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I must agreed with you . I started with DA&T U2 amp with Q701 and doesn't impress on the sound , after I paired with Violectric V200.
it is a total different experiences. the sound just transformed too much and on the good direction .
I now listen to Q701 whenever I am at home .
I also upgrade the stock cable and it opens out the soundstage and treble and bass more . very happy camper now .
the stock cable sounded a depressed and compressed . everything is dark . strongly recommended to upgrade the cable.
Cheers
I didn't like how the two copper cables I tried (one silver plated copper) seemed to make them less warm and a little thinner sounding.
Strangely enough I did feel that the bass was a little better (sub-bass) on the silver plated copper, but it didn't seem to add any bass quantity, which I don't want. Ok MAYBE a tiny bit more sub-bass, but highly unlikely.
The soundstage on the SXC was larger, but somehow I didn't like how it removes everything I love about the Q701. I would say the ALO SXC made the Q701 a bit more clear with more detail.
I'd say maybe 1% more clear. The only slightly difference in detail is most stuff in the background that you'd normally never hear. Don't ask me how, but the treble IMO with the ALO SXC was a little smoother.
You know that annoying sound when you die in Skyrim? It's slightly ear piercing with the Q701 stock on my amp, but not so with the ALO. Strange. Wonder what this means?
This is one of the very few cases where I prefer stock to any other cables. I would use the SXC if I was in a studio or something and wanted to analyze my music.
I loved it at first and it all comes down to preference. The different in sound clarity is very noticeable in Skyrim, but less so in music somehow.
I haven't tried any Cardas cable or $200 cable. No thanks. I totally believe in cables, but I doubt anything could be worth $200 worth of improvement. Most aftermarket cables have 75% of the prices going to labor too I imagine.
Best thing to do is have someone here make one or DIY. Then you'll save a ton. Making a good cable is time consuming. Probably can be done in under a half hour for someone with experience. I think it takes me about 1 1/2 hours
I still remember the time I accidentally tried to hold my soldering iron like a pen. Wasn't too fun.
What I want to do is try to get a Canare cable made for the Q701. It might be a good match. Should cost about $10 or less.
I don't know why all the Q701 cable upgrades taken away what I like about the Q701. Maybe 2% of the difference in the sound is due to a higher quality cable on the Q701 over the K702.
Need to do more testing with this. Even if they appear to be the same or are the same thickness, this doesn't mean much.
BTW if anyone wants to do a temporary loaner swap of an ALO SXC Q701 cable and a Cardas (inside the USA), let me know. I also have another that guitar-cable.com made me. Uses some Belden wire and has some similarities to the SXC.
Someday I want to try a fancy pants Cardas cable and hear it with my own ears. Maybe i'll think it's all worth it. You never know..
For those that are curious. I think the stock Q701 cable is perfect. Sounds good to me and I don't think you're losing out on anything.
