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Audioquest vs. Others

   I realize that this post will probably open a landslide of responses but my question is focused on the comparison of Audioquest vs other manufacturers. This is not aimed to address power cables or speaker wire but only interconnect cables. Like Audioquest, many brands offer cables in a range of prices....low, medium, high, and super high. My interest is not to compare a lower price/quality cable to one that is far superior but to ask if comparisons have been done within equal price ranges of different brands.

   Yes, some systems are capable of distinguishing minute changes in a cable makeup. Some manufacturers even offer a free trial and return policy. I know that. But, in a moderately priced system, are there any opinions that would deter one from using the Audioquest brand vs another brand? Remember....staying in a comparable price range.

jrpnde

Showing 3 responses by auxinput

auxinput
2,920 posts
 
@dustsailor - that's the silver-plated terminations at work that pushes the upper mids/highs more than anything else.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
I am a big fan of certain Audioquest products because they are one of the only manufactures who make pure copper solid-core cabling.  Most everyone else (including super expensive items) are typically stranded.  The speaker wire is excellent at the Rocket 44/88 and above level.  The downside is the terminations being silver plated (why doesn't anyone use rhodium?!).

The power cords are excellent too, but still suffer from silver plated plugs.

I would avoid their digital and HDMI cables.  Not sure about the interconnects.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
Depends on the cable and the gear to which they are connected. I've heard different AQ cables with the same gear sound dull, muddied, bright to rip your ears off.
That's generally the difference between the lower end, which uses long-grain copper and gold-plated connectors.  The higher end uses much better PFC and PFC+ (similar to OCC copper) and typically uses silver-plated connectors.
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