Audioquest Meteor Speaker Cable Impressions....
nooshinjohn
Posts: 25,415
Although I have been in the camp of cables and wires being able to have some impact upon the overall performance of a stereo system, I have always felt those improvements were incremental at best and spending more than 10 percent or so on cables was a pointless endeavor when more could be gained by moving up to better gear. Boy was I wrong...
The Audioquest Meteor 12 foot speaker cables have taken every facet of my system to yet another level of performance that I thought was the stuff of dreams. Every parameter has radically improved. There is not one single area that has benefitted more than another, as all have improved by wide margins.
Listening to The Eagles "One of These Nights" has revealed faint guitar tracks that I had never heard before on the opening track, and a host of other micro and macro-details that were previously unknown to me. The ability of these wires to transform the SDA capabilities of the 1.2TL's has taken them to a level that sonically mimic my retired Magnepan MG-20's with regards to transparency, image positioning and depth. While they were always a good speaker to my ear, that seemed to always lack the ability to do what the Maggies did so well. I can now say they excel in that regard, and better them in the lower octaves.
I don't know how much of this improvement is due to the cable's configuration. They are a true double bi-wire, meaning two full runs of Meteor wire for each cable. Retail pricing for them would have been over 15k, and at that price I can say I would have never dipped my toe anywhere near that pool. Priced at 1450.00 used, and especially for that double run, these cables are a HUGE bargain. I have seen them selling at 3k for an 8 foot pair, so I feel very fortunate. It also re-enforces my "buy used" philosophy. I will continue to hunt for bargains.
Cables are of equal importance to everything else in your rig, and if you are serious about high-performance audio, they should be given as much consideration and importance as everything else within your setup. Doing anything else only diminishes the time and effort spent in pursuit of better audio to begin with.
The Audioquest Meteor 12 foot speaker cables have taken every facet of my system to yet another level of performance that I thought was the stuff of dreams. Every parameter has radically improved. There is not one single area that has benefitted more than another, as all have improved by wide margins.
Listening to The Eagles "One of These Nights" has revealed faint guitar tracks that I had never heard before on the opening track, and a host of other micro and macro-details that were previously unknown to me. The ability of these wires to transform the SDA capabilities of the 1.2TL's has taken them to a level that sonically mimic my retired Magnepan MG-20's with regards to transparency, image positioning and depth. While they were always a good speaker to my ear, that seemed to always lack the ability to do what the Maggies did so well. I can now say they excel in that regard, and better them in the lower octaves.
I don't know how much of this improvement is due to the cable's configuration. They are a true double bi-wire, meaning two full runs of Meteor wire for each cable. Retail pricing for them would have been over 15k, and at that price I can say I would have never dipped my toe anywhere near that pool. Priced at 1450.00 used, and especially for that double run, these cables are a HUGE bargain. I have seen them selling at 3k for an 8 foot pair, so I feel very fortunate. It also re-enforces my "buy used" philosophy. I will continue to hunt for bargains.
Cables are of equal importance to everything else in your rig, and if you are serious about high-performance audio, they should be given as much consideration and importance as everything else within your setup. Doing anything else only diminishes the time and effort spent in pursuit of better audio to begin with.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
Comments
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nooshinjohn wrote: »Although I have been in the camp of cables and wires being able to have some impact upon the overall performance of a stereo system, I have always felt those improvements were incremental at best and spending more than 10 percent or so on cables was a pointless endeavor when more could be gained by moving up to better gear. Boy was I wrong...
I used to think that, but after a number of upgrades, and wasted money, I realized that cables (power, interconnect, speaker) are the foundation of a good stereo. Build a good foundation, and all future gear upgrades will work at their best.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
It is truly astonishing just how dramatic the improvement is. I am identifying more voices within tracks, more instruments, more depth within the acoustic space, just more of everything, and a much lower noise floor. All I have at the moment is WOW!The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Have another beer, and it will sound even better.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
I am thinking the interconnects from preamp to amp will be my last move, but I will take some time to find the right match. The synergy is just so good right now, but I know there is still more in there to get out. I need to pay attention to what I am hearing before I make any more moves.
I think the next step is getting my dreadnaught built. I still have my transformer and case from the group buy before this most recent one.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
OMG what are you waiting for on the dreadnaught build?? The elimination of ground noise that you don't even know is there will bring those new cables as well as your whole system to a whole new level.
Congrats to you on the new cables; sounds like you landed some excellent performers and one heck of a bargain as well. -
Won't get any arguments from me, I'm a big proponent of what cables can do for a system. I just shake my head sometimes when I see good high quality systems hooked up with sub par cables. They don't know what they're missing.
Joey would be a perfect example, when he had his ML Summits hooked up with monster wire I believe, or the equivalent. Look at him now, all grown up and everything.
Glad your digging them John, but...wtf took you so long bro ? HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
motorstereo wrote: »OMG what are you waiting for on the dreadnaught build?? The elimination of ground noise that you don't even know is there will bring those new cables as well as your whole system to a whole new level.
Congrats to you on the new cables; sounds like you landed some excellent performers and one heck of a bargain as well.
Excatly!!
Use that extra cable to build the dreadnought cables John
Win win. -
What brand speaker cables where there before? I forget.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Nice comments John. I like "wow" it says it all. Being a newbie cable believer, I too have heard improvements as I upgrade the cables. Journey continues, always looking for a bargain on the used market.
I must say, you got a smoking deal on those! That's something even Verb would have pounced on! Congratulations! Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
nooshinjohn wrote: »It is truly astonishing just how dramatic the improvement is. I am identifying more voices within tracks, more instruments, more depth within the acoustic space, just more of everything, and a much lower noise floor. All I have at the moment is WOW!
Imagine what I thought when I put in the AQ Wels.
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
I don't see WEL's in my future. I think I have maxed out on this little audio sojourn of mine. My next hobby is locating one of these to play with...
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Love that Riv! The clamshell headlights are way cool! Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
I'm good on cables and took the plunge on top of the line ropes and just have to say those look pretty tough. Congrats!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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motorstereo wrote: »OMG what are you waiting for on the dreadnaught build?? The elimination of ground noise that you don't even know is there will bring those new cables as well as your whole system to a whole new level.
Congrats to you on the new cables; sounds like you landed some excellent performers and one heck of a bargain as well.
Excatly!!
Use that extra cable to build the dreadnought cables John
Win win.
I won't be cutting these up for the Dreadnaught...
If I choose to separate them, I might loan out a set for in-home demos. The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I don't see WEL's in my future. I think I have maxed out on this little audio sojourn of mine. My next hobby is locating one of these to play with...
Nice.
There's one within about an hour of me...bit of a hike for you but it's only gas money. May not be the same year.
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/d/hagerstown-1964-riviera-for-sale/6830927316.html
This one needs more work:
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/d/arlington-1967-buick-riviera/6820677866.html -
The first is a ‘64... nice car but there is zero chance he has a numbers matching car with a 401 in it. All ‘64’s had the 425.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »All ‘64’s had the 425.
Interesting....wasn't aware of that...love that color though.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »The first is a ‘64... nice car but there is zero chance he has a numbers matching car with a 401 in it. All ‘64’s had the 425.
That 425 was one heck of an engine too. Turned your family car into a sleeper street racer that could lay rubber for half a block.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's
