BAT to BAT - What's Best?

People don't spend thousands of dollars to get the 3-dimensionality, decay of notes, ambience, bloom, etc., inherent with BAT gear only to have it destroyed by cheapo cables. I tried 2 pairs of Belden XLR cables and they worked ok from sources to my then line stage, ARC LS5. However, they so dramatically reduced the above qualities when used from the line stage to the amp that you're better off just using solid state gear and leave behind the extra attention needed with tube gear if you are going to go with such a cable. There's only voodoo in cable land when other links in the chain have not been properly addressed first.

And the issue of whether or not the cable is balanced or single-ended also has little to do with this. Sure, running some truly-balanced products like the BAT or Aesthetix or some ARC in balanced mode vs single-ended can make quite a dramatic difference in dimensionality. But just changing from SE to balanced is not suddenly going to bring on the 3-dimensionality if the cable's topology/materials/design does not have this ability in the first place.

John

Gee... I really appreciate the input folks. Truly. I do appreciate the input about the Cable company....been therre, done that....will again. Doubtless. Great way to addition things beforehand....

I suppose I should mention the source and speakers too, although I was holding beck there as to not taint the input.... I'm using a Sony SCD xa 777 es SACD PLAYER IN TWO CHANNEL PREDOMINATELY. . . a pair of Phase Tech PC 10.5 Towers, (all original but play flawlessly, apart form their inherent deficiencies, but on the whole great units for their cost, 2200.00 new), and a Velodyne CHT 10 INCH 100 WPC sub.

I know I'm lacking in the speaker end and sub as well. . . but hey, ya gotta startt somewhere, huh?

I'm adding very soon a MIT 3 RCA for the CD to pre link. . . and am inclined to go with the same brand throughout....possibly not the same model, but same brand....

I'm on an island with my ambitions for testing future wires it looks like. No one has made mention of the Synergistic, or Nirvana. I felt better hearing Audience mentioned, as well as Cardass GR, and Nordost Quattro's.... Thanks for that. I was feeling a bit out of place there for a time....I've had little faith in wires for the most part. Especially costly ones. . . but hearing is believeing....and it was an Audience XLR in place of an old cheap XLR of mine that turned my head around....

So OK. Purist it is....didn't like the speaker cables I tried, but perhaps the IC's are different. . . and a nod to Acoustic Zin ? is it? so I'm figuring tha that ought to cover it for a time....and thank you all for your time and consideration....oh, yeah, and most valued experiences.

I'll add those mentioned above and 'see' for myself...figuring the addition of loudspeakers is not going to change waht is being supplied, only reproduce it....so giving the best signal to the loudspeakers is the focus for the time being....

anything else I should know about in terms of IC'S IN YOUR OPINION (S) ?...ONCE MORE YOU ALL HAVE MY DEEPEST APRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS...

...as it turns out... the Synergistic Research resolution ref x2, active sheilded became the choice for the main link, pre to amp. balanced. Pricey but worth it. they bested the SX Ltds in the overall... the SX however was/is quite the ambient retreval champ. A phenominal SS envelope, and great harmonics, it lacked in the lower regions in my system and was edged out by the SR RR x2 active XLRs... though not by much and there was a compromise or two as well with the SRs. there are always some compromises..

Heck I give you credit for still having them same gear over 2 years later!

Actually, I got the Syn Res Refs back in Sept 2006. It took me nearly five months to go through ten sets or more of ICs prior to making the choice. I could well have lived with a few of them too... Shunyata's Altairs, the SX's, or VooDoo's Ultralinear. The Res Refs x2's were frankly, a good fit and came in quite affordable to boot... as well as given their retail prices.

I'm of the opinion if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The BAT stuff is here to stay for a time... only the pre is something I seek to upgrade/change and then simply for grater flexibility in selecting sources. the sound quality of it is simply remarkable, after some isoing, and tube rolling, pcs... etc.

It'll be pricey to add the flexibility I seek and retain the sonics it has for sure. Likely, I'll have to move closer to the "dreaded neutrality" monster by so doing.

The amp is a keeper as it was made at the very end of the run of vk500's prior to the release of the 600... so in amp terms, it's still young... and is a real dream by solid state accounts. IMO Though I do wish it would do RCA as well as it does XLR... Oil well.