Okay, I have to post this because of how much of a difference I have heard by getting nice interconnects. I am not trying to boast here at all, I am simply wanting to share my findings with you all so that you hopefully can experience what I have found.
Long story short, I have a friend who works for a company who can get insane discounts for Audioquest cables. Ie: 60% off. Well, I decided to get the most expensive interconnects they sold online because why the hell not? At 60% off, why not, right?
To give a little backstory, before I bought my audioquest cables, I was using Mediabridge cables that I bought on Amazon. About 10 bucks per 20 foot cable. I always thought they were good quality, seemed sturdy and well made. Well, I unplugged everything, connected my new audioquest cables, and I couldn't believe the instant difference(s). I played some Renee Olstead, Stacey Kent, Chuck Israels, and Diana Krall. The mids and highs got way cleaner, way clearer, all while becoming a little more smooth and easier to listen to. I couldnt believe it. More air was added to the highs, instruments became way more noticeable, but with no added harshness at all. Audioquest states that most harshness heard is caused by distortion through cables.
After listening to some songs with excellent vocals, i then tried some songs to test out the bass... It was just as dramatic of a difference as it was for the highs! More slam, more articulate, and more refined. I haven't tried them on my Kappa 9's yet, but on my IIb's, they even reached 4 Hz lower after replacing the cables. I used my RABOS test frequencies kit to see how low they could hit, and it reached 21hz!
Lastly, my speakers have next to no sound coming from them anymore. Everyone ALWAYS told me that humming/buzzing coming from speakers was due to grounding issues, and although I do believe there is some truth to that, there is almost none now and all I have done is replace cables. I have never heard these speakers idle so quietly. I think a lot of this has to do with the Audioquest DBS system(s), which is essentially active shielding for the cables.
So, I am now a firm believer in buying nice cables. The differences were dramatic and I honestly dont think I could go back. I hope you guys get a chance to hear the difference some time, because you will be blown away... I promise.
If anyone is wondering, these are the cables I bought (they are all audioquest btw):
6' 6" Yukon (IIb EQ to Amps)
2, 2' Victoria's (Dac to preamp, preamp to IIb EQ)
5' Coffee USB A-B ( Computer to Dac)
2, NRG 2's (1 for my Dac, 1 for my preamp)
Btw, I upgraded one cable at a time and it wasn't until I upgraded all the cables that I noticed the biggest difference. Just an fyi.
Now to speaker wire.... it's only money right!?