Caelin joins World's Best Forum

[Lee]

I graduated from a Naval electronic engineering school during the 1970's specializing in data acquisition and low level signal detection. I served 4 years in a military division of NSA and was stationed in Berlin Germany. Other than that, there is not much I can say about the experience. On leaving the military, I worked in the private sector with a variety of companies dealing with networking and computer storage design. While attending school I worked as an electrician - my grandfather, six uncles and my sister are all electricians. So, that is the short of it.

Great training for cable design. Welcome to WBF Caelin!

I've been using Cobra, Venom and Diamondback and they have all made a nice improvement to my sound. I also have a PS8 on order and look forward to plugging that in soon and reporting on the results.

Glad to have you and Grant here.

 

[Lee]

Caelin,

Any more details you care to share on the new USB cable? Any estimated launch date? Any thoughts on the Shunyata approach?

Thanks!

 

[CGabriel]

Caelin,

Any more details you care to share on the new USB cable? Any estimated launch date? Any thoughts on the Shunyata approach?

Thanks!

Soon, very soon.

A VENOM class USB cable. Performance that matches or exceeds the best cables currently available at an extemely resonable price since it is part of our entry level series. The USB cable specification states that maximum cable length is 15 feet - we have managed to extend that to 20 feet due to superior conductivity. More to come when released.

 

[Lee]

Soon, very soon.

A VENOM class USB cable. Performance that matches or exceeds the best cables currently available at an extemely resonable price since it is part of our entry level series. The USB cable specification states that maximum cable length is 15 feet - we have managed to extend that to 20 feet due to superior conductivity. More to come when released.

Thank you. Look forward to learning more.

 

[MadFloyd]

Caelin,

Can someone who uses balanced power (in my case Equi=tech transformers) still benefit from any of your power improvement products (other than power cords)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[CGabriel]

Caelin,

Can someone who uses balanced power (in my case Equi=tech transformers) still benefit from any of your power improvement products (other than power cords)?

Thanks in advance.

Yes. We have several recording studios that use balanced power and use Hydras for power distribution.

 

[MadFloyd]

Yes. We have several recording studios that use balanced power and use Hydras for power distribution.

So a Triton will still bring sonic benefits?

What about a Venon Defender? Will it work plugged into a balanced outlet?

 

[edorr]

Caelin,

Can you confirm you are using stillpoint ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhons?

 

[CGabriel]

Caelin,

Can you confirm you are using stillpoint ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhons?

The Hydras (all) are similar to high-end amplifiers in their reaction to quality stands, feet and cones. A good amp stand is recommended. If you don't have an amp stand then use a slab of granite or high density wood.

FEET: The Hydra responds better to a hard type footer, as with a stainless steel cone as opposed to a soft foot like sorbothane. A hard type foot would include the Stillpoints products. I use our own SS feet under the Triton.

I do use the ULTRA 5's under the Wilson Sasha and under the Magneplanar 20.7's mounted on Sound Anchors. Highly recommended.

 

[CGabriel]

So a Triton will still bring sonic benefits?

What about a Venon Defender? Will it work plugged into a balanced outlet?

Yes to both, however the Defender would be redundant if you had a Triton.

 

[edorr]

FEET: The Hydra responds better to a hard type footer, as with a stainless steel cone as opposed to a soft foot like sorbothane. A hard type foot would include the Stillpoints products.

Sorbothane absorbs vibration from the supported device, and dissipates the energy as heath. This is exactly the same principle applied in the Stillpoints.

Spikes (like the Shunyata SS) do not dissipate energy but couple the device to the flour. So the distinction hard type / soft type footer is not meaningful - the distinction is dissipation / coupling.

I use our own SS feet under the Triton.

Reason I was asking is Grant mentioned you are using Stillpoint Ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhon.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Sorbothane absorbs vibration from the supported device, and dissipates the energy as heath. This is exactly the same principle applied in the Stillpoints.

Spikes (like the Shunyata SS) do not dissipate energy but couple the device to the flour. So the distinction hard type / soft type footer is not meaningful - the distinction is dissipation / coupling.



Reason I was asking is Grant mentioned you are using Stillpoint Ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhon.

I think the issue with tiptoes/spikes is that they pass, absorb and reflect different frequencies. That's why over the years, have used the Goldmund cones until recently. Thought they dealt best with the issue but like the others still have a sonic signature. (Funny thing is that back in the 90's wrote an article comparing 12 different types of tiptoes on the market for Sounds Like... magazine but the publication folded before the piece ran ).

 

[edorr]

I think the issue with tiptoes/spikes is that they pass, absorb and reflect different frequencies. That's why over the years, have used the Goldmund cones until recently. Thought they dealt best with the issue but like the others still have a sonic signature. (Funny thing is that back in the 90's wrote an article comparing 12 different types of tiptoes on the market for Sounds Like... magazine but the publication folded before the piece ran ).

