FTA (Final Touch Audio) Callisto USB cable

[highstream]

I had PAD Proteus RCA in the past, it was a good cable at the price between my STAHL-TEK Vekian DAC and my NAGRA preamp, but a bit colored and not as detailed / transparent as I want (I was PAD dealer at that time). I still have an interconnect from PAD.
Cables burn in is very important (depending on the design and on the materials used), and sometimes cables can reveal problems in the audio system. I never listen to PRANAWIRE spdif, but only to Cosmos II in XLR, and it's really a great cable. However I sold it to upgrade to Arhat.

My view is all wires and components are "colored." It's just a matter of picking the ones one likes, which is where individual taste and synergy come in.

 

[PhP]

My view is all wires and components are "colored." It's just a matter of picking the ones one likes, which is where individual taste and synergy come in.

Yes it's right but some are more colored than others, by a clear margin. I had been a PAD dealer for years, and found them very good, some really great (limited power cords), but others lack transparency and are on the golden side like some tubes gears. I became aware of this when I bought Silent Source reference cables. They were so transparent and neutral that I stopped selling PAD. I made a lot of comparison and found that only some cables were as immersive than the silver cables from SILENT SOURCE. Then I jumped to PRANAWIRE because I found some cables of Joe to be even more transparent and detailed than SILENT SOURCE REF, but not really more neutral. I used live music to do the test. I listened to music unamplified in my region, and then compares on the same evening on 2 or 3 recordings I found neutral. It was a good test. I also did the same with my previous DAC and the new one, more neutral too (and much more right to the event), and a month ago with 2 amplifiers. One is really organic, the other a touch less, but the later is clearly more neutral and more transparent too. As an engineer, I thought that neutrality of tones was a function of design and also even more of materials. I also discover that a neutral component is always more transparent, more faithful to the source. Probably related to a touch less "mask effect".
Also it's clear that synergy and taste are important. I sold a wonderful DAC to a guy that told me "it is a great DAC but to neutral, I prefer a colored punchy professional DAC"...
Synergy: I sold some PAD cables in the past to customers that want to tame their Swiss electronics. This works to a certain degree. The Swiss electronics loose part of their transparency, and the customers found the sound more acceptable (less agressive in the highs) but less engaging. In my experience, picking the good one, the one I like, last for some years, until I do a major change in the audio system and in most case, I have to think again about the balance of the system. In 2019, I sold my NORDOST QX4 because with my new speakers, QX4 add too much bass and recessed the sound, the soundstage and small ambiant cues that gives me the feeling of listening to an event and not to a "dead" record.

 

[highstream]

Boiling all that down, you like clean and detailed, aka “neutral,” a sound I find it unlistenable and very aggravating for any length of time. My starting point is tonality, modestly warm to be exact, deriving from experience playing piano for many years growing up, listening to live acoustic music, and the genes I was delivered. As I keep saying, to each their own taste. After all, we have entertainment systems.

 

[PhP]

Boiling all that down, you like clean and detailed, aka “neutral,” a sound I find it unlistenable and very aggravating for any length of time. My starting point is tonality, modestly warm to be exact, deriving from experience playing piano for many years growing up, listening to live acoustic music, and the genes I was delivered. As I keep saying, to each their own taste. After all, we have entertainment systems.

I like clean and detailed sound like when I listen to a performer in a studio, with no speaker or when I go to unamplified concert. Neutral sound is not hifi or audio sound that are made by some brands. I use e.g. a TENOR haute puissance amplifier which is known by most melomanes to be the best amplifier for tones and harmonics. But recently I discover another amplifier that sound very close on tones but more neutral more there. So yes you are right, it's entertainments systems but my pleasure and what I propose to my customers is to get into a listening session in which, I found that it seems real. I do not overline some audiophile search like extreme frequency range, ultra power... but when you listen to somebody singing and that it's so natural that your hear or your brain could think it's a real voice, it's rewarding. Interesting exchange however.

 

[highstream]

I'm going to be posting on Audiomart and maybe elsewhere a Callisto for sale either later today or tomorrow. It's in excellent used shape and is a 5V model (otherwise it wouldn't have connected an SSD enclosure w/o AC line to an Oppo). I'm in the States, and while a sale in the CONUS is easier, I'm willing to ship elsewhere. If interested, please message me promptly.

 

[highstream]

Callisto sold.

 

[JSA]

I am a big fan of FTA Callisto usb cable which I use for over 1 year , unpowered version, bought sh from Goran ( Golum).
It is a fantastic cable with very dark backround and palpable presentation , I would say on slightly warmer side.
Two month ago a young Polish engineer asked me to try his usb cable in my system.
I did not expect too much but the reality surpassed largely my expectations. In my system is even more precise , with even better than Callisto 3 D soundstage and quiter backround.
Very neutral timbre.
I decided to get one, the price for unpowered version is around 400 euro in Poland.
Will keep both - Callisto and Audio Phase usb, this is the name of Polish small company.
I have no commercial interest in Audio Phase, just to be clear.

Hi Marslo,
can you give some contact to that young Polish engineer?
I would like to try that usb cable. Does it have any name?

 

[marslo]

Hi Marslo,
can you give some contact to that young Polish engineer?
I would like to try that usb cable. Does it have any name?

Yes , the company name is Audiophase.

Audiophase

 

[highstream]

Funny, their site seems to be in Polish only but all the product names are in English.

 

[marslo]

Funny, their site seems to be in Polish only but all the product names are in English.

Indeed, I told Karol ( the owner ) that he needs the website in English , he said it is still ' under construction ' , but he can communicate in English .

