If you want a little more fullness in the mids, give Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II interconnects a try.
For speaker cables, on the lower end of the price, I'd suggest Acoustic Zen Satori or HologramII speaker cables.
AZ will be on the warmer side of things.
More expensive, Purist Audio Aqueous Anniversary speaker cables. Neutral, dynamic and detailed.
They have all the qualities you described.
Call Cable Company - (800)FAT-WYRE for advise.
You can borrow the cables from them, so you can hear what they sound like in your system. |
Ridge Street audio Poiema: Neutrality and Musicality ..Not warm not cold Just right! |
I have a full compliment of Synergistic Research's new Tesla Accelerator interconnects and speaker wire (bi-wire version). In a word they are the most holographic cables I have ever owned. I was a long time SR fan that switched to Nordost Valhalla's as I was looking for more detail and speed. Later I missed my SR Designer Reference cables warmth but on balance preferred my Nordost cables. Enter the Accelerator's at less then 1/3rd the price of my Nordost they blew them away in terms of speed, air and detail and back was the warmth, layering and low frequency slam of my old Designer Reference X2 interconnects but to a much greater degree then what I remember and at half the price and girth of my old Designers Reference cables.
I can't recommend these new cables more highly nor can I imagine better performance or value. |
For the system attributes you seek, don't forget to try different speaker footers which might do the trick, ridiculously cheaply, since your desired sound is almost within reach.
Herbiesaudiolab.com plain Big Fat Black Dots (ninety day home trial) between your speaker bottoms, and a smooth undersurface, either wood floor, or Home Depot marble tiles on carpet. I use under my floor-standing speakers having longer ribbon tweeters, and transmission line bass, with excellent results. Also, there is a range of footers to be tried under any component.
To enable what you seek, reasonable cost wiring which transmits beautifully for me with my Mod Squad Phono Drive/Line Drive (great value in a classic design) is Realitycables.com IC at $225 with OFC RCA connector option (twenty day home trial). The full benefit is achieved when simultaneously using $225 Reality speaker cables (twenty day home trial).
There is an audible synergy when this design philosophy passes along the signal from point to point.
Of course, all the parameters you specify could be satisfied by balancing effects from more than one company, at different price points.
With enough time for a thorough home listening trial you can reach your goal. |
Thanks very much for the recommendations. All the interconnects seem very good, and in my initial research yesterday, the Synergistic Research Tesla series seems to be the most intriguing. The price point is doable for me and the cost/benefit ratio seems very promising. I wonder why no other company has taken the step to actively shield the cable as they have.
I do have my CD and turntable sources isolated with Vibrapods and the turntable also under a thick butcher block. I have a 50 year old house with oak floors, so I understand and have seen the benefits of isolation here. I don't have the amps or speakers isolated, however. So that will be one of my next steps to take.
Thanks again for the recommendations. |
IMHO, the Alpha-Core Goertz MI series of speaker cables should be on anyone who's seek "neutral cables" list. Alpha-Core offers a generous 30 day free trial period, and can recommend the appropriate ones for your system. Oh, and they're pretty inexpensive in comparison to many others. Do use the Alpha-Core RC Networks (zobels). |
The best cables I have heard in my system in regards to imaging,3 dimensionality and every other aspect
are the Gabriel Gold Revelations.Although these may not be a household name item(they should be)These cables brought a more natural character to the music(I use Martin Logan Prodigy's)
than any other cable I have heard in 30 years.I know there a lot of other folks out there that feel the same way.
I have yet to ever see a pair re-sold on Audiogon and I know that hundreds have been sold.
There is no website yet for this product yet,however,I know of some major players out there that own,want to promote,invest and distribute these world class cables.
The cables are auctioned on Agon at times or you can reach the designer through his Audiogon user name (which is sts)
Check out the amazing comments on his cables scattered thru his feedback.
I was using Stealth Indras and the Gabriel Golds simply outpeformed them which is no small feat.In my opinion if the designer could make these faster and was not overwhelmed with the success it would bring him, these cables
would be on everyone's A-List.
You may may want to keep your eye out for these. |
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Analysis Plus, Acoustic Zen, and Alpha Core Goertz all offer great performance and value at real world prices. |
MIT's are full sounding. They'll give your system body and space. I tried several of the more "popular" brands above and none image like MIT. Yea, nobody likes the boxes and they are expensive. You could easily get a used pair, people are always upgrading. Some of the suggestions are ridiculous. |
I will have to concur with member bobf.
I heard of these ic's from a friend of mine who is both a musician and an audiophile.
I saw a pair on Audiogon a while back and purchased a pair at a very fair price.By adding a single pair between my source and preamp it truly transformed my system.
The tones were so true that I believe I could tell you what kind of strings Demeola was using on each and every guitar he played.I have since directly purchased a 2nd pair and plan on taking the plunge on some spaeker wire soon.
I had used Nordost in the past which is also a great cable when it comes to imaging and resolution just not as natural sounding as the Gabriel Golds.A more affordable option is the Mapleshade interconnects.
The Mapleshades are delicate to work with and can sound a little lean at times but image great. |
...This is arriving quite late...
You might want to try Vovox sound condutors, made in Switzerland (www.vovox.com). They are not expensive, and I find them to be extremely fast and neutral without being bright or edgy. The cables come in two versions, shielded (protect) and unshielded (direct) and are either balanced or single ended as your need may be. They need some time to break in, especially the speaker cable - at first the bass appears to be gone, but it returns after some use. For me, the cable that isn't there, but I've not much experience with uber-expensive exotic cables, so I could be missing something...
I am mostly about imaging and detail as well, and I am happy with my investment.
...my 0.02 worth. |
I've pretty much decided to give Synergistic Research Teslas a serious try. I just ordered my first pair of ICs. I've experimented with several different cheaper cables (inlcuding Zu's now) and they all leave something out of the music. If the Teslas sound as they have been described by people at the Cable Company, they should work. They are detailed, just a hair on the warm side of neutral, have an abundant sound stage and they are extrended with tight control in all the frequency ranges.
I've tried other cables that were noticably deficient in some frequency range (the highs lost detail - i.e. cymbals' sound broke up; or the mids were lean - i.e. cellos and tympani just disappeared). If the Teslas do as they should, then I will be very happy. |
