Experiences With Costly Balanced XLR Interconnects Above $3,000

@soix i recently upgraded a mains power cable and was pleased with the improved sound quality. It is sounding quite perfect at the moment but I’m not sure if the system could improve further with a higher quality interconnect. If it’s possible I would like to have a more dynamic presentation with better clarity and separation across the frequency spectrum. Perhaps a slightly airier and lit treble as well. The cables I’m looking at are quite rare in the used market so I’ll have to buy new if none are available. They will be my final cable upgrade when the time comes.

@akg_ca thanks for the post. Good to know the Cardas Clear XLR is superior to the Nordost Frey.

Thanks Soix. Guess what, I owned the Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II XLR about 15 years ago and sold them for $300. I see the used price has tripled. 😅 I am not in a hurry and will keep these in mind. Thanks.

ryder

Can you talk about the presentation/sound of the WW and Acrolink XLR?

Jafant, WW Silver Eclipse 8 XLR sounds leaner with better separation and tighter bass, Acrolink sounds fuller and warmer in the midrange with more bass. The last comparison was made when the WW was in the process of breaking with the old mains power cable. The results may be different now as the new mains power cable (Furutech DPS4.1 with FI-50 NCF (R)) has replaced the TCS31/FI-28(R). The difference is not subtle. 

Thanks for the responses guys. I’m trying to find justification to spending the money for the ultimate XLR, perhaps my last cable upgrade before I call it a day. @audioman58 made a valid point and I surely agree. It is diminishing returns with most of these costly high-end cables as one will need to spend a huge sum of money for a supposedly small difference. I have to admit I may have overspent on the cabling in my system but I do appreciate quality cables, usually the costlier ones. It’s the small differences that make a (big) difference. It’s the same with components.

Thanks for the recommendation @cfa88. I will look into it later. I am aware about the advantages of some of these pure silver or monocrystal silver interconnects from the likes of Siltech or other brands which have been recommended on the forums before and have no doubt they are excellent. It’s only the high price that is preventing me from trying them.

I think the monocrystal silver cables from some manufacturers are costlier than pure silver.

I just bought the Acrolink DA6300 after comparing with Jorma, Vertere, Argento Flow and MIT. The DA6300 was the quietest and had more depth and separation. Vertere was also very good the others smooth but homogenous sound in my system. The DA6300 was a no brainer beautiful cable very involving and transparent. Tight bass, crisp highs with out being bright, and smooth mid range.

@presmara thanks for the post. Is your Acrolink the latest DA6300IV? I’m seriously considering this but need some time to recuperate from my recent spending. It’s a very costly cable where the price is higher than some of my components, but it’s still slightly cheaper than the WW Platinum Eclipse 8 XLR.

Hi Mark, thanks for the comprehensive response, appreciated. After reading about your experiences, the DA6300 will likely be my final cable upgrade before I call it a day. Your components and speakers are all top-notch so the system deserves the Acrolink DA6300 Mexcel. I rotate between a Chord QBD76 and Luxman DA-06 DAC on the Luxman L-590AXII integrated. Speakers are Marten Duke 2.

I share the same sentiment regarding the transparency of the company (Acrolink) and the high quality construction of the cables. I currently own the Acrolink 7N-PC9700 and 8N-8100 mains power cables and 8N-A2080III Evo XLR and all these cables are very well made. They are inherently stiff cables and the weight of the A2080 XLR is higher than the Wireworld Silver Eclipse 8 apart from looking more solid.

It’s useful to note that you are an open-minded scientist. I am an engineer and agree that measurements although important aren’t everything. The only issue with me is on my bad habit of overspending on cables.

@presmara

I need to ask you on your experience with the Acrolink 7N-DA6300II Mexcel as I was made to understand that it’s a very stiff and fragile cable which can break easily at the plugs when twisted with force. This was made known to me when my dealer sent me an email from Acrolink Japan asking for details of my components and stacking arrangement. Apparently the solid core conductor of the 6300 is very stiff and damage can occur with improper installation. I’m quite surprised to receive an email from the manufacturer asking for such details before they make the cable. The cable is made upon order, fortunately for my case since the XLR sockets on my existing amps have a different orientation. The cables will need to be fabricated in accordance with the socket orientation of the amp that I"ll be using.

Do you experience any difficulty or issues when connecting the 6300 to your components?  FWIW, I finally ordered a pair of 6300IV (after much deliberation) after upgrading to a Gryphon amp last month. The email from the manufacturer is as shown below.