PAD Venustas

I've owned all three. I liked the AU24 ICs when I owned them. I believe the Venustas have more in common with the AU24 than do the Aqueous. I also believe the Venustas convey a larger image with higher resolution than the AU24. It'd be wise to listen to both the Venustas and AU24 in your own system since your preferences may differ from mine.

I really like the sound characteristics of the Au24...ultra smooth midrange, esp for female vocals, relaxed, smooth presentation, treble without etch or glare, wide soundstage, etc.

I would say a couple of things. I've found with two components that I actually liked the music more with the RCAs than with the XLRs. They were the same cable, naturally, but both had the same effect of losing focus with the XLRs. YMMV, of course.

You obviously are a big fan of the AU24. I found them to be exactly as you describe, but within an hour I was really bored with the music. The Venustas have similar qualities--excellent bass as well--but in contrast to the AU24, I find the music to be enveloping and utterly engaging. My suggestion would be to pick up a used pair of Venustas, leave them in your system for 3-4 days (they may disappoint at first), and then go back to the AU24. Then you'll know which you prefer, and you could end up sticking with what you already have.

Best of luck!

I have been able to recently compare the Venustus against the Aqueous.
The Venustus has defintaly more bass but not tighter bass.
The Aqueous has more high end extension and better overall dynamics.
I prefer the Aqueous over the Venustus.
Funny, I tried the Aqueous early on from the Cable Co. and did not care for them, now they sound great!.
The first try, the set was probably not as burned in as the set I just tried.
In fact, when I tried them this time they did not sound so good in the midrange the first day but after a couple days they opened up.

I wonder though if 2 runs of Aqueous would be better still than a bi-wire set?

Ozzy, I agree generally with your comments, but you might find it beneficial to hang on to both (or own both). Why?

Venustas and Aqueous will perform differently when placed in different positions in the system chain. Also, they will positively or negatively affect the sound when used with different components. For example, When I owned an APL Denon 3910, I always used Aqueous from the APL to my preamp, and then Venuasts from the preamp to the amp. Now that I own an Exemplar Denon 3910, I find using the Venustas from the Exemplar to the preamp and the Aqueous from the preamp to the amp works best. While owning the APL, I once tried using two sets of Venustas and I hated the results...too "closed in". I also didn't care for two sets of Aqueous...too detailed and "in your face"". Now though, I might like two sets of Venustas, but I don't have another set to try.

The point is that while you might prefer the Aqueous now, you might prefer the Venustas later with different gear. They are both excellent.

TVAD,
Thats a good point. I agree.
Each piece of Equipment seems to lean towards a preference to a different cable.