Review: Audioquest FLX/Slip 14/2 Speaker cable

Category: Cables

Budget esoterica review magazine
June 2013 supplement edition

Audioquest has come out with a very good entry level bulk speaker cable. The audioquest FLX/Slip speaker cable is a 14 gauge, 2 conductor cable that comes in a very flexible
and attractive greyish-black jacket with a solid red stripe running down it. The cable is available in bulk at audio advisor for .99 cents a foot. The positive traits of this cable include, a very good sense of musicality and body, as well as very good elasticity.

Listening to track number eleven on Shirley horn's recording titled , "here's to life", I noticed a fuller sound. The vocals were clear and the recording had a slight bit of warmth to it. The pace seemed to be slowed down and it had a relaxed feeling to it. The percussion sounded, perhaps a little too soft. Transparancy levels were pretty good.

I listened to steve miller band's popular recording of "fly like an eagle", and on track number 3 I noticed an increased sense of musicality and fullness. The sound seemed to be pretty neutral sounding. The vocals seem to be a little spot-lighted or emphasized. Percussion was a little bit zippy, and there were good levels of airiness.

Joe Newman quintet at count basie's is not what I would consider a high quality recording, but I like the music and if you work at it , you can make this disc sound rather decent. I listened to the track titled, "please send me
someone to love", and I noticed very good width and depth. You can hear people talking and glasses clinking in the background as well as a few barking noises from a few overzealous audience participants. The drums have good texture. There is a little more body to the instruments and the trumpet has pretty good tonal color.

Pros

very good musicality and fullness
good dynamics
very good elasticity
good high frequency detail
very good accuracy - most notable with percussion
good transparency
very good depiction of density and texture
subtle and expressive vocals with very good detail
smooth
slightly punchy

Cons

slightly soft
lacking a little solidity
tonal color a little bit light

Overall, the audioquest FLX/Slip 14/2 speaker cables make for a very good pair of entry level speaker cables. I terminated mine with ram electronics bfa banana connectors with very good results. I appreciated the increased musicality and fullness and the neutrality and I suspect that you might like them also. Stay tuned for more reviews as well as a few t-amps you might enjoy.

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