I was pretty happy with these cables until I found out that you can make a pair of them for about $200. I found the instructions at http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-Transparent-Audio-Reference-XL-Speak/. I can't believe I paid over a thousand dollars for mine!

Strengths: detailed, dynamic and smooth

price ?

Transparent reference interconnects let the music flows and only the music. Very detailed and dynamic (not analytic). very quiet also.

Similar Products Used:

MIT

I have never heard such a dramatic change in my system, blows me away.

VERY EXPENSES.

Many people always says cables are just cables or build your own cable, don't waste your time just go to Radio Shack, they sound the same, Yeah Right! any way they ALL wrong. Hearing is Believing. The Transparent Audio Reference XL speaker cable is like no other cable that I ever encounter before, I waste so much money and time over the years, Finally I diced to go with The Transparent Audio Reference XL V, for the first time in many years in this hobby my search is over, Thanks God. My reference system sounds UNBELIEVABLE!!! very transparent, dynamics they were just there, best of the midrange, better low frequency extension, impact and fullness, more open, incredible detail, Marvelous soundstage depth, More focus, Extremely quiet background, The BEST speaker cable. I had no idea what I was missing, Unbelievable. These cables bring out the best qualities of state of the art components and really allow them to strut their stuff. Is Unreal! If you've invested in an ultimate audio system, Do you self a BIG favor, TRY ONE, I STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

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NONE.

Balanced and dynamic, smooth

Expensive

Transparent reference xl's interconnects are best described as music. The most honest I have heard. Balanced and quiet.

Similar Products Used:

Synergistic, MIT, Mark Levinson, Nordost

all areas are balance,real music,nothing else

expensive

New Transparent ref xl mm tech cables are better than old models that is true.Amazing good.I am try some others top cables but Transparent is more real like live music.My system is Acapella Campanile speakers, Audio Physic Minos sub, Audio Physic Digimonoamp, Audio Aero Capitole Cd, Acapella Fondato Silenzio,Transparent ref mm cables, Transparent Power Isolator 4 of coarse.I want best so i use Transparent.happy listening

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many top cables

mm is more realistic.

I purchased Rsference with xl technology one balanced and one single ended used. Then mm technology was introduced, as stated in last review the mixture of the two was better than ultra but I only rated them at 4. I replaced the xl with all mm, and the sound is more realistic and clean.

Similar Products Used:

ultra and reference w/xl

More transparent

cost

Reference w/xl Bal 1 meter Reference w/xl single-end 1 meter Reference w/mm Bal 1 meter Reference w/mm Speaker cables 8 foot An improvement after Ultra.

Similar Products Used:

Ultra

a reference cable, thats all I could say. I gave five stars for value, but do not get me wrong, the pair I use is a 2nd hand with lower than half the price. I could give 3 stars for a brand new one since for the cash you pay for, you can spend it to any components in your system.

no weakness except huge cost. Of course in a reference system, if one uses Reference XL or Opus or more expensive cables, then he can discover its weaknesses. It is not even question for me. My research and upgrade facilities for interconnectors have finished!

I was so satisfied with Ultra (see my review 26th of April 2002), since they give a good representation of music, they are generally good at soundstage, bass extension is better than Super which I upgraded from. I use a Capitol 24/192 cd player with volume control enables direct connection to power amp. I was thinking of adding a good preamplifer to the system to see the changes but I was dissappointed in my trials (I tried various preamps like ARC LS-16 etc but to me, Audio Aero is better when used directly connected to power). So I decided to use it direct to power amp. This enabled me to use a better cable with same cost (2 ultra against 1 ref). (Adding a very good preamp is a better solution for soundstage with sacrificing details and transparency in my system). I had two pairs of Ultra (one was idle since no preamp in my system), so I traded them for a 2nd hand Reference which I think is a very good opportunity since there is not always a Reference cable for half the retail price! The soundstage, details, mids, highs, bass everything is better now. The most dramatic influence is increasing the dynamism of music by lowering of noise and coloration. With Ultra, music was too soft and it lacked giving the details of critical low and high level information. Mids are much more transparent and soundstage is wider since instruments are not squizzed on each other. Mids and highs are more refined and cyrstal clear now, which I think Ultra was adding its own character (very less of course). Bass is deeper andmidbass harmonics are more definite. Reference has definitely no character and its own tonality. That is why it is reference. My system is very transparent and very simple now. I belong to the school of simple and pure.I found out less is more! My system: Audio Aero Capitol 24/192 (with Black Diamond Racing Cones MK4) AudioResearch VT-200 B&W Nautilus 803 Transparent Reference XLR Transparent Ultra Bicable Speaker Cable PS Audio Lab II power cords PS Audio High Current Ultimate Outlet

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Various Transparent cables, Super, Ultra etc. MIT cables, Kimber KS series

Very neutral, deep soundstage, dynamics, like live music

expensive

I want best so i buy Transparent.My system Audio Physic Strada digimonoamp, Minos sub,Acapella Campanile with plasma tweeter and of coarse Audio Aero Capitole cd player sound fine now.All cables are Reference.

Similar Products Used:

Cardas, Siltech, Dunlavy,Van den hull, Cello,Audioquest etc....

I started out with balanced Transparent basic interconnects a few months ago. I moved up to their Music Wave Plus, then to Super, then to Ultra in my second system which is home theatre which is all Krell. Each move was very worthwhile and noticably better. For my other system which is used for CD's I added the Transparent Balanced Reference from Krell 30i CD to Krell KRC-3 and to Krell FPB300 along with Reference speaker cables. WOW! I have not auditioned other cables other than the Audioquest I had been using but the difference is truly amazing. My girlfriend who had though I had lost my mind spending the kind of money Transparent calls for is a believer as well. One has to hear the kind of low level detail, soundstage, silent background and ability of these cables to bring one closer to the real thing in a reference system to trully appreciate what they are capable of. I was skeptical of cables for many years although I used audioquest's best but no longer. I cannot recommend any of Transparent's products enough. I would state that the real stuff starts with their Super line and then improves as one moves up. A friend whom I trust said his Balanced Super sounded as good as his single ended Reference.