Pics of Thor cable installation

[Charles]

To all who think expensive cables are snake oil I can't say that I agree. Removing the Kimber Kable copper from my sub woofer system made a distinct very noticeable and desirable improvement in my bass. These new cables control my Thor better. Definitely going from a 601 to a 1.25 KW gave more control but these new cables have made a surprising improvement. There is more inner detail and a better integration with my Alexx. I feel that my bass is even deeper and has more weight if that were possible. And of course I have zero hum at full volume of the preamp on all inputs.

I can't say I have a favorite in this last batch. The Redwood has 6 silver stands and 10 copper but is otherwise identical to my Wel Signatures. It is very beautiful and quite heavy (9 gauge). The Wolf balanced IC sub woofer cable is also very elegant: exudes quality. The triple braided Hurricane HC pc I have a hard time finding an adjective for but it matches perfectly all my other pc's you see which are Dragons. It's fit an finish is superb. I can't say enough good things about AQ as a company and the cables they create.

I know most here are veterans to the high end but to novices note that I follow the tried and true rules: (1) be sure you have the correct length for each cable (2) place your amps as close as possible to your speakers so that your speaker cable is no more that 3m in length if possible. My Wolf balanced IC is 7m. This arrangement ensures the best system performance.

[Charles]

I want to provide a long term followup on my cable upgrade. It was massive. Everything eventually was changed out. Not one single IC, speaker cable, power cord, or power conditioner remained. I basically went with topline AudioQuest. Although very expensive it avoided my having to do any upgrades. Was it worth it. Yes! Worth every penny. I guess the biggest surprise was with the Thor sub. The clear increase in inner detail and sensitivity of very low frequencies was remarkable. I have a CD called In a Quiet Cathedral Todd Wilson organist. It is an organ disc full of very soft 20 Hz notes and below. Cut 19 titled Andante sostenuto towards the end has an incredibly difficult 20 Hz note because it is so soft. I always suspected it was there laying right at my hearing threshold but I could never be sure. Last night I finally got around to playing the cut. I was extremely pleased to clearly and easily hear the note for the first time. My old Krell MRS sub did a superb job on these types of notes but didn't come close to what I heard last night. The combination of my new 1.25kw and the AQ Wolfe IC and Redwood speaker cable coupled with the new Hurricane HC power cord has allowed me to achieve the best out of my Thor. I never would have believed cables could make this difference. Regarding the change to solid silver (Wel Sig IC's, Wel Sig speaker cables, Dragon power cords, Niagara power conditioners) in the main system has resulted in a wonderful brightness, clarity, and transparency without any harshness or hardness. I have a Phil Collins LD titled Seriously Live. I first heard it through my Genesis II's in the 1990's. These speakrs were remarkable in playing live performances. Using my optical output of my Marantz 510 LD player to my Mac D1100 the brightness and beauty of the performance was incredible. My Alexx/Thor system bested my older Gen II's in every respect. Gen II's had a lot of flaws but live performances wasn't one of them. For me silver is greatly superior to copper in every respect. I had severe doubts about spending this type of money on "cables" because one weak link can potentially severely affect your sound and leave you with the wrong conclusion. Last night I told my wife that for the first time in forty years I was entirely satisfied with the sound of my system. She said she was pleased and hoped that I would I would stop spending any more money on it.