Originally Posted by
ProtegeManiac /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That will depend on one's budget; aren't the 1meter sets almost $200 a pair? He could just get a new DAC (maybe even with a preamp output) with that kind of money, and at the very least he'll be getting better digital decoding and a more proper analog output stage sending the signal to the speaker's amplifiers.
1 meter runs $170... 1.5m $200.
I have tried the dedicated DAC (Audioengine D1) with Bettercables RCA (run from DAC to A2 speakers) before this but sounded awful, too fatty and absorbent. There was a loss of detail compare to the generic cable without the external DAC.
Going with a $200 Sydney cable alone obliterated the D1 DAC + BetterCable RCA (mid-level copper) setup.. I am pretty confident that a two or three hundred dollar DAC with via USB or Fiber Optic will not be able to compete the Sydney cable alone. I am so glad I got rid of the budget level external DAC.... Sydney cable proved to be a huge improvement in sound. I also have the solid silver PSS Angel cable which gives me a small improvement over the Sydney.
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If the sound is noticeable like that Audioengine must have really tried to save money off of the bundled cable. The pre-terminated, 4-conductor, bi-amp cable that Swan bundles with its speakers now look so durable I'm not thinking of replacing the ones that came with mine (and really made the older, clip-terminal versions look really cheap) and there's no audible channel imbalance either. IMO this is for the most a downside to having just two boxes and one power cable, but if you can confirm and isolate the cause of an audible channel imbalance to be the speaker cable, that's annoying if it's audible.
Just like any other audio manufacturers, they can't put much money on supplied cables to minimize cost... they just in there to get you going as temporary.
But yeah, you could be right that the imbalance of the two channels might not be speaker cable related.... The aftermarket speaker wires are very expensive, and I don't have money for that yet... hopefully someone who has nice speaker cables can confirm if it helps with the balance of the two channels on the A2 speakers if any.