Cable Info Request

[Billiam62]

After reading that John Michael is quite happy with his Rocket J Squirrel 440's by Audio Quest, I got to thinking (after having done some reading on these cables) these might be a superior cable to my AQ Type 4 speaker cable.

Can anyone tell me whether or not by switching out these cables to the Rocket 44's that I would see a noticeable improvement to the clarity and detail of my audio over the Type 4 cable?

[Feanor]

After reading that John Michael is quite happy with his Rocket J Squirrel 440's by Audio Quest, I got to thinking (after having done some reading on these cables) these might be a superior cable to my AQ Type 4 speaker cable.

Can anyone tell me whether or not by switching out these cables to the Rocket 44's that I would see a noticeable improvement to the clarity and detail of my audio over the Type 4 cable?
IMHO nobody can give you much assurance that you will hear any improvement (or even a difference) in case of this cable swap or equipment swaps in general.

In the first place there a generally technical synergies with any combination of equipment or, for that matter, particular recordings and the equipment. Secondly personal preference is always important.

[Billiam62]

With my current system I did notice an improvement to the sound when I introduced the AQ Gateway interconnect to the CD player. It has a cleaner, more detailed sound on delicate passages than the Copperhead interconnect by AQ. The Type 4 is an improvement to regular 16 gauge wire that I used previously.

[JohnMichael]

First the copper. The Type 4 has 4 solid core wires making the cables while the Rocket 44's have 8 solid core wires so a greater gauge with less resistance.

The two negative conductors in Type 4 are insulated with partially conductive Carbon-Loaded Polyethylene. This remarkable material damps radio-frequency garbage from being fed back into the amplifier. The sonic benefit is exactly the same reduction in “hash” and better dimensionality that comes whenever RF garbage is reduced in an audio circuit.

Much the same with the Rocket 44's and a really quiet and distortion free cable.

The Rocket 44's are cold terminated which to me means and looking at the bananas they are tightened down onto the cables after a conductive material is used. The type 4's from their lack of mention of cold welding I think must be soldered.

I bought a pair of AQ Slates terminated at AA and they are noisier than the Rockets terminated by AQ. I am not sure if it was the soldering or the cables did not have the carbon in the insulation. The Rocket 44's are such a quiet noiseless cable.

I have also recently found that the AQ Diamondback is a good match for the Rocket 44's and I look forward to buying my next pair of Diamondbacks.

So it is up to you. Is it worth the money? I think the Rocket 44's are as far as I need to go for quality cables. Now I need one more pair of AQ Diamondbacks.

[Billiam62]

Anyone have any experience with the Black Mamba II being sold by Audio Advisor? Reviews on their website are good. Diamondback's are one I am going to consider. The price is reasonable and they seem to get good reviews.

[JohnMichael]

Anyone have any experience with the Black Mamba II being sold by Audio Advisor? Reviews on their website are good. Diamondback's are one I am going to consider. The price is reasonable and they seem to get good reviews.


I find it interesting that they say the Black Mambas use the same conductors as the King Cobra. The original Mambas was a stranded cable and not solid core. I have not been able to find out for sure but I would think the Mambas II would be multistrand from PSC+ copper. The reason you like the Type 4's in particular are the lack of strand interaction which gives a cleaner better focused cable. The Diamondbacks are solid core and sound much like AQ's speaker cables.

I recently bought a pair of Diamondbacks and I am very pleased. Detailed and focused while also being extended with no edge to the highs. The Micropurls from Goertz were aggressive even if the music was not. The Goertz TQ2's were a little more detailed with less aggression. The DNM Reson had an etched sound to the highs but are not shielded. The Diamonback's easily superior to all the other IC cables I have owned.