Interconnect with great dynamics and bass slam ,


I recently purchased some Cardas Golden cross sepaker cables. They replaced my Dh Lab Q10s. I replaced the Q10s because i was getting some upper mid freq brightness.
I have Golden Cross interconnects from preamp to amp and from cd player to pre amp. The sound is very smooth and detailed .The bass and mid bass is not as authorative or as tight. The highs are better - more detailed and smooth.
The problem is the sound is almost too smooth the bass is kind of rounded off now .The sound is less dynamic.
My Question is.
Is there an interconnect that could give me back that great bass and dynamics of that i had with the Q10s, without the harshness i was getting. I think i would like to keep the Golden Cross speaker cables and try changing the ICs. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
grey9hound
Well, I am glad you got them straightened out . At least it seems so. I still would not let them charge me $300 dollars for shipping material . As much as you will have to pay for the repairs , that should be included ! They sound like a bunch of greedy bastards to me . That really makes me turn against buying a KRELL. That is the other thing that you should tell them. Tell them that you ahve posted your bad experience with Krell on Audiogon for everyone to see.
Tell them that you are going to post for everyone to avoid Krell. Tell them that you will post that you think they are a rip off, and that you will recommend that everyone avoid them at all cost .
THAT, I promise WILL get there attention. Well at least it should. If it doesn't, then there are a bunch of pompus assholes, which may be the case anyway.
GOOD LUCK.
@ Grey9hound, I agree!, We should not have to pay for a new box!, I still may look into that, I want to keep the peace till they get done with the amp, LOL!, you do not upset the mechanic while they are working on a car, same principal!, I want The job done right with the amp!, then we get to what I should pay for, I am sure they will make me pay for the box eanyway,, one thing is certain, I will not allow in no way let them ship my amp back without being on my skidd and tied down to the skidd with my rachet tie downs, thats a fact!, or they will buy my amp period!, I made that very clear to them!, I will also make sure of this right before shipping the amp back to me, so their will be no foul ups on there part!, Its just like dealing with the auto dealership!, sure, they can do a great job on the car, and the end of the day, they still have no common sence and you have to make sure of this and that!,,, stay in touch my friend!,, cheers!
A grey9hound,@ waxwaves,, I just bought the very top of the line Taralabs cobalt a/c power cord!, yipeee!, I will put an extensive review on the a/c power cord on the 0.8 thread after my amp comes back from Krell!, Happy listening my friends!
@Audiolabyrinth. Well Congratulations on the power cord .
Are you going to try it on the Krell or on the Ayon2 ?
I would be interested to know how it sounds on the amp, well really would like to know what it does for the Ayon also.
When do you get the Krell back?
I bet you are going crazy without the amp in your system . I know i would be !
Well its been pretty hot here and not a lot of rain lately. I know you want it to rain so you can stay busy. I planted 14 Tomato plants. They are lokking really GOOD. I have big Green Tomatos , but no red ones yet. It won't be long.
two of m y favorite things about summer are ...Toamatos and Silver Queen corn. i could eat those until they run out my ears !!
keep us posted on the amp and power cord.
Take Care.
@ Grey9hound, Hi, I will be putting the cobalt on the Ayon 2s, After market power cords are 15 or 20 amp cords, The Krell uses a 30 amp captive cord, the after market cables most likly will not work, since I am going to use a 25 to 30 amp breaker now up on krells request to make the amp run properly, I was useing a 20 amp breaker, Krell said that was part of the problem of the amp running hotter, It was starving for power!, Dennis, I guess I will get my amp back by september or earlier,Its not because of krell, Its us paying for it!, We do miss the amp!, Its not that bad to have peace and quite!, I did go thru 9 months without a system recently, I will not be going thru that this time!, after that, 2 or 3 months is nothing!, If you get to many maters and corn, I will pay for shipping on some!, the sqaurls eat every thing in our yard! we planted last year, the varmonts won!,, cheers!
@ Grey9hound, Hi, I just got the Taralabs cobalt power cord in!, Dennis, To my supprise it had serial numbers on it!, I called Taralabs a.s.a.p., they told me the original buyers full name, the same guy I bought the cable from!, That it was made in janary,2013,that is has the very top of the line oyaide plugs on it!, a $450.00 dollar up grade!, Taralabs confirmed my zero gold the same way a while back!, I am calling Taralabs next week to add my name on their system as the second owner of the cobalt and zero gold interconnect, all the rest of my Taralabs cables they got me down on their system as the original owner, by doing this Dennis, The Taralabs cables that I own will be authinticated!, the year and month they were made and what owner I am!,, Dennis,I am pumped!, you should see this fricken power cord!, Its huge!, I have never seen a girth this big around!, Happy Listening!
