Great improvement to the overall sound. The sound is so clear and makes my amp sound so transparent with the speakers. It is not coloured at the extremes my Kimber 8TC and replaced the DH Labs Q-10 that thickened the sound but did not make clear like it sounds now on this gear:
Audio Technica PL-50
Toshiba Universal Player
NAD 325BEE
PSB Alpha B1s

Strengths: very clear sounding. (That is what I REALLY wanted.) If your amp has great bass aleady, no need to artificially inflate the signal. Solid core wire (again) shows me how superior it is to other wires I have.

Weaknesses: Had to (carefully) juggle the spades into the posts but hey, there are greater challenges in life, right?

Associated Gear:
Tara Labs Nexa (also good but better on different amps); DH Labs (okay but overpriced; better for amp/speakers that have apparent treble roll-off), Kimber 8TC(use now instead------- for my amp to sub but not in mains).

Very inexpensive, very decent quality, great sound.

Not really in this price range, I can't imagine (and haven't encountered) a better speaker cable short of $500 plus.

These cables have been in my system(s) for a long time, with quite a few suitors coming and going through the duration. I really must say that they are very good for the money, as good or better than any $500 cable that I've come across. I bought them as a tide-me-over, as a demo off my audio shop's floor for some sum of less than $100 (can't even remember). I still like them all this time later and am very pleased with the sound they provide. I use them now with a modified Cayin TA30 EL34 integrated, custom solid copper interconnects (too bad these aren't mass produced, I would reccomend them to anyone in the $1000-$1500 range for inters), Rega Planet 2000 as transport through modified MSB Link 3 dac, Myryad MCD200 single box CD player used for listening to certain albums, Tandberg 3011a tuner, Von Schweikert VR1 monitors on VR stands. Fun little system.

eye candy, broader soundstage, if you place your speakers 12 feet apart, tellin ya, you'll improve your system 1o percent at least, move those beasts apart, isolate your components, shorter length runs are better, wouldn't go any longer than 15 feet, durability

none for price and application. i repeat, none hong kong mofo.

well, let me start by saying that these cables are intended not for 50k systems, maybe 3 -5k systems. generally, your cable expense should be around 20 percent of the cost of your system. my system consists of a krell cd, nad s200 amp, nad100 pre, psb stratus gold, stratus subsonic sub, aq python inters, cardas power cords, aq gibraltar speaker cable,. i used type 4 for about 4 years , and they were and still are a wonderful hi fi value cable. ask anyone who knows anything about hi fi and they will tell you about how entry level cables and how with the right amp they sound as good as cables 10 times as much. as far as terminations, i use bananas. bare wire too dangerous to your amp, also a big pain in the bum as i always shift my speakers around the room. i've been a stereo junkie for the last five years, and it is bittersweet affair. seems the music itself gets lost in the mix because your always questioning your system, ytour setup, you have doubts, you want better components, you become caught up in the hype bullfeces that's out there , and there's plenty of it. if someone is spending 60k on a home stereo system, he or she is insane. for about 5, 7 grAND , YOU can get a kickbum system, and be satisfied, as i am. i advise you research the heck out of whatever you buy, audition first, never buy until you listen personally to it. remember, lots of these salesman work on commission, don't give a crud what their selling you, so you need to be prepared and educated, pick up some hi fi mags, read those articles, and slowly hi fi will begin to de mystify itself. overall, these cables are a nice buy. i recommend in the future going about 5 steps further and getting cardas cables. my friend has em and they blow aq away.

Similar Products Used:

monster, cardas, acoustic research, wireworld, cheapie crap from radio crap.

Price; Good quality solid conductor; cable jacket. Appearance.

none so far.

Tweaking my HT. Last step is to upgrade speaker cables. Using Type 4+ for LCR. Good deal for $2.05/foot Canadian. Sounds great hooked up to my PSB Image 5T and 9C. Post another review with a few more hours listening under them.

Similar Products Used:

generic stranded speaker cable.

Everything but the bass. Gives pleasure because of smoothness and warmness.

