D.H.LABS CABLE

I have a DIY friend who bought some DH Labs cable and made up some se and balanced IC's and they are very good, particularly considering the price. Nearly competetive with some of the so called "best" and at a fraction of the cost. They benefit immensely from some time on a burn-in device such as the Mobie before they sound there best, as I think all silver based cables do.

New Soundstage! review on the Q-10 & Air Matrix available at:
http://soundstage.com/revequip/dhlabs_airmatrix_q10.htm

Johnny, the Q-10 is a terrific cable, especially considering the price. The characteristics of the sound can be bright at first, which some people complain of, but it goes through quite a change when well burned in...they'll suddenly open up big time and the sense of excesses brightness disappears, with great extension at both ends, and very linear, balanced sound. Highs should sound crystal clear and very airy. Bass should go very deep, yet sound very tuneful and tight; not sloppy. There are some cables with more midrange transparency and detail, but tend to cost about 3x more. These are quite smooth in the midrange though.

Capacitance and inductance is very low, making them an easy match with most systems. One of the biggest compatibility issues I've come across in regards to "brightness" issues has had to do with source equipment: mainly CD players and their DACs. Many of them are just simply very bright and harsh, and the DH Labs cables will reveal that. A high quality player, or the addition of a good DAC, even MSB's basic Link DAC III at $359 can make the digital front end far smoother, and then the cables match up very well in most systems.

I don't feel that finding cables less extended and more rolled off in the highs is really the answer if your source equipment is the where much of one's system harshness is originating from. You'ld be missing out on alot of beauty, air, and clarity that's available up there in the higher frequencies if you go with rolled off cables, even if they make harsher digital sources more tolerable.

Sorry Jeff.
I did purchase them from you. They sound fantastic and the build quality is top notch!!!

So folks, It's Jeff @ Value Audio.

I'm quite certain Smholl meant he purchased them from us at Value Audio. There is a Jeff's Sound Values which we are sometimes confused with, but I checked with them and they do not carry DH Labs. The custom assembly mentioned above describes us as well. You can see the add at Audiogon by clicking on our index, then onto DH Labs Q-10. Our index can be gotten to from the Audiogon home page through this procedure:
Home Page > Browse (top right link on Home Page
Scroll down on Browse page to Featured Dealers. We are at or near the bottom as Value Audio. Click there and it takes you to an index of our ads. Be sure to check our feedback as well.

Thank you,
Jeff Delman
Value Audio

I've had Q-10, Kimber 8TC, Kimber 4PR, Straightwire Encore II, Silverline Audio Conductor, and zip cord in my system. Speakers have been Totem Forests, Thiel 2.2s, and Silverline Sonatinas. None of these speakers could be called warm, and my listening room also tends towards brightness. I found the Q-10s to be wonderfully detailed and "airy", but slightly harsh with my equipment and room. Right now I'm using Kimber 8TC.

If you are looking for detail and a sense of airiness, the Q-10 will probably be quite suitable. On the other hand, if your system tends toward brightness you might look elsewhere. I do recommend DH Labs for (relatively) affordable, high-quality products.

I upgraded to Q-10 Bi-wire from Kimber 8VS. The Q-10 is definitley a step up. Tighter bass and a little more defined mid-range. Highs sound about the same. FYI, I have them connected to B&W CDM 7NT.
The cables were purchased from Jeff at Soundvalues, who does an excellent job of custom assembling them to your specific length and choice of connectors.