April 23, 2014

  • AudioQuest F-14, Part 1

    Stop the presses!

    For decades, my parents kept cleaning supplies and miscellaneous junk under the kitchen sink. I actually took the time to go through the bin of stuff, and found this!
    IMG_0717
    It's a length of AudioQuest F-14. I no longer have sales receipts or journals, but I believe the first time I bought an F-14 was in April 1990. You see, I had just received an Adcom GFA-535 power amp, whose posts only accepted bare wire. At the time, I was using original Monster Cable, which didn't fit into the Adcom's posts. So, I went over the hill to West Portal's Harmony Audio/Video, who cut two strips of F-14 from a spool.

    The last F-14 I ever bought was also from Harmony Audio/Video. I bought a 35' pair, which ran from my Sony STR-AV780, all the way to the back of the room, to the Pinnacle PN-5+, used as surround sound satellites. Surround sound sucked, so I removed the PN-5+ from the rear, and used them instead (as main speakers) in my bedroom. There, I only need short lengths of speaker cable. Thus, I cut down the long 35' F-14 into shorter pairs.

    During my junior year in college, the F-14 stayed home in San Francisco, while the original Monster Cable came with me to Santa Cruz. My housemates used the original Monster Cable between a Denon receiver and JBL speakers. The Monster (which I bought on sale for $30 for a 10' pair) was a finished product, so we assumed it'd outperform the raw AQ F-14. Au contraire! Though not as warm or full in the bass, the F-14 was vastly superior in terms of accuracy, resolution, speed, focus, transparency, and treble extension. The F-14 replaced the original Monster Cable, which was retired.

    During my senior year, my beloved college stereo system [Sony CDP-520ESII; Adcom GTP-400 and GFA-535; Pinnacle PN-5+] utilized the AQ F-14.
    IMG_0724
    I have no way of knowing or telling, if this surviving F-14 was the original from 1990, or cut from the late-1991 35' pair. Nor will I be able to tell if it was used in that magical college Sony/Adcom/Pinnacle system. Still, I am stoked that I still have it. It's at least 22 years old.