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Bargain interconnects to tame treble & boost bass?

Here's the system:
Sony DVP-NS755V
Audioquest Alpha Snake
Bryston B60R
Kimber 4TC / 8TC bi-wire
Triangle Heliade ES

Problem: Sound tilted way toward top-end.

I've done about as much as I can in speaker placement and room adjustments, but the system still sounds too bright and too bass-shy. The treble is also a problem when running the television sound (digital cable) through the system, so, while I recognize that the DVD / CD player is not the best, I don't think it is the primary culprit. (I do plan to upgrade the CD player eventually.)

I sort of suspect that the ultimate solution would be either to replace the amp with a tube amp or to replace the speakers. But both are recent purchases, so I would like to see if better interconnects might make a difference.

Are there interconnects for $200 or less (for 1m), new or used, that would help solve my system's problems? I am open to any other suggestions you might have. Thanks.
jpbach
trelja
3,215 posts
 
Sherod/Grant, what is the difference between MAS Black and Grey?

I picked up the Grey at the same time John sold me the 3 Cardas adapters (boy, was I at the right place at the right time for those adapters!?!). The MAS was more or less a throw-in, and a no brainer, as you never know when a cable with such a good reputation, having both RCA and XLR terminations, will come in handy. Truthfully, I haven't sat down to evaluate the MAS Grey on its own yet, to be able to know what it actually sounds like.
kenbo's avatar
kenbo
19 posts
 
Look into Audio Horizon cables. Price is perfect for you.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
MAS Black is copper wire, whereas MAS Grey is silver.
sherod
1,681 posts
 
As much as I wanted to like the MAS Grey it just never sounded right to my ears. Even after being fully broken in, the sound was very clean and fast, but the tonal balance was always tilted up and the extreme highs just had a bit too much energy to them. To my ears, in my system, on my CD player, the MAS Black( formerly the MAS Musiclink) is just more balanced and natural sounding. But this is just IMHO and YMMV. There are better cables today since the MAS Black came out quite some time ago, but even today, in the right system, the little MAS Black will still put to shame many very expensive( and overpriced) interconnects.I still have a pair on my CD player in my bedroom system and always keep a couple pair spare for emergencies and comparisons.

By the way, I believe the MAS Black has silver/plated copper conductors.
trelja
3,215 posts
 
Thank you for the clarification, Grant. Makes sense...

Sherod, your feelings are classic "silver versus copper" debate. There's not a lot that can be added to what you said, except my own experiences. For a time, I liked adding silver in, and at a certain point, a threshold was reached where it became too much. Yes, it did all of these things that looked great on paper, yet I could never sit down and fully relax while listening. One day, I switched out the silver loudspeaker cables for copper, and there was peace. I learned an important lesson. Depending on system and personal tastes, silver or copper will be better. I've really come to appreciate the liquidity and warmth of copper.

I tend to hear silver plated copper exhibiting a lot of the characteristics of silver. Sort of a poor man's silver cable, though I'm sure some cable company who markets this kind of product for mega bucks will jump on me for saying this.
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