I had the Monster 2.4, very similar, and before settling on the AQ Oaks, tried the AQ Gibralter. The Gibralter had much fuller, lower, focused bass, lower noise, greater transparentcy, richer mids, more extended highs, etc. Used can be had at your price point. Sounds like a schill right, nope, and I don't have any for sale either.
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Anything that is pure copper for starters. You don't want silver in the mix as it can exacerbate the symptoms you describe. If possible get Cardas. You will only find their lower end stuff even used in your price range but familiarize yourself with the line and jump on a good deal. There are other good all copper cables but my experience is limited to just a few. In the low end giant killer category though I can recommend Pheonix Gold. In the high end stretch your budget besides Cardas, I like the Jena cables even the entry level Jena cable is really good. If you get the Pheonix Golds, You will have money left over to upgrade your CD player. I owned that Jolida once and if you haven't rolled the output tubes in it, do so first thing. Get old stock Mullards, they really made a huge difference in the sound. I am really being quite serious it will change your sound dramatically. Used ones are fine in that function BTW. |
The metal dome tweeter in these have a resonance shown here right above 20 kHz. A lot of people are sensitive to this. This may be a large contributing factor. |
I agree with Tmsorosk, I don't think this is a cable problem. PSB Stratus Gold's are excellent speakers with great low-end extension. From your description of the sound, it seems as if your amp doesn't have a firm enough grip on the speakers. I would work there, and then mess with cables only when you're close to the sound you're looking for. Michael |
I know it sounds crazy but this wire is used for the White Lightning speaker wire and (presuming it is still the same as it was 3 years ago) better than most of what you will find in your price range. It has a full big sound with smooth highs and excellent tone. What have you got to lose? I just used it bare wire so about $10 if you do the same. I replaced Audio Note Lexus with mine it is that good. http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/387249-patio_extension_cord.html |
sorry Vikingnick I was a bit vague. A few years back these DIY cables made a splash. Popularized by 6Moons, here is the link: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/whitelightning/moonshine.html I have had several really good cables in my system and these were as good as any plus they have the type sound I thought you might like. good luck |
If you haven't already, before purchasing a new set of biwire cables you might want to see if the weak bass you are experiencing is improved by connecting without biwiring, and using jumpers between the two sets of speaker terminals. There have been two prior threads in which three different people reported that a significant reduction in bass resulted from biwiring, which in one case was actually measured. Near the end of the threads I offered a possible although speculative explanation: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1247016622 http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1247245568 Obviously many people biwire very successfully, but perhaps you are experiencing something similar to what was reported in those threads. Regards, -- Al |
Vikingnick, you could just buy the wire and cut it to length and strip 1/2 inch off the end and use it bare I am just trying to save you some money and let you try a wire you might really enjoy I used to ignore DIY wire posts, I just never believed that they could better expensive wire but I was wrongas I found with the WL good luck to you |
Beyond the connection-related possibilities I suggested in my two previous posts, which are easily checked, I agree with those who have suggested that the problems are not being caused by your cabling. I note in Stereophile's measurements that your speakers present a very demanding load in the bass region, due to a combination of low impedance, highly capacitive phase angles, and low sensitivity. Not sure which version of the 236 amplifier you have, but in the case of the SV-236MK, at least, its measurements suggest that the ability to deal with difficult loads is not its forte. Note that while it can deliver 150W into 8 ohms with both channels driven, it can only deliver 362W into 2 ohms with only one channel driven (the ideal being four times the 8 ohm rating, or 600W into each of the two channels). I see in your other thread, also, that your room is "small." Room effects could certainly also be a factor. I think that Michael (Sufentanil) put it well: "Mess with cables only when you're close to the sound you're looking for." Regards, -- Al |
If I understand the issue correctly, I also suspect the speaker wire is most likely not responsible. Speaker wires may sound different, better or worse but not sure I have ever heard them result in "harshness". Not likely I would speculate, but hey, anything is possible. Hard to say without hearing/seeing. Try tweaking the easy things first like speaker orientation/toe-in/toe-out relative to listening location, matching polarity of speaker wires from amp to speakers, etc. If all else is well, the IC from CD to amp might make a difference even, usually more so and more likely than speaker wires. Power conditioning is another possibility but I would recommend getting the rest working well first as best as possible before tweaking there. Often addressing these things is just a matter of better setup and integration end to end including with the room. The solution need not cost more, but more likely just requires things be done differently. |
"maybe harshness is the wrong word. just doesnt have that fullness i want. has any body heard the audioqust rocket 44 wire. what do you think?" Well, as they used to say, that's very different! I use Audioquest cv6 wires. These might provide what you are looking for at reasonable cost if you can find them used. |