@ Grey9hound, This is one of the very best deals I have got in the high-end audio hobby, This Taralabs cobalt power cord!, As you know, I also bought the zero gold i/c at the best deal in the country!, Go Audiogon!, cheers!
@ Grey9hound, The Taralabs cobalt with up-graded top of the line oyaide plugs retails for 6 ft $5,450.00!, Dennis!,I got a deal of a life time!, I have the sound of $5,450.00 of an a/c power cord!, I bought a cobalt with the up-graded oyaide plugs 1-meter for $1,000.00 free shipping, no pay-pal!, right here on the audiogon used market!, Like I said, Go Audiogon!, I bought the Taralabs Zero Gold Here too!, As A matter of fact, there is two Zero golds for sale now on audiogon, one for $8,000.00 a meter, the other zero gold is $8,250.00 for a meter and a half used!, the zero gold retails for $14,950.00!, Dennis!, I bought my Zero gold for $5,665.00 free shipping, no pay-pal!, I am so thankful to God almighty for these awsome deals!, cheers, Happy listening!
WOW ! That is a DEAL ! . I want to hear how it performs when you get the Krell back in service. I'll see about Tomatoes. Still no red ones .. except for the Small Sweet 100s ... salad type Tomato
@ grey9hound, Hi,Thankyou for agreeing here on these deals!, I study night and day to be able to get these deals, and of course, blessings from God!, I waited a whole year for a deal on the cobalt power cord!, We were going to get one, one way or the other!, when my offer got accepted, we were litteraly jumping for joy!, any time you save thousands of dollars, likly you would jump too!,, cheers!, Go Audiogon!
A grey9hound, What do you use for digital?, and what cables do you use for that?,, cheers!
Sony CDP-M555ES CDPlayer and analog out with Cardas Golden Cross to the Marantz.
To the OPs original query:

I have tried Cardas Golden Ref, Cardas Neutral Ref, and a variety of Nordost ICs. I agree that the Cardas Golden cables dont have enough top/bottom heft, which is why I only use Nordost now: clean, smooth, detailed, powerful, balanced.

The Nordost blue heaven are a great bang for buck, but you will get better results with the Heimdall/Frey models but pay a bit more. With the Nordost line, you get what you pay for. But if you buy them used, its also a great bargain
@ Grey9hound, Say, What did you think about what 1graber2 had to say here?, Nordost are good cables, The bad side of them however, you better not run a full loom of the nordost, you loose bass and other qualitys, If you keep it simple, a cable here, a cable there, you will be good to go!,, cheers!
@1graber2
I ended up with the tara labs Air1 speaker cables. I am still using the Golden Cross ICs for now. I will try something different, but it will be a little while.
Thanks for the Reccomendations. The Nordost might be a little pricey for me . I'll have to see what is available when i am ready.
@ Grey9hound, Hi, waxwaves turned me onto a company called AV Audio a couple of months ago, turns out he gave a great recommendation, no I did not purchase nothing yet, but I have found that waxwaves is on yo something here!, the airsine cables are likly the best bang for the buck in te market place, the airsine power cord especially!, I wanted you to know this Dennis, I know Taralabs are one of the best!, This company has alot of my attension too!,you should go to their site, you can build your own cables from the material they will sell you!, and they sell numerous resonance control brands and other stuff!, tell me what you think if you visit the site., the top of the brand power cord, the airsine 6ft power cord is $800.00 new retail!, when you read about the science and reviews like I did of this power cord, you should get the same dose of shock as I did!, LOL!, cheers to you Grey9hound!
