Get the silver ones from Steve if they are in the budget. The amp deserves them and you will be missing what it can do with anything less. My opinion.

Woops, considering the Decware DAG.

I hate to say it but I never realized how much cables matter until I got Decware amps. I had OK cables but getting nice (silver) cables really made a difference. Same story with fuses.

I run the DAG’s and are very happy with them.  They were purchased since they were being run in a noisy area with some power cables. They have a nice open and organic sound and work as intended.  

Dom

I made the Beldon/switchcraft combo, and I think I heard what people liked, the big, warm and nicely complex sound....but they were lacking in finer detail, rolled off, and overly colored for the ways my sound was leaning.  

After burnin, listening for a few days to see if I would grow into them, I put on some Eichman copper RCAs I had. That helped in every way to me, similar overall sound balance, but more resolving. Even so, they lacked resolution/smoothness, fine detail and neutrality I liked having been exploring variations on the VHAudio Silver recipe.

It has been a long time now, but I am pretty sure my first iteration of the VHA silver recipe took the place of DSRs here. To me, though the DSRs were really good sounding cables, the VHAs were a bit more resolving, while also being more nuanced and supple. Then they became a springboard for many IC experiments ever since. Now the VHA silvers sound good, but comparatively, they are notably less complete and musical than those they morphed into with years of experiments.

And every time I try some new variation, it might take a little retuning, but they get better. Like everything else so far in quality home audio, there seems to be no limit to refinement potential, at least with things I have explored. And I am no longer amazed how much everything matters once all in a system/room becomes pretty resolving....without weak links....

To me, this includes cables in a big way (ICs, power, USB, I2S.....), cables being as important to the ultimate musicality and balance as anything else, including the front end, amps, preamps and speakers.

I guess refinement potential being sort of endless is not that surprising when the sound of every part effects every other part. And how they each interact with everything else, the conglomerate of the characters of all the many individual parts creates the ultimate sound and feel of an amp, or DAC, or speaker.

With a cable, it is no different to me....the wire metal, the gauges used, the variety of wires and gauges that make up the total gauge, insulator/dielectric used (and likely how tight it is on the wires), shield or not (many shield's interaction with signal wires introducing  some veils based on my listening and experiments), subtle and less subtle variations in wire geometry, solder used, damping level and materials...distancing the dielectric influence from tekflex to reduce interaction with the wires.....and that is before the labyrinth of quality ends and their different influences! Each having a sound, the parts, design and method together make the cable sound, introducing lots and lots of potential variations that matter, so no wonder there are so many cables out there!

All that said, I really enjoyed DSRs here for some years. As with everything Decware, the value for quality is impressive.

Hey Bob.... You are surely welcome. I am glad these thoughts were of some use.

Looking at the many details of what makes our musical experience great causes me to think of how we listen; what makes us want to listen; and from being seduced by listening more and more, how we naturally develop better discernment of what we hear.

A lot of it to me comes down to natural, harmonic beauty. And since we are "of" nature, we are innately able to discern natural beauty. But pulled around from this to that in our cultural training, distracted by other things, many of us do not necessarily take as much notice of natural beauty as we are capable of, or learn to discern what makes it.

Whether creating an innovative math equation, designing a car that is more efficient from more advanced synergy, making art that is so complete it reveals its mysteries to many, and in as many ways as those experiencing it.... and of course, making a harmonically complex and complete amp or cable.... or being able to appreciate the experience of natural beauty.... These are all creative experiences that help us align with our own harmonic nature, and "harmonized" we feel better!

Which leads to good sound versus great sound in home systems. Some developers and listeners "need" more natural and complete sound complexity to feel "right." And others, might not be lucky enough to be shown, or notice the difference between naturally beautiful sound, and more intellectual representations of great sound that is not quite complete, but appears to be.

For those of us lucky enough to stumble onto designers like Steve, Bob, and Randy, who live and breath good music, and are creatively motivated to try to facilitate getting it in home audio systems, we start with greater potential for more natural tone and timbre....more natural harmonic complexity. And the more natural the musical experience, the more the music can bypass intellect and engage us with our own more harmonious aspects of nature.

Then, by becoming more easily captivated by the musical experience, we hear more into its beauty. In this process, for me, an aspect of creative engagement is sliding part way out of pure engagement, separating a bit, and noticing how amazing the sound is. Then, as quickly, comforting amazement fluidly guides me back into more complete immersion.

This basic combination is endlessly interesting to me, our natural ways of consciousness shifting from immersion to captivated discernment, and back to more complete immersion.

I think in the process, as we become more attuned to the vast complexity of natural music, we tend to notice more of the many small things that make the music feel complete. At the same time, we tend to notice things that are less natural and real sounding/feeling. Finally, for me, having a system/room that compels me to listen more, naturally stimulates better listening discernment, while also awakening more desire to experiment as a means to deepen the beauty.

Then, if experimenting with ongoing system/room refinement becomes important, I think "getting there" can be notably accelerated by more actively developing listening discernment. Along with regular listening that can be compelling and enlightening with revealing gear like ours, what better additional discernment refining tools than experimenting little by little with AB comparisons that can lead us deeper into natural beauty.....tubes, cables, room treatments, vibration mitigation, power......

For me, seeking the subtleties of beauty, even with ears that are not necessarily great... as the system/room becomes more musically resolving, the life-enhancement from interacting with harmonizing beauty becomes more seductive. Compelling enough to keep me engaged and amazed, I am creatively nurtured by it, while also being stimulated to seek deeper refinement. And each successful step on the way toward more resolving musicality creates a new baseline from which to experience and learn more.

What a great playground!

Will

Great points, Will.
In my life, I use this hobby as an antidote to information overload. To actively engage one sense, and only one sense is a powerful exercise.
Mindfulness and meditation are buzzwords these days for a reason. Steve was prescient by coining it the "Zen" amp! This hobby serves as my mindfulness practice. It works for me, and it's so darn enjoyable. Steve has definitely done a huge service for us music lovers. Thank you!