Yes, it's a balancing act. I currently have Golden Cross, Golden Reference and Clear Reflection speaker cable in house. There are things to like about all of them, and I wish I could combine the strengths of them all.
To me, Cross and Golden Cross have never seemed overtly warm and rich, and sound more broadly neutral than Golden Reference. They soundstage bigger, but lack the weight and authority of Golden Reference.
@mikey8811, I know what you mean that the high frequencies of Golden Reference can seem hard, and I haven't embraced the interconnect or power cable, which are more obviously voiced. I have used the speaker cable long term in combination with Golden Presence interconnects and Cross or Golden Cross power.
We all have a Platonic ideal in our heads of how a stereo should sound, which may or may not be the absolute sound or high fidelity, but some iteration that gives us pleasure.
To me, Cross and Golden Cross have never seemed overtly warm and rich, and sound more broadly neutral than Golden Reference. They soundstage bigger, but lack the weight and authority of Golden Reference.
@mikey8811, I know what you mean that the high frequencies of Golden Reference can seem hard, and I haven't embraced the interconnect or power cable, which are more obviously voiced. I have used the speaker cable long term in combination with Golden Presence interconnects and Cross or Golden Cross power.
We all have a Platonic ideal in our heads of how a stereo should sound, which may or may not be the absolute sound or high fidelity, but some iteration that gives us pleasure.