2 Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II IC's too much?

I currently have one pair of Silver Reference II and two pairs of XLO Signature 2 all balanced cables. The XLO is a more dynamic cable and has more energy in the higher registers(some can associate that as brightness) than the Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II, and I am using both XLO cables throughout my main system. The "softer" sounding XLO now connects the subwoofer to the preamp.

The point to be conveyed here is I find the Silver Reference II to be a softer sounding cable in comparison to the XLO. Sonus Faber Grand Piano speakers especially the Concerto version are warm and slightly rolled-off in the treble and I'm little surprised you are getting a silvery(bright) cymbal sound as opposed to a bronze(warm) sound. If that's the case I suppose Audphile's advice may be a safer bet.

I'd try the AZ SRII first to see if it's too bright. One downside of the Matrix Ref. IIs is they can slow things down a bit relatively speaking, which may or may not bother you but something to take into account besides tonal differences.

here's a novel idea
swap out one of your silvers to a single channel both the source and pre to power and hear the additive affects (don't know if you have a balance knob on your preamp, or you can just hook up the one channel)

I've used Matrix reference and paired it with StraightWire Crescendo which is a very revealing and tonally balanced interconnect (which worked great between pre and power amp)

If it's within your budget buy both a Silver Ref and a Matrix and keep the one you like. Ultimately you'll have to try both in your system to know which works best. If you buy used here on A'gon, you won't loose anything if you need to resell. Both the Silver Ref and the Matrix hold their used value very well. Good luck.

that coloration is exactly what I was talking about when I said the sound was artificial. I'd stay away from an all Silver Ref II config. Mix and match and you will prob get better results.

Oops. Sorry folks, of course I meant Sonus Faber Grand Piano!:)))

My speakers are Sonus Faber Golden Reference. It's not that I'm afraid of brightness (with McIntosh 301-6900 with on Silver Reference IC between the source and the integrated it was not an issue) - but cymbals have a certain "silvery" coloration and I would prefer a more natural "bronze" sound.

No. The Silver Ref II are world class ICs.
They will reveal your weak link.

Anton, what speakers do you have?

I've used the matrix and the silver ref II, and the Silver Ref II is a significantly better cable, imho. I've never had a brightness issue and would not be concerned about using more than one.

It will be too much based on my experience.

I had MatrixII/SilverII, MatrixII/Matrix II, SilverII/Silver II and prefered MatrixII/SilverII combo.

brightness was not even an issue when using 2 pairs of Silver II. well, it was but not the main issue.

sound was very artificial and that was the major turn off for me. everyone's taste is different and it depends on the speakers, but if now you say that you would may be prefer a slightly softer sound, do not get 2 pairs of Silver Ref II.

I think Matrix II are great value for the money. You can combine them with your Silver II but I would say it would be a safe bet to have 2 Matrix IIs and omit the Silver II altogether.

What speakers are you using? Especially if the speakers have metal dome tweeters, forget 2 pairs of Silver II.

Antonkk, at one time in my system I had all Acoustic Zen wires, 4 pairs of Silver Reference 11's, and they did not add any "brightness" at all. Just great details/speed, liquidity, natural timbres and a large and layered soundstage. The Matrix is a great cable for the money, however with your gear I believe to use a cable that adds a touch of warmth, but is not as transparent/detailed is not necessary.