2. cables
  3. 175126-169466

Which complete set of cables to try out?

Hi,

I have been in this hobby for now 10 years and never really took my time optimizing the cabling on my setup. Partially by willful ignorance, since I knew I didn't want to go that rabbit hole and spend much money on it :)

The last year, my dealer who always looked out for me had gifted me a pair of power cables from Audioquest, the NRG Z-3s, which I forgot to test. I had completely forgotten about these and just a few weeks ago I remembered about those cables. Tried those and it just blew my mind. Even certain amp changes in the past didn't have that much impact as a simple addition of 2 power cables...

So I went to try out some cables in the Audioquest universe. Tried out the Audioquest Rocket 88s and Yukon interconnects (XLR & RCA), tried out the Furutech line in the same price range. It was only a very marginal improvement over my current cables (Van Damme Hifi Grade Speaker Cables and Van Damme Silver Series interconnects).

My idea now is to try out a complete set of higher tier of cables in quality now, instead of making a small incremental change. I asked for a loan a complete set of Nordost Red Dawn series of cables, but my dealer who has known me for years told me straight away that I wouldn't like it, that it would sound too thin and forward for my taste.

So I was looking for some ideas on complete set of cables that would bring me the "organic" qualities I'm looking for, depth in the sound stage and most of all a set that has a quiet background. From the reviews I could find I found the following options:

- Shunyata Research Venom line

- Audience Studio 2 line

- Cardas Clear Cygnus Range

I would love to hear your experience with these options. If you have another suggestion within the same price range, I would be happy to hear from you. Please note that since I'm in France, it's difficult to find many brands available in the US and not many dealers have cables in this price range of $5-6000 US for a complete set (not real entry level but not really high end either).

Thanks

habermas
ghdprentice
6,465 posts
 

The High level Nordost are crazy good… the low to intermediate not so much. So I agree with your dealer.

 

I would rent some from cable library. The Cable Store. 
 

Cardas should be on your list… tends to be a touch warm which is good in most systems.

 

What is your system and any comments on the sound? Perfect… little warmer would be good,  or more detail?

soix
8,808 posts
 

Acoustic Zen is definitely worth a look.  Very natural and organic sounding yet still nicely detailed. 

habermas OP
51 posts
 

Thanks for sharing. My current system is built around a pair of KEF Reference 3, which is in my profile. The sound is on the slightly warmer side of neutral. I would say I am looking for cables that aren't going to change anything in the tonal balance (i.e. no addition of treble, midrange or bass), with which I'm happy. I'm happy as well with the level of details, what I'm looking for is a bit of tuning and enhancement on the existing basis.

But if I could have more of that "blackness" in the soundstage, better separation of instruments and even more vividness/contrast in the timbral colors, I would be one happy man. Following some changes in power cables I already experienced some improvements in this aspect, I hope to find another improvement in this regard, that my Audioquest and Furutech experiences didn't really bring.

 

As for the cable library, I would love to, but since I'm located in France, I can't participate unfortunately...

ghdprentice
6,465 posts
 

Sorry missed your system… no photos. Photos are very helpful I have mine on line.

Nice system. Very good description of the sound.

The name that comes to mind are Transparent… because they will not tilt the balance. Cardas will… Clear Beyond not much… but still. I suspect they will help with the noise floor.

It is interesting what you say about the noise floor. Is it the same for digital as well as analog?

Is there a power conditioner in that list? If not… that would be my first move. Wood floors? What is behind your speakers? Something absorbent (yes would be good)?

 

Larger high end sellers are Wireworld, Transparent, and AudioQuest. (I have tried Audio Quest… I don’t get it… but they are one of top 3). Also for very cost effective DH Labs I have used a lot.

geof3
1,125 posts
 

I’ve bounced back and forth between Shunyata and Transparent. I could go either way really. They both have a few pluses and minuses, but both very livable. To get into the sweet spot with Transparent you need to go Plus at least or better yet Ultra. In the Shunyata line the Venom’s are quite good, but each step up is worth it IMO. Go with overall budget. I’ve tried both Cardas and Nordost, and neither rang my bells. Keep in mind, a full loom of “brand X” doesn’t necessarily mean great sound. Sometimes one level of cable matched with another works well too. For instance I was running Reference Transparent cables with Ultra interconnects. I tried Reference IC’s but actually preferred the Ultras. All Ref was just too forward for me. Experimentation is key, and the fun part.

More to discover