Just replaced my ten year old "in wall" monster cable with Audioquest Crystal and my standard issue turntable interconnect with the Audioquest Truth Emerald. All I can say is that I'm hearing things I never heard before given the wider sound stage of a tighter bottom end and a cleaner high end.
Yes, theses cable are not inexpensive but represent a real value of enhancing the overall enjoyment of an audiophile system.

I used Audioquest Crystal for 3 years and found it to be less colored then the Cardas Twinlink I was using previously. Crystal is an honest cable. Response is quite flat, good solid bass, and detailed highs, all of which sounds evenly balanced. Compared to more expensive cables the Crystals don't have the same extension at the frequency extremes, and compared to really expensive cables the noise floor is higher. But overall a good cable that is positioned on the cusp of diminishing returns.
Solid 4 star value.

I initially replaced my monster with the type 4. The improvement was substanual. My ears did not get fatigue after long listening. I thought I was hearing my specker full potential. I recently had the opportunity to get my hands on a pair of 12ft. biwire Crystal at half price(returned item). After a good breakin period(one week), the Crystal just blows me away. I heard everything that it was meant to be hear from a CD. I noticed movement in the background that I've never heard before. The sound is warm, crisp and full. The bass is full and smooth. I'm very happy with the Cystal.
Audiophile budget system:

yam reciever
yam cd player
Audioquest turquoise
Crystal
sony DD decoder
Sound Dynamic P100 towers

detailed with full sweet sound

none for this price level

This is excellent speaker cable for the money, I prefer in
all respects over Kimber 8TC which is also very good. 12 solid copper wires provides amazing detail, which I was surprised it topped Kimber in this area. The excellent detail is married to a full, sweet overall sound, again better than Kimber in this respect. Sound staging also impressive if you have equipment which can deliver....

This cable is a hose @5/8 diameter, and rather stiff, don't
plan any sharp bends here. Bought this from Audio Advisor
for $205 6ft pair, Kimber 8TC $188 6ft pair, go with crystal
wanted to try StraightWire Rhapsody II but was hard to get
my order filled from AA........my system

Musical Fidelity X-Ray CDP
Musical Fidelity A3 Integrated Amp
Spendor SP1 3-way monitors
Target audio rack, speaker stands
Monster HTS3500 AC conditioner
Interconnects - AQ Opal 1/2 meter or Silver Audio Silver Bullet Four 1/2 meter
Speaker cable - AQ Crystal 6ft runs, spade

Similar Products Used:

Kimber 8TC

Just got a pair of these cables to replace some Type 4's, and the improvement is substantial. Smoother sound with less harshness and colorations in the highs, and a very noticable improvement in bass. Listening fatigue should not be a problem as I could run my stereo all day long. I even did a "blind test" on my roommate who knows absolutely nothing about stereo equipment, and was shocked when he immediately pointed out the differences between the two. Quality cable for the value, but carefully plan your terminations. This is *STIFF* cable and is extremely difficult to "bend" to properly connect, especially if you have a lot of wires hooked up to your receiver/amp.

I have tried many cables up to around $30 a meter, and this is my favorite.On my system (CyrusIII+PSX, Rotel RCD-965, vdHul the First, and vifa vivace selfbuild speakers) cables like vhhulCS122 and supra ply 3.4 sound to bright and unpleasant. What I hate with all silver cables is the artificial highlighted midhigh and too much accent on the transients, especially on CD.
The gives the impression the leadsinger stands behind the percusion and basically leads to a fatiquing sound with a thin mid-bass and really low deep-bass. This artificially highlight details.
On the other side multistranded copper givesd
This Audioquest cables transform my sytem to something with sweet highs, a full midbass and lead vocals fly free.
I suspect these cables filter; because the bass-lines are thicker (I have a three-waysytem, with the bass and the midh-high biwirable) bass is accentuated, because damping seems less strong deepbass is partly replaced with euphonic midbass; by reducing transients or dynamics vocals are accentuated, by filtering treble highs get sweeter. On the other side, the other named cables also add and subtract to the sound.
A good test is letting sane (non-audiophile) people listen for an evening. If they find the system entertaining and pleasant you are on the right track. System that impress with details and bass show after some hours to be annoying and unmusical. Many audiophiles don't notice this.
Everyone prefers the audioquestcables -yhough not perfect- above highpraised audiophile alternatives.
One more thing: solidcore cables are very sensitive to bending, terminate them well and bend them as little as possible.

EXCELLENT FULL RANGE SOUND
COMPARABLE TO KIMBER KABLE SILVER STREAK AND MONSTER SIGMA

EXTENSIVE BURN IN PERIOD

THESE ARE HANDS DOWN SOME OF THE BEST CABLES YOU CAN BUY.....AT LEAST IN THIS PRICE RANGE. CRYSTAL IS ABOUT $28 FT., AND EASILY BEATS OUT THE NEW AUDIOQUEST SLATE. IF PROPERLY TERMINATED (BFA CONNECTORS), YOU WILL GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SPEAKERS. ON THE DOWNSIDE....IT TOOK ME ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO BURN MINE IN TO MY LIKING. ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, I'D COMPARE THESE TO CABLES COSTING THREE TIMES AS MUCH.

Similar Products Used:

KIMBER SILVER STREAK