Straight Wire "Maestro"

They used to be the top of the line for Straight Wire. In the early 90s they were general considered to be a reference quality cable. They are somewhat system sensitive; they can be overly bright if mismatched.

The cables are only as good as you think they are. It depends on your system. I have always found StraightWire to be in that "more forward" group of cables, along with Kimber. Fine for me, but not for someone who leans toward solid state electronics and metal dome tweeters. In the last couple of years, StraightWire has lost much of their magic. I guess only because they have not been as aggressive as many of the newer companies. But, that has no bearing on how their products sound. I remember friends raving about Maestro in their systems. Plug it in and try it, if it sounds good to you, keep it. If not, try some other cables as comparison.

Previous responders sounded good to me, but the Maestro cables in my system definitely did not! Quad ESL 63's and, at that time, a Classe DR3 VHC power amp. Not known for overemphasizing highs, but the Maestro's turned jazz symbols into annoying fizz. In other systems, maybe they're okay. But my guess is that they're no longer a serious contender in any system, that at a minimum their day is past.

I have a 15ft pair of Maestro-I speaker cables between a Mark Levinson 335 and NHT 2.9 speakers, and they sound fantastic. I tried Maestro-II balanced interconnects between my Sony SCD-1, Mark Levinson 380 Pre and Mark Levinson 335 and did not care for them, in stead got Madrigal Gel CZ-2 balanced which sound very nice to me. My suggestion would be to try the cable and see what sounds best in your setup...

I have used the Maestro between a Bryston 4BST, and Nestorovic 5ASMKIV speakers and found them to work well. The bass was a little softer, but the midrange was right on. The highs were lightly rolled, but not too much so. i have also heard them betwen Wilson 3/2 with ARC D300 amplification, and they worked well again. Speaker cable is always a a risky endeavor. Don't buy until you've tried. Jeff

I've tried the Maestro interconnects a few years ago and liked them quite a bit. They were in those days better than most of the cables on the market...But, nowadays there are so many cables in that price range that are just as good sounding if not better. I just plugged in the new Straight Wire Serenade interconnect into my system and found them to be very musical and accurate. They cost twice as much as the Maestro, and twice as better sounding. Good luck.. Just remember, there is not one good or bad cable for every system!!! You've got to keep trying to see if you like it. Good luck!

Curious if your cables are the Maestro II? Do they have screw tight RCA connectors?
I have a want to buy ad out on several sites so do let me know if you wish to sell yours.

What is the difference between the original Maestro cables and the Maestro IIs?

I believe it is a different dielectric. I have a pair that I used for years, they were best in a cable co. Shootout with several sub 1k speaker cables.