They are neutral sounding well balanced cables. Keep in mind Audio Research used these cables in house in the late 1980's and 90. So there is a certain synergy with ARC pieces of that period. They can sound a bit dark with non ARC pieces.
The Shunyata cables are also neutral sounding but are more detailed and three dimensional. They have a bit more presence.
The problem for the most part with the other cables I tried was they were a lot more expensive but really didn't sound better, just different. The Kubala Sosna sounded darker and a bit veiled. The Nordost were a bit brighter but also thinner sounding. Actually the sound of the ARC cables reminds me of older Synergistic Research cables.
What type of ARC gear do you have? What period? I have owned ARC gear since the mid 1980s.
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