OP, try as many as you can without driving yourself insane haha. I would say 3 or 4 max. If you have a dealer they will often let you borrow them. And if one is out of your budget but you like it, check the used market. I got my Alpha retail for $2000 for $600!
USB cable recommendations
I recently purchased the Bricasti M3 for my system & am looking to upgrade my A-B USB cable. I currently have 2 USB cables that I used with my prior DAC (Qutest), a Cardas Clear that I preferred with my Qutest & an XLO ultra plus that I far prefer with my M3. It is OCC copper & actually sounds very good, but wondering if I can do better.
My target price is around $500 used, certainly willing to do less & willing to do more for the ’right’ cable. I am looking for a cable that is absolutely neutral.
I actually tried to buy an AQ diamond used yesterday, but was 2 hours late. Not sure if it was the right choice, but it was a great price & could resell if not right.
My virtual system is available, but my digital side is: Aurender N150 > XLO ultra+ > Bricasti M3 > Zavfino Arcadia > PSAudio BHK w/tele medical NOS tubes > Zavfino Fusion mk2 > SimAudio Moon 330A > Transparent + gen 5 > KEF Reference 3’s.
Please let me know your thoughts and/or recommendations. Thanks!
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@signaforce I was lucky to get the Pink Faun USB second hand for a crazy good price. I recommend finding a dealer who will let you borrow some products or else buy and return with minimal/no fee. Or, the smaller internet direct brands like Veritas, Audio Art, Triode Wire Labs all have great demo terms so you can basically try them out for just the cost of shipping. There's nothing better than hearing them in your own system. |
There’s absolutely no substitute for auditioning cables in your own setup. I once had a full loom of Audience Au24SX, and while they are reasonably good; as @audphile1 pointed out, I felt something was missing. At their asking price, I couldn’t justify keeping them in my system. Audience cables do a solid job of transparency, natural coherence, and a fluid musical balance, which works well for many systems. But given how closely your rig parallels mine, I’d highly recommend adding Combak’s 聖 HIJIRI Million “極 KIWAMI” HGP-X XLRs to your audition list. IME, HIJIRI cables align beautifully with and handsomely complements Accuphase sound signature: lush tonality, rich midrange presence, and an immersive musical experience that truly draws you into the performance. I’ve owned a full HIJIRI loom since 2021—speaker, power, and interconnects. They aren’t inexpensive, but they put an end to my pursuit of chasing anything else out there. |
@lalitk i should have reached out to you initially. I'll look at your suggestions. Thanks! |
No worries. Correction to my last post, your Accuphase components are actually better (I’m trying to get there). While I’ve pretty much maxed out the potential of my Accuphase integrated, you still have room to realize the full potential of your exemplary system, IMHO. I know you are working towards it :-) |
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