Cable upgrades
Happy Holidays to all!
I’m reconfiguring my system and am interested in upgrading my interconnects and possibly my speaker cables, and I was wondering if you could make some recommendations.
I was running Audio Sensibility Impact SE XLR between my Benchmark DAC3 HGC (as a DAC/pre) and my Benchmark AHB2 power amp. The amp is running bi-wired Kimber Cable 8TC (I think that’s the model #) to a pair of ATC SCM40 tower speakers. In this setup the bass is tight and the mids are clean - overall I’m quite happy - but sometimes I feel, for my ears, I’d love a bit more openness / brightness in the higher end.
My questions are: would improved XLR interconnects help to open up the top end a bit, without being harsh, and perhaps increase the dimensionality of the soundstage? Or would I be better off starting with upgrading the speaker cables? I’ve been looking at the Cardas Parsec level of cable, and could perhaps stretch to the Clear line, pending your recommendations.
Also, one other question: pending the possible move to 2 AHB2s (in mono-block configuration), do both XLR interconnects have to be the same length? If not, would it cause any timing issues between, say, a 2' XLR and a 6'?
I’d appreciate any guidance. Many thanks in advance.
Best, JAMES
Thanks @subaruguru for the informative post. I really appreciate your knowledge and expertise. I ended up with symmetrical lengths of ICs, due to the addition of a preamp, and the subsequent repositioning of the components in my system. So I’m all set, for now. Best, JAMES |
Just skimming through some of the posts and wanted to toss out a recommendation if you are ever bored and want to try something different. I'm using the Analysis Plus Silver Apex XLRs in my system and they are EXACTLY what you described in your post that started this thread. Much more so than the Cardas Clear Reflection, which I also played with in my system. The Silver Apex add space and detail without being etched. If you have a chance to demo them, go for it. |
Thanks @badgerdms for the recommendation. Will add them to my list. I've noted a similar improvement to soundstage/detail by moving to the AQ Diamond USB cable between streamer and DAC, and I’m also demoing the Wireworld Platinum Starlight 8, which I believe is also silver-based. Best, JAMES |
