Test CD

Akg ca. After reading about this CD I will likely purchase it. Has a great frequency range without having to spend a lot of money for the CD. Will definitely tell me how low my current speakers can go and should work well to break in a new pair if I buy another pair of speakers.

"12-21-14: Will62
Zd542. Regarding the break in of speakers. Seems to me that a speaker will break in better if music containing a wide variety of frequencies is used. Thus not all music is suited for breaking in a speaker properly."

A speaker is either broken in, or its not. Using a special CD may help speakers break in faster, but that's all. The end result is the same. With regards to the IC's, going from whatever they give you in the box to the level of improvement that you got with the AQ and Art, is not going to happen again. The improvements, if any, will be much smaller if you upgrade from your current cables. The only exception will be is if you bought a whole new system with much more costly and revealing components. Then there may be room for a big change in SQ from cables in a situation like that.

"I suppose if I had spent a grand or more on speakers I may not have needed to upgrade the IC's. But for the $100 I spent on the IC 3 pair and then $180 for the speakers (originally sold for nearly $500) I would have to say I have speakers that sound like they cost far more than I paid. :-)"

I understand, but you can't always expect the same results every time. Do the same thing again with different components, and you may have a completely different outcome. I won't tell you what to do, but for me personally, I don't want to put together a system where I expect, or even need, the cables to make a really big difference. If that's the case, I messed up on my component selection. I'd fix that first and get my system sounding good, and only then would I buy cables.

Zd542. It makes far more sense to buy or use a pair of speakers that has most of the audio traits that I want and then try to shore up the shortcomings with a superior IC and power cables vs. buying and trying lots of speakers with the hope that one pair may have everything that I need. Not gonna happen. Not only because of the cost involved by also the time issue. Buying and returning speakers over and over again is a great way to piss off a retailer.

One thing I've learned over the years, no matter how much you spend, you will find every speaker regardless of the price point at least in the lower end of the high end will have at least one or more deficiency. DALI Zensor 1's for example have apparently a bit of a bright high end which otherwise would mar what I would consider a great speaker for the price. Others may be too forward sounding and bright such as Klipsch and some other brands that I've listened to.

When I purchased my Mirage OM 10's I had to decide between having more detail in my music or a more spacious soundstage. Decided on the soundstage. Then I purchased the Conway 3's which sound quite different and provided more detail. But at the expense of the soundstage.

I can't afford to spend a grand or two grand on speakers this time around. Have to live within my means. Therefore, if I have to spend a couple hundred on cables to help improve the shortcomings in my current pair of speakers or potentially a new pair, then I will have to do that. Far less money will be spent by doing this than having to shell out a lot of money on something I can't afford right now.

I was just suggesting that you listen to speakers before you buy them. I never said that you should go out and buy and return a bunch of speakers. As far as using cables to fix the speakers you buy, all I can say to that one is, you'll see. Its like your stock broker tells you. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

How they sound in a showroom will not be representative of how they sound at home. I bought the Klipsch Heresey's back in the 1980' after listening to them in the store. Got them home and they definitely didn't sound right at all. Too bright and lacking bass and I don't even desire a lot of bass. Messed around with placement but to no avail.