@mceljo thanks for the info--i've been using AQ's Red River IC's for Pre to DAC--which appear to be almost the same cost as Sydney -- i'll go to AQ's site to see what the differences are. My amp came with a 10 awg PC so i haven't changed that out but it's not a huge cost to try yours so i may. I've been thinking about trying Pangea's as well.
You know you have audiophile system when...
The definition of an audiophile systems is truly unknown, but recently after dabbling with tube rolling, power cables, and interconnects my system achieved a level where its clarity was no longer what grabbed my attention. Instead, I was distinctly hearing the bloom and decay of every note in the music. It’s just a different level that I believe has me listening to music differently. It translates into greater dynamics and voices and instruments having more distinct vibrato characteristics.
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You know you have an audiophile system when you have done one of the followings to achieve it:
All jokes aside, I admire all those who truely enjoy their systems without thinking about what’s the next upgrade. Until then, many of us will be on an endless journey in search of audio nirvana. It’s all good. What a great hobby 😄 |
@wyoboy - I have an Audioquest AC-14XL for my DAC and I have not noticed any obvious differences/improvements. Before I upgraded from Chicago to Sydney interconnects I emailed Audioquest to answer some questions that had after reviewing their line-up. The Bridges and Falls series are a single cable and the Rivers and Elements series are two individual cables (required for some setups) so the relative price point isn't an obvious indicator of quality across the series. Their assessment was that Sydney would be a slightly better than Red River. Red River is superior to Golden Gate. They recommended Golden Gate ($80 for 1 meter) as being superior to Chicago ($100 per 1 meter). My assessment is that I should have purchased Golden Gate over Chicago originally as a better value and think that Sydney is one of the better values when comparing price point to included design features. I don't think that I'd upgrade from Red River to Sydney as I wouldn't expect a significant difference. Part of the reason that I chose Sydney is that it was about the most I'd be willing to pay. The Mackenzie is the next one up in price point and I believe that the triple-balanced design is optimized for balanced audio and they have just put RCA connectors on it because they can. They did confirm that all other things being equal, the double-balanced design is superior for RCA use and that their lines will be splitting as they have done with the Yukon. |
@tuberist --that's my standard as well and i feel like i'm there w/ my system--most of the time--ya never know exactly on amplified instruments b/c live you're hearing them through PA speakers so i use acoustic records to judge. @mceljo thanks for that info--i was too lazy to ask AQ but it's interesting that they say triple is best for balanced (which is not what i do) and double is better for RCA; however, i agree with you that it's unlikely i'll hear any difference if i went to Sydney from Red River. |
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