Iv`e had used this cable between my Rega Saturn CD-player and Lavardin IT amplifier for some time now, and had been very pleased with this, i still was looking for some more details in my listening, so i loaned a set of the Silver REF of my dealer, and now i was having a Matrix cable in spare. So i thought i would try it out between my Riaa (Rega Eos MM) and the IT. I was using a Lavardin cable before. My first impression was a much more dark sound and a lack of details, but a much more full bodied bass. So i`m in for a little diskussion with myself right now. Should i keep the Matrix and getting used to the lack of details and on the other hand, being very pleased wtih the new fuller bass? I need to try it out for a couple of weeks before diciding. The Lavardin cable is very detailed, but not so much full in the lower end as the Matrix, so it`sa matter of taste for me. Iv`e had been very pleased with the Matrix for my cd player, but i`m trying out the Silver Ref at the moment and will put a full review later on. You can`t go wromg with AZ cables. I´M using the Satori Speaker cables and i`m very pleased with AZ cables. But whatever i should use all AZ cables or a mix of Lavardin and AZ is for the next couple of weeks to tell.

Extremely Transparent, Clear, Neutral,Well Balanced and Detail with an Excellent Soundstage.

None At All

This review is for the Matrix Reference ll. I have tried so many "High End" Interconnects from Monster M series,Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval,Audience Au24,Cardas Neutral Reference,Harmonic Technology ProSilway Mk3,Kimber Select 1030 KS,NBS Omega4,Straight Wire Crescendo ll,XLO 1.1a Signature and a few more I just can't remember. Some of these cables have cost more than the Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference ll. Each cable I have purchased have gone thru more than 100 hours of break-in period in order to bring out the best in them. I have sold and bought cables left and right thru the years after given then the benefit of a doubt and listening to them very carefully. I will not say that they all were bad. Each pair of cables that I Auditioned had the tendecy of holding their own characteristic in sound. I never thought that I will find "The Right Cables" that will hold all the qualities Us Audiophiles look for on a Good pair of Interconnects. Well the search has Stopped here with the Audition of Mr. Robert Lee's own Acoustic Zen Cables. I have found that the Matrix Reference ll are the kind of Interconnects that offer the "perfect" Tonality,Soundstage,Detail and Transparency that you can "probably" get from cables costing 4 or 5 times more than the Matrix Reference ll.These cables will bring out a Bundance of Upper Bass and a Lower Midrange Lushness and Softened Transients that will be hard to find in any other interconnects and "trust me" I have tried a lot of them.These Interconnects are well Balanced and Neutral in Every way. If you want to hear the clarity of Cymbals,Piano,Guitars or any other instrument please give these cables a try. If you want to hear Vocals from many performers as if they were there before you or on a live concert Give these cables a try. You will not be Disappointed. Acoustic Zen line of cables is so good that my complete Audio /Video System uses Acoustic Zen cables. Do yourself a favor and just give this cables a try. Most likely you will be listening to music and hear things so clear and transparent that you have never heard before. Thank you reading my review about these wonderful Interconnects.

Similar Products Used:

Monster M series Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval Tara Labs Air Series 2 Straight Wire Crescendo ll Kimber Select 1030 KS Harmonic Technology Pro Silway III Cardas Neutral Reference Nordost SPM Reference and many others.........

tonal cohesion from top to bottom, liquid, smooth, macrodynamics and microdynamics, details , perfect imaging

NONE

Hands down the best value in the cable game. Go listen! They are fantastic! Better than anything I have heard short of the Nordost Valhalla and the Silver eference. I dare you to compare this to anyone else's top of the line.

Similar Products Used:

Siltech classics, Nordost Valhalla, Audioquest cheetah and panther DBS, Transparent music link,harmonic tech magic ,ultralink ultima

Musical, musical musical, good clean base,fast, detailed. PRICE, for "High End Cable" it's a steal

Warm but attractive colouration

What can I add to the reviews above, I heartily agree. I decided on trying the Zen cables after seeking advise over the internet, this manufacturer came up again and again. For many people in the UK, High End cables= Nordost. I had been using Red Dawn after a convincing show demonstration and I have no wish to knock them. We all know Nordost are fast, detailed and accurate, but I had come to find them unexiting. The simple way to describe the Matrix cable is musical, other reviewers have commented on this, but that is what really struck me, it makes all musical genres more envolving. They are'nt quite as fast as Nordost, but who cares. They may well be more musical because they are a little coloured, who cares, heresy I know. But I want to be emotionally envolved, emersed in the music and the Matrix cable does that for me. To be more analytical, the base is a great plus, deep accurate and lacking bloom or poor definition. The cable is on the warm side of neutral in my system, but I like that. I am awaiting the arrival of some 2nd hand Silver Ref from over the pond. It was suggested to me that combining Marix and Silver was a good way to go, the latter being more accurate but with a leaner base. I will report back my experience on this. I can'nt finish without mentioning Hologram Speaker cables, there is'nt a review site for these, but I think they are really special and had more impact on my system than the Matrix cable. I recently upgraded from Living Voice Auditorium to Avatar speakers and the Holograms gave my system a greater uplift in performance, than changing speakers. System: LP12/Origon Live taper arm/ Dynavector D17 Shanling CDT100 Creek T43 tuner Graaf WFB pre Pass labs Aleph 3 Living Voice Avatar speakers

Similar Products Used:

Nordost Red Dawn, Blue Heaven, Van Der Hul, Tara Labs, Monster

Incredibly musical. Organic, holographic. Rich harmonic envelope.Lack of grain and harshness. Pristine highs. If you like analog and tube sound you will love these.

