I have over the years learned how to better decipher the pertinent information from the reviewers. As for my impressions of the AU 24 cables based solely on the Stereophile review, they sound like an excellent "low cost" cable and a great place to start your search for a cable upgrade. As per the comparison to Valhalla, I looked a bit deeper for the answer. In that Brian Damkroger's system is a complete opposite of mine, I must determine how his thoughts would apply to me.
The common ground we both have is Valhalla cabling as our "reference" so with that I have some insight. For the most part, Brian has a analog/ tube system Not equipment I'd call dark like BAT but darker than my Plinius, Placette. He offsets the darkness with a "brighter" speaker Megnepan. My assumptions from this equipment is he wants the tonal value of tubes and analog and finds the imaging and detail from the speakers. Bass must not be of the highest in his priorities, but midrange and extension are.
Given these assumptions, I have the information to draw the conclusions needed from his review. First off, my impressions are that the AU 24 is darker and more laid back than the Valhalla. Secondly the Valhalla sound a bit more open and extended, less forgiving. Given these are also my impressions of Valhalla, I read on. Brian preferred the Valhalla over the AU 24 as an interconnect. He did not find a huge difference, which tells me the AU 24 is a very good cable. I believe his preference is solely based on the associated equipment, not the cable. The Valhalla is able to pass on more signal, in an open extended way, where the AU 24 by nature is restrictive. In that his tube gear is also restrictive, it's a double whammy. The Valhalla is offsetting the tube gear. When he got to the speaker cable, it was just the opposite. The Magnepan can sound harsh and bright by nature, thus the more laid back cable is a better fit. He preferred the AU 24 over the far more expensive Valhalla because it was a better match for his system.
So in conclusion, if we do not consider the whole story, the judgments drawn from the review may be wrong. The bottom line is AU 24 is a very good choice to consider while evaluating cables. If your running mainly solid state gear that has yet to resolve the harsh glare inherent with most solid state, these cables might be perfect. If on the other hand your system is tube base these cables may not be the best, maybe something with some or all silver should be considered. These of course are generalizations, I have all solid state and Valhalla with not a sign of glare or harshness. If the equipment is good enough the issues of both tube and solid state are fairly well resolved, meaning that the most neutral open signal is probably the best.
The common ground we both have is Valhalla cabling as our "reference" so with that I have some insight. For the most part, Brian has a analog/ tube system Not equipment I'd call dark like BAT but darker than my Plinius, Placette. He offsets the darkness with a "brighter" speaker Megnepan. My assumptions from this equipment is he wants the tonal value of tubes and analog and finds the imaging and detail from the speakers. Bass must not be of the highest in his priorities, but midrange and extension are.
Given these assumptions, I have the information to draw the conclusions needed from his review. First off, my impressions are that the AU 24 is darker and more laid back than the Valhalla. Secondly the Valhalla sound a bit more open and extended, less forgiving. Given these are also my impressions of Valhalla, I read on. Brian preferred the Valhalla over the AU 24 as an interconnect. He did not find a huge difference, which tells me the AU 24 is a very good cable. I believe his preference is solely based on the associated equipment, not the cable. The Valhalla is able to pass on more signal, in an open extended way, where the AU 24 by nature is restrictive. In that his tube gear is also restrictive, it's a double whammy. The Valhalla is offsetting the tube gear. When he got to the speaker cable, it was just the opposite. The Magnepan can sound harsh and bright by nature, thus the more laid back cable is a better fit. He preferred the AU 24 over the far more expensive Valhalla because it was a better match for his system.
So in conclusion, if we do not consider the whole story, the judgments drawn from the review may be wrong. The bottom line is AU 24 is a very good choice to consider while evaluating cables. If your running mainly solid state gear that has yet to resolve the harsh glare inherent with most solid state, these cables might be perfect. If on the other hand your system is tube base these cables may not be the best, maybe something with some or all silver should be considered. These of course are generalizations, I have all solid state and Valhalla with not a sign of glare or harshness. If the equipment is good enough the issues of both tube and solid state are fairly well resolved, meaning that the most neutral open signal is probably the best.