Speaker cables for Ayre gear with KEF speakers


My setup is Ayre DX-5 disc player, QX-5 Twenty DAC, AX-5 Twenty integrated amp with KEF Reference 1 speakers.  I'm looking for 12' cables.  Charley Hansen recommended Cardas Clear Sky for use with his amps.  Is that still a good choice?

dbphd

As previously mentioned, Ayre Acoustics voices their components using Cardas cables, so going with Cardas speaker cables for an Ayre Acoustics amp/integrated amp would be a no-brainer for me.  I also have one of the absolutely incredible Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Streaming DACs, paired with a Hegel H590 integrated amp, powering a pair of Revel salon 2 speakers.  With my set-up, I use a pair of speaker cables that’s been with me for over 15 years now, JPS Labs Superconductor 3 speaker cables.  Over the past 15 years or so, all cabling in my audio system have been replaced and upgraded (some several times over), except for my good old faithful (superb) JPS Labs Superconductor 3 speaker cables, which I have no intentions of ever replacing (they’re just that good).  Happy listening. 

I suggest you consider Silversmith Fidelium.  They resulted in a major upgrade to sound quality with my Odyssey Kismet monobloc amps and Fyne F-702 speakers.  The company offers a trial period, I believe.

I used to use Transparent Ultra cables with my Ayre amp and CD player. I have now changed to XLO speaker cables and Ansuz balanced interconnects with my current Ayre gear (VX5-Twenty amp and QX5-Twenty streamer/DAC). I never liked Cardas with my systems but that’s just my idiosyncrasy I guess. 

I have a pair of Cardas Clear Sky x4 that I'm willing to sell. 2m. PM if interested. 

For what it is worth, I run a 3-m pair of second-hand QED 76-strand, silver-plated copper cables from my Krell amplifier into KEF Reference 1 speakers. So far, I have felt no urge to bi-wire or spend more.  The Reference 1 certainly benefits from high-current amplification