Let me start out by saying, if you are one of those individuals that doesn't believe what you read, or has preconceived expectations about products based on brand, type, pricing, or any other personal bias, you may as well stop right here because you will not get it.

For those of you that are open to the hope that there are some great "finds" out there, read on.

Forget about any doubts - this cable is seriously world class! Finally, we have a high end cable product that is priced honestly, and I would expect nothing less from a humble guy such as Steve Eddy (the man behind Q). It is truly liberating for me to have the cable dilemma solved! And I must add, those that know me, understand I am one of the most difficult audiophiles to satisfy. Audio equipment has been transient with me for quite some time.

The main objective of a cable is to carry the signal faithfully with minimal loss. So many cable products get this wrong. They add or subtract, which is why they are frequently described as warm, laid back, edgy, brighter, etc. With the Q, there is no holding back - it is going to give you what is coming off your source and electronics. If you do hear anything that's unpleasant, I would strongly advise you to work up or downstream because it is likely the problem exits elsewhere.

Once you hear what the Q does, it may beg the question why other cable manufactures haven't adopted this philosophy. Using a fine litz wire with this particular twisting geometry is brilliant and "really" does something to address skin and proximity effect. You should notice a complete revival of the music, especially noticeable in the high frequencies and how everything "brightens" up, yet not resulting in fatigue. Think of it as someone turning the lights on in your system. It should all be there; again there are no deficiencies unless there is a shortcoming up or down stream from the cable itself.

When I first installed the Q interconnect, I noticed the music had a more natural sound to it - it just sounded more believable. The silver cable I was previously using sounded "etch" with a higher noise floor, in comparison. The Q was more refined, and definitely more believable in terms of the overall musical presentation. It was so good, I decided to try the speaker cable as well. Now, when I first installed the speaker cable, I have to admit I wasn't all that impressed. As I mentioned above, it sounded like someone literally turned the lights on in my system, and I was so caught off guard by this that I reckoned something had to be wrong. Initially, this did not appear to be positive because it sounded a little "hotter" than I preferred, but after about 25 hours of break in, and changing a couple inferior DIY power cords back to stock, I came home that day and I was literally shocked! I realized what I had was the most incredible music I had ever heard before. The noise floor was non existent, and nothing sounded rolled off anymore. However, there was no trace of etch, glare, or grain, and I realized what I had was genuine because there was no listening fatigue associated. Imagine the sharpest, most crystal clear music at all frequencies you have ever heard, without a hint of harshness or "exaggeration" that would always lead to one getting tired of it. That is the best words I can think of to describe Q.

Honestly, the Q is so good there is not a doubt in my mind that I am truly off the cable "merry go around." Now I am tempted to wire up my speakers with the stuff! But I have Van Den Hul internal wiring and it sounds fine as is so I am trying to hold off on that for now.

Lastly, I wouldn't worry about this cable not performing as well as more expensive cables. You may have to deviate from the "false" mindset that more expensive has to be better. In this industry, there are more times then not you really DO NOT get what you pay for. As Christ Jesus would have said, "do not be deceived." Of course, there are cases where something is sold for less and claimed to match more expensive products, yet it doesn't, so one has to be on the lookout for that deception as well. I testify, in my experience with Q, this is not one of those. Highly recommended!!

System:
Cary CDP-1 w/ built in analogue volume control & DCCA Power Wave 5 power cable
Quicksilver Mini Mites w/ stock EL34's
Tekton Design Lores w/ Vdh internal wiring
Cables: Q

Strengths:
Truly world class! Gets out of the way!! Music as clear and defined as ever!! Nothing is held back!

Weaknesses:
Will let you know about the weakest link in the chain