I have decided that Iconoclast OOC interconnects will be my next upgrade. I will need three. Going to go with RCAs to help with the costs. Not in any hurry though. Anyway you cut it the costs are sobering. I’ve enjoyed varying cables for different flavors. That will be over most likely but they say you won’t want to go back. We will see.
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As for power cables, I’m convinced that the more money and attention the manufacturer has spent on the power supply, the less important the power cable is.
For example, with my “big” Pass Labs stereo power amp, the difference is barely noticeable. With his monoblocks, I really have to try (want) to hear a difference.
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And here’s another “Cable Thoughts by RonP”:
Over the years of rainy day experiments, I’ve come to believe that single ended can sound better than balanced—and I don’t know why.
There, I’ve said it. Call me crazy, call me kooky, “call meeee irresponsible, call meee unreliable, throw in undependable tooooo…”
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This is not the first time I have heard that opinion. In fact I heard the same thing just yesterday from a cable rep. I can’t say I hear any difference myself. Considering the cost difference and when not covering very long distances I find it hard to justify XLR cables.
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“Some are going to be better than others but the differences are largely imaginary”
Glad someone else said this as I agree completely. And to put a finer point on it, Al hit it on the head in that with what I can afford (and maybe most of us) switching from a Mackenzie to a Red Dawn for example aint gonna give you much if anything.
I can take heart in that without knowing it, i followed Als rule. My best cable is between source and pre. Next best is pre and amp. I love my speaker cables and i got one really nice power cable for amp. Decent ones for everything else. Also a decent Audience power box.
Thank you All and Al. I may have Cardas, Kimber and AQ all in the same system, but they are all pretty good stuff. Not Stealth, but good stuff. Im set. Ill save the money for speakers.
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I’ve always been a Cable Denier and to me the only important thing a cable needs to is be plugged/unplugged several hundred times without falling apart. And if they look cool, well, that’s a bonus…LOL !
That all changed when I started working with Ernest Muenier owner of ArgentPur Cables and now Amplifiers.
When he sent me some Cables to try out both on my PS Audio MK1 DSSr. DAC, PS Audio Stellar Phono and now out from my Onkyo A/V Preamp out to my Black Ice Audio F100/KT170 Monoblocs. I was totally shocked to what I heard. See, I’d been using Audioquest Red River and Mackenzie (still do but on not so important parts on others source devices).
What I heard was a more focused phantom center, more “pinpointing” of instruments, a wider soundstage, and imaging. Solid Silver I guess (to me, anyways) is the only way I can hear a true difference over Copper or Silver Coated Copper.
My 2 Canadian Cents worth (which ain’t much nowadays).
Joey G
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With my Pass XA-25 I found the supplied cable gets the job done, but a basic Shunyata opened things up slightly. I’ve tried it powered by a P15 and directly into the wall, a 20 amp home run from the distribution panel. The P15 provided no improvement. I believe it has to do with the local power quality and the rather robust XA-25 power supply. In other words Ron makes a valid point, select equipment that is well designed and provides for a robust power supply. Something Nelson Pass has recommended since his early Threshold years.
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Yes, but there is something very satisfying about plugging in an XLR cable vs. an RCA cable. 
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Having the Iconoclast UPOCC RCA interconnects from my DAC to my preamp and from my preamp to my amp I find them to be fast sounding, and just a bit thin in the mid bass. Not knocking them, just their basic characteristic sound in my system. Others have reported the Iconoclast XLR UPOCC falls short in the bottom end. My opinion is it depends on your components. At the price they are worth trying, either via Iconoclasts trial period, or a lightly used pair.
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Any and all cables in general are so system dependent… that what works for you…may not work for me!
I always believed that the ideal was to have all your cables from the same manufacturer but a recent trial made me think again. My last full manufacturer cable loom was Cardas Clear beyond for interconnects and speakers. I borrowed a pair of Shunyata Comp Sigma 2 speaker cables from the Cable Company a couple of years ago. In my system the Shunyata was a revelation so I purchased them… Recently, I borrowed two pair of the Shunyata Comp Sigma 2 cables from the Cable Company to give me a Shunyata interconnect and speaker loom. I was surprised and disappointed with the results. The combination of Cardas Clear Beyond interconnects and Shunyata speaker cables just simply sounded better to my ears.
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I have Cardas Clear Reflection I believe from source to pre. Tempted to get a xlr pair and run from pre to amp. I like the Cardas…
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There is slightly more to it. For single ended gear RCAs are more than fine. However, if your system components are truly balanced there is clearly a benefit with XLR interconnects regardless of distance. It comes down to component design. My systems are predominately comprised of single ended gear, thus I lean heavily on single ended RCA interconnects.
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Is your gear all balanced versus single ended. Knowing you recently picked up an Ayre KX5e preamp I believe the designer’s intent was to operate it in balanced mode and utilize balanced XLR interconnects into a balanced amplifier, preferably an Ayre amp.
PSA gear is similar, as it is balanced design and benefits from balanced XLR interconnects.
Good to know. My chain is balanced all the way through with the power amp single ended. Do you think there is an advantage to balanced cables when possible even if not carried all the way to the end?
You will need to try it. I’d suggest your best approach would be to consult with the gear manufacturer and your dealer. It will depend on your budget and listening goals. To my mind you may be missing something when not taking advantage of the balanced design.
Thank you for the help. The source is a Rose streamer with RCA only out.
I have Cardas Clear RCAs running to pre
The Pre is a Ayre KX5eMP version
I run balanced from there to Accuphase amp.
Currently that is with Mackenzie XLRs. I am contemplating matching the Cardas RCA with a pair of Cardas XLR
If you can hear improvement from Onkyo A/V pre out, then you should try some PSA preamps, and you will really hear what nice cables can do. 
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Well, with your level of ICs and SCs there is no surprise. Wait, you have Stealth C. G. power cord! then it is a surprise you do not rank it higher.
Wait! wait! You have that Stealth speaker cable and I am not surprised, again!
If you like the sound of what you have then no need to look any farther.
It seems like you need to make an order of magnitude increase in cost to get any appreciable increase in performance then after you are used to the new sound what’s next? Being happy with what you have is a good place to be.
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