Audio Quest Cable Review
Hi-fi Attic in Kelowna BC were kind enough to let me demo the Audio Quest Water RCA-RCA and the Audio Quset Yukon RCA-RCA cables and these are my impressions.
This was my first experience with high-end audio cables. I was using a pair of Audio Quest Evergreens in my system which cost a fraction compared to the Water and Yukon cables. I wasn't expecting too much because I'm aware that my system may not be revealing enough to allow me to hear any distinguishable difference between analogue cables.
While listening to the song Bad Astroid by The Aristocrats I switched between the three cables to see if I could determine a winner at least in terms of which set of cables sounded best to my ears on my system while keeping the price of each cable in mind.
System:
Bluesound Node 2i / Rotel RC-1590 preamp / Rotel RB-1582 amp / Bowers and Wilkins 705s2 bookshelfs / Bowers and Wilkins DB4S sub
Pricing:
Audio Quest Evergreen $100 ca / Audio Quest Yukon $580 ca / Audio Quest Water $955 ca
Technology:
All three cables are magnificently manufactured. Connecters fit snugly to the equipment and elicit a sense of quality. The Evergreen and the Yukon are standard passive cables but the Water has special technology which boasts faster signal which allegedly improves the sound quality.
From the website regarding the Water cables:
"All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside. When insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently, a big problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. AudioQuest’s DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes both energy storage in the insulation and the multiple nonlinear time-delays that occur. Sound appears from a surprisingly black background with unexpected detail and dynamic contrast. The DBS battery packs will last for years. A test button and LED allow for the occasional battery check."
Findings:
Continuing listening to Bad Astroid on the Evergreen cables was great. These are the cables I was using for the most part when streaming through the Bluesound Node 2i. These were my reference point because I was familiar with the sound. After thoroughly familiarizing myself with the song Bad Astroid I promptly switched to the Yukon cables. It was pretty obvious that the mid range became thicker and high frequencies more refined yet somehow smoother. After a few minutes listening to the track with the Yukons I connected the Water cables to the system. This is where it kind of got tricky because I feel like my system may not be revealing enough to determine the difference between the Yukon and the Water cables. I switch back-and-forth between the Yukon cables and the Water cables and I also decided to use a different song called LS Shuffle by Okvsho. With the second Music selection I felt like could hear a bit more of a holographic presentation with the Water cables compared to the Yukons. It seemed the presentation was more spacious and the soundstage seem to be more 3-D.
In conclusion:
All three cables are great. In all honesty, I likely would not be able to determine the difference between each cable if I were to do a blind test and not know which cable was connected. I'd be happy with all three of them. On a budget, obviously go with the Evergreen cables and you will be happy. If you're system is revealing enough, and you're able to spend a little more money go with the Yukon. I feel the law of diminishing returns would come into affect when comparing the Yukon with the Water unless they were connected to hey far more revealing stereo system than mine.
Thanks for reading! Happy listening!