Build, overall quality, many features(oxygen free, gold plated pin, dual shield), good looking, excellent in everything.

None that i have noticed yet.

I have just bought some proseries 2 audio cables for connecting my dvd player to the amp. I immediately noticed that they gave more detail, a better image, a warmer sound, the soundstage improved, i also could turn the voulume up and it didn´t distorted like the old box cables or sony cables i used, i didn´t think they could improve my system so much. They beat easily monster cable interlink 300. Excellent cables for the price.

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Box cheap cables(big mistake), sony cables, monster cable interlink 300, tributaries (also good but a little more expensive.

none that I can hear at the price payed.

I purchased a pair of these a year ago to connect my cd player to my integrated amp. I had been like many others highly skeptical on the benefits of expensive interconnects. These made a substancial inprovement in the sound of my cds bringing out little things I had never heard before an adding clarity that was not there before also. These made me wonder if a more expensive pair of cables would make even more of an improvement. so I purchased a pair of Better Cables Silver Serpent cables. I my self found the Silver Serpent cables to be to reveling, bringing out back ground sounds to much and drowning out the main part of the music. So I went back to the ARs, and to my tastes find them to be better than the Silver Serpents and alot cheaper. For the price you can purchase these cables they are a great buy.

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Better Cables Silver Serpent cables

sound, grounded at the source ,sturdy connection

the rubber end grips dry rot

the cable is all around a very good cable. i got mine at sears in chula vista ca. i had an 18$ cupon for a purchase and saw them and needed them anyway. i have had them since 97 and my only complaint is that the little rubber end grips dry rotted away on the reciever end. cable still works exellent. they are as good as the monster 250 which is also a very good consumer cable. they look cool too.

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monster and radio shack gold

construction and component quality, tight fit, excellent shielding, grounded at source.

None that I've seen or heard.

The entire line of AR's Pro Series patch/interconnect cables are top notch performers for all types of consumer grade (or higher) audio and/or video setups. I use a variety of lengths/types on both my Dolby 5.1 Home Theater setup and my standard two-channel stereo CD/tape/LP rack system. Even old equipment will be made to sound better using these interconnect cables. Stop shopping around right now and go to and get solid discount prices and superfast shipping on this entire line of cables. One of the best buys on the Web!

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Monster XP speaker cable w/AR gold connectors.

Cost and quality.

None

Can't compare against any other as this is the only SW cable that I ever used. No interference, it hooked right up, no problems. Also S video is a good value also.

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None

Allows most of the music (PRAT=pace rhytm and timing) to come through. Clear.

Adds some color in the form of warmth.

These are excellent value cables as can be seen from the other reviews. The 3 ft seems less colored than the 6 foot but they are both acceptable even in a high res system. I am always impressed when I 'forget' about a component of the chain in my system. I have to say that the ARs humbly achieve this status. These cables in sound are worth a lot more.

They have a fullness and roundness (smooth without loosing much detail) that most people will find inviting. The cheapest cables I have but quite well used. You can tell that there are (or were) analog lovers at AR. These cables are in that realm. Try them (and their flat speaker wire while you at it)

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Ultralink, Van den Hul, Kimber but at higher prices.

good construction, good price

wish they has a better version with teflon insulation and thicker wire.

I AM A BARGAIN HUNTER I will walk a mile to save a dollar...it is the principle not the money.

I believe that cables DO MAKE a difference, by that note I also DO NOT believe that a $200 interconnect is 10 times better than a $20 interconnect. There is a lot of hype out there about cables but there are good values out there as well.

ALL IN ALL I BELIEVE THAT THE ACOUSTIC RESEARCH HI RES CABLES ARE THE BEST VALUE OUT THERE. $15 for a 1 meter interconnect WOW. If you want my reasoning read below:

cables 101 Now there are three types of interconnect cables:
1. Pair of wires, one wire is the signal and the other is the ground, simple and is best for lower frequencies but does not have any shielding so is most susceptible to picking up noise. There are a couple of people out there that make cable where each cable is shielded and resembles Twinliax cable. Straight wire interconnects are also in this category but VERY expensive.

