AQ's most expensive to-date... the WEL signature series
is it a gun? no, it is a RCA connector from AQ
as a cable brand, i have a lot of sentiments for AQ. afterall, my first decent audiophile cable is the AQ python back in 2001, thanks to hearty recommendation from ken. before AQ, i wasn't really a cable guy. i outgrew python within, like, a month, and went straight for an upgrade to AQ anaconda. the anaconda was such a marvelous cable with the 3 "B"s - Big, Bold and Beautiful. anaconda is a bit larger than life. i fell in love with it deeply and the relationship lasted 3 years. at the peak of my passion for AQ, i was using 3 runs of AQ anaconda interconnects - cd to pre, pre to power and phono to power, and AQ volcano for my speaker cable. such was the immenseness of my love.
just what is the AQ sound? it is a very robust sound with plenty of zing and energy. (i am talking about the top models) it is a cable for audiophiles who are bent on the live sound. yes, AQ is very live and bold. even in their top-end series with perfect surface silver (PSS)(eg. amazon, sky, everest, kilimanjaro), AQ would never compromise their trademark robustness, energy, directness with the delicacy and refinement of silver.
but now william e. low wants to be the best and has upped the ante with his latest signature cables. and that's bad news for his competitors. i personally feel that it is high time that AQ matches up with MIT and transparent in terms of top-end prices. whether you like it or not, cable is a status symbol for the well-heeled audiophiles. if you are not pricey enough, you may just lose out, never mind the actual performance.
looking at these new signature series, aptly called WEL signature series with WEL being the initials for william e. low, AQ definitely means business. the gun-like silver RCA connector is refreshingly innovative and scarily expensive looking.
retailing at RM50k++ for the WEL signature series interconnect (2.0m) and RM100K++ for the WEL series speaker cable (10ft), AQ latest models are definitely big toys for the big boys.
also, you don't need to google as there is no info on the net as yet. didn't we say it is hot from the oven? ;-)
but you don't need to be a big boy to check it out at A&L audio station, 1st floor, amcorp mall.
Mr. Yap (A&L's showroom manager) - 012-3584387
infrequent updates
8 years ago
24 comments:
The gun-like RCA connectors are OEM-ed by Bocchino Audio of Australia. They are called Brenda connectors. Other cable brands that use them can be found at
http://www.bocchtech.com/bocchinoaudio/interconnectsbyusers.html
The way I look at cables are the following;
1.You Look for different properties in Ac chord,IC and Speaker cables
2.IC Should ONLY be silver or gold .It should be Hand twisted ,because machinization will distort the molecules of the Metal( no matter how expansive the cable is}
.The Unamplified signal need to travel as smooth and as fast
without distortion.
3.Whether your cables are shielded or not depends on how clean your power supply ..the ultime in performance is in unshielded design but you need super clean power,and superbly tuned room
My personnal fav.?kubala -Sosna Emotion series and ARgento cables
Listening to them will make you cry.....
My faviorates are Kubala-Sosna and Argento cables
I feel that AQ has lost quite a lot of ground lately.
Still spend a lot on ad but I feel their strenght now lies mainly in video rather than audiophile cables...
You not joking abt the price ,Right?
Do they want to be like Tara lab the zero or something
Unbfortunately The big guns cable manufacturers are currently playing a major game..who has the bragging right to the most expansive cable?
r gerhard analysis on the requirement Of good IC is a good one
What you need is a handmade cables made of pure metals ,with as little gaps as possible between molecules..No MACHINE made cable can ever good enough..It helps if the cables Use OHNO casting..
My personnel favs.?Kubala -Sosna .Bought mine from Bangkok
My sifu said I shouldnt spend more than 10 % on cables
Too much voodoo
anonymous..
i always thought that the last words on rca connector belong to wbt...
When it comes to rca connectors, WBT is the most expensive ones around but not the best value. Eichmann bullet plug connectors from Australia was among the first to come forth with minimalist metal design as they found out that too much metal substrate affects sound quality. Metal chunky WBT soon realised this and followed up copying this idea with their Nextgen connectors which also copied Eichmann's single point of contact principle.
http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/bullet_vs_nextgen_e.html
Big chunky metal connectors are now passe at the cutting edge of high end audio if the following AB comparison of connectors are heeded.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0901/rcashootout.htm
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/connectors/connectors.html
Then there's recently another school of thought that thinks that the synthetic materials used in Eichmann connectors are a big NO-NO. Check out this MDI (Micro Discharge Interface) philosophy with regards to natural fibres only connectors at
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/ocellia2/cables.html
WBT, the last word on connectors...perhaps in the 80's to 90's, there's far more happening in the world of audio connectors as in the world of AC plugs and outlets today.
Sorry URL truncation again in the above comment.
Try these
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/
equipment/0901/rcashootout.htm
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/
connectors/connectors.html
and then
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/
ocellia2/cables.html
Maggie,
I notice that has been The Cryo and non cryo group in the cables side.
What's your take on this?Some man seems to cryo everything..
