initforthemusic: Thanks for the update. I ordered another MA3 IC to connect my tape outputs to my parametric EQ (from there the signal goes to my CD recorder).
So far, I have mixed feelings about the MA3 with Eichmann plugs I installed between my DAC and my pre. In some respects, it blows away the Monster Reference it replaced. As noted above, it eliminated the drifting sibilants that, apparently, the Monster was misdirecting. (Interestingly, a friend says he has a trick that fixes this issue in cables, and has offered to apply this fix to my Monster cable... I will let you know if this works). It is a clean sounding cable, with a wide soundstage, excellent detail and very good decay.
On the other hand, the bass is, well, funny. It is clearly extended very deep. But, and this may indicate more break-in is needed, the bass quantity seems reduced, almost as if it were a bit out of phase. Some recordings have strong deep bass, but others, the bass is MIA. This may be the recording, and I am spending time with more and more recordings to try and get a handle on this. It could be that the MA3 exposes out-of-phase recordings better than the Monster. Maybe the MA3 is "correct" and the Monster was "incorrect", but I was used to it.
Then there are the highs. No question that the MA3 is more open, more detailed and more airy than the Monster, but I feel like I might have lost a bit of the warmth and lushness I had enjoyed with the Monster cable (that's a strange sentence).
I am willing to keep putting more hours on the MA3 (I would guess I am at about 300-325, including the 10-day break-in I ordered), but I am still uncertain as to whether these are the right cables for me. Overall, they clearly best the Monsters, but I may need a warmer cable. I know, I should not use wire as a tone control, but I want to simply enjoy listening... principles be darned. I am looking at other cables, including the Hyper-Litz Cardas cables sold by KAB-USA. I wonder if the Cullen ICs are worth a try?