Audioquest CV8 speakerwire with 36volt DBS system.
mantis
Posts: 17,200
With the Jaguar , I also upgraded my speaker wire. Coming from Monster THX 12-2 and Kimber 8tc, the CV8's are just a tad higher end.
The CV8 speaker wire I got I upgraded the terminations with Silver ends. I got there top of the line Bananas in silver as well as there Spades. The CV8's come with the copper uni Bananas which you can screw on Spades if you wish. After a very long debate/conversation with our Audioquest rep, he said" the uni bananas are very high quality and make a solid electrical connection but the upgraded banana plugs have a better surfice contact area and lock in better. The Spades are the same except the silver. I figured hell if I'm gonna spend the money again for new speaker wire, why not do it right.
The built quality is very very nice. The ends are well made and are slighty dull silver. they came with a polishing cloth to clean the silver ends from time to time for better contact. I like that. The bungie cord look I actually like. It gives the wires a bit of class, if wires need that then these have it. If you enjoy looking at your wires like I do, then it adds a nice touch. The outer dress up jacket does nothing for sound quality or shielding. I asked about that before I ordered them.
The sound quality like the Jaguar Ic's is also a step up. they bring out another level of detail and space my other wires didn't have or better put allow my system to do what it's able to do.Air is a good word, the music has more air around it. It also seems like certain tones are clearer like I can hear the snare drum clearer and it seems to be moved in the performance. Moved forward. I like it.
For what they cost retail, they live up to every penny. I expected them to perform well as I have Installed many different pairs of Audioquest cables and all with stellar results. At work , going from Monster to Audioquest was huge. I feel the systems I install now just sound so much better. This is what started me looking into Audioquest.Honestly I was very happy owning Kimber Kable and think they have a really good product. I plan on keep alot of it in my system until I can demo each part of my system against a better Audioquest product. My power cables are all Kimber and I don't know if Audioquest can compete here. In the Industry Kimber Kable power cords are well respected and they made my system shine.The Audioquest power cable seem to be an after thought but nonetheless well built and have molded ends Instead of add on ends like Most other companies do. Ps audio does a molded end as well.
Keep in mind that not all systems perform the same. I am used to owning very high quaity wires and Audioquest had alot to prove to me. They met all my expectations and exceeded them in the Interconnects. I didn't expect the results I got there.It's so hard to really get into wire as it's hard to get all the ones you want to try in your system in your home to demo. I have been privileged to be able to have so many different kinds around me to play with.
Don't take any of my reviews as the be all end all or anything like that. What works in my system may not work in yours. I can go to say that Kimber Kable seems to work very well in alot of different systems. So does Audioquest. So did Transparent to a point. Transparent favored slighty brighter system which they seem to help smooth out. Already smooth systems they seemed to shadow a bit on the lower level. I have nothing but respect for Transparent as they also are a cable that served me well for the systems I owned and wired them with. But like I said before, we must look past the brand name, the cool factor of owning nice looking wire and listen to them. Sometimes the uglier not configured the way you'd like em to be are the ones that sound better.Maybe I'm crazy but I dig a cool looking wire as much as sound quality. I also dig good functionality like the WBT IC ends. The locking ends are beautiful. Audioquest could benefit from ends like that. There ends are very nice but don't fit like the WBT ones do.
Enjoy the write up and have fun with wire. Don't let others steer you , steer yourself in what makes your system sound the way you'd like it to.Weather it be Monster Home Depot, home made stuff or whatever. Try all of it and use what works.
Dan
The CV8 speaker wire I got I upgraded the terminations with Silver ends. I got there top of the line Bananas in silver as well as there Spades. The CV8's come with the copper uni Bananas which you can screw on Spades if you wish. After a very long debate/conversation with our Audioquest rep, he said" the uni bananas are very high quality and make a solid electrical connection but the upgraded banana plugs have a better surfice contact area and lock in better. The Spades are the same except the silver. I figured hell if I'm gonna spend the money again for new speaker wire, why not do it right.
