Belden Iconoclast cables

dbeau

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Apr 20, 2018
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I wonder why too. This week I should receive all 3 for trial and hopefully be able to discern the differences in my system/hearing preferences. I do have a revealing system.
Update: First installed the TPC Iconoclast speaker cables with intent to switch between them and my older Cardas Hexlink 5c but NOT NECESSARY! Immediately obvious was the improved clarity of the TPC. Being critical the TPC did seem thin on the mid-highs, especially with brass instruments.
After a couple of hours, I switched to the OF copper cables and the realism with definition, tone and impact throughout the frequency range just was so much better - the best my system has ever sounded - I might be finished other than small tweaks and room correction and speaker placement. I'm just thrilled. My wife, of course, is critical but after listening she said 'it sounds beautiful' and before she has said 'how can it get better than it is?'.
Next will be switching to the SPTC (silver coated) to listen BUT I am so impressed and satisfied with the Oxygen Free OF that I'd be completely satisfied to stop here BUT the SPTC is just staring at me and in a couple of weeks I'll put them in.
I will do another update at that time. Iconoclast speaker cables are very high-end in contrast to the moderate cost.
 

dbeau

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Apr 20, 2018
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OKC,USA
Update:
Next will be switching to the SPTC (silver coated) to listen BUT I am so impressed and satisfied with the Oxygen Free OF that I'd be completely satisfied to stop here BUT the SPTC is just staring at me and in a couple of weeks I'll put them in.
I will do another update at that time. Iconoclast speaker cables are very high-end in contrast to the moderate cost.
UPDA

UPDATE:
Swapped in the SPTPC (silver coated TPC) in place of the OFC cables yesterday and am very surprised to hear an improvement, in my system and sound. Again my skeptical wife joined in listening to criticize in hopes of holding the costs down.
After the first track, she said "this is the best" and remained listening and asking for her favorite recordings until I grew weary.
She is critical and wary but enjoys music done right. I intend to keep the SPTPC cables in place for a week of listening/judging before committing. Iconoclast/BJC give us a 30 day trial period and sent me all 3 copper variants. This is a major improvement for us.
If anything significant comes from the extended listening, I'll report but it looks finished now.
 

CKKeung

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Jun 17, 2011
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Hello dbeau,
Thanks for sharing!
It's interesting that QuadDiffusor told me that he compared and preferred OP to STPTC.
So diff systems give diff effects.
I would let QuadDiffusor to elaborate.
:)
 

dbeau

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2018
204
168
148
OKC,USA
UPDA

UPDATE:
Swapped in the SPTPC (silver coated TPC) in place of the OFC cables yesterday and am very surprised to hear an improvement, in my system and sound. Again my skeptical wife joined in listening to criticize in hopes of holding the costs down.
After the first track, she said "this is the best" and remained listening and asking for her favorite recordings until I grew weary.
She is critical and wary but enjoys music done right. I intend to keep the SPTPC cables in place for a week of listening/judging before committing. Iconoclast/BJC give us a 30 day trial period and sent me all 3 copper variants. This is a major improvement for us.
If anything significant comes from the extended listening, I'll report but it looks finished now.
UPDATE: In our system the SPTPC speaker cable bested the others in aspects we deemed important to us and kept that cable. Iconoclast is a contender in the high end speaker cables and I'll certainly try their ICs when the itch returns.
 

QuadDiffuser

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Apr 2, 2017
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Echos

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Jul 14, 2019
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I have been listening to the iconoclasts sptpc and am blown away. Will give the iconoclasts ofc a listen as well. Great speaker cables.
 

tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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On my VSA E SEs I preferred the OFE speaker cable over the SPTPC. A close call, but I felt the the SPTPC’s superior air and HF extension (slight but noticeable) was offset by a less “human” sounding experience than the OFE. Both are great cables, punching well above their price.
 
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tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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No problem. The Iconoclast cables are very good, but like all other good cables will require some investigation to see which one provides the best synergy. Over on the PS Audio forum there’s been a lot of discussion about the SPTPC and the OFE.
 

Echos

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Jul 14, 2019
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@tony22 maybe i shouldnt have heard the OFE :) Now i am stumped. the SPTPC seems to be more open, wider but the OFE seems to have better clarity At the expense of a narrower soundstage, but beautiful timbre.
However after listening for a while i did enjoy the sptpc more and thats what i have settled on.
 
