Greetings all. I typically keep a low public profile, however, I had a recent learning experience that bears sharing – and the story of my journey may help/encourage others as they look ahead. Does this cable chronicle warrant its own thread? I’m not sure, but I did not want to take an existing thread OT. So, from one quiet person, here goes my attempt at sharing something that was profound for me with the readers on this forum. The root topic is my entrance and trek into the world of Echole cables.
With new equipment recently arriving (in 2019 & 2020), I was in the midst of transitioning my kit from SE interconnects to XLR interconnects. I’ve had enough past experience with various cables of copper, silver, and hybrids, that I had a general “feel” of what characteristics certain materials present. I considered many cables from the usual candidates, many of which are held in high esteem (and with good reason). This story is no jab at any other manufacture or customers’ experiences, there of.
Before I get into it, I would like to add that audio cabling is such a nebulous world*, as it is very subjective, due to individual preferences, kit synergy, room conditions, buyer expectations, and many other contextual variables (gains stages, impedance matching, etc.). In reality, I would be taking a chance in any direction I invested in. So for me, it all started from a humble inquiry about 5-months ago with Echole proprietor, Kerem Kucukaslan. From that nascent beginning, my journey began, even though I did know it yet, or, where it would end.
I knew I wanted to start with my interconnects, now going from SE to XLR. I needed two pairs: DAC to Pre; and Pre to Monoblocks. Kerem and I discussed my kit, and my goals, and he suggested I start with 2 pairs of the “Signature” XLR interconnects, third in the Echole lineup from the entry point. Once these arrived, they took considerable time to break-in. At 400-hours, they were definitely full ON; but by 600-hours, I detected no more ‘hesitation’, as they finally relented effortlessly from there on. Patience brings good things for those willing to persevere. I will save you all the subjective superlatives (you can read those online), but let’s just distill it down to… these Signature XLR’s were… in one word: Magnificent. Deep, wide, real intonations, timbre, ease, clarity, space, drive, and musical flow.
After this experience, I realized this “is” the direction I want to go. Thus, my next weakest link was (unfortunately for me) my line-level subwoofer cables, being fed from my Pre to my Sub via RCA interconnects. Before going to the Echole sub cables, there was incoherence between my sub and my monitors (sort of like, “out of sync”), offering a dis-jointed sound scape. Quantitatively, the sub had a lot of drive, but qualitatively (in hindsight) it was murky, dirty, in-congruent as a whole. I needed to address this issue. I discussed with Kerem, and he sent me an Echole Sub cable for my trial and feedback. I gave him a full initial report of his Sub cable: anemic, no drive, low empirical energy. But, what sound was presented was much clearer and tuneful. However, I had to increase my sub’s roll-off point, and gain, to compensate for this recent energy depletion. Kerem asked me for a few technical specifications of my sub, which I promptly provided. On the same day, he and his team devised and began building a second sub cable, and shipped it to me in the USA within 1-week at no additional cost. THIS ONE, was it. This second Echole Sub cable he sent was amazing. It completely solved every issue I ever had with my sub. Now, the sub and monitors are in lock-step, coherent, and I cannot detect any hand-off at the crossover point. It is truly amazing. This sub cable literally “made” my system work**. I would have never thought “rectifying” an small ancillary, in-congruent sub cable would make a system 100% whole again. From this point on, he had my total attention. How could someone half-way around the world fix my in-congruent sub cable issue? I am still astonished by this feat.
- Interconnects: check! Magnificent
- Sub Cables: check! Amazing
At this point, I think I was hooked. So, what could be next…? I went in the direction of speaker cables. I needed 8’ length, and (for my monitors) jumpers. Kerem said again - no problem. As luck would have it, he provided an 8’ demo pair of “Limited Edition” SpC, and began construction of new LE Jumpers for me on the same day… just for me to try. He had everything delivered here (including a beautiful wooden storage/presentation box) in a week’s time. Again, impressive. Shipping from half-way around the world with new LE jumpers in a week. Can it get any better…? Yes.
