@sfpeloton You have a good memory. I was running a pair of the AZ Absolute’s and these were the subject of the post that you are referring to. I have since acquired a set of the Matrix Reference cables and have replaced the Absolutes, liking the Matrix. Before I bought the Audionet gear I was running Matrix XLR’s, but the AMP 1 forced me to use RCA’s, so I tried some options including making a set of Neotech’s, but I ended up back at Matrix. I also spent quite a bit of time with WireWorld Eclipse, I liked these as well, though they are a bit darker than the AZ’s.
Thoughts on Iconoclast interconnects?
Hi all. I have Iconoclast Gen 2 UPOCC RCA cables connecting my LTA preamp to my Audionet amp. They sound very transparent and neutral to me; however, in the past, I have always had XLR cables and therefore haven't tried any other RCA cables at this position of my system. It might be nice to have a slightly more enveloping and 3D soundstage with just a tiny bit of warmth. I have no doubt that AQ Thunderbirds, Cards Clear Beyond and Audience Frontrow would all be fantastic options to try, but the new retail price is a bit more than I care to spend. I am fine purchasing used.
For those that have used Iconoclast, what are your thoughts on these cables and what if any cables did you prefer to them? Would like to have some input before rolling the dice on some of the more costly options.
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I started my journey on higher end ICs with Iconoclast TPC interconnects. Great value for the money. I used them on source components and from pre to amplifier. They were a huge step up from the sub $100 ICs I was using at the time. I wanted to upgrade beyond that and contacted Iconoclast. They happened to have a great deal on a UPOCC RCA cable and I decided to give it a try. While I don’t recall every detail sonically between the TPC and the UPOCC, there was yet another big step forward in quality. More open, more detail, bigger soundstage - I could easily hear the difference between the upgrades in grades of copper. At the same time, I was also in touch with ZenWave to try Dave’s newest D4 cable, which is pure UPOCC silver. Yes, a bit more expensive than Iconoclast, but again in my system and to my ears, a step even beyond the Iconoclast UPOCC. These cables are transparent, musical, and the imaging is magnificent. Ultimately, because of the deal I got on the Iconoclast UPOCC, I decided to use that cable between my pre and amplifier and use the ZenWave ICs from source to preamp. |
Good to hear the AZ Matrix RCAs are working well in your setup @zlone The Matrix or Silver interconnects are now on my list to try. @cbrez Thank you for sharing your experience! It is even more valuable given that we have the same preamp and speakers. I was not too familiar with Zenwave, but I am tempted to try them next. I looked at the price of the D4 and it was about the same as Iconoclast, so not unreasonable. I am hoping they have a trial period as well and that would clinch it for me. Of course now I also need to decide whether I want to do the Level 3 upgrade on the LTA first. Decisions. |
FWIW, I also tried the AZ Silver Reference XLR, by they were pretty lean sounding my system. Now up for sale on a site near you.
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