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Audioquest vs. Others

   I realize that this post will probably open a landslide of responses but my question is focused on the comparison of Audioquest vs other manufacturers. This is not aimed to address power cables or speaker wire but only interconnect cables. Like Audioquest, many brands offer cables in a range of prices....low, medium, high, and super high. My interest is not to compare a lower price/quality cable to one that is far superior but to ask if comparisons have been done within equal price ranges of different brands.

   Yes, some systems are capable of distinguishing minute changes in a cable makeup. Some manufacturers even offer a free trial and return policy. I know that. But, in a moderately priced system, are there any opinions that would deter one from using the Audioquest brand vs another brand? Remember....staying in a comparable price range.

jrpnde
mkash3
57 posts
 
IMO, AQ is an egregious fraud, selling ridiculously overpriced tone controls rather than neutral cables.

@ieales Since the cables are not neutral, what exact sound coloring is to be expected of Audioquest cables?
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
Depends on the cable and the gear to which they are connected. I've heard different AQ cables with the same gear sound dull, muddied, bright to rip your ears off.
cleeds
6,580 posts
 
ieales...
AQ is an egregious fraud.
Wow, you think Audioquest is not just a fraud, but an egregious fraud? Perhaps you should alert the authorities if you truly believe that.
auxinput
2,924 posts
 
Depends on the cable and the gear to which they are connected. I've heard different AQ cables with the same gear sound dull, muddied, bright to rip your ears off.
That's generally the difference between the lower end, which uses long-grain copper and gold-plated connectors.  The higher end uses much better PFC and PFC+ (similar to OCC copper) and typically uses silver-plated connectors.
audiobill1
53 posts
 
I would say that AQ is in the top five. If you did a blind test among those five, you might discover a new brand. It's certainly worth a try. There's a whole lot of hype in the audio world.
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