I have a BAT VK-20 and BAT VK-200 what are the bes

I've owned a VK200 for over a year now and really like it. I had aVK3i mated to it for about a month, but for the last nine months or so I've been using a Blue Circle BC21 preamp instead.

I experimented with different configurations of Acoustic Zen cables - Silver Reference II and Matrix Reference II - from DAC to pre and pre to amp. Eventually settling on two runs of Matrix Ref II. I use the AZ MC2 from transport to DAC. In my case, using the Silver with the Matrix or two Matrix depended on what tubes I was using in my DAC - Silver Ref counteracting dark tubes, and Matrix Ref taming revealing tubes.

All the Acoustic Zen cables I've owned are very smooth and throw a huge soundstage. Choosing which one to use depends on your taste in playback and what you're trying to achieve sonically.

What cables are you using now and how do you want to change the sound?

Gfloyd,

Hmmm, I don't have any experience with the Monster Sigma Retro Gold so I couldn't say how any of the Acoustic Zen cables would alter the sound of your system.

However, the attributes you're searching for - "high end to open up a little bit and the midbass to tighten up" - are what the Silver Reference II excels at. Also, they create a very large soundfield.

My only fear is that inserting the Silver Ref II into an all solid state system might result in an overly lean and dry sound, especially with B&W 801 Matrix IIIs in the mix. But that's a very subjective thing. With a tube DAC and preamp I felt the Silver Ref II was a bit lean for me, but it seems your taste and mine may be very different so it could work for you.

I still have the Silver Ref II and have thought of selling it. I'd like to state this openly rather than approach you through private e-mail so it won't seem like I have a hidden agenda. Heck, I'm not sure I even want to sell it. The important thing is how the AZ Silver Ref II differs from the Monster Sigma Retro Gold, and I have no way of knowing if it will be a positive or negative change for you.

Maybe someone can comment on the Monster or give other suggestions. There are lot's of good cables out there and you probably would be able to achieve your goal without paying for a used Silver Ref II.

Something to consider is that the VK200 is on the dark side as well, but that's what I like about it.

Good luck!

I love the Audience AU24 speaker cables. I compared a single run of AU24 against a biwire run of Acoustic Zen Hologram II for four months and after a tough decision elected to keep the Audience.

But, It really depends on what you want the speaker cables to accomplish. The Hologram II were very smooth and I felt had better extension at the frequency extremes, but I preferred the more midrange forward AU24. Both soundstage very well.