Hey dudes, hope all is good with you fellows, it has been awhile. @ Dennis and Keith, The company I have referred to as having pretty good power cables is in fact VH Audio...not AV Audio. Another good place to start with budget power cables is Signal Cable. Hard to beat for the money IMO! The VH Audio Airsines are not budget tho, they are VH Audio's top o the line pc. Could be used in higher end systems no problem. The VH Flavor 4 or the Signal Cable Magic pc would be a good choices for Grey9hound's amps IMO! Also, I really can't say enough abouta man named Lou and his Lat International AC-2mkII power cables. These cables have a very balanced sonic signature. They are articulate but not overly bright, they have great bass slam without sounding bloated or exaggerated, and they are dead quiet and just stay out of the way of the music. These are great with source components! The three power cables brands discussed above sell my budget favorites! Of course...There are many other good budget minded power cables out there to chose from too. Hope this helps
Opps, I stand corrected, thanks waxwaves, I did mean VH Audio, The airsine power cable is a buget cable to me!, $800.00 for 6ft!, are you kidding!, the cobalt I bought into is $5,450.00 for 6ft with the oyaide plugs!,, Btw, Grey9hound and waxwaves, I got my Krell 700cx estimate to be renewed inside, and now out side to!, please sit down, I fell out!, $3,157.38 that includes shipping back to me!,, I will have $11,300.00 in this amp!, Its new!, The service manager, My bud, Ray, said this amp will take 500 hours to break in ,, just like new!,, I know, I know, I feel stupid, oh well, I will know what we got!, they also said they had to put 6 parts inside that was bad too, that was my problem with my amp, and that sound ideas in florida put caps inside that have to come out eany way, Krell said that they were the WRONG SPECIFICATIONS!, so, My original request to renew the amp turn out a good one!, they said that I have never heard my amps over the top performance before, since the day I got it, I blew it up!, the caps the dealer installed in florida was unde rated for this amp and they were some cheap after market capacitors!, They said I will hear the fury and real fineese of this amp when I get it back!, Please, some one tell me cheers!, I am getting ready to ride out into the sunset, Ha, Ha, LOL! At these prices, I have no choice!,, Happy listening!
Cheers Audiolabyrinth!!!! Feels great to have that taken care of and off your mind huh?. Your new amp should be awesome! You will finally have "The Real Thing "... right Keith!? . I know you are looking forward to that day when she arrives back home! Hell, I bet it sounds better than it did before it left, even before it has burned in! LOL! All in all, I think you gonna be in for a nice surprise!
@ Waxwaves, Thankyou, I need support here, I am lost for words at the money we are going thru just to love and enjoy music!, we are shooting for mid october to get the amp shipped back to us! because the amp is costing so much!, we have to live too and keep paying the bills!,,cheers!
@ Audiolabyrinth.
DAMMIT MAN ! I can't believe that place in FLA Screwed it up. Is that where you bought it from ?
Find out exactly what it is they F'D up .I would definately call them and let them know the problem.Then explain to them that you need to get some money back from them because of their F.n it UP. Maybe like $1000.00
This way ,even if they won't give you any money, you can tell them that you will drag their name through the mud on Audiogon and All other Forums that you can think of .This might get their attention.
Start naming off all of the Forums that you will use to do this . See what their response is then . That is What I would do .
GOOd LUCK MAN,
happy Listening (in a few months )
@ Grey9hound, man, this sucks!, In a few months Happy listening!,Sound Ideas in Gainsville FLorida did this to me!, They did not charge me but shipping back from them!, they did all this to finalize the sale of my amp after I blew it up!, It was one day after the arrival of the amp, so they got nervous that I might want a refund!, I had E-bay protection and pay-pal !!!!,, so they offered to, what I call band-aided the amp to work for free!, that way the sale would be finalized!, I live and learn Dennis!, I should have made them pay to fix it at Krell when I had the chance!, the amp seemed to work when I got it back from them, problems followed very shortly!I can forget getting anything from them!I will likly let them know that I know what they did and what it's costing me now!, that would be the only pleasure I will get!,, Dennis, nearly everything they did they f-up!, Krell has already told me all the details, unless you have a degree, these words would be foreign to you like they are to me!, my wife knows what they mean, she works building electronics!,, BTW,, I have a great ole lady!, she is paying for 90% of all of the amp job!,thats really nice since I paid for the system, It retails the price of a small house!I am beginning to feel sick about all of this audio thing!I can have a very nice new car,4-wheelers,boats, all this and it still would not cost the system retail!Lets hope my pitiful story ends with happiness of music nirvana with my system!,, I would like Happy listening!
@Audiolabyrinth I Think You are going to need a pre-amp or receiver ,you know ....before you hook it up this time...If that is what caused the problem ???
