Mapleshade Double Helix spker cable: Rating??

Just my 2 cents. I'm a long time user of a pair of Golden Helix speaker cables. I've never found them to be restricted at the high end. In my system they are actually amazingly transparent and extended. The bass is also awesome in its quickness, definition and depth.

They are a bit forward sounding, with things like drum kits and electric guitars jumping out of the speakers unlike any of the many cables I've tried and own. In spectacular fashion actually. I play a few music cuts at times just to experience being enveloped by it (with the wife out of the house of course).

TO ZD542, Thanks for the comments. I have not purchased either the Rogue "Sphinx" or the CM. Only because of the trade in deal fell through as a result of adding shipping costs $200-$250 for shipping my gear to him and him shipping the Rogue. Rogue would not pay for shipping to Hawaii

However, there is a dealer in Corim (?) New York who is offering 20% off on all Rogue products to celebrate TAS naming the Sphinx integrated as one of their products of the year.

THE DEAL IS ONLY GOOD UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY I will try to get the name of the audio shop offering the deal

BTW, Mapleshade claims on their web that the Clear View cables can not be used with burn in CD devices without deteriorating the sound quality of the cables

I hear good things overall about the Mapleshade cables when it comes to SQ. That said, I've read a few posts where people have had some build quality issues. For me, that would be an issue.

Did you end up going with the Rogue? It looked like an excellent choice.

Thanks to all who have responded so far, especially NoNoise. I may have ran this question up the flagpole a couple of months ago.

However, I need to avoid lean sounding cables or cables with restricted highs.... (NoNoise, your comment that...." they (Double Helix) are absolutely lovely from the upper mids to the upper bass....etc". (You must own a pair of high quality monitors like KEF LS-50, or PBS Imagine T-2) However, the Adagios are more of a full range speakers with bass at 35HZ, with highs that only go to 25KHZ. They still sound very good and accurate, but I would not want to limit their frequency range. I just want to tighten up the bass, and smooth out the highs a bit

Nevertheless, I might take a shot at just the Double Helix without the "Plus" treament and see what happens.

P.S. I have never used Kimber Kable speaker wire, though I have read that their 12TC is excellent. Unfortunately, a 12 ft single wire pair is too much money.

A big joke HO HO HO!!

I've had the Mapleshade Clearview and now the Double Helix and love just about everything they do. They've bettered Music Metre, Clear Day (single run), Zu Mission and Supra 2.5. The only caveat I have with them is what I perceive to be a slight dimming of the higher (highest?) notes. The extension is there but the shimmer and sparkle are not to my liking. I hear every note and the lengthy decay but the high end seems a bit reticent compared to the rest of the spectrum.

They are absolutely lovely from the upper mids to the upper bass: just about perfect for my tastes. Incredibly involving and nuanced. The lowest of bass I can't really comment on since my speakers don't go that low.

For the money, you can't go wrong. I've wasted too much on comparably priced wire only to come back to the Mapleshades. I have to say, upfront, that I'm waiting delivery on some Tempo Electric Silver speaker cables that may supplant the Mapleshades but they do cost a bit more (relatively speaking) and from what I've heard and read, may be my last indulgence with speaker cables.

I wish I had the other cabling you mention for comparisons sake but I don't so I trust what I've said helps some. As always, what sounds good in one's system won't sound as good in another's. Good luck in your attempts.

All the best,
Nonoise

IMHO sound lean on everything .

I've owned the Mapleshade Double Helix plus version only. I have owned cables from Nordost and Analysis Plus, but not the models that you mention. I have no experience with the Silnote cables. IMHO the Mapleshade sound more similar to the Nordost line, which is not surprising considering that they both use silver clad copper conductors. They are both very fast, transparent and articulate, but can sound a tad on the lean side with some gear. Value wise, the Mapleshade cables represent a good bang for the buck cable. You'll get more brand recognition and easier re-sale with the Nordost, but you'll have to pay more for that privilege.

I can not see any problem running them with 6 ohm speakers or with tube integrated amps.

Great cables and the plus is worth it. Work fine with 6 ohm speaker, tubes or solid state. They weigh almost nothing so even overseas shipping is pretty cheap.