Budget cable chaos??? Is River Cable the new star?

Sunnyjim,

I hate to say this but the more you post, the more confused I get. I honestly don't know what you are trying to do here.

"I never in any of my posts or threads stated that I was crying myself to sleep because the sound of the system was mediocre."

That's good. You really shouldn't be crying yourself to sleep for any reason.

"However, I would like to squeeze out a bit more sound quality, that is, musicality, naturalness, euphononic whatever. I know there are two major component weaknesses in the system, but nothing major that I can't live with."

You start to lose me here. You have 2 major components weaknesses in you system but they are not so major that you can't live with them. I take that as, even though you can live with the weaknesses, you would still like to fix them, if you can. If that is the case, what are the 2 weaknesses?

I think you will get better suggestions if you explain the problem with a bit more focus, and not limit the solutions to cables.

Sunnyjim, thanks for answering my question about the speaker cables.

Since you have posted your entire system, and put yourself on the chopping block, I’ll give you my opinion. You have built a system of quality components and cables, however I think the main problem is the synergy. Here are my observations, some from personal experience and others from a little research,

Rega Apollo CD player – very good but can be a little bright, and may not be the best choice for a system that has unforgiving treble.

Chord Chameleon IC – fast, detailed, dynamic, a dull system will definitely benefit using this interconnect.

Bel Canto PRe3 - extremely neutral, output has same character as input.

Nordost Red Dawn IC - many people have found that some of the Nordost can have a bright, lean sound in their system.

Red Dragon M-500 - like the Bel Canto, very neutral.

Now at this point, I can’t see any magic shot in the arm for any speaker cable to overcome the given character of the signal and deliver musicality to the speaker. You have an extremely nice pair of speakers, and I understand they are capable of a very musical sound, however they will only produce the sound that is feed into them.

From one of your threads,

System needs a dose of musicality

Try to think of this in two ways, not just adding, but removing things that distract as well.

IMHO, I would start with the interconnects and CD player, and really hard to say which one first. Even a different CD player that is a little less bright may not be enough with the influence of the cables. I know many have good results using Nordost cables, and initially I did as well, even moving up the chain. I used Blue Heaven, SPM, and Valkyrja, with the BH being the only one that came across as lean, however came to a conclusion that all of them seem to have a somewhat rough, bright top end. A good friend had the same thoughts about the Red Dawn he tried. Once a more pleasing sound is achieved, I would do some final experimentation with speaker cables, and as I have said before, probably use the AZ, even if it needs to be their entry level to get a manageable size, because the speaker was designed and “voiced” using their own cable, so again creating the best synergy.

Now I guess this puts me on the chopping block as well, any comments?

No Ocean cable is better!!

Tls49 makes some excellent points.My experience with Nordost cables echos his.Experimenting with the cdp and ic first makes sense.

Tls49: The Chord Chameleon IC was recommended as compatible with the Apollo, and really made a difference in the sound. You are right the Apollo is somewhat bright up top, and also does not resolve highs that well. Occasionally, highs can sound like white noise. Regarding the CD player, I have really made the rounds looking for something better and more resolving. A few members recommended a few of the Arcam players, and I knew I was after a softer, though not less detailed sound. Unless another Rega Apollo comes around, I am quit looking for a new player.

ToZD542: The two components that are in my opinion weaken my system are the Rega Apollo for the reasons that Tls49 has clearly explained. The other is the Red Dragon amps which though neutral as claimed above, convey average depth and weigh to the sound. The sound is not holographic and lacks convincing taut, bass. It goes without saying that the other weakness is the speaker cable. But let just put that topic aside, it has been sufficiently worked over and mangled.

Regarding the limitations of the digital amps I have described, I would have to make a substantial investment in a basic power amp to get the holography, depth and weight I seek in the sound. Sure, I would like to invest in a PASS LABS X-150 or X-250, or one of the Jeff Rowland amps, but the pricing is prohibitive and I don't want to take the chance of having buyer's remorse.

ZD542, I have spent more time than you can imagine reading reviews, and so have put an enormous amount of time into finding the kind of sound I prefer. It might be unavailable to me at my price range. I know there are members on AG who have invested large sums of money for super high end components, cables, etc.and have achieved the sound they want. I cannot do that.

It might just be time to move on; selling the entire rig seems to be a viable alternative than to going around and round on the audio merry go round.

I am quite aware what the parameters of my search are for the sound I prefer, but also the limitations of my budget.

Adios to all and thanks for the advice, comments, etc.
Jim