Cable upgrades
Happy Holidays to all!
I’m reconfiguring my system and am interested in upgrading my interconnects and possibly my speaker cables, and I was wondering if you could make some recommendations.
I was running Audio Sensibility Impact SE XLR between my Benchmark DAC3 HGC (as a DAC/pre) and my Benchmark AHB2 power amp. The amp is running bi-wired Kimber Cable 8TC (I think that’s the model #) to a pair of ATC SCM40 tower speakers. In this setup the bass is tight and the mids are clean - overall I’m quite happy - but sometimes I feel, for my ears, I’d love a bit more openness / brightness in the higher end.
My questions are: would improved XLR interconnects help to open up the top end a bit, without being harsh, and perhaps increase the dimensionality of the soundstage? Or would I be better off starting with upgrading the speaker cables? I’ve been looking at the Cardas Parsec level of cable, and could perhaps stretch to the Clear line, pending your recommendations.
Also, one other question: pending the possible move to 2 AHB2s (in mono-block configuration), do both XLR interconnects have to be the same length? If not, would it cause any timing issues between, say, a 2' XLR and a 6'?
I’d appreciate any guidance. Many thanks in advance.
Best, JAMES
@mclinnguy Yeah! That's the crazy thing. Even with the OEM PCs on the streamer and DAC, the improvement is massive, right outta the box. I do have an AQ NRG-4 PC supplying the AHB2 amplifier, from a dedicated 10AWG 20-amp line. Now I have to figure out what to replace the OEM PCs with. Not sure I can afford more Beyond Power cables, but perhaps a more modest improvement will still work well? Super fun! JAMES. |
I hear ya, it takes time, for me many years to finally get every piece upgraded, and when it is done start all over upgrading again. Part of the fun though. There are many in here who have responded already who have plenty more experience cable swapping and upgrading than me, so they will chime in regarding whether it is better to stick to one brand, or mix them up for different flavours. But you have 2 of the most important components covered. It is nice to just skip the lower end power cables and jump right up to the thousand dollar ones (+), as that makes a more memorable impact (as you just witnessed) but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to find some used Audio Sensibility statement’s for example on CanuckAudio at a good price in the mean time as you will most likely be able to sell them for what you paid for them, as they hold their value well and are popular in Canada, and it helps train your ears and keep you satisfied for short time periods. Decisions decisions. In the mean time enjoy re-discovering all those tunes you thought you knew well. 😎 |
Thanks @mclinnguy Your comments are bang on the money! |
A good first sign.👍 |
