Post by Slinger on Apr 24, 2020 12:49:35 GMT
I've just added a new interconnect to my streaming equation/second system. I've replaced the very good AudioQuest Red River interconnects with a pair of Audioquest Diamond cables.
I haven't gone completely insane, these are the "old" Diamond analogue cables, not the new, hideously expensive digital models. Mind you, these were expensive enough when they were being produced from what little I've been able to glean from t'internet.
The conductors are made of "Functionally Perfect Silver" (FPS) i.e. high purity and long crystal pure solid silver. The RCA connectors were, apparently, some of the best around at the time, and they're made from "Functionally Perfect Copper" (FPC) which is directly gold plated. As you can see, they're Hyperlitz in construction. They're quite hefty too.
Impression #1
I've just given them a bit of Rameau, and at the moment I'm playing Rostropovich's "J.S. Bach Cello Suites." My first impression was that they were very "toppy" but the longer I listen to them the more natural they appear to be sounding.
Probably the most annoying thing is that I thought I'd settled on the AQ Red River interconnects, so when another pair came up at a reasonable price I nabbed them as spares. The way it's looking (or sounding) at the moment, I may have two spare sets.
Impression #2 (24 hours later)
The AudioQuest Diamond RCA leads are staying. What I was first perceiving as a "toppy" sound actually probably translates into "leaner" sound.
Everything sounds far more "natural" to me, and they are doing the mutt's nuts of a job on Tangerine Dream at the moment (The Beach Scene from the Thief soundtrack) and [WARNING - CLICHE ALERT] it's almost like listening to a new system.
Separation is better by far, and for less than sixty quid this is probably the most dramatic upgrade I can remember making to this system. Apart from anything else they seem to approach and to reproduce the top end in a completely new way. I'll stop gushing now. They're bloody good though.
Impression #3 (5 days later)
I'll superglue them if I have to, they're not moving. The more I listen the better they get, and they've sanded off any rough edges on the top end very nicely. I'd heard lots of cautionary tales about solid silver interconnects sounding "thin," "treble-heavy," "scratchy," et al, but I couldn't afford not to try them at the price I paid, and I'm extremely pleased that I did.
The AudioQuest kid strikes again.
I haven't gone completely insane, these are the "old" Diamond analogue cables, not the new, hideously expensive digital models. Mind you, these were expensive enough when they were being produced from what little I've been able to glean from t'internet.
The conductors are made of "Functionally Perfect Silver" (FPS) i.e. high purity and long crystal pure solid silver. The RCA connectors were, apparently, some of the best around at the time, and they're made from "Functionally Perfect Copper" (FPC) which is directly gold plated. As you can see, they're Hyperlitz in construction. They're quite hefty too.
Impression #1
I've just given them a bit of Rameau, and at the moment I'm playing Rostropovich's "J.S. Bach Cello Suites." My first impression was that they were very "toppy" but the longer I listen to them the more natural they appear to be sounding.
Probably the most annoying thing is that I thought I'd settled on the AQ Red River interconnects, so when another pair came up at a reasonable price I nabbed them as spares. The way it's looking (or sounding) at the moment, I may have two spare sets.
Impression #2 (24 hours later)
The AudioQuest Diamond RCA leads are staying. What I was first perceiving as a "toppy" sound actually probably translates into "leaner" sound.
Everything sounds far more "natural" to me, and they are doing the mutt's nuts of a job on Tangerine Dream at the moment (The Beach Scene from the Thief soundtrack) and [WARNING - CLICHE ALERT] it's almost like listening to a new system.
Separation is better by far, and for less than sixty quid this is probably the most dramatic upgrade I can remember making to this system. Apart from anything else they seem to approach and to reproduce the top end in a completely new way. I'll stop gushing now. They're bloody good though.
Impression #3 (5 days later)
I'll superglue them if I have to, they're not moving. The more I listen the better they get, and they've sanded off any rough edges on the top end very nicely. I'd heard lots of cautionary tales about solid silver interconnects sounding "thin," "treble-heavy," "scratchy," et al, but I couldn't afford not to try them at the price I paid, and I'm extremely pleased that I did.
The AudioQuest kid strikes again.