Mute bass. Very often bass line is difficult to follow and in the shadow of the rest

Very good cable for the price. Easy to feel music in middle and high range however bass is a bit lazy and not good controlled. Sound is general rather warm and easy going. Stage is no more then average and it is a biggest disadvantage of the type 4. But at the price nothing to complain. It works together with rotel 02 set and ruark prelude II speakers in biwiring

Similar Products Used:

Supra rondo (good bass but nothing more), link+tech (crap), tara labs prisma (rather average but still better then type 4; unfortunately for higher price)

clear,fast,good mid range,good balance

none for the price

I bought the audioquest type4 because i believe the price you pay vs performance of a product in a given budget is key.also the synergy or matching of components to one another is the other factor.they work great with my SANSUI AUD9 INTERGRATED AMP,PARADIGM MONITOR 5 V.2,MINT DUAL 621 TURNTABLE.not great gear but good for mid hifi.for the guy from HONG KONG who hates them,nothing against MCINTOSH AMPS.but listen to a CARY amp or another high end tube amp and you will hate your MAC. you think that it is warm,you are in for a big surprise.it is harsh in comparison to a lot of tube amps.but you bought an amp that dollar for dollar is not the best in that price range.there isn't another speaker wire in this price range that is better.we know ther are better wires but look at the price!!!

Similar Products Used:

none

Lows, smooth, transparent, imaging, dynamic. A lot of high end detail.

Not the last word in soundstage, but extremely good. Stiff cable and hard to install if your amp is cramped--connectors can pull off binding posts. Plan connectors carefully--bananas/bfa's might be the best choice.

At the beginning of the year I got disgusted with my system as it was--the music was not dynamic and absolutely no toe-tapping, which some say is a great sign that your system is "working." Picked up new monitors and started auditioning cables. I've got to say, that with everything I listened to this year--the Type 4+ pulled things together at a great price. I have my system bi-wired (two pairs of 8 foot lengths) and am using Audioquest spades as connectors. This cable tamed the bright metal tweeters on my monitors, make the music dynamic, and I get great lows and great high-end detail. No listener fatigue. Compared to a couple of the really top-dollar cables I listened to this year, I can say that the Type 4+ is not the last word in soundstage--pretty substantial, but not really deep. But all in all, the imaging, soundstage and transparency of the Type 4+ is very, very good. And I didn't break my budget. We have a lot of toe-tapping when we listen to music now and stay up late enjoying the sound. Great enjoyment, great product. Arcam Alpha 8R integrated Denon DCM-370 CD player Mapleshade Golden Helix Ultrathin Interconnects Paradigm Studio Reference 20 v.2 monitors Energy exl:S8 subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Clearview Double Golden Helix, Nordost Flatline Gold MK2 bi-wire, Audioquest CV-4, Kimber 4PR

All the characteristics of a highend cable without the high cost. Airy and transparent with decent low end articulation. Easy to live with.

None.

Having tried out many cables, I can safely say the AQ type4s are one of the best cables per $$$. I was thoroughly surprise to find something low cost can be this good. Most of the cables I've tried aren't nearly as transparent and neutral as the type 4s. Most cables tend to emphasize a frequency band. The type is truely a highend cable at any price. There is a good sense of air and focus with good articulation in the lower ranges to boot. The cable works well in my system. I am truely impressed and would recommend these to any audiophile on a budget. My system: Acurus DIA100, NHT2.5i, Marantz CD63(use as transport), AudioAlchemy DDE3.0 DAC.

Similar Products Used:

Straightwire, Transparent ,MIT, Cardas, etc.

- Quality/Value - Very neutral and taunt - Tame "lively" tweeters

- None

Very well made cable given its price. Purchased 2 pair of 10' runs to bi-amp/bi-wire my speakers. Very good improvement over 10awg Monster cable I was using. Tighter bass and far less grain in the highs. Solid core construction makes an audible difference. Perfect match for my slightly "bright" tweeters. Associated equipment: Parasound HCA-1500 (2 amps/bi-amp'd) Parasound Preamp P/HP-850 Cambridge Audio DS500SE CD Player Pinnacle Gold Tower Speakers (bi-wired)

Similar Products Used:

- Monster cable - Kimber

Natural sound, bargain price

Soundstage is not as transparent as some may like- it's pretty good, but not amazing

I tried several sets of Audiophile cables, including MIT. MIT T2 cables added clarity, but colored the high frequency range- too bright for me. The Audioquest Type 4 were a revelation. Think of the difference between a 1980's CD and the same CD remastered today. With the Audioquest cables, music became transparent, but without any added brightness. Instruments sound right, and voices sound absolutely natural. With Diana Krall CD's, which seem to always be well mastered, the sound is warm and accurate- I feel like I'm in a club. Absolutely recommended. Natural, warm sound at a bargain price.