As far as my setup is concerned I am back to Callisto now because with Trios Audiophase sounded a bit too bright, probably a matter of breaking-in period of my new speakers and upgraded amp. Callisto is more organic and warmer , this is what I need for now.

 

[JSA]

Yes , the company name is Audiophase.

Audiophase

Thanks a lot.
I can see we are both based in Poland, and so is Audiophase.

 

[Re-tread]

Greetings all, just a small update to this thread.

I have just received 2 new FTA Metis's Ethernet cables about 10-days ago. They have now settled-in, with over 200-hours on them. They are bringing complete music joy. I have them working in tandem with an UpTone Audio Etherregen. I have a .75M Metis coming from my modem inbound to the eR, and, a 2M Metis outbound from the eR to my Innuos Zenith Mk 3 server/streamer.

I am really liking them. They remind me of the Callisto. Sound is deep, wide, layered, with lots of intra-space and delicate detail. Can hear much deeper into the music soundscape, and into the epicenter of the instrument source propagation: hammer strike on the piano strings, fingers on standing bass, etc. They really get out of the way, and just serve the music.

Thanks again to the guys at LampiNA for all your help. Great support again with the team there.

 

[christoph]

I have a .75M Metis coming from my modem inbound to the eR, and, a 2M Metis outbound from the eR to my Innuos Zenith Mk 3 server/streamer.

Thanks for your sound impressions

Have you also tried to reverse the sequence?
Meaning that the shorter cable is last into the server?

From my logic, this might sound even better when the ER is closer to the server with the shorter LAN cable into the server

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Audio cables from Poland? I remember two years ago when I flew to Poland to see the Warsaw Audio-Video show, I had a talk with a very nice guy representing Forza AudioWorks (they are based somewhere in Poland as well). He sounded like he knew what he was doing, so I ordered an XLR cable for Susvara. I am still very happy using it. A wonderful product.

 

[Re-tread]

Thanks for your sound impressions

Have you also tried to reverse the sequence?
Meaning that the shorter cable is last into the server?

From my logic, this might sound even better when the ER is closer to the server with the shorter LAN cable into the server

Greetings Christoph,

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I have considered this permutation, however, for aesthetic and WAF reasons, I am keeping the eR out of the quagmire of cables that my sub is contributing to, so the 2M Metis enables me to keep the eR (and Modem and JS-2 LPS) away from that unmitigated mess (cable soup). Prior to this current permutation, I spoke with Alex at Uptone, and he said (paraphrasing) that 2M away should be fine. However, when the opportunity arises, I will try the alternate permutation you have suggested. I suspect there will be a small increase in SQ, but I am just not sure how much yet. In the meantime, I will inquire/read more about this "distance vs SQ" phenomena with the eR, and give it a try when possible.

All that said, the Metis's are contributing to a great uplift in my digital front end, and breathing life into the music .

Hope all is well, and stay safe.

 

[christoph]

Greetings Christoph,

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I have considered this permutation, however, for aesthetic and WAF reasons, I am keeping the eR out of the quagmire of cables that my sub is contributing to, so the 2M Metis enables me to keep the eR (and Modem and JS-2 LPS) away from that unmitigated mess (cable soup). Prior to this current permutation, I spoke with Alex at Uptone, and he said (paraphrasing) that 2M away should be fine. However, when the opportunity arises, I will try the alternate permutation you have suggested. I suspect there will be a small increase in SQ, but I am just not sure how much yet. In the meantime, I will inquire/read more about this "distance vs SQ" phenomena with the eR, and give it a try when possible.

All that said, the Metis's are contributing to a great uplift in my digital front end, and breathing life into the music .

Hope all is well, and stay safe.

Thanks for your extensive answer and I certainly understand your motivation not to change
Glad to read your (bolded by me) over all conclusion as I recently bought 2 meters of Metis and your findings confirm mine

 

[LampiNA]

I wanted t share some feedback from another thread provided by our own Mike Lavigne, who was a pre-release auditioner of Final Touch Audio's new statement cable, SiNOPE:

i've had the "new model" FTA SiNOPE USB for about a month between my Taiko Extreme server and MSB Pro USB interface (MSB Select II dac).

i really like it so far, seems a very good fit into the presentation and balance of my system. lively, open, textured, and great bass weight and impact.....refined and grainless. no, never tried the Callisto. i did ask about what were the differences between the new SiNOPE and the Callisto. here is what i was told.

"There are a number of differences between this cable and the Callisto. The materials and metallurgy (mixed) has changed from the all copper Callisto. The cables geometry, cotton insulation used and intensity of labor are all significantly higher on the SiNOPE. It takes about 3x more time to make one of these cables verses the Callisto (remember these are all hand made)."

i got it already with a few hours on it, but only a few (it was one of the first one's they received, and had just started demo'ing it). it was good right away but a bit edgy and bright (traveling cross country). around 30-40 hours it smoothed out and seemed to open up at about 100 hours.....and then has continued to open a bit more over time. very happy with it.

 

[thyname]

I wanted t share some feedback from another thread provided by our own Mike Lavigne, who was a pre-release auditioner of Final Touch Audio's new statement cable, SiNOPE:

Is the SiNOPE USB cable out yet? I don't see it in FTA website. What is the MSRP in US?

 

[LampiNA]

Is the SiNOPE USB cable out yet? I don't see it in FTA website. What is the MSRP in US?

The SiNOPE is indeed out and has been pleasing it's new owners.

The retail pricing is $1500/1m and we have some in stock ready to ship.

Best,

Fred A.

 

[thyname]

The SiNOPE is indeed out and has been pleasing it's new owners.

The retail pricing is $1500/1m and we have some in stock ready to ship.

Best,

Fred A.

I PM'ed you the other day