Is Audioquest Emerald still a good cable?

No need to replace. What technology has improved?

friend still runs same cables,keep them,you would go backwards with nordost blue heaven,try looking into power cords

Does it still conduct electricity? Does it still have its insulation jacket intact? Do the plugs make proper contact? Is it still long enough to go from point A to point B?

The rest is keeping up with the Audio Jones of this world.

I still have my Emeralds from many years back, recently tried them in a new analog setup. Compared back to back with Ridge Street Audio Poiema's, no contest, Poiema's win hands down. Cables make a difference! Believe me, I have about 10 different cables lying around that beat my Emerald's and some of them cost very little. Your components deserve something better.

the X is the warmer one versus the X3. Still very good with the taut bass delivery , though at times can sound dry compared with the likes of harmonic technology. For somewhere under $150 , go for the truthlinks. ANother similar cable should be the acoustic zen's w . Do not go back to blue heaven, it will sound "thin" in the lower end and is not as emphatic in midrange delivery as the emerald Xs. I am taking a comparative analysis for cables under the $150. If you can go any higher to $200, look for the likes of maple audio ambiance, JPS ultra's and the lower model of the RSA Poiema's, mse2.