DEAD QUIET noise floor. Tone. Timbre. Transparency. Detail. Soundstage. Imaging. Dynamics.

Slight warm coloration.

This is a review of Audioquest CV4 2.5M (8') with 48V DBS. Prior to using these cables, I had DH Labs Q10 as well as Belkin PureAv PCOCC cable.

The CV4 DBS cables are of star quad design, which provides low inductance without spiking the capacitance. The conductors are solid core, said to provide smoother, more natural sound. Then there is the dielectric bias system (DBS). The theory behind DBS is by biasing the dielectric with DC current at a certain level, the dielectric stops behaving like a capacitor. It's the storing and releasing of electrical energy as current folows through the conductors that causes high frequency rolloff and a muddying of the sound.

My first impression was that these cables sounded very detailed and transparent with a low noise floor. There was a slight lack of smoothness in the transcients compared with my previous DHLabs Q10.

After just 24 hours with the DBS hooked up, the cable simply disappeared! With that I mean the noise floor is DEAD QUIET. All I hear are the voices and instruments and nothing else! The tones of the voices and stringed instruments are absolutely natural. And the soundtage and imaging is amazingly precise. It is easy to make out individual voices in a chorus and the reverbration of the hall. This is as closest to a live performance I have ever experienced.

Compared to the DHLabs Q10, the Audioquest CV4 are very slightly in the warmer side of neutral. At the same time, these are very detailed and dynamic. The soundstage is as big as the Q10 (which is pretty wide, to say the least). But the imaging is so darn good that you feel like reaching out and touching the singers. The sound of shimmer and decay of cymbals is the best I have ever heard.

These are really outstanding cables. Although I was skeptical about the DBS system, I am convinced it works and amazingly good at that!

FOOTNOTE:
In case you think I am full of hot air, I used to be a cable naysayer, but my experiences with different cables have convinced me beyond doubt that cables do indeed make a noticeable difference - despite what some of the gurus claim. That said, I look for scientific reasons why cables.

The Audioquest DBS cables must be heard to be appreciated. They will convince even the most skeptical of critics.

Customer Service

Not applicable. Audioquest generally has an excellent reputation for customer service.

Similar Products Used:

DHLabs Q10

Price, bass extension, high frequency extention

Slight smearing in high transient resonse

Describing the characteristics of a speaker cable w/o listing the associated equipment is ridiculous. My system: Sony SCD-CE775 SACD player modded by SACDMODS Outlaw Audio PCA interconnects Arcam AVR200 Audioquest CV4 speaker cables Fronts:Sonus Faber Concertino's Center:Paradigm CC370 V2 Rears: Polk f/x300i Sub: Monitor Audio ASW 110 Previously used Linn K22 speaker cable which was dreadful in this setup. The Audioquest cable works very well indeed with the associated equipment and was a huge improvement in high and low frequency extension. The SF's image well with any wire so no improvement noted there. Speed of transients has also improved. The only weakness that I can discern is a slight tendency to fail to quiet quickly enough on cymbals. The fault may lie elsewhere in the sytem. Soundstage remained as before, stranger towards center than sideways. Depth of soundstage is good but not outstanding probably a result of room limitations. At this reasonable price point these are highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Linn K22, Synergistic Research (forgot designation), Monster

clear, good bass, good quality/value

fatigue, sound stage

Audioquest has a good reputation and they obviously make some great cables. I''ve had the CV-4''s now for 2 years and have listened to them almost daily with a variety of different music. I use 2 runs to each speaker to bi-wire with a Bryston amp and Rega cd player ( AQ interconncets as well). Compared to ALL cables I won''t say that the CV-4 are "great" cables, but rather, "good" cables with some weaknesses. We can all assume that until we enter the top dollar cable spectrum, all cables will have their weaknesses - and even still at top dollar. It just depends on which you chose to live with. These cables come accross as very clear, good bass, as many reviewers have mentioned, but also fatigue after listening to them for a while. I hear some brightness in the mid highs and highs, and a lack of depth in the soundstage. Because of that I have never really been able to just listen to the music, I''m always trying to figure out what is wrong. If you have a top quality system you should obviously listen to them first as they are not too forgiving. I would highly recommend them to anyone with run of the mill speaker wire, and a definite contender in home theatre, as CV-4 is sold by the foot. In conclusion, CV-4 is good for what it is/great price, but AQ also makes much better. While I have enjoyed the CV-4, I''ll be happy when I can afford to upgrade. Ti

Similar Products Used:

straightwire, wireworld, jps,

Very well defined open high end, fair imaging and soundstage, relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk.

Mid's are unrefined and not well rounded leaning towards emphasis on the upper mid-range while clipping everything below including the important mid to low bass, because of this it does not accomodate itself well to very efficient speakers which need a more evenly balanced cable.