How did these speaker cables sound? Well, distilling it down once again: Majestic. Elaborating a bit, here are some of my actual 2nd day listening notes:
“I heard many new things, and everything had much more clarity and nuance from the recorded source. I can hear closer to the root impact of the propagation. For example, I can hear the brushes on the snare drum, the fingers sticking on the double upright bass, the hammer of the piano chord strike, and of course the entire depth of the soundstage is much deeper. Underwhelming on first impression, but in 5-min… entrancing, immersive, soothing, evocative, and present. Music and the event. It becomes: “a musical event”. It is all there: Nuance, depth, liquidity, scale, range, timbre, clarity. Nothing is bright, hot, or standing out. Pleasant, real, dynamic, and musical. Also, it sounds “full” at very low volumes – great for the elusive “low level listening” experience. The master attenuation does not need to be lessened to enjoy the full breathe and weight. It is all there from the get-go. This is where we are now. If I had to summarize your creation in 1-word it would be: Majestic."
So, there we have it:
- Interconnects: check! Magnificent
- Sub Cables: check! Amazing
- Speaker Cables: check! Majestic
Well, I am now at a peak of my personal mountain, with an amazing perspective, that is fresh and new to me. This may be my personal Everest. I am not a swapper, so I suspect I will be with this set-up for the next +20 years. From here, I would like to thank Kerem for his effort, attentiveness, commitment, and creativity in providing me and my family with such a musical solution***. In the future, I will be considering the Echole Power Cables as a possibility. If they were free, I would be trying them now. However, this trek has taught me (once again), that good thing come to those who have patience and perseverance. I am not sure if this report will help anyone else, however, it just might.
Foot Notes:
* Perhaps financially risky, or intimidating - due to lack of base knowledge/experience. I believe unintentional “group think” can occur in this space, too.
** It is recommended by several manufactures (and I have now observed) that a sub cable should be from the same maker as the other system cabling, to solve the “congruency” problem, like: phase angle, amplitude characteristics, and congruency. I now completely agree, as per the experience with my “line-level” use-case.
*** I am not affiliated with Echole in any way, and have never met Kerem. I am only a recent customer and journeyman.
With new equipment recently arriving (in 2019 & 2020), I was in the midst of transitioning my kit from SE interconnects to XLR interconnects. I’ve had enough past experience with various cables of copper, silver, and hybrids, that I had a general “feel” of what characteristics certain materials present. I considered many cables from the usual candidates, many of which are held in high esteem (and with good reason). This story is no jab at any other manufacture or customers’ experiences, there of.
Before I get into it, I would like to add that audio cabling is such a nebulous world*, as it is very subjective, due to individual preferences, kit synergy, room conditions, buyer expectations, and many other contextual variables (gains stages, impedance matching, etc.). In reality, I would be taking a chance in any direction I invested in. So for me, it all started from a humble inquiry about 5-months ago with Echole proprietor, Kerem Kucukaslan. From that nascent beginning, my journey began, even though I did know it yet, or, where it would end.
I knew I wanted to start with my interconnects, now going from SE to XLR. I needed two pairs: DAC to Pre; and Pre to Monoblocks. Kerem and I discussed my kit, and my goals, and he suggested I start with 2 pairs of the “Signature” XLR interconnects, third in the Echole lineup from the entry point. Once these arrived, they took considerable time to break-in. At 400-hours, they were definitely full ON; but by 600-hours, I detected no more ‘hesitation’, as they finally relented effortlessly from there on. Patience brings good things for those willing to persevere. I will save you all the subjective superlatives (you can read those online), but let’s just distill it down to… these Signature XLR’s were… in one word: Magnificent. Deep, wide, real intonations, timbre, ease, clarity, space, drive, and musical flow.
