Reading some of the comments about the AQ câbles on this thread reminds me of the old adage “no good deed goes unpunished “.
As has been explained, PS Audio has been asked a number of times what cables go well with their products. By entering this partnership, all they are doing is providing recommendations that they have tested and can sell to customers if they wish.
No one has to buy anything they don’t wish to. As for the hyperventilating about mark-up, I always find that a curious argument. There is a significant cohort on the internet that thinks buying equipment is about how much the parts cost - I can buy the parts for $500 so that is all a product is worth. IP or development time is regarded as worthless. For me that is more a comment on how certain people value their own time.
Fortunately exotic audio cable is not a necessity but a discretionary luxury. If the result has value to you, you will consider purchase of same.
If not, then no harm no foul. Move on and use lamp cord. Frankly if rich people want to spend $20 k on a power cable or interconnects, who cares?
If said cables don’t reflect good value for money, why should we worry about it?
Everyone has their own definition of value and the capitalist system gives us the freedom to choose according to our budget, large or small.
As in all things in life, the law of diminishing returns kicks in hard in high end audio. The same arguments rage over cars, wine, watches, cameras, etc.
Sorry for the rant. Time to sit down with a glass of red and listen to some music.
I think it is a good fit to have a full line of connecting cables available from a nationally known and respected manufacturer. That PSA has taken the time to sort thru them and make suggestions based on level of performance is icing on the cake. I think it is actually better than PSA making their own cables as it adds some credibility to the lineup and gives you some sense of performance matching with budget in mind. You can also call AQ for a second opinion if needed. Personally I could never make any sense out of AQ’s lineup as there are too many products to choose from and too much overlap in price / performance.
As far as price to performance ratio goes that is strictly personal choice. You can buy steel wheels from the junkyard for $10 each or spend $5000 or more each for machined billet aluminum or carbon fiber one off versions. From a strictly rational standpoint they both just keep the air in the tire but I think the style card gets to be played when needed. Steel wheels on a Corvette somehow is unappealing and $5k billet versions on a Prius is also a waste of resources to me.
Everyone has an acceptable price point and should not be chastised because of it. I can appreciate the person who has a stereo that can utilize $20k cables and also the person who uses zipcord to connect the system together.
I read Gene’s comments on his Audioholics website, and I loved Paul’s response to Gene’s questions and critiques. This is an old argument that may never die because we continue to lack objective methods to measure all of the ways sound is changed by interactions between audio cables and components (including speakers, amps, and music sources). Human ears and brains will have to be the final judges regarding what we hear and what we like to hear. As Galen from Iconoclast points out, he can measure a lot of important cable parameters (and does), but the same cable design will sound different when different types of copper wire are used and he hasn’t figured out how to assess those differences other than by listening.
If you want to read another similar “discussion” of cable audibility between Gene and another “giant” of audio design, search on the Audioholics site for Gene’s 2004 interview with the late, great speaker designer, Jim Thiel. IMO Gene is openly rude and insulting to his guest, while lecturing Jim Thiel about the lack of differences between wires at the same time that Jim is trying to give a clueless Gene insight into how important listening is to speaker design.
Paul has clearly figured out that both measurements and listening need to complement each other in designing audio gear, while Gene seems more interested in trying to embarrass skilled audio designers than in learning from them. Paul is right to embrace blind listening tests to minimize subjective bias while avoiding the limitations of the brief same-different decisions inherent in A-B-X testing.
My current audio gear includes speakers designed by Jim Thiel and electronics designed by Paul and his colleagues at PS Audio. It’s a safe bet that I will not be listening to any components designed by Gene DellaSalla in my audio system - and that’s a relief!
I dunno. I’ve had pretty good luck w audioquest cables. Can’t say they are the best… but they make a fine cable - and they market the hell out of them. There also seems to always be deals on them which might indicate a nice profit margin as well. Who knows - maybe someone looking for cables might back into ps audio equipment. Culture smulture…
That’s AQ’s own name, but what’s noteworthy is that on its site PSA is advertising AQ’s cable as if it is somehow part of their line, including their series name right in the name of the cable, almost like a combined or subsidiary company.
It’s a trademark point, a branding point, if you will. By labeling the cables, “STELLAR Rocket 44” that is much different than simply saying “PSA recommends AQ Rocket 44 for PSA Stellar products.”
To use a cell phone analogy, do you think Apple would permit Google, assuming they made an alliance where Google would recommend and sell Apple’s top iPhone on Google’s site, to advertise on Google’s site the “Google Apple iPhone 11” or “Android IPhone 11”
The analogy is extreme and entirely unrealistic, but you get the point on labeling that I’m trying to make. Not saying anything wrong (I don’t know what alliance contract permits), only that alliance appears very deep for AQ to permit such labeling.
This analogy is much better and more to the point. Suppose primaLuna and PSA aligned so that PL would recommend and and sell PSA regenerators on their site. If you went to PL’s site, it’d be one thing to see a recommendation for a Stellar P3 regenerator to pair with PL’s amps.
It’d be another thing to see PL selling the “EVO Stellar P3”
I am reasonably sure that all parties agree on the wording involved in the partnered AQ/PSA lineup. Both partners are looking to increase sales and if the terminology helps make the sale then “it is a good thing” as Martha would say.
Some feedback after ordering quite a few cables through the new PS Audio venture.
I ordered - 1 pair 1m Water XLR’s, 2 pair 2m Water XLR’s; 2m Thunder power; 10ft bi-amp and bi-wire Robinhood speaker cables.
if they are in stock, super fast shipping within 48hrs - this was true for the 1m Water XLR’s ordered on 4/25) and Thunder power cable. Aligns with my experience ordering gear from PS Audio - smoking fast 2 day fedex delivery to California. Almost instant gratification :).
Order process not clear on Robinhood Speaker cable. I need bi-wire (4 connectors on the speaker side) as well as bi-amp (4 connectors on the amp side to take advantage of the Stellar binding posts/output-connectors). It is not very clear when ordering what “the bi-wire” option includes and took a bit of back and forth. Still have not received them so not sure if we got it right. Could just be me, but would suggest better clarity for noobs. (I did not want 2-amp side and 4 speaker side bananas to show up).
Takes a very long time to fulfill orders that are not in stock. For example, the 2m XLR’s where ordered on 4/25. I think they may come on 5/15 per a Fedex delivery text message (no idea on the Robinhood arrival, wish there was tracking…). My Credit-card was charged right away, which is not a huge deal but I feel like I am out $6k (Robinhood and Waters) without a firm ship date. The PS team has been great with Q&A responses but does not have a firm grasp on ship dates other than “should be soon”.
Suggest tightening up messaging/tracking and fulfillment of AQ orders.
As an example of a recent exemplary cable ordering experience…, I ordered some Rocket 88’s from TMR on 4/25 as well. By 4/26 they got ahold of me to ensure they understood the order (biwire and bi-amp - similar to Robinhoods), They placed the order with AQ that day (AQ is 45 minutes from my San Diego house), AQ shipped direct to me within another 24 hours and Fedex delivered them by 4/28. Now that was a great experience!! If AQ can ship direct why send everything to Colorado, it just adds delay and risk.
Thats my experience and observations. You guys are awesome and I’m sure the process will improve with time. Just some feedback.
That’s probably because the dielectric needs time to be charged and discharged.
Put it off for a week or two and then listen again.
A better test would be to use two identical cables, one with the dbs engaged and the other with the dbs disengaged (two weeks beforehand).
This doesn’t bode well with regard to the ever important “audio memory” the will have long gone “poof” by time that dielectric discharges (or recharges).
