FTA (Final Touch Audio) Callisto USB cable
- Thread starter Golum
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Final Touch Audio Callisto cable is a superbly musical cable that achieves what many others don't IMO. Detail and body, with zero fatigue. I have tried many other USB cables, and they rarely do both, most going for detail over body and weight, reminding the listener it is a digital source..
So far I have been using the yellow USB cable from Curious. Through this forum I have been encouraged to switch to the Callisto from FTA. It has now been playing for about 50 hours in the system and therefore I see myself in a position to make an initial assessment.
As already described several times by the previous speakers, the Callisto reproduces a very wide and deep stage. Speech intelligibility has also improved. The text of singers (including choir singers) is now much easier to understand.
I would like to start by saying that I have been singing in concert choirs for about 30 years with a focus on baroque music (especially works by Bach). Therefore, I know the human voice very well and also know how the individual instruments sound in the orchestra. I have experienced that certain notes sung at a certain volume by the sopranos cause "clipping" in my ear, or in other words -- distortion occurs in my ear. With the Callisto cable, these distortions no longer occur in my ear, even when I listen to choral music loudly. You can take that as a compliment, but on the other hand, it's an indication that high notes are rounded by the cable. I can't describe this phenomenon in detail yet, but I think this is the reason why some people here on the forum describe the cable sound as organic and round.
I haven't done any before - after comparisons with the Curious yet, but I think I've improved sonically.
My system consists of:
Streamer (Lumin) -> Dac (Meitner) -> Tube amp (Airtight)
The sound of the system has lost any digital sharpness and sounds -- I can't say it any other way -- now completely normal, unspectacular and analog in the best sense. If you hear the sound for the first time, you might wonder what is supposed to be high-end about it, but that is exactly where the secret lies.
As already described several times by the previous speakers, the Callisto reproduces a very wide and deep stage. Speech intelligibility has also improved. The text of singers (including choir singers) is now much easier to understand.
I would like to start by saying that I have been singing in concert choirs for about 30 years with a focus on baroque music (especially works by Bach). Therefore, I know the human voice very well and also know how the individual instruments sound in the orchestra. I have experienced that certain notes sung at a certain volume by the sopranos cause "clipping" in my ear, or in other words -- distortion occurs in my ear. With the Callisto cable, these distortions no longer occur in my ear, even when I listen to choral music loudly. You can take that as a compliment, but on the other hand, it's an indication that high notes are rounded by the cable. I can't describe this phenomenon in detail yet, but I think this is the reason why some people here on the forum describe the cable sound as organic and round.
I haven't done any before - after comparisons with the Curious yet, but I think I've improved sonically.
My system consists of:
Streamer (Lumin) -> Dac (Meitner) -> Tube amp (Airtight)
The sound of the system has lost any digital sharpness and sounds -- I can't say it any other way -- now completely normal, unspectacular and analog in the best sense. If you hear the sound for the first time, you might wonder what is supposed to be high-end about it, but that is exactly where the secret lies.
For anyone interested:
www.whatsbestforum.com
FTA Stock Clearance sale
Due to end of collaboration with FTA I still have certain (small) stock of FTA cables namely: USB Callisto (1m & 1.3m) Metis LAN 1m All cables are new and discounted 50% vs retail price. Will ship them worldwide. Note: Indicated price in the ad...
www.whatsbestforum.com
Just a heads up for any Callisto owners. I have been experiencing horrible SQ issues out of my system for quite awhile now. After replacing several networking components, which did nothing to alleviate the issues I discovered that my Callisto was the problem.
I was able to push the adhesive further up the jack of the cable and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol. Initially the SQ improved ( i was missing midbass in the right channel and odd staging changes) but after 30-40 minutes the issues popped back up, which leads me to believe that either the cable is defective or some of the gunk has gotten into USB port of Optical Rendu. If that's the case I will need to send the unit back to Sonore, assuming they can even fix it.
I've made Fred aware of the issue and I'm waiting to hear back from him to see if FTA will make this situation right.
I will report back.
