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Suggestions for upgrading audioquest interconnects

My current system is composed of the following:
Amp: Krell fpb 300cx
Preamp: Conrad Johnson premier 18LS
CD Player: Music Hall 25 with level 2 mods by underwood Hifi
Speakers: JM Reynaud Offrande
All have original power cords. Speaker wire is JM Reynaud biwired. I have audioquset Diamonback interconnects with cardas xlr to rca adapters out of the Krell since the Conrad Johnson only has rca jacks.

I listen to Jazz and blues mostly. I am satisfied with the sound in general but feel I can get more out of my system. I have spent countless hours positioning speakers and furniture and feel I have everything I can get with what I have.

I really feel my next step is to upgrade my cables.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
leatherneck1812
12 responses Add your response
teajay
1,691 posts
 
Leatherneck1812, if you want to upgrade in the Audioquest line I can't be helpful, since I never cared for the sound of their wires, however I would suggest you audtion Acoustic Zen's Silver reference II or Matrix reference II which give great performance at reasonable cost. I too listen to jazz/blues about 99% of the time and after audtioning numerous wires from different companies, including Audioquest, came to the conclusion that the AZ just sounds more like "real" music compared with the other cables/speaker wires I audtioned in my system. A home audtion is a "MUST" because of synergy/personnal taste being such important factors when it comes to wires in a system. Hope this helps.
hooper
396 posts
 
Leatherneck:

I have to agree with Teajay. I've never been a fan of AQ cables, either. You might want to give a call to the Cable Company. They have a huge inventory of all kinds of cables, and loan them out for 30-day auditions. Like TeaJay said, the only way to know for sure is to try them yourself. It can be a daunting task, as there are many worthy cables out there, but the folks at CC are very helpful and can probably help you narrow your choices. Personally, I use Jena Labs cabling throughout my system, and even their affordable stuff is top-notch, IMO. Definitely worth an audition--they're the most neutral yet revealing cables I've had in my room.
ghunter's avatar
ghunter
164 posts
 
I have a system not too far from yours in cost, and am using a 2m Diamondback between pre and power amps as an interim solution. I auditioned the King Cobra and Jaguar cables but the Diamondback just seemed to have the most "natural" presentation and I went with it for simplicity. IMO if you stay with Audioquest then be prepared to spend some SERIOUS money on cables by going above the Jaguar, otherwise start looking at other brands.
rsjm80
207 posts
 
Leatherneck1812, I can't speak for the AQ line either but, can I suggest that power cord change at your scource could yeild excellent results for you. My AR CD2 has made an amazing change in everyway thru the addition of my Polestar pc from Locus Designs, additionally I have found huge improvements thru vibration isolation peieces from Bright Star, with your musical listening tastes this could be a very favorable direction for you to consider.
r_f_sayles's avatar
r_f_sayles
872 posts
 
See:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?fcabl&1120829411&openusid&zzR_f_sayles&4&5#R_f_sayles

Cheers!
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
I would suggest trying viper which is a discontinued cable non dbs but is available used from time to time. I used them on both amp to pre-amp and cd player to pre-amp and liked them very much before upgrading to anaconda. They were detailed and uncolored in their presentation. I like audioquest cables and have not had any urge to switch brands.

Chuck
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,920 posts
 
I agrfee with suggestion for AZ cables. I tried AQ Jaguar and AZ Matrix Ref MkII were better in my system. I found AQ to be too laid back for my taste. I ended up getting AZ Matrix MkII. Good luck.
leatherneck1812 OP
116 posts
 
Thanks for all of your help. I guess I should have stated that I am looking to switch from AQ. The only reason I have it is there is only one company selling anything close to decent equipment here and my choices were AQ or Transparent. The transparent was way too laid back in my original system I bought from them. It was an Arcam integrated, Rotel cd player and Totem speakers. I have since bought my gear used(except for the Music Hall)from Audiogon and I am happily listening, experimenting, and learning.

I have contacted The Cable Company and waiting for a reply. I am also keeping an eye out for AZ matrix MKII
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,920 posts
 
It's best to call Cable Company. This way it is faster and you get a more detailed explanation on how their lending library works. They are great these guys, and have lots of cables + database of customer comments as to which cable worked better with which components.
eddykaled685
27 posts
 
There are far better cables for less money out there like Pure Note and RSA. IME, AQ cables are not truly high-end cables.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
In my system AZ is the only other cable I have found that competes well with AQ. But having said that your listening preferences may be different than mine. The cable company is a good suggestion as you can try different cabling and choose what works best for you. That is of course assuming they have on hand what you want to try.

Chuck
mmakshak
589 posts
 
I haven't read all the responses. I recommend Oritek X-2 interconnects. I also recommend some(actually all) analog.
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