Interconnect recommendations


According to chatGPT, my 2 weakest links in my system, are my DAC & my interconnects. For a number of reasons, I am focusing on the interconnects first, starting with RCA from DAC to pre & balanced from pre to amp. My current interconnects are WBC Mogami 2549. Speaker cables are Transparent Plus. My USB is Cardas clear. I recently added the Stack Audio LAN silencer. I have a Furman P 2400 AR power conditioner & voltage regulator & Maze Audio Litz with billet plugs power cords. 
Budget is open, new or used. Focus is on clarity, transparency and micro details. I want to match or slightly exceed the quality of my existing system. 
My digital side of my system: Aurender N150 > Chord Qutest > PS Audio BHK pre > Moon 330A > KEF Reference 3’s.
If it helps, I am thinking used Dave or one the R2R (Holo KTE etc) as my DAC upgrade. Thanks!

signaforce

One more question for all, if i upgraded all my cables to just the Transparent Super (let alone the Ultra) that would be $10k.
I know I need a new DAC, but would I be better served upgrading my amp to something like a Coda #8 or Pass Labs & keeping my cables or upgrading to lesser cables like the Zavfino or Verita(s)? 

I am not so sure the "lesser" Zavfino or Veritas sound inferior to the Transparent Supers. Are you implying this because they are less money? Keep in mind you can double the price of the cables you buy direct as there is no dealer charging 50% markup. Most of the time one gets what they pay for, but not always.

I can’t speak to any comparisons to the above brands regarding speaker cables or interconnects, but my Zavfino Silver Dart power cords are not out of place alongside my Shunyata Alpha V2 or Audioquest Hurricane in my system, and I think it would compare quite favourably against any Transparent power cord under $3000. I did own Transparent Plus speaker cables a long time ago, and Transparent of course have updated their line many times since then, but for what its worth the Silversmith Fidelium’s I have now which replaced the speaker cables that replaced the Transparent Plus’s are much more "transparent", natural, and less hifi sounding.

But after the DAC upgrade, all the above cable companies will allow you to trial their offerings- Transparent through the dealer of course- so try them all and decide which suits your tastes best at no risk other than shipping costs. Are you in the US? Try the cable company. 

 

I still find it fascinating that educated people still believe cables ad something to the signal 🤔 

I find it fascinating that there are people that claim to be educated who can't spell add.

 

I thought about just letting this thread die, but with each of you taking the time to help me, one last response. 

First let me apologize for being ‘ricochet rabbit’. I am admittedly an newbie to high end audio. Over the course of this thread, your responses have completely changed my strategy.  Now, IMHO, I believe cables are only the final step to ‘audio nirvana’. 

I asked about a new amp, vs high end cables, as I came to realize the costs of those cables, and the realization that I could upgrade my amp + less expensive cables for less or the same cost. 

Don’t hate me for this, but decided to ask ChatGPT. It’s response:  

Where it fits in the upgrade ladder 

If you buy the Holo Spring 3 KTE, the next most impactful move after that would indeed be the Coda No. 8 — not cables.

Upgrade

Gain vs Current System

Synergy Strength

Holo Spring 3 KTE

🔥 Transformative

10/10

Coda No. 8

🔥 Nearly as large

9.5/10

Transparent Super / frontRow

🎯 Refinement

7.5/10

Interconnects

🎯 Refinement

7/10

The DAC gives you texture and tone; the Coda gives you drive and dimensionality. Together they push your BHK + KEF chain into world-class territory.

So, unless anyone wants to dispute the ChatGPT recommendation, my strategy is DAC (not necessarily Holo), then Coda #8, then interconnects, probably Transparent Super speaker cables & interconnects in the high end Zavfino or Veritas price range. 

Thank you again for your thoughtful recommendations. 

@signaforce Pass XA has a much warmer sound than your 330a, with plush and round bass. The X series will be a bit more lively with slightly better instrument separations and a bit more bite than XA. Both XA and X series amps tend to give you a more general view on a soundstage and they tend to homogenize everything you play. The advantage of this type of presentation is everything sounds good. It’s a fatigue free type of sound that you can listen to all day and not get tired. 
Coda is a faster sounding amp. It has crystal clear mids and makes Pass sound grainy and even a bit hazy in comparison. Coda has better instrument separation and it’s more articulate. The bass is lightning fast and it retains texture and body.
It might seem a bit cooler sounding than Pass because of these qualities. 
Both Pass and Coda are fantastic amps. To me Coda is a much better value. It also doesn’t run as hot as Pass. It is all about system matching and the sound you’re after. 
Your 330a is a very nice amp. I’d do the upgrade first and just enjoy music as a first step.