@ grey9hound, Hi, When I first got the amp, we just rented this house,the receptical in the listening room that we hooked the amp up to had 220 on it, thats how we blew the amp up the first day we had it!, of course I did all the electrical work to fix the electrical problem my self, that way I know its done right!, the cd-players had nothing to do with it!, I am good at watching componets go up in smoke!, the krell, now the Ayon!!,, cheers!
@ Waxwaves, Hi, How is the Taralabs The One Power cord sounding for you now?, It should be burned in or close to it!, How does it compaire to your other power cords, Is it better than the rest of the power cords you own?, cheers!
07-08-13: Waxwaves
Hey dudes, hope all is good with you fellows, it has been awhile. @ Dennis and Keith, The company I have referred to as having pretty good power cables is in fact VH Audio...not AV Audio. Another good place to start with budget power cables is Signal Cable. Hard to beat for the money IMO! The VH Audio Airsines are not budget tho, they are VH Audio's top o the line pc. Could be used in higher end systems no problem. The VH Flavor 4 or the Signal Cable Magic pc would be a good choices for Grey9hound's amps IMO! Also, I really can't say enough abouta man named Lou and his Lat International AC-2mkII power cables. These cables have a very balanced sonic signature. They are articulate but not overly bright, they have great bass slam without sounding bloated or exaggerated, and they are dead quiet and just stay out of the way of the music. These are great with source components! The three power cables brands discussed above sell my budget favorites! Of course...There are many other good budget minded power cables out there to chose from too. Hope this helps
Thanks for all the good info Adam, I have not yet tried an aftermarket powercord. It may be sometiome before i do, but i will keep your observations in mind . I hope all is well with you . You will have to let me know if you get to knoxville anytime soon .
Take Care
Thank you Dennis, appreciate the hospitality, I can tell you are a cool dude and a good fellow. There are two SignalCableMagic pcs on AA trading post for $30-$35! This would be a great place to start man. It is exiting to hear what a decent power cable will do! You will definately experience an improvement in dynamics and bass slam!

Audiolabyrinth, my Tara Labs the One power cable is the best I have owned. It really helps makes music happen. It sounds tonally correct with my mostly Tara Labs loom, LOL! I am getting incredible sound from my system with the One pc on my amp. Tho my power cable experience is not vast, I have heard a few of the most popular models of late. All other power cables that I have tried fail in comparison. The Tara Labs the One power cable has done everything I could have expected in my system. I'd recommend it!
@ Waxwaves,, Hi, Wow!, Your power cord The Taralabs The One Turned out better than I thought, Man, You have me excited like a kid at christmas time waiting on the day in october when I get to hear the Taralabs the cobalt start to break-in and improve my sound!,,You have made my day,last few weeks!, Thankyou so much, I needed some good news, I have some hope to grasp on to now!, So in your opinion, How long do you believe the Taralabs power cables need to re-burn-in?, you have more exsperience than I do with power cords, I claimed 100 hours on a hunch because electricity is much stronger than the audio signal!, LOL!, Am I close?, How long waxwaves?,, You are having Happy Listening.
@Audilabyrinth
Like Adam , I probably won't do anything until winter time . Right now i am still hurting from pool repairs . New sand in filter and new valve and latertals, also had to replace my pool light. My latest electric bill is 378.00 my last water bill is 152.00. ik have spent 100 on 3inch tablet (50 lbs) . that should last me through mid summer next year. have had to buy shock each week . Thats about 47000 to 4800 gallons . It is 20ft x 44ft. So it takes some chemicals to keep it right
Its tough on me financially in the summertime.
With the drenching we had over the july 4th holidays most of my tomato plants have drowned. they are barely hangin on . Most of them don't have any leaves left . They have shriveled up and died . The few that i have gotten are VERY good. the best ones have been the Cherokee Purple, next would be the Brandywines .
I may try to get a new sub cale for my SVS PB12 Plus/2 .
i am currently using analysis plus sub oval , but i would like to try something that is silver coated copper . I am using the Dh Labs q10 speaker cables on the bottom of my mains (Bi-amping). I find that they give great bass with definition. I have been lusting for a marantz Av8801 Pre-amp processor , but do'nt have the money to spend right now .

