So YOU can't hear a difference in cables

40 hours break in and the glare and edge are gone. As for the monster cable power filter I have listened with it in and out of the system and don't believe that I hear any significant difference. I have it there to prevent damage should I have a lightning strike. If pressed I would say the bass is very slightly stronger without the filter, and with it the treble is ever so slightly smoother. These are slight differences.

The AU24 interconnects move you up a few rows compared to the Van Den Hul interconnects. The Vandys are smoother, fuller and allow me to turn the volume higher. The AU's are cleaner and clearer with more detail. I really like them both.

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.

When I auditioned the BAT 300se I noticed a hollow metalic glare that kept me from purchasing the unit. I use nht 2.9 and they are revealing, at the time I used AQ granites (now Nord blue heaven) and the AQ reduce glare. I really liked the BAT, especially the way it controlled the bass drivers. The glare was more pronounced in the right channel and I think the current 6h30 is inferior to the nos version. There is no 6h30 sub but maybe try a new pair-I tried unsucessfully to get nos. I was sold on the BAT except for that ever so slight issue but for that much money i wanted my needs matched perfectly and ended up spending more as a result.

So I hooked up a new used pair of JBL 250ti's (1998 Classics, minty by the way) to compare to my Dali MS4's. The interconnect equation change. Now I prefer the silver generic interconnects to the other two, but the difference is so slight as to be virtually insignificant.

Interconnects make a difference on the Dali's to a much greater degree then they do on the JBL's. Don't get me wrong the JBL's have many strengths, and are very warm and fuzzy(in a good way). They seem to react to changing interconnects to only the slightest degree.

Perhaps the cable argument for those that don't hear a difference is real as they do not have speakers or equipment that is resolving enough to be able to hear the differences.

Two different speakers both excellent in their own ways.

Dali's strengths

holograpic or (three dimensional)
naturally detailed
violins and cellos (wow)
exciting to listen to
totally non fatiguing
Clean and clear plus wow factor
excellent speaker

JBL's strengths

Voice (vocal)
hugh natural but warm solid bottom end
trumpets
flutes
cymbals
sheer volume

sub note
these JBL's are a bit laid back ? ? ?