What interconnects should I use?
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I'm curious, what amps have you tried? I've never really thought interconnects or speaker wire made much of a difference, at least I can't hear any, but I have heard pretty significant differences between amps.
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I have had the opposite experience. Amps have made more of a sonic change than any cable, whether it be a SC or an IC. Even at low listening levels, this holds true. At concert levels, the differences can be unreal.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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6 different McIntosh, some from the late 60's to recent production, some with autoformers and some without, dyna ST-70, a couple of HK and Kenwood 2 channel amps, then a few different receivers from HK, Onkyo, Pioneer. I may be leaving some out and some things I'm leaving out on purpose.
I'm sure it's not as many as you Gaara. 
I wouldn't mind trying one of those ICE powered amps one day.
As for interconnects and speaker cables, many do sound similar. There's the garbage that's packaged with components, then monoprice and monster's low and middle lines(haven't tried their high lines), then BJC and Signal, and from there it gets subjective. I tried all of Goertz's silver interconnects but was not impressed. Their low end stuff has a nice top end sparkle, but lacks low end. Same for their middle of the line interconnects. Their hight end interconnects were very warm, (I didn't know silver could be warm at all) and unlike their other interconnects, had great bass but were congested in certain passages. I then tried Ben's interconnects which were brighter than anything else I've tried. It was a big plus for my rig some my equipment is pretty warm all around. Lastly I tried MIT Shotguns. They are on the warm side, but don't lose the top end sparkle that others lack. Tonally, they sound correct, or realistic may be a better word. I really like the impedance matching system. Before trying them, I admit I thought it was snake oil, but it's the real thing. It's impressive how they could make or break the sound stage. I could really go on and on with this, but the best way to learn is to try for yourself.
EDIT: It all comes down to what works best in your rig, synergy."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
Face thats a nice variety, I'm surprised you didn't hear much of a difference. I will admit that I am kind of a amp ****, but that only happened when I started to hear differences and wanted to see how far the rabbit hole went. In the end I am happy I did because I found some really good synergy in all three of my rigs, two of which have amps that cost <$300, plus I can give a educated opinion instead of parroting.
As for cables, I guess I am just not as sensitive to their changes. I've tried interconnects ranging from monster's basic line up to Kimber Heroes. I am perfectly content with Belden 89259 (used by Heartland, BJC, and Signal Analog IIs) and cheaper stuff like 1505 and BJC's own LC-1. I'm glad you were able to hear differences and found cables that worked well in your rig. -
Decision made. I ordered the following from Signal Cable today:
A set of 5-channel Analog II's for the connection from the Sony to the Adcom.
A 2-channel set of Analog II's for CD/SACD playback
A SPDI/F Digital Coax interconnect
A MagicPower Digital Reference power cord for the Denon (bought from Audiogon)
Amp arrives Tuesday and the cables ship Monday....____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, McIntosh C2300, Marantz AV7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sim Audio Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Very cool, congrats!"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Recieved the Adcom and Cables last week and wanted to write my findings.
The Adcom arrived the same day as the MagicPower Digital Reference power cord. Since I didn't have my 5-channel interconnects from Signal Cable yet, I just added the Adcom as a 2-channel amp to test all of the channels and audition how it sounded.
My first impression adding the Adcom in was that it sounded just slightly on the bright, and sometimes harsh side. I had read online where some felt this was the case but I had also read where the amp was very neutral for the most part.
With that in minde I added in the Signal Cable MagicPower Digital Reference to the mix, switching out the factory power cable that came with the Denon 3910. What a difference! That immediately tamed the harshness I was hearing.
My initial reaction after playing a few different CD's on the Adcom was that there was some serious raw power under the hood. I immediately noticed a much more unified soundstage (more forward sounding as well) and instruments are much more clean and defined. I had been hearing 2-channel music in a very directional way before with the Sony (i.e. it was like I was listening to 2 separate speakers)
On Friday, my care package from Signal Cable arrived bringing a set of 5-channel Analog II's, a pair of Analog II for 2-channel music playback and their SPDIF digital coax cable. I also recieved a Signal Cable MagicStrip Power Extension (bought on Ebay) which I am using to connect my AVR and Adcom since their power cords are factory installed and aren't easily swapped out.
My impression now that all cables are connected is WOW! What a huge difference. The sound is so clean and gets better the further I turn it up. I believe the cables made a big difference in getting a signal to the amp that wouldn't sound harsh when amplified. Believe it or not, I have yet to really audition a full movie but from the bits and pieces I'm hearing, I know I'll never go back to an integrated AVR amp.
My Polks have come alive!____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, McIntosh C2300, Marantz AV7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sim Audio Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Glad to hear it."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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A pic of the amp for those that are interested.____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, McIntosh C2300, Marantz AV7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sim Audio Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Nice, post more..
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Good to hear your enjoying it!!!
I especially like this partMy impression now that all cables are connected is WOW! What a huge difference
I hate to see someone buy a nice amp and hook it up with POS cables and then get rid of it because it didn't sound good to them. Cables are ALWAYS worth a try IMO. It might not fix it.... But worth a try none the less.
I also had a similar experience with my PS Audio Power cord for my Jolida amp. I noticed a immediate change. It was much warmer and smoother sounding.
Enjoy! -
King Cobras