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tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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maybe i shouldnt have heard the OFE :) Now i am stumped. the SPTPC seems to be more open, wider but the OFE seems to have better clarity At the expense of a narrower soundstage, but beautiful timbre.
However after listening for a while i did enjoy the sptpc more and thats what i have settled on.

That’s what counts. ;)
 

QuadDiffuser

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It's been nearly 1.5 years since I received a variety of Iconoclast cables for home audition, so I'm guilty of being way overdue in posting my verdict.

The Iconoclast UP-OCC 4x4 XLR interconnects became my reference interconnects almost from the very beginning, displacing the Audience Au24 SX XLR interconnects; its sonic attributes didn't change much during break-in. Particularly notable was the UP-OCC XLR's ability to deliver signals in a superbly time-coherent manner, rendering objects and voices in the sound-stage with proper size (H x W x D) and distance, relative to each other as well as within the soundscape.

The Iconoclast speaker cables were more idiosyncratic and temperamental - I suspect that the optimal metallurgical variant is highly system dependent, and hence requires careful auditioning.

Naturally, I started off with the most expensive variant, the SPTPC. Its frequency balance was so elevated in the upper frequencies relative to the lower frequencies that it was (I hate to say this, but) not listenable - during week one, week two, week three, and even during week four. I checked the connectivity and polarity of the speaker cables nearly ten times throughout the break-in period. First just scratching my head, and visually inspecting the leads (each channel had four pairs of spades for my bi-amped monoblock system), then using a continuity meter to make sure that the terminations were not mislabeled, crossed, or somehow not constructed correctly. Hard to believe, but the bass never really emerged, even after extensive break-in !

Luckily, the OFE replacements which I replaced the SPTPCs with exhibited no unusual tilt away from the bass, and satisfied all of my audiophile expectations and needs for all of the performance parameters, pretty much from the very early stages of break-in.

Essentially, the Iconoclast OFE speaker cable + Iconoclast UPOCC XLR combo excel in the temporal (time-based) delivery of the signals, rendering an extremely linear and phase-correct portrayal of the soundstage and the instruments within. Rectilinear is the word which best describes the phenomena, with the shape of the soundstage being palpably cubic or more accurately, spheric (with no oblong distortions) with realistic and proper dimensions ascribed to all X, Y, and Z axis. As the cables broke in further, the boundaries melted away, leaving palpably dimensional and correctly-sized phantom images anchored in a broad, deep, and tall soundstage just like how we hear music in real life. Recordings become highly differentiated with every nuance of mic and mixing console artistry becoming audible.

Whereas the Audience cables rendered the soundstage and images in a flatter, much-wider-and-taller, not-as-deep, ovally-magnified, larger, and warmer-than-life manner. While extremely pleasant, in comparison to the Iconoclast, I sensed that it was ultimately a temporal distortion phenomena with in my system which resulted in a consistent and predictable size warp.

The Iconoclast cables allowed me to achieve phase (temporal) accuracy is a highly linear way, appealing to the ease in which my ear/brain system was able to "decode" the 3D dimensionality and directionality of musical events in the soundstage without any constraint or strain, much like how we hear in nature. Every recording sounds "different" and unique in ambient decay, liveliness, soundstage size, venue size, etc. I attribute this rare feat to Galen Gaeris' genius in carefully balancing the cables' inherent electrical characteristics, to minimizing reactance, through a very unique cable geometry. The choice of different metallurgical conductors is icing on the cake. The art and the science is totally transparent - no bells, whistles, or snake oil (which is regrettably too common in "high end audio").

All cables "add" or "subtract", and in doing so, system optimization becomes a balancing act. The highest praise goes to those cables which are truly neutral, without imparting any discernible signature - this, the Iconoclast does superbly!
 
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QuadDiffuser

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Hurray!! Galen Gareis generously shares his very impressive experience, knowledge and genius, accumulated over ~30 years of cable design; guaranteed that his 3 hour presentation will mesmerize you, and you‘ll be a LOT wiser afterwards!
 
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Ron Resnick

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It won't apply equalization/sectional emphasis to the signal. What it does is faithful reflection of the incoming signal.

. . .

Isn't a "faithful reflection of the incoming signal" exactly what we want?
 

highstream

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All cables "add" or "subtract", and in doing so, system optimization becomes a balancing act. The highest praise goes to those cables which are truly neutral, without imparting any discernible signature - this, the Iconoclast does superbly!
Two obvious questions:
- If all cables add or subtract, then how could the Iconoclast not?
- How exactly did you isolate the effect of the Iconoclast from the rest of the system to make your determination of its sound alone?

