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.
FYI, Iconoclast cables were designed by Galen Gareis when he worked at Belden Cable. Belden manufactures the Iconoclast cables and sells bulk cable to Blue Jeans Cable. Blue Jeans installs the interconnect connectors and speaker cable terminations. https://iconoclastcable.com/blog/time/ . Do audio cables matter? | Galen Gareis formerly of Belden Wire. |
The Audience FrontRow RCAs arrived and have settled in a bit now. I would say that almost everything I had read about them is what I am also hearing. The most appealing aspect of the cables is more spatial presence and a little bit wider soundtstage. They are ever so slightly softer in the highs, but this also makes them smoother and musically engaging in my system. The speakers disappear a little more with the FrontRows. I could see how the Iconoclast cables could be preferred in a different system. They have spatially sharper and more defined edges, but the overall image is somewhat smaller and more condensed. As was said at the audiobacon website, the Iconoclast are also a little more vivid, slightly more detailed and leaner overall. Pretty close, but in my system, I will give the nod to the Audience and keep them. I am going to get the LTA Micorzotl Level 3 preamp upgrade next. I will probably keep the Iconoclast until then and I can reevaluate if one sounds better with the upgrade. Thanks to all who commented in this thread. I really do wonder what the Zenwaves would sound like. I have AQ Fire silver interconnects and a Mundorf silver/gold DC cable I really like, so the idea of the silver/gold wire in the D4s intrigues me. Someday, I will have to try them.
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