To me sounds a little fuzzy and laid back with woodwinds. Outer braid is very easiy damaged.

These are some very seductive cables. I'm not sure if they are totally acurate or are generating some very lovely colorations, but I can say that I haven't enjoyed listening to my audio system this much in a long time. These cables sound more like MUSIC than anything else I have tried. Much better than any of the Harmonic Tech. cables. I had been using the Analysis Plus Copper Oval but these are quite a bit better. The lack of harshness and grain is wonderful coupled with cleanest most focused and holographic upper mids and highs that I have ever heard. I have given up on silver cables as they tend to be to bright in my system. To me they are all about razer sharp edges and fast transients. I'm sorry, music does not sound like that. They give me a headache. Not so with the Acoustic Zen cables. I can listen for hours and get swept away in the music. Isn't that what it's all about?

Similar Products Used:

Kimber; MIT; Tara; Harmonic Tech.; Analysis Plus

Rresolution, soundstage, balance, bass, detail, dyamics, clarity, vividness, etc

can't really find any!...I love these cables!!

These are abolutely amazing sounding cables. If I had to chose on pair to use forever, I don't think I'd have a problem chosing these to use only! Bass is world class, balance is perfect, detail is very very high, and top end is fantastic! Although, at first listen, first couple of day's break in, I thought the top was too much energy. But after a few day's, It balanced out very nicely.
The sound is very layered, contrasting, and involving...more so than anything else I've tried. I've tried a bunch of the top end copper cables in my system(s), like Cardas and AQ Python, and MIT Ref, but none had the detail and lack of coloration to the sound like the Matrix. With the Pure silver offerings, like AQ Amazon, SPM Nordost, and even AZ's own Silver Ref, there's a leaner bass line that you may or may not like. I need a fuller bass line in my system, and liked the balance the Matrix offeres.
I don't think there's any possible way you could go wrong with these cables in a well balanced system, eith tube or solid state....unless you got bright speakers or something (then the non-recessed topend could hurt you like any other high rez cable).
5+ stars for sure....a must try, and great value at $500/pr!

Similar Products Used:

AQ Python/Amazon, AZ Silver Ref, MIT Ref 550(?), Cardas Golden Cross

Balance at all frequencies, vocals attain almost analogue perfection.

None, depending on resoultion desired.

First, the new Matrix is a great interconnect. It is totally balanced across the entire frequency spectrum. When compared to the Silver Reference I was left with a difficult choice. The Matrix had an amazing effect on vocals, they had that roundness that usually only comes from a record, not a CD, (even an upsampled one). The musical parts were a very cohesive whole, without any exaggerations at any frequency. They also have the best recreation of interior space I have heard to date (excepting a 5 channel SACD playback).
But, they are not quite as transparent as Acoustic Zen's Silver Reference.
I decided to use the Silver Ref. as my main stereo outs because in my work (music writer/producer/teacher) I must hear all the details in sharp relief, but if I just wanted to enjoy music, and not analyze it, I would have stayed with the Matrix. Atypically, I would say they were good for both Rock and Classical. The cohesiveness and bass weight is "rock solid" and yet they have great delicacy.
Epilogue:
Since I now had an extra set of Matrix Reference cables, I put them into service for the rear channel interconnects of my 5.1 set up. I had formerly used Harmonic Technology's "Truthlink Silver" (a combo silver/copper), but now with all my interconnects being Acoustic Zen something unexpected happened... The rear channels had so much more authority, that my little B&W LM-1 rear speakers sounded like my B&W N805 front speakers! The bass improvement was astonishing. The cables are now so harmonically balanced with well matched timbre, that the cohesiveness of 5.1 sound was tremendous.
I have heard an $85,000 Meridian system in a well designed room that only seems to edge out my system by a nose. I think it is the very carefully chosen cables that contributes the most towards this effect. Relative to the difference between my set up before adding quality cables the Acoustic Zen's should be seen as a great value.
REFERENCE SYSTEM DATA

* Musical Fidelity HT600 5 channel amp w/ Acoustic Zen Silver Reference and Matrix Reference interconnects, Yamamura Quantum power cord.

* B&K AVP3090 pre-amp w/ Harmonic Technology Pro-11 AC power cord)

* Sony DVP-9000ES SACD/DVD player (w/ Acoustic Zen Silver Reference(analogue) & MC2 (digital)interconnects, and an Acoustic Zen Tsunami pc)

* B&W Nautilus 805 speakers w/ matching stands, HTM-2 center, LM-1 surrounds (w/ H. Tech Pro-9 plus bi-wire cables)

* REL Strata III subwoofer , XLO custom Neutrik Speakon conector and DH Labs BL-1 for 5.1 out, and H. Tech Pro-11AC pc)

* Denon MD-1000 Minidisc recorder (H. Technology Truthlink interconnects, and Audio One "Reference" toslink cable )

*Musical Fidelity A3 Tuner ( H.Tech Truthlink Silver interconnects)

* Toshiba 42H81 Widescreen HDTV (Harmonic Technology Component cables)

* Monster HTS-3500 power center

* Salamander Synergy Systems rack

* Hubble 8300i outlets

* Cardas RCA caps

Similar Products Used:

Harmonic Tech "Truthlink", H.T. Truthlink Silver, Xlo, Monster.