very detailed sound and ambiance, highlights the quality of your audio components

bright blue colour (but who cares?)

My system consists of a Meridian 506.24 CD-player, Audioquest Diamond interlink, Meridian 551 integrated amplifier, QED silver 12 speakercables and Monitor Audio monitor 3 Mk2 speakers. In order to further improve the already good sound I was wondering what difference a new set of speakercables would make. The people at Audiodesign offered me to test a set of various Siltech cables at home during the weekend. Two SPO18M netcables for player and amp were included. They did a wonderful job, the music was clearly more fluid, less 'edgy' if you will. So the sound was already better even before I actually started to test the cables I had in mind.
I bought the interlink a year ago, together with the 506.24 and 551. The choice for the 551 in combination with a good interlink was easy, because my speakers don't need the extra power of the 501 pre/556 power combo: there was no real improvement in sound. But by using a better cable than my simple Linn interlink the music opened up. There was no audible difference between the Audioquest Diamond and a similar priced Siltech (I don't know the type anymore) but a dealer offered me his Audioquest Diamond demo for less than half the normal price so I chose the Diamond.
But that was then and this is now: with one Siltech SPO18M connected to the player and another to the amplifier you can clearly hear the difference between my Audioquest Diamond and the Siltech FTM-4Sg G3. The Audioquest is a little dry compared to the Siltech. As a result the ambiance in the music is much more enjoyable with the Siltech.
I love Underworld's album Beaucoup Fish and although I bought it two years ago, I play it about once a week. So I can safely say that I know this album well. But I fell in love with it again when I heard it through the Siltech cables. Although this is electronic music it is so refined, there are so many layers of musical lines in the mix that it becomes almost etherial, in short: I heard this album as if it were for the first time. For example #10 (Something Like a Mama): the main rithmsection sounds like a hiss with my own cables, but this sounds rather 'juicy' with the Siltech cables. The overall sound improvement is stunning. Of course this effect of flowing music is true for al the music I have but it struck me that, besides acoustic music, this is also true for electronic music.
Audiodesign lend me the Siltech 'Amsterdam' speakercables. They are single wire cables but compared to my QED's (bi-wired) they are clearly better (more controlled bass and better timing),I'm sure I will hear a big difference when I use a second 'Amsterdam'cable. Each and every step I made with the Siltech's was an improvement and altogether they make a huge step forward, as if one got a new component in the system. These cables are certainly not cheep, but their sound isn't either.

Similar Products Used:

audioquest diamond

Improves realism of music, clean sound

Cost

I have already written about my Siltech speaker cable and how it has enhanced the music dramatically. It was a huge change. The interconnect from CD player to pre-amp made the biggest impact. Where this interconnect shines is cymbals, guitars, different brass -- I notice a big difference in those areas. It brings out intimate things in the music -- things which were not heard in my system before. It is just such a clean sound. It portrays things far better than other cables I've tried. While you do have to have good gear for this cable to do its thing, in my opinion it is a real winner.

Similar Products Used:

Purist Audio Design Colossus Interconnect, Kimber KCAG Silver,
Kimber PBJ. Also heard others but not in my own system.