I take it you really like the "neutral" effect the Iconoclast has in your system, i.e., you've achieved the balancing act you were looking for. Congratulations. It's a very satisfying feeling.
 
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QuadDiffuser

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Dear Highstream,

Thanks for asking - great questions ! My journey started with an open mind, and an insatiable curiosity to learn about cables, and the physics of electrical signal transmission. I discovered that Galen was the best source of information, so I invested lots of time to read through the entire PS Audio Forum thread on Iconoclast Cables. At the time I was doing my research during the Spring of 2019, the thread was already had ~1,500 messages, easily the longest in the entire PS Audio Forum, extremely rich with information. There were dozens of email exchanges between Blue Jean Cable's Bob and Galen himself - both were gentlemen who loved their craft and profession, and were a joy to work with - managing dozens of emails, logistics between HK and the USA, and risk-free home audition of Iconoclast cables, both XLR and speaker cables (in different metallurgic variants).

So congratulations for taking the first step, on a journey which I myself went through! It was very educational and extremely rewarding, as I hit the jackpot with the Iconoclast cables which have been my references.

There are so many variables which need to be optimized in cable design, I think Galen himself would be the best person to explain. The ~3 hour video whose link I provided is likely the best place to start, as reading through thousands of posts on multiple Forums consume a lot of time with less payoff, IMO.

Explaining cable design goals and what I heard for myself during my audition by using visual analogies may provide a more holistic picture, as fundamentally we're wired to best process visual cognitive inputs.

To be continued...
 
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Ron Resnick

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I watched Galen's almost three hour video. (My wife chose not to join me.)

Two things are for sure:

1) Galen is extremely knowledgeable about the science, math and engineering of the various parameters that are involved in cable design; and

2) I have great respect and appreciation for his total transparency about the engineering underlying the cables, his design philosophy, the materials used, the cable configurations and the measurable and delivered electrical results achieved. I wish more cable manufacturers in our industry provided merely a fraction of Galen's transparency.

I have been discussing with Galen over email for the last couple of days my particular situation of a 50 foot interconnect run, and Galen is equally open, educational and generous with his time on a one-on-one basis.
 
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RnRmf

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Apr 29, 2015
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I watched Galen's video. (My wife chose not to join me.)

Two things are for sure:

1) Galen is extremely knowledgeable about the science, math and engineering of the various parameters that are involved in cable design; and

2) I have great respect and appreciation for his total transparency about the engineering underlying the cables, his design philosophy, the materials used, the cable configurations and the measurable and delivered electrical results achieved. I wish more cable manufacturers in our industry provided merely a fraction of Galen's transparency.

I have been discussing with Galen over email for the last couple of days my particular situation of a 50 foot interconnect run, and Galen is equally open and generous with his time on a one-on-one basis.
I recently ordered a 26 foot length XLR interconnect and it has the same attributes as the shorter length between my source and pre. As long as you're happy with the interaction with your other cables, it's a great cable.
 

Ron Resnick

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Jan 24, 2015
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I recently ordered a 26 foot length XLR interconnect and it has the same attributes as the shorter length between my source and pre. As long as you're happy with the interaction with your other cables, it's a great cable.

Did you go with the 4x1 or the second generation 4x4 design?

I have been thinking that for a run as long as 50 feet I should minimize capacitance, but Galen's advice is to accept a slightly greater capacitance figure in return for managing what Galen calls the linearity of the velocity of propagation across frequencies.

In my particular case the low capacitance solution (Mogami W2791) is so inexpensive, I am inclined to purchase both, and hear which sounds better.
 

RnRmf

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Apr 29, 2015
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Did you go with the 4x1 or the second generation 4x4 design?

I have been thinking that for a run as long as 50 feet I should minimize capacitance, but Galen's advice is to accept a slightly greater capacitance figure in return for managing what Galen calls the linearity of the velocity of propagation across frequencies.

In my particular case the low capacitance solution (Mogami W2791) is so inexpensive, I am inclined to purchase both, and hear which sounds better.
I went with the 4x4 OCC because that's what I had experience with.
My experience managing linearity of velocity propagation is hit or miss...

I haven't heard the 4x1 but comparing a 4x4 OCC vs the Mogami should go in the Iconoclast's favor barring an unfavorable interaction with cables/components in your system.
 
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