After this experience, I realized this “is” the direction I want to go. Thus, my next weakest link was (unfortunately for me) my line-level subwoofer cables, being fed from my Pre to my Sub via RCA interconnects. Before going to the Echole sub cables, there was incoherence between my sub and my monitors (sort of like, “out of sync”), offering a dis-jointed sound scape. Quantitatively, the sub had a lot of drive, but qualitatively (in hindsight) it was murky, dirty, in-congruent as a whole. I needed to address this issue. I discussed with Kerem, and he sent me an Echole Sub cable for my trial and feedback. I gave him a full initial report of his Sub cable: anemic, no drive, low empirical energy. But, what sound was presented was much clearer and tuneful. However, I had to increase my sub’s roll-off point, and gain, to compensate for this recent energy depletion. Kerem asked me for a few technical specifications of my sub, which I promptly provided. On the same day, he and his team devised and began building a second sub cable, and shipped it to me in the USA within 1-week at no additional cost. THIS ONE, was it. This second Echole Sub cable he sent was amazing. It completely solved every issue I ever had with my sub. Now, the sub and monitors are in lock-step, coherent, and I cannot detect any hand-off at the crossover point. It is truly amazing. This sub cable literally “made” my system work**. I would have never thought “rectifying” an small ancillary, in-congruent sub cable would make a system 100% whole again. From this point on, he had my total attention. How could someone half-way around the world fix my in-congruent sub cable issue? I am still astonished by this feat.
- Interconnects: check! Magnificent
- Sub Cables: check! Amazing
At this point, I think I was hooked. So, what could be next…? I went in the direction of speaker cables. I needed 8’ length, and (for my monitors) jumpers. Kerem said again - no problem. As luck would have it, he provided an 8’ demo pair of “Limited Edition” SpC, and began construction of new LE Jumpers for me on the same day… just for me to try. He had everything delivered here (including a beautiful wooden storage/presentation box) in a week’s time. Again, impressive. Shipping from half-way around the world with new LE jumpers in a week. Can it get any better…? Yes.
How did these speaker cables sound? Well, distilling it down once again: Majestic. Elaborating a bit, here are some of my actual 2nd day listening notes:
“I heard many new things, and everything had much more clarity and nuance from the recorded source. I can hear closer to the root impact of the propagation. For example, I can hear the brushes on the snare drum, the fingers sticking on the double upright bass, the hammer of the piano chord strike, and of course the entire depth of the soundstage is much deeper. Underwhelming on first impression, but in 5-min… entrancing, immersive, soothing, evocative, and present. Music and the event. It becomes: “a musical event”. It is all there: Nuance, depth, liquidity, scale, range, timbre, clarity. Nothing is bright, hot, or standing out. Pleasant, real, dynamic, and musical. Also, it sounds “full” at very low volumes – great for the elusive “low level listening” experience. The master attenuation does not need to be lessened to enjoy the full breathe and weight. It is all there from the get-go. This is where we are now. If I had to summarize your creation in 1-word it would be: Majestic."
So, there we have it:
- Interconnects: check! Magnificent
- Sub Cables: check! Amazing
- Speaker Cables: check! Majestic
Well, I am now at a peak of my personal mountain, with an amazing perspective, that is fresh and new to me. This may be my personal Everest. I am not a swapper, so I suspect I will be with this set-up for the next +20 years. From here, I would like to thank Kerem for his effort, attentiveness, commitment, and creativity in providing me and my family with such a musical solution***. In the future, I will be considering the Echole Power Cables as a possibility. If they were free, I would be trying them now. However, this trek has taught me (once again), that good thing come to those who have patience and perseverance. I am not sure if this report will help anyone else, however, it just might.
Foot Notes:
* Perhaps financially risky, or intimidating - due to lack of base knowledge/experience. I believe unintentional “group think” can occur in this space, too.
** It is recommended by several manufactures (and I have now observed) that a sub cable should be from the same maker as the other system cabling, to solve the “congruency” problem, like: phase angle, amplitude characteristics, and congruency. I now completely agree, as per the experience with my “line-level” use-case.
*** I am not affiliated with Echole in any way, and have never met Kerem. I am only a recent customer and journeyman.
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