Interconnect Hell - which one!

[admin_exported]

I have a Roksan Kandy Llll Amp, Power Amp, CD player - B&W 603-S3 with Silver Aniversary XT cable. From the CD player to the Llll I am using a Roksan HDC 02A interconnect. From th Llll to the power Amp a no name interconnect bought from ebay - loads of base and dull as hell with no detail. I have got to replace this and the general staple advice is go for another Roksan. However, for the £100 I have to pay for this are there any suggestions - I would like to try to develop more detail if I can.

 

[hifikrazy]

Strange that you say your system sounds dull with the equipment you have. I had the same amp and the B&W 601S3 before and never found them dull (in fact it was quite the contrary), and from what I hear, the QED speaker cables are also on the bright side of neutral. So I think you're right in suspecting the interconnects to be the culprit (not too long ago, I wouldn't have dared make this statement for fear of being ridiculed by some hi-fi geriatric).

However, I am fresh from doing a comparison last night between two interconnects, the Merlin Verdi II and the Nordost Black Knight and found the Nordost to be clearly brighter and more exciting than the Merlin, although I found it to cause listener fatique even after a short listen. The Merlin was much more natural in my mind, at the expense of a little bit of detail.

I wouldn't recommend the Nordost to you, as I think it's skewed a little too far from neutral for me to be comfortable with. But what I could suggest is any silver plated copper interconnects, as I've generally found them to be more detailed (the Chord Silver Siren and the Chord Chameleon Silver Plus comes to mind).

 

[Thaiman]

I think that is a Roksan's problem! not the cables (smiley icons here!)

 

[Anonymous]

How very dare you! Roksan is stunning stuff for the money - or I would have it now would I. when I said dull - I noticed the effect from moving the Roksan interconnect from the integrated -power amp to the CD -integrated - where there was suddenly more detail, but with that in view the interconnect now integrated to power is going to be hiding lots of the detail the Roksan cable gave me. thanks for the advice - even if you are a misguided non Roksan lover.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="hifikrazy"]I am fresh from doing a comparison last night between two interconnects, the Merlin Verdi II and the Nordost Black Knight and found the Nordost to be clearly brighter and more exciting than the Merlin, although I found it to cause listener fatique even after a short listen. [/quote]

Try some cheap ones. They might sound better than both of them.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="gez6768"]How very dare you! Roksan is stunning stuff for the money [/quote]

I wouldn't dare sir! My comment was made in a light hearted way. I love the caspian and can't stand Kandy but that's me with my ears.

 

[Anonymous]

ZHR: "Try some cheap ones. They might sound better than both of them."

I think it's fairly clear hificrazy has it pretty much spot on as to who ZHR is.