I agree with Nighthawk regarding the AU24s. Both the interconnects and speaker cables are the least prone to exhibit digital edge and glare of any I've used.
I'm quite sensitive to this characteristic and felt that using too many AU24 cables throughout my system masked some of the metallic shimmer naturally present in some percussion.
In my present set up I've found a combination of Acoustic Zen interconnects and Audience speaker cables to offer the best balance of musicality, soundstaging and detail for my taste.
Wellfed, get a new digital camera soon! :)
Friggin' Viggen is confusin'! |
Zilla, your AU24 are only 8 hours old?! I think 200-300 hours is more like it before you get the full benefit and are able to hear what they should truly sound like.
I hope you allow enough break in time for all your cables. Depending on the cable their sound can change dramatically during burn in. Some are very subtle, but I have a pair of Ridge Street Audio Poiema that kept doing a crazy chameleon dance on me the first week. It was almost as if Kirstin Dunst morphed into Janet Jackson, then Rosie O'Donnell, before finally settling on Nicole Kidman. A really weird and wacky modulation of sonic shifts! |
Wellfed,
Your last statement just painted a very scary picture for me. If the Poiema had stayed Rosie I think I would have quit the hobby! Thank goodness.
Fatparrot,
I've heard differences changing in both directions, but in general I'd agree with your statement. The impact of losing Roselyn Sanchez and being left with Whoopie Goldberg in her place would be too shocking to survive.
Zilla,
With all the Audience products I've owned I've noticed very little changes in break in compared to other brands, so the numbers you quote might turn out to be correct. I've never heard your Sony player, but I was going to suggest what Reubent did. You might want to also reevaluate the Audioquest speaker cable.
Good luck,
Dean |
Zilla,
Being so blinded by the Stereophile light is a big mistake. You've had multiple people tell you that the AU24 shouldn't have glare, and the SCD333 may be the cause, but you blindly hold onto the word of a magazine reviewer.
I'm not saying we're right and he's wrong. What I am saying is that if you ignore the advice many, you may end up chasing an audio fairy you can never capture.
Have you considered that the Van Den Hul could actually be masking a deficiency in your system? |
Mwilson,
I think you missed the point of my response to Zilla.
This really doesn't have to do with how special the AU24 is, but with Zillas' response to the advice he'd been given. If you want to talk about simplistic statements how about this doozy?
"My Sony is being filtered by a Monster cable power filter. I like Stereophile and believe that what JA hears I hear. I have always agreed with him or should I say his ears. Again with the Van Den Hul Cables in place there is NO shrillness or fatigue."
Whoaa!!! Good thing Jim Jones and Reverend Moon aren't near by. A lot of people took time to consider Zilla's situation and we get hit with that zinger in response. Why even create this thread in the first place? He already had his mind made up as to who he was going to listen to for advice anyway.
Au24 in a special light? Nah. I think the speaker cable is damn good, and so do a lot of other people. I'm not as enamored with their interconnects so I can't really be counted as a flaming AU24 lover. But like 'em or not, I think one thing just about every person that has tried them will agree on is that these wires don't produce digital edge. I think most people would say they're a bit on the dark side, and some would even say rolled off. Sure on the surface maybe Nighthawk's and my responses were a bit simplistic. But there is a lot of testimony to back it up.
Tuning an audio system is a lot like trouble shooting a computer. It's a process of elimination. And based on experience, many people voiced common opinions about what the causes could be. Could we all be wrong? Possible, but unlikely. But why completely ignore us after asking for advice? |
Yioryos, I think I'd like to be whipped by Marilyn too. :)
The Audience AU24 would hurt really good because they are so damn skinny, but maybe the Cardas Golden Cross with its nice layer of womanly fat would have the effect George is talking about.
I lent Marilyn to Viggen for a couple months and he used her in ways no other man ever dreamed of. Who ever thought Marilyn would be able to swing that tush as a digital cable?
I like Latin and Mediterranean women myself, so which cable would you gentlemen suggest? I'm currently using Acoustic Zen and Audience. I suspect the AZ Silver Reference II is more Grace Kelly, and the AZ Matrix Ref II is a bit Sophia Loren, so using them together I'd end up with something like Isabella Rosellini. Which ain't bad at all! When I sit down for a listen every night I always greet my digital cable as if I were addressing Rita Hayworth. It makes her very happy and helps her to sing like an angel and dance like a temptress.
I proclaim, that from this day forth all audio equipment should be reviewed and described as women in show business, past and present!
Wellfed, I hope you're talking about the YOUNG Rosemarie Clooney! The stock tubes in my Blue Circle preamp reminded me of a young Phyllis Diller. |
Zilla, I used a Monster HTS-2000 for a few years and after eliminating it from the chain gained noticeable dynamics and transparency.
Recently, I replaced my wall outlet with a Porter Port and started using a Furutech eTP60 power distributor and clarity and soundstaging have been stepped up a couple notches more.
At the very least try plugging your BAT directly to the wall and see if you notice a difference. In some cases, a power distributor with active filtering can constrain dynamics. The Furutech addresses the negative effects of mechanical vibrations and uses no active filtering. |
Ahh, OK Ed. I knew it was one of them vibe thingies |
Zilla, the increased dynamics you noticed when removing the Monster from the chain is something many people notice when running their power amp directly to the wall without power conditioning.
In my case with the Monster gone, I noticed an improvement in focus and everything seemed to open up more so than the increased bass dynamics. Everything just became much clearer. This may be manifesting itself as the smoother treble you notice when using the Monster. |
