Audioquest vs. Others


   I realize that this post will probably open a landslide of responses but my question is focused on the comparison of Audioquest vs other manufacturers. This is not aimed to address power cables or speaker wire but only interconnect cables. Like Audioquest, many brands offer cables in a range of prices....low, medium, high, and super high. My interest is not to compare a lower price/quality cable to one that is far superior but to ask if comparisons have been done within equal price ranges of different brands.

   Yes, some systems are capable of distinguishing minute changes in a cable makeup. Some manufacturers even offer a free trial and return policy. I know that. But, in a moderately priced system, are there any opinions that would deter one from using the Audioquest brand vs another brand? Remember....staying in a comparable price range.

jrpnde

Showing 3 responses by eziggy

@dustsailor, the plugs are pure copper coated with silver.  From my experience it does not color the sound either direction.  Neither the Earth or Oak have any hint of brightness.  I would be surprised if you would hear brightness even with their higher end pure silver cables (Fire upwards).  I have Fire and WELs, and the Fires can actually be a tad warm, whereas the WELs are transparent, generally true to the components.
AQ makes great interconnects, only complaint I have is how high the cost is going for their higher cables (unless getting used).

The higher up you go the more transparent the cable gets.  As ricred1 mentioned this is all system dependent.  Transparency does not necessarily mean a good thing.  Other than their Niagara/Wind cables, AQ silver is fairly balanced, not bright.  I would actually categorize the Fire interconnects as being on the warmer side.

All AQ cables have a similar sound characteristic, going from copper to silver adds to the resolution in the mid-to-upper end.  I recently did a test between AQ Earth, older Niagra, Fire, and WEL.  They all have similar sound signature, but emphasize different aspects of frequency range.  With the WEL the balance of resolution, depth, and bass is amazing.  This means it does not hide anything, so if your system is balanced then it may sound amazing (though it is still room and preference dependent).  Not a good choice if you tend to balance the sound in your system via cables vs. changing components.

I would definitely try to demo some AQ interconnects.  Depending on budget I would try out Earth or Fire.
AudioQuest makes decent cables, they started losing my interest when it became price prohibitive and also technically impossible to get their best cables.  Technically impossible due to the fact that if don't have bi-wire capable speakers then you won't get the best sound out their high end cables.

Switched to Ansuz and couldn't be happier.