Adam , I would like to get my Harley buddy to ride with me up to Roane Mountain sometime this fall when it cools off and take a listen to your system , if that would be ok.
maybe mid to late September.
I hope all is well with you gents.
@ Grey9hound,, That Was Jmcgrogan2 that said he was not going to do nothing with his system untill the cold season, waxwaves got a new power cord, another interconnect, a new pre-amp, some resonance control footers for under his digital player, since he has been to your house, waxwaves has done more than all of us put together!, me, All I did was get a new power cord and the amp renewed, I understand about finances, we want be able to do nothing major to the system untill springtime, fall and winter I do not do my lawn businness, so no new toys untill I go back to working 7 days a week for 9 months out of the year,, cheers, good to hear from you.
Hey dudes, you can visit anytime! I'll show ya'll how us Roan Mountain hillbillies enjoy music, grill ribeye(med-rare), and drink brews... some other funny thangs too, ifn' ya know what I mean..;) It's beautiful ride from K-town to the mountain Dennis, takes about three hours. I think you'll be impressed with the McCormack/Hales combo, as well as the Tara Labs cables(of course)!

@Audiolab, It took four days to reburn the Tara Labs the One power cable into my system before the lifelike presentation I am used to fleshed out fully again. It actually fleshed out quite a bit more towads the full bodied side with a deeper soundstage. So it took about 100hrs... I leave the McCormack stuff on 24/7 unless there's an electrical storm. The One pc is really impressive in my setup...

Back to work for me, I'll catch up again soon!
@ Waxwaves ,
Thanks for confirming that we could come visit you. I know you had mentioned it a while back. I'll let my Harley buddy know and we will try to give you a tentative date . He is a music lover too. It would almost definately have to be on a Saturday, because he works third shift and has to go in on a Sunday night @ 10:30 PM.
I'd say we would probably leave here by 9Am and be there by 12 or 1 . It will be a great ride. I just have to wait until it cools down some, because wearing a helmet in this weather will fry your brain ! . Well, mine is already a little toasted anyway !!
I'll keep in touch.
@Audiolabyrinth
Not Much. Sitting inside watching it rain today.
Are you itching for your Krell to be back to you yet ?
Are you having withdrawals yet ?
@ grey9hound, Yep!, We are missing the Krell more than we ever thought!, withdrawls is an under statement!
@ Isochronism,, LOL!, You have told me this before, I use to be a pro carpenter, I built huge cargo ship docks, etc.. I now own a lawn business, you know, I may take you up on that, bird houses, I bet its relaxing, do you build bird houses on your spare time?
I have Analysis plus Solo crystal loudspeaker cables great cables very well balanced and competes very well with cables much more $$.the single crystal Is no BS it gets out of the way of the music ,No graininess whatsoever.
I have a Silver digital cable,silver Umbilical cord and silver usb, all hiend stuff very good and detailed except on a bad cd with Silver interconnects
Can be a bit peaky in the upper treble region.
I switched to the Same Analysis plus solo crystal oval interconnect,
After using the MIT-hd23 $1600 + interconnect!Cardas clear,and Accoustic zen reference-2 .the solo Crystal was a hair smoother but lacked nothing
Detail bass, or soundstaging in fact I feel it gives a deeper presentation
And pretty sure footed and fast. Analysis plus said the latest Solo crystal
Over the last 2 years is a bit more refined and faster.i totally agree.
And at retail $550 one of the best bargains in all of Audio Srajan 6 moons fame stated he likes this better then the silver oval ,more depth. Everything
As allways is system dependant .Highly Recommended !!
What was the issue with Krell I missed that?
I bought their newer 550I integrated ,the 1unit had a transformer grounding issue. I had it for a month. Their tech support sent me another unit,
When I was satisfied ,I called UPS and they payed shipping also.
I was more then surprised ,great service. And this integrated is miles better then their 300 .read the Hifi News review ,it is spot on .just because it was
Made in China ,means not much .it has mostly Japanese parts and I they QC the whole unit for a battery of tests before it leaves in Orange,Ct.it Can compete with equipment of much more $$.
Wow!, I cannot believe My friend Grey9hound's thread came back to life!, I want to read what more audiophiles post here, interesting subject.
In my humble opinion having had the Absolutes, I believe the Thales interconnects to be better. I have them and the Thales speaker cables which are easily the best I have heard in my system now and probably will never need to change from them.