Mcintosh, while being very well made, isn't the most detailed equipment that you can buy. It wouldn't be my first choice to do a cable shootout with. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the more detailed gear can drive you crazy.
Looking at the cables you tried, the AQ, Morrow, Audience are all solid core copper designs. Not that they should all sound the same, but you can expect some similarities between them. If you're trying to hear a difference take one of the solid core cables and put it next to the Straight Wire. When you listen, play something well recorded that has a singer and just one or a few instruments, like a piano or an acoustic guitar. Closely miced recordings like this present a lot of detail and it makes it much easier to hear small differences. Listen to the high frequencies, like cymbals and vocal sibilance. You should here some differences in those areas. Also, pay attention to image size, or scale. The difference may not be big, but there's usually a difference to be heard changing from stranded to solid core.
Sometimes when dealing with products like cables, that don't always make a big difference, you just need to focus and hear it that first time. Once you hear something for the first time, its usually much easier to keep hearing the same type of thing, again and again.
Looking at the cables you tried, the AQ, Morrow, Audience are all solid core copper designs. Not that they should all sound the same, but you can expect some similarities between them. If you're trying to hear a difference take one of the solid core cables and put it next to the Straight Wire. When you listen, play something well recorded that has a singer and just one or a few instruments, like a piano or an acoustic guitar. Closely miced recordings like this present a lot of detail and it makes it much easier to hear small differences. Listen to the high frequencies, like cymbals and vocal sibilance. You should here some differences in those areas. Also, pay attention to image size, or scale. The difference may not be big, but there's usually a difference to be heard changing from stranded to solid core.
Sometimes when dealing with products like cables, that don't always make a big difference, you just need to focus and hear it that first time. Once you hear something for the first time, its usually much easier to keep hearing the same type of thing, again and again.