Dadork ! ! I owe you ! A music revelation and motivated by your post !
I have been using Audioquest Golden Gate unbalanced cables for 12+ years in my system . . . How unfortunate !
After your post I switched to my balanced cables (made by Kent Maze, God rest his soul) that have been in the drawer since purchased about 10 years ago.
0MG . . . the change is truly unbelievable ! ! !
My system is MA252 int amp, MB-50 streamer, SonusFaber Olympica llls, and a pair of JL Audio Fathom 110s (using slave and master mode). Speaker cables and power cable also midline products by Kent Maze products. My listening position is 12 inches to right of center, 7’ from back wall, speakers spread 9’ feet wide with sub on left outside of speaker and right sub inside of speaker !
Test music all from Spotify . . Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Neil Young Old Man Live at Massey Hall, Greg Allman, Last Silver Dollar from Laid Back, John Lee Hooker, Chill Out, and Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell. It’s like I’ve never heard this before
The sound is so clear and bass so deep I turned on the -12db filter on the subs! Neil was sitting next to me and John was singing from the chair five feet in front of me The voices are so clear, the sound field is impossibly wide (way outside the speakers) and so deep with the singers right out in front! And , Tone Controls ? OFF . . . first time ever !
So, thank you dadort and Kent Maze ! Listening to music is now perfect ! I invite any Goners in Naples FL to stop by for a listen to John singing Deep Blue Sea !