I think very few people knows how to make cables
Firstly only a small propotion of "Hi-END" manufacturers made their cables by hand.The advantages of hand made cables mettalurgy characteristics are in equivocal..
secondly, Purity of the silver used are not to the mark{only silver and gold,yes ,to be used for IC before amplifications.Speaker cables are a different story} You should look up at the purity index that the man used
thirdly ,more than the BRAND of connector,the method used for Soldering is more important.Study has shown that the BIGGEST distortions occur at cable-connector interface.Avoid cables that used HIgh Tempreture soldering techniques...
Lastly ,Do not neglect the contact cleaner and contact enhancers.Removed all the cables and cl;ean them accordingly..
NEVER STING ON CABLES!!!! they are worth your money!!!!It 's the best{aNd CHEAPEST} upgrades that You could ever make in HI-Fi...
ANd yes I am A big fan of Kubala -Sosna..Somebody should bring them to malaysia...Really superb cables especially the Emotion series......
Agre with anonymous..
Bocchino cables make SUPERB cables !!!! I bought mine in the US from tmh audio,There are not exactly cheap but it wont make your wife wants to castrate you either..
The best money I have spent in Hi -fi..
The fact that the designer put his initials on it means he believe that this is the best that it could achieve....
Argento cables from Denmark hasn't dissapoint me.
I spend quite a bit on cables ,mine is abt 30% of the total electronics
I love silver cables ,but you need speakers that use high quality cables inside too{Mine is a Kharma.}.If not the silver should be limited to IC.
Agreed with the above observation that you should limit to hand made silver for IC.this is THE most important factor..Other factor s[like brand,shielding etc]are important too but the becomes less so
If you listened to a silver IC and found the sound too,shall we call it 'bright';I can bet you my bottom dollar-no matter how much the cable cost- that it has been made by machine.
Throw it away into the deeepest ocean that you could find,downgrade the electronics if you have too,pawn all you belongings and do yourself a favour;get a hand made high purity silver IC....It is money well spent
Stealth indra!!!!!
If you haven't listened to it ,wow you are really missing something..
Bought 2 fr A'gon,and from the first note I was blown away
If course i was chased out of the house when my wife found out how many LV handbags she could have bought instead of 2 "ugly" wires,but it was worth it my man...
Hi-Fi Newbie,
Send your Sifu over to Maggielurva house for a reeducation.
To put any figure is wrong but my feeling is you should follow the principles that has been laid out here.
These guys sound better than your sifu.
anonymous,
As far as I know most hi end speaker manufacturers use WBT connectors for their terminals
Don't u think that the cables too would be better off using the same terminations?
Maggielurva,
How come I cant find most of the cables abv in M'sia?
You think most importers are scared to bring the cables here?
I am beggining to open my eyes ,after following your blogs abt the importance of cables etc..but you only seems to get Van den Hull and Qed in M'sia...
Hi,
I am limited to my exposure to exotic cables ,but I like AQ a lot .
The y are definitely better value than MIT and Transparent in my opinion .You do not have to the most expansive flagship cables but if you go down one or 2 notch below I feel you can get 80-90% of the performance.
I think it is true too for most of the{limited}cables that I have actually auditioned..
And if you can stay away from the entry level range,whatever the brand name.you wont notice much{if any]] difference from the supplied PC and IC..
CHEERS!!!!
Thank You so much for your kind offer!!!!!
How do I contact yr e-mail?
Regards
khtan,
wow, plenty of experts here on cable ;-)
gerhard, yew, gerome,
i will prompt a few dealers on kubala-sosna emotion, hopefully they will do something.
wee kiat,
cryo-treated cables generally offer better highs, better focus and imaging but you can't have too much of it lest it sounds artificial! it is about the balance, balance and balance.
jako
"If you listened to a silver IC and found the sound too,shall we call it 'bright';I can bet you my bottom dollar-no matter how much the cable cost- that it has been made by machine."
interesting point. that's my experience too but i won't reveal what cables they are!
khtan,
generally malaysian audiophiles don't believe/invest in cables, that's why it is not easy to push cables, and that's why dealers normally don't dare to carry the high-end brands. the most popular ones in malaysia are AQ, MIT and Transparent. these 3 rule the market.
your QED and vDH are basic beginner's cables. there are many other better choices.
hifi newbie,
your sifu probably don't play cables. when you reach a certain stage, you need to spend a big proportion of your money on cables to fully realize your system's potential. great cables won't guarantee great systems but great systems definitely need great cables!
hi tan,
my email is lesloh@yahoo.com
Allain,
"As far as I know most hi end speaker manufacturers use WBT connectors for their terminals"
Not that I know of, many use other brands such as Eichmann cablepods (Nuforce), Cardas (Zu Audio,Genesis Audio), Vampire(Maxxhorn,),Edison Price(Eminent Tech, Merlin),Michell (Proac) and Mundorf (SP Technology, Tidal). Companies like Kharma, Usher use their own designs.
The beauty about high-end audio is that we can try and compare all types of combinations of different brands to get the best optimized sound. If just going for 1 brand, we might as well stick to Sony, Denon mini compo systems .
"johnliu said...Bocchino cables make SUPERB cables !!!! I bought mine in the US from tmh audio."
This is tmh audio. The poster (johnliu) has NEVER purchased Bocchino cables from us.
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