The Rocket 44 speaker cables arrived today and so far I think I will be happy with them. They lose some of the midrange congestion that the AQ Slates had. The OML1's always sounded a little recessed in the midrange but not with the Rockets. The soundstage did not move forward but the midrange is as front and center, so to speak, as the rest of the range.

Listening to Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk's "French Impressions" I notice that Joshua's violin is more focused and detailed with the 44's compared to a larger blurry violin with the Slates. The Rockets also make it easier to follow the piano or violin since they sound to be a distance away from one another in the soundstage. Listening to Dwight Yoakam's "A Long Way Home" you certainly hear a very natural presentation of his voice. All the instruments also benefitted from the midrange clarity.

Tonally they sound more like the AntiCables and less like the Slates. I do not remember the AntiCables having this much nuance to the sound but again for the money they are very good cables. The AntiCables beat the Slates as do the Rocket 44's. Now I know why the Slates ended up so quickly sold in bulk to retailers that would discount them heavily.

Physically the 44's are not as bulky as the Slates. The AQ bananas are of high quality. So far they have made a great first impression but it will be weeks before I notice if any of today's improvements become tomorrow's annoyances.