Which cables to get?


I just got a used sansui t-60 tuner which has a very bass rich sound. Voices are very "chesty". The soundstage is surprisingly good with FM stereo broadcasts but I listen to a lot of sports radio and the voices are kind of distracting. Right now Im using the cheapest monster ics there are from the tuner to the integrated. Im also getting a dvp ns500v in the future, which some have said has a bright sound. My system right now is pretty balanced with a slight lean towards the bright side cuz of the speakers. Im trying to decide between Synergistic Research and Kimber. Help me out Id like to balance the sound as much as possible, That is Id like to get more detail, less bass out of the tuner and more warmth and detail from the cd player to the amp. Thanks
bundee1
you didn't mention which ic's from sr and kimber you were thinking of. I only have experience from the higher end sr cables from years ago, and they excelled in inner detail and staging qualities, they conveyed all of the 'warm' very well, but were also what I would call neutral. they definitly did not add glare or hash. While it is true that cables from certain manufacteres often share a family resemblance, sr used to offer a free service were you tell them your system and they would recommend which of their line they would recommend.
The kimber lines I have found all have a tendancy to convey the detail in the upper end the very well and would tend to sound bright if the source was. While they are difinetly capable of great bass and harmonics and detail throughout the range, the copper can sound hashy at the top as well as a little nasally in the mids (the price for extreme detail I would say) and the silver, while beiig very smooth, will lean toward the bright.
however, I would be cautious spending too much on ic's for the tuner. I listen to a lot of radio lately, and what you desrcibe as distracting voices sounds like am I presume? That is simply the broadcast and the more fidelity you get from am, the more distracting it will become perhaps. (sansui's have a rep for good am I understand). Sansui's also have a rep for being very open sounding with good staging qualities, but in addition what you descibe as far as bass and 'chesty' is also what a lot of radio stations sound like. The more fidelity you get from your tuner the more 'odd' the broadcast may sound to you, as many stations compress and alter the sound of the broadcast. I would advise to use the fidelity of your system (and cables) to judge the sound of the radio and steer away from using your tuner to judge the sound of your system. I would use whatever cables you have as 'leftoners' and/or buy whatever cables you think you will like for the rest of your system before you buy cables for your tuners particular qualities, as you will more likely find the sounds and qualities of different tuners will vary more than trying to alleviate with cables.
Thank you Basement, that was a very helpful response. My only other source is the CDP and I characterize my systems sound as balanced but some recordings sound terribly bright. I think its due to the JmLabs tweeter. I like the sound, the soundstage and detail are nice. Its just the tuner with monster jr ($10) ic's sounds chesty. Maybe its the rest of my system thats responsible for the nice soundstage and detail that im hearing from the tuner. Im thinking of Synergistic Research THC cable or kimnber pbj to bring out the details from the tuner. Any recommendations on cheap AQ interconnects. I also need helo choosing an ic for a Sony ns500v sacd player. Thaks again Basement.
used-For your Tuner buy a used Audiotruth or A/quest Diamond 2 0r 3 this will definately clean up the sound of your tuner section.
new - Ridge Street Audio RSA ref mk2. Incredible i/c!
Is it possible that cables will not address the issues with your tuner? It may be that it is malfunctioning?
Not it isnt malfunctioning. Ive listened to fm stereo broadcasts and they sound very good, with a nice soundstage and ok vocals. Its just mens voices sound like there is a bass boost in effect. I got the tuner for the occasional fm listening, but the majority of the time Ill be listening to sports radio.