The built quality is very very nice. The ends are well made and are slighty dull silver. they came with a polishing cloth to clean the silver ends from time to time for better contact. I like that. The bungie cord look I actually like. It gives the wires a bit of class, if wires need that then these have it. If you enjoy looking at your wires like I do, then it adds a nice touch. The outer dress up jacket does nothing for sound quality or shielding. I asked about that before I ordered them.
The sound quality like the Jaguar Ic's is also a step up. they bring out another level of detail and space my other wires didn't have or better put allow my system to do what it's able to do.Air is a good word, the music has more air around it. It also seems like certain tones are clearer like I can hear the snare drum clearer and it seems to be moved in the performance. Moved forward. I like it.
For what they cost retail, they live up to every penny. I expected them to perform well as I have Installed many different pairs of Audioquest cables and all with stellar results. At work , going from Monster to Audioquest was huge. I feel the systems I install now just sound so much better. This is what started me looking into Audioquest.Honestly I was very happy owning Kimber Kable and think they have a really good product. I plan on keep alot of it in my system until I can demo each part of my system against a better Audioquest product. My power cables are all Kimber and I don't know if Audioquest can compete here. In the Industry Kimber Kable power cords are well respected and they made my system shine.The Audioquest power cable seem to be an after thought but nonetheless well built and have molded ends Instead of add on ends like Most other companies do. Ps audio does a molded end as well.
Keep in mind that not all systems perform the same. I am used to owning very high quaity wires and Audioquest had alot to prove to me. They met all my expectations and exceeded them in the Interconnects. I didn't expect the results I got there.It's so hard to really get into wire as it's hard to get all the ones you want to try in your system in your home to demo. I have been privileged to be able to have so many different kinds around me to play with.
Don't take any of my reviews as the be all end all or anything like that. What works in my system may not work in yours. I can go to say that Kimber Kable seems to work very well in alot of different systems. So does Audioquest. So did Transparent to a point. Transparent favored slighty brighter system which they seem to help smooth out. Already smooth systems they seemed to shadow a bit on the lower level. I have nothing but respect for Transparent as they also are a cable that served me well for the systems I owned and wired them with. But like I said before, we must look past the brand name, the cool factor of owning nice looking wire and listen to them. Sometimes the uglier not configured the way you'd like em to be are the ones that sound better.Maybe I'm crazy but I dig a cool looking wire as much as sound quality. I also dig good functionality like the WBT IC ends. The locking ends are beautiful. Audioquest could benefit from ends like that. There ends are very nice but don't fit like the WBT ones do.
Enjoy the write up and have fun with wire. Don't let others steer you , steer yourself in what makes your system sound the way you'd like it to.Weather it be Monster Home Depot, home made stuff or whatever. Try all of it and use what works.
Dan
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
Post edited by mantis on
Comments
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I already posted pics but I'll place one in here for reference.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I've been using the Audioquest CV6 DBS internal biwire speaker cables for about a year now with my Spendors. It's the most neutral speaker wire I've used, not my favorite all round if I compare it to PS Audio Statement speaker wire, but definitely easier to use. I completely agree on the observations, Dan. I think the CV6 and CV8 are pretty similar. The detail level and wide soundstage of the CV6 are remarkable. I prefer the PS Audio Statement biwire mainly because it has the edge in bass reproduction and helps tame the brightness of the tweeters in my JM Lab speakers.
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I think the CV6 is disco. I don't think they offer that cable anymore. But very cool your digging your cables. I came from Kimber Kable and the Improvement is noticable. It takes time and effort to sit there and study the way each cable sounds. Audioquest builds really good quality cables and the battery thing doesn't bother me anymore.
Like powered towers, I don't like add on things on my stuff.Back when I used Transparent, the network bricks drove me crazy when came time to wire manage. They got in the way every corner I took. But they did perform well with the system I had then so I delt with it. I can see these batteries doing the same thing when I wire up my preamp and amp with Jaguars. All those batteries I can just see the mess now. But I will figure a way to manage them. There sound quality took me by suprise. Do you also use Jaguars or a DBS Interconnect? If not do yourself a favor and try a pair. Very nice, they killed my Kimber Heros and I didn't think could be done at these price points.
DanDan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
