kaykay

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $40.00 from internet

Summary:

IF you are using NO NAME BRAND
interconnects that came with your
cd player, dvd player, etc...
THEN PLS KEEP THEM ASIDE and
BUY THE STRAIGHTWIRE CHORUS
at the very minimum.

ESPECIALLY if you are a non believer
that wire can improve sound that much.

after about 50 hrs of play time thru these wires,
they would have settled in correctly / burned in,
and you should be able to Discern Far more INFORMATION
and Detail than your freebie wires.

IF you have audio systems costing thousands of dollars
you already have much better wiring.

this wire is strictly ENTRY LEVEL , and for those
that are starting to go from crap audio to something
listenable...
VERY GOOD FOR T AMP TOO.

their next level up would be Sonata...bit less distortion
than Chorus, and wider soundstage, more softness/
gentleness in high midrange and treble.

the next level up would be ENCORE...but
beware of this one... it gives you SUPER DETAIL
and perhaps you will feel Less midrange and bass...
if you want super critical detail, this is the one.

IF your dealer has the balls to let you try
many wires in your home, this is the dealer to buy from.
at most, they will charge you only MSRP, and its worth
it, if this pre testing allows you to buy Exactly what you need
without wasting time, money and getting frustrated.

thanks

paid usd40 for 1m pair

k

Strengths:

CLARITY and balance compared to
china freebie wire

PRICE

Weaknesses:

not the best in world
but an excellent entry way
to high end clarity , and
shows you what your system
is REALLY DOING.

Similar Products Used:

many many more dear

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skylark

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $100.00 from audio 5.1

Summary:
I know there are those that would say it doesn't matter what your running for interconnects or speaker cables, but at some point in time I believe you need to spend some money in these departments. Some skeptics might say - you really need to listen closely to hear any difference. But isn't that the whole point of spending your bucks on nice equipment? When I listen to music, I listen. I listen for the crispness and clarity of the drum symbals, the emotion in the voices, the snap of the drums; the pounding of the kick drum and rythym of the bass guitar. Do you go out and spend $400.00 on interconnects and $30/ft on speaker cables when your system's only worth $2000.00?? No. But, come on, if your running cables you've picked out of the Walmart "dollar" bin and believe your getting the best out of your system - give your head a shake!! Here is my experience - picked up the NAD C352 amplifier to drive my system, I had a pair of Ixos 1014 Audition interconnects from my previous system, which I paid $45.00 for. In back to back comparison to "Wallmart" cables there was a noticable difference - soundstaging, separation, clarity and bass depth and definition was far better with the Ixos. But after longer listens the mid-range was very dry, hollow sounding and ultimately - fatiguing. When $100.00 fell from the sky into my pocket, I thought maybe I'll give some other cables a try - enter the Straightwire Chorus II. Fabulous!! Warmth and emotion returned to my music. Vocals are astonishing with these cables. Dynamics are a big improvement over the Ixos cables. High frequencies are revealed in a clear, detailed manner without ever being harsh or bright. The bass pounds relentlessly -deep and controlled. Music absolutely pours out of my speakers with these cables and they seem to be a perfect fit for my system and the character of music that I like. I would highly recommend them.

Strengths:
Clear highs Deep controlled bass Warm, expressive mid-range

Similar Products Used:
Ixos 1014 Audition Walmart "dollar" bin interconnects

Price Paid:  $34.00 from cableland.com

Summary:
I haven't heard a better cable for the money. As a fairly new audiophile, at first, I was skeptical that spending more that $15 on interconnects would give any benefits. Was I wrong. I was using Monster Cable interconnects ($20), and when I replaced them, my system which already sounded very good, sounded significantly better, terrific in fact. More openess and transparency. Clarity and warmth. Before I decided on Chorus, I compared them with Audioquest Sidewinder and Copperhead, and IXOS Silver. (Mind you they were all new so there was no break in). I would highly recommend these to anyone. My system Rotel 1055 Pioneer 45A (DVD/SACD) B&W 601 S3s

Strengths:
Amazing for the money Transparency Significant upgrade from Monster Cables

Weaknesses:
I am sure that I could have spent 400 and gotten much better cables

Similar Products Used:
Audioquest Copperhead IXOS

Summary:
Nice smooth sound. Possibly a little too smooth at the high end, but perfect for my system which sounded just a little edgy to me. Not as detailed as the Kimber PBJ, but that was too good for my NAD 521 CDP and showed up it's cold treble. Warm. If you're system is a little icy like mine was, this might be the push in the other direction you need. It's not perfect, but at the price it's damn good.

Strengths:
Warm

Weaknesses:
Perhaps slight loss of dynamics and detail.

Similar Products Used:
Kimber PBJ

Price Paid:  $40.00 from audioadvisor.com

Summary:
Maybe it's my system or insufficient break-in (20+ hours), but these really seamed to sap the musical energy from my system. They provided a more detailed and a warmer sound than the Monsters, but made the music less involving and exciting.

They may work perfectly good for you and they are inexpensive so they stil warrant a try. Got great service from audioadvisor.com. I welcome any suggestions for improvement.

B&W CDM1 NT speakers
Velodyne VA-1012 II subwoofer
NAD T750 receiver
Panasonic DVD A-310 (getting a dedicated CD player)
AudioQuest Type 2 biwire speaker cables
Monster Cable Interlink 100 interconnects

Strengths:
detailed, warm sound

Weaknesses:
didn't work well in my system, seemed to lessen overall musicality and vitality

Similar Products Used:
sheapo patch cord, Monster Interlink 100