’ve demoed the Clarus Crimson vs AQ William Tell and I prefer the Clarus. The Clarus has a better soundstage and O/A sound though it cost a bit more. Next up will be the Nordost Frey2 and then the Nordost Heimdall 2.


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kingdombuildingcon's avatar
kingdombuildingcon
18 posts
 
Ricred1, 
I have got to do the lower end comparison. I bought the Thunderbird zero and replaced it Clarus Aqua. Its the same deal.  I have a new Level of clarity. I am hearing deeper sounds. New vibrations off the interments. ive lost breath and bloom. Bob Dylan's harmonica is a bit sharp. I would like to try the crimson. or change out some RCAs to get some breath back. There is something about the aq that is fun to listen to. I dont think its better. It really is preference.  i felt like I was close to perfection and now i have opened a whole new can of worms.. 
ricred1 OP
2,043 posts
 
This is a rhetorical question, but how much is the AQ Thunderbird zero compared to the Clarus Aqua?
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