In the past month or so I have auditioned quite a few cables and am somewhat amazed at exactly how different each responds. I should also mention that the response is not always the same and largely depends on the other equiptment one uses as the cables actively interact with the characteristics of the system as a whole. The CV-4 by AQ is a decent enough cable but lacks any real warmth and depth of soundstage found in the better cables I auditioned. The highs are well defined and very open if somewhat lacking of precision. Unfortunately beginning in the mid-range is where things started to fall apart for me. The mid's are well emphasized in the higher mid frequencies but dramtically slope off after that. Leaving the mid-bass and lower bass undelivered to a great extent. If all you listened to is the CV-4 this might pass somewhat unnoticed as they do have an appeal being a very clear sounding cable, however once put in side by side comparison with cables like the Cardas Quadlink their weaknesses become evident immediately. Overall the CV-4 also seemed to lack any warmth and character, and did not disappear as well as one might like them to making their presence evident by the somewhat pushed mid and higher ranges. All in all a decent enough cable but may not sit well with many systems. My final recommendation is to find someone who will let you audition several different cables if you are in the market, so that you may find what best suits your system needs and listening pleasure. Locally I have found Superior Sound in Western Michigan to be outstanding in this and other regards and would highly recommend them to anyone in the area. Good luck and good listening !

Similar Products Used:

XLO Pro (decent), Highwire 100 & 700 , Cardas Twinlink (somewhat akin to the CV-4), Crosslink (better than Twinlink or AQ CV-4 but a bit congested, Quadlink (nice), Music World Equinox III (a bit bright and lacking bottom end)

This is my first 'good cable' purchase. I was AMAZED at how much difference there is in quality cabling compared to the ones I had been using. After reading the review by Dave Pavuk below, I really can't add much of anything. His review is right on target with my own findings after I recovered from my initial shock at the improvement over my Monster cables. My speakers are of the bookshelf design rated to around 63 hz on the low end. This cable didn't even let them get that low. However, on the top end they sounded great. Read Dave's review for a more in depth accounting. If this is your first adventure towards becoming a cable freak, as I think I am, then you can find this cable for a very good price unterminated and might be a good match for the tweeter portion of a bi-wire/amp system.

My setup:
Nakamichi AV-2 (receiver)
Nakamichi MB-10s (CD changer)
NHT 1.1 bookshelf speakers
HomeGrown Audio Super Silver DIY IC's
Sanus Systems stands

Similar Products Used:

Monster OFC Flat cable and Radio Shack

Clarity in treble, solid and slightly forward midband, great dynamics, Natural sounding...neither too forward or laid back and good control.

shy bass if using single run. Competition.

Expensive but a using two runs of CV-4 increases bass enormously while midband and treble remain cohesive.

Also splitting the thicker gauge from the thinner gauge for bi-wiring will make a difference to the sound.

I've been advised against connectors and use the bare wire instead..perhaps the connector quality is affecting the sound.

I've found isolating my equipment to make subtle but noticeable difference so if there's problems with the sound, check the rest of the setup first.

Only criticism is that (in Australia), they are quite expensive and no shortage of competition which makes auditioning a lengthy process.

These are only some suggestions..

Similar Products Used:

Tara Labs Prism 2+2, Cabletalk Concert 2.1

Good build quality, overall decent sound

Slightly weak bass

I agree with the previous review especially comments on the bass. I used CV-4 for several months before buying AudioQuest Slate (on sale $99 for 12-feet pair) at Audioadvisor.com. In comparison, the CV-4 is weak on bass while the Slate really brought up the low frequencies I didn't know I had. Very noticable, not a subtle difference. I'm not a believer in grossly over priced cables so I consider many speaker cables in the sub-$300 class to be outstanding values and AudioQuest certainly addresses this market.

System:
Conrad-Johnson PV-14L tube preamp
Conrad-Johnson Premier 11a tube power amp
Denon DCD-1650AR CD player / transport
Magnum FT-101A FM Tuner
MSB Gold Link III 24/96 DAC
MSB P1000 Power base power supply
Thiel CS 1.5 Speakers
AudioQuest Diamondback interconnects
AudioQuest Slate speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

AudioQuest Slate

AQ Indigo-2 users watch out!
Here's an upgrade that costs lesser and performs better than the Indigo-2. Quite stunning in every area! Single bi-wire doesn't work, so you'll need two lengths to each speaker.

I was never a cable buff, in fact I went to the A/V Store just to take a look at a new Amp, I got on the subject of Cables. The store sales person told me I need to try some new speaker cables and that I would be a believer, I said ok. I had some Monster cable already on my speakers and replaced it with the CV-4. The difference was noticable. It sounded like I had sheet over the top of my Mirage Speakers for the last 2 years. I wish I had gotten these cables sooner.

Clear hi and hi-mid, expanded sound stage with better clarity of different musical instruments. Increase depth and seperation in female and male voices.

None at this price

This is probably one of the best return of investment that anyone could have on their system. I use it as a biwire speaker cable for the high frequency on my KEF Q35 speakers. I used jumper cables before the CV-4. The high comes through very well and the overall sound stage expanded by about 25%. I can now seperate the 4 solo violins on the 1st movement of the Palladium (Diamond Music). Female vocals stand apart with male vocals in both duet and choral pieces. High head and snare on drums fly out of the speaker rather than hidden at the back of a band. All in all, I purchase 4 meters of the cable for about 60 US dollars and I feel that it worth every penny of it.