2. Coax is the other extreme where the center conductor carries the signal and the outer shield is the ground, these do a better job transmitting the higher frequencies that the lower frequencies. Wireworld, and BetterCables. The wireworld solstice 3 is my favorite in this category they run about $20 for 1meter interconnect. The Better cables are thicker and semi reasonable at $50 per 1 meter interconnects.

3. Twisted pair is a compromise between the two, it transmits lower frequencies well and the loose twisting helps reduce the noise. This is probably the most common in interconnect cables. Some twisted pair cables have a shield wire woven in them like Kimber PBJ ($80 per 1 meter interconnect) a good design but A TAD expensive for what you get. You can buy very nice connectors and twist your own cable for much less money. My favorites are the Acoustic research HT series ($15 per 1 meter interconnect) They are twisted with a Mylar shield and a drain wire that is grounded at one end. If you want to spend more money the Monster cable M550I run around $50 per 1 meter interconnect.

What cable you use is up to you and your electronics. If your equipment is dull then you may want Coax interconnects to help brighten it. If your equipment is bright then you may want to buy twisted pair interconnects to bring out the bass more.

My only complaint is that I wish that Acoustic Research would make a Higher level interconnect out of 18guage wire that has teflon jacketing instead of PVC and coats the solder contacts in resin so they do not oxidize over time. They could sell this version for 30% more and it would still be a bargain.

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Kimber pbj, monster 550I, Wireworld solstice 3, Phoenix gold, 'free cables' that came with my Sony vcr.

Build, Now have a 'clearer' Image

improvement wasnt that that great over free cables or maby I just need to burn them in

I just hooked these cables up and they are very well made. They sound better than the free cables that I have been using for over a year now. I still think that they need time to burn in. Over all I am very pleased with my purchase.

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freeby cables

Better than generic interconnects

Dull sounding. Hides detail.

I bought a few of these cables based on reviews here. These cables can be good for some applications, but definitely not for some others.

I think that if you have a mid- or low-fi system, these will work just fine for you. Your standard Sony, Pioneer, Yamaha, black-plastic, light-weight stuff that you get at Best Buy or some other department store will do well with these cables. But if you have good equipment that can really shine and deliver outstanding musical reproduction you need better cables, because these will make the music from better systems sound dull. I tried these with a powerhouse Pioneer SX-1050 receiver from the 1970's, which is overall a very decent piece of mid-fi equipment that has plenty of clean power. I hooked the Pioneer up to a Sony CD player, and I did not notice any real difference between the generic RCA cables that I had, the AR cables, or the more expensive Audioquest cables. However, when I hooked my McIntosh MC-2205 amplifier to my Myryad CD player, I definitely noticed that the generic and AR cables sounded dull, reduced the soundstage, reduced the mid-range definition, and did not sound as good as the Audioquest or Nordost cables. The music was hidden with the AR cables, and the other cables increased clarity and brought the instruments out into the room. Now, these Audioquest Coral and Nordost Black Knight/Blue Heaven cables are between $100 and $170 for a half meter pair. I feel that the investment is worth it if you are spending a considerable sum on your components and want them to sound the way that they should. If one cannot justify spending that much money and would rather stay in the AR's price range, I would recommend the Audioquest Jade cables over the ARs. They can be had for about $20 for a half meter pair and sound noticably better than the ARs. Only 2 stars overall (but three for value, they work well for the price) here because of their limited ability and other products in the same price range sound better.

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Audioquest and Nordost

price, look, service

below

i wasnt sure when people talked about how different cables can effect sound... right after i was done with connecting my new cables (interconnects, toslink, coaxial all AR) to my system i found out that everything sounded.... duller. it could be my ears. it could be me being paranoid. i am letting all my equipment run constantly to "break in" these cables for about a week or two to see whatll happen. one thing i hate is the tight grip of those cable ends on my equipment. it makes me feel like i will rip the rear panel apart every time i try to switch things around.
so far, i like what i see. they look better than those crappy cables (grrr) i used to use. ill have to wait to see if the sound quality will improve at all.
equiptment list:
sony mds je500
hk cdr30
sony dvp c600d
sony cdp cd415
sony cdp cx151
sony str de705 (will be replaced by outlaw 950/770 when they come out)

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cables that came with equipment