Spikes probably change the mechanical resonance characteristics of the spiked device - may be some resonances get cancelled - amplified when reflected back into the device, but no vibrations / energy is actually absorbed / dissipated.

 

[microstrip]

Sorbothane absorbs vibration from the supported device, and dissipates the energy as heath. This is exactly the same principle applied in the Stillpoints.

Spikes (like the Shunyata SS) do not dissipate energy but couple the device to the flour. So the distinction hard type / soft type footer is not meaningful - the distinction is dissipation / coupling.

Reason I was asking is Grant mentioned you are using Stillpoint Ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhon.

These devices are supposed to decouple the equipment from the vibration of the supporting structure and at the same time dissipate component or air borne vibrations. Stillpoints claim to do both actions. Finite elements from Germany has since long a line of supports based in hard ceramic spheres that combined with materials like stainless steel or aluminum and claim to achieve the optimum balance between damping and deflection. http://www.finite-elemente.de/en/accessories/cerafamily/cera_technologie. As far as I remember Goldmund did pioneering work in this area in the early 80's - the damped mechanical diode concept, used in the feet of their equipment and in the inner structures of their aluminium box speakers.

Most of the times the operation of these devices is floor, furniture or room specific - we have to try them to know which works better. It is why manufacturers do not endorse them openly.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Spikes probably change the mechanical resonance characteristics of the spiked device - may be some resonances get cancelled - amplified when reflected back into the device, but no vibrations / energy is actually absorbed / dissipated.

Actually there is absorption occurring in the Goldmund cones.The center of the cone is drilled out and a special viscoelastic damping compound fills the middle of tiptoe.

 

[edorr]

Actually in the Goldmund cone there is absorption.

Yes, the Goldmunds are absorbing / dissipating devices. My point was that spiking with no absorption (like the Shunyata spikes) is a fundamentally different approach.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Yes, the Goldmunds are absorbing / dissipating devices. My point was that spiking with no absorption (like the Shunyata spikes) is a fundamentally different approach.

Yes.

 

[CGabriel]

Sorbothane absorbs vibration from the supported device, and dissipates the energy as heath. This is exactly the same principle applied in the Stillpoints.

Spikes (like the Shunyata SS) do not dissipate energy but couple the device to the flour. So the distinction hard type / soft type footer is not meaningful - the distinction is dissipation / coupling.



Reason I was asking is Grant mentioned you are using Stillpoint Ultra 5's under your Triton / Typhon.

I don't use them under the Triton but I believe that Grant does. They are a fine product although quite expensive.

 

[Bluedog]

Caelin… waiting patiently for a pair of your Anaconda Zitron speaker cables with spades to arrive from my dealer. My Living Voice IBX-RW speakers have two pairs of terminals that will require a pair of your VTX jumpers. Three questions for you: (1) I understand that Shunyata does not make its own jumpers. Is this the case? (2) Knowing your cables, would you recommend that the spades be delivered to the HF terminals, and the jumpers to the LF terminals? And lastly (3) I'm assuming that the Anaconda Z speaker cables are unshielded like your Anaconda Z ICs. What advantage have you found running your speaker cables on your dark field cable elevators? Thanx for your replies in advance.

 

[CGabriel]

Caelin… waiting patiently for a pair of your Anaconda Zitron speaker cables with spades to arrive from my dealer. My Living Voice IBX-RW speakers have two pairs of terminals that will require a pair of your VTX jumpers. Three questions for you: (1) I understand that Shunyata does not make its own jumpers. Is this the case? (2) Knowing your cables, would you recommend that the spades be delivered to the HF terminals, and the jumpers to the LF terminals? And lastly (3) I'm assuming that the Anaconda Z speaker cables are unshielded like your Anaconda Z ICs. What advantage have you found running your speaker cables on your dark field cable elevators? Thanx for your replies in advance.

That's the first I've heard about the jumpers. Did you hear who is supposed to be making them for us. I guess that will be a surprise to our technicians who make them.

Which set of spades to connect to the speaker terminals has nothing to do with the brand of speaker cable you are using. Most people prefer to connect the speaker cable to the low set of terminals since it carries the majority of the current load. Some people like to cross connect the terminals. So the + of the speaker cable goes to the low+ and the -speaker cable goes to the high-. Then the jumper connects the +low to +high and -high to -low.

There are almost no speaker cables that are shielded that i know of. This is because it usually sounds bad. Just an FYI: We have just released a shielded version of the Anaconda cable for those that prefer or need a shielded cable. It is called the "Anaconda -S" interconnect. We have also just announced an Anaconda Digital cable.

The advantage of using the Dark Field cable elevators is that it sounds better than just laying the cables on the floor, especially if the cables are on a carpet. There is less blur of the transients, greater transparency and a sense of better micro dynamics.