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 Took your advice about power conditioning that you suggested as a first step and just got myself an Audioquest Niagara with Audioquest Blizzard & Monsoon PCs since I received an incredible offer from my dealer. You were totally right, straight out of the box, the sheer addition in energy, the silence between notes and the texture on plucked string instruments is surreal. And it is literally just out of the box, with only the Audioquest Monsoon cables I can't imagine how it could sound when the Blizzards that I ordered arrive... Quite an eye-opener.

 

In the meanwhile, I tried out on loan the Tellurium Q Ultra Black II speaker cables, the RCA ICs from the same range, with 2 Black II power cables each on the DAC & Integrated amp. I made my system sound a bit too forward for my taste, albeit with increased detail. Quite impressive sound, with very extended highs and bass, but it lacked the coherence that I can experience with my 300$ Van Damme cable loom + Audioquest PCs. As if I am listening to very impressive individual sounds and not a music.

Brought back the cables after the 2 day trial and in the meanwhile Ordered a full loom of Zavfino/1877 Phono cables (Prima Mk.2 Speaker, Fusion Mk.2 RCA &  Highlands Phono cables). Given the relatively attractive cost of entry, it will be interesting how it lives up to the hype on the forums. 

@jond I already had Audiotorium23 speaker cables approximately 5 years ago. I sold them not long after getting them, I had been told that it would be a perfect match with the Tannoy Kensington GR and Air Tight ATM-2 amp I was running back then. I don't know if it's due to system synergy but never really brought anything to my system back then. But to be frank, Tannoys are not the most revealing speakers out there :)

Well the delivery is planned for tomorrow. So between the new power conditioner and the loom of Zavfino cables, it will definitely be an interesting weekend for me. Even though I didn't like it, it's a shame I couldn't keep the Tellurium Q cables a bit longer as a comparison point for the Zavfinos. Because individually, certain aspects of the Tellurium Q cables were really excellent and could have been a good benchmark for what the Zavfinos can do.

@habermas I guess it just goes to show everything is synergy and I hope your new Zafino cables work out well for you!

I for one am looking forward to your take on the Zavfino loom.

+1. From everything I’ve read the Zavfino cables seem excellent, and when paired with the Niagara I’d be very surprised if you’re not happy. Congrats and look forward to your thoughts.