I was able to push the adhesive further up the jack of the cable and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol. Initially the SQ improved ( i was missing midbass in the right channel and odd staging changes) but after 30-40 minutes the issues popped back up, which leads me to believe that either the cable is defective or some of the gunk has gotten into USB port of Optical Rendu. If that's the case I will need to send the unit back to Sonore, assuming they can even fix it.I've made Fred aware of the issue and I'm waiting to hear back from him to see if FTA will make this situation right.
I will report back.
...perhaps consider a well-lit photo of the USB fixture on the OR? You could enlarge and get a take on particulate matter inside.
If that USB cable has electrical tape, as it appears, rather than shrink-wrap tubing, I'd expect the issue there.
The amount of wire into the fixture is pretty busy there, so if you have plugged/removed it many times, I have seen failure of audiophile USB and ethernet cables like that. Especially demo cables, which get a lot of wear. Not Callisto, for the record. Good Luck.
If that USB cable has electrical tape, as it appears, rather than shrink-wrap tubing, I'd expect the issue there.
The amount of wire into the fixture is pretty busy there, so if you have plugged/removed it many times, I have seen failure of audiophile USB and ethernet cables like that. Especially demo cables, which get a lot of wear. Not Callisto, for the record. Good Luck.
Update: I heard back from Fred and the folks at FTA. They are willing to repair the cable for the cost of shipping
Yeah I need to try and get a shot of the interior of the port.
Hello all, I just want to make a point of clarification this. This USB cable is a few years old and appears to have some physical damage from the pictures. It was delivered perfectly and played fine for years.
That said, I have coordinated with the builder to take a look and refurbish the cable as needed in order to offer great customer service.
For the record though, even if there was damage to the USB, which was not delivered that way, I want to point out that this is a digital cable and as such a USB cannot make an imbalance between channels which leads me to believe the issue could lay elsewhere. It also would not cause off staging changes--these things happen in the analog domain.
I do very much appreciate FTA's willingness to fix the cable. I simply cannot afford to just go out and buy a new one, so again thank you Fred and to the good folks at FTA as well.
I agree that missing frequencies and staging issues do not logically fit into what a USB can or cannot do, but at this point I stopped thinking logically. I have tried a different DAC, 5 different amps, 3 different RCA cables, multiple network configurations and multiple routers, modems and switches. Nothing has corrected the issue.
I was able to get some decent shots of the ports on the Sonore Optical Rendu. The optical port looks decent, but the USB port looks dirty (carbon?) and the base of the port looks to be a bit uneven. I have sent the images to Sonore and I am waiting to hear back from them.
Regarding damage to the cable, I simply do not know how or when this happened. Other than moving to upstate NY a couple of years ago and testing a few different DACs, the cable has been used in my system untouched, and FWIW the other end of the cable, the section that goes into the DAC, looks to be normal. That section of the cable is the only part of the cable that has been disconnected a few times for testing DAC purposes.
Attachments
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You are welcome. We'll make sure it's performing as it should and looking good when it gets back to you, as we value our customers.
As a small update to those tuned in, this user did test another USB cable and continues to have the mid-bass imbalance.
His issue is, however, somewhat solved by swapping his RCA cables (analog realm).
I want to publicly apologize to Final Touch Audio as well as to Fred Ainsley for any negative impressions that my post above regarding the melted Callisto might have caused.
A very long story made as short as possible.....
I have an 18 month old Presa Canario dog. Since we got him as a young pup he would become agitated whenever I listened to my headphone system. Pacing, whining, restlessness, etc... I had simply chalked it up to him being a needy dog.
Last night as I was trying to listen and troubleshoot, my dog once again became agitated. He began pawing at my listening chair, so I took off the headphones and went over to him. He had positioned himself in between myself and the audio setup. He would not let me past him. He was crying and blocking me from getting closer. so as I'm standing there trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with my dog, I look down at my PSAudio Dectet power conditioner, which is where all of my audio gear is plugged into, and the damn thing is arcing over, sparks, lighting up from the inside like a Tesla coil!!!!!
My dog for almost a year and a half has been trying to tell me something was wrong, and I ignored him, or worse, chastised him. He quite possibly saved our home and family from a fire.
Anyways, I spoke with Fred about this revelation and even though FTA is in no way responsible for the damage to my USB cable, they are still willing to fix it for the cost of shipping.
So, hats off to Fred and FTA for spectacular customer service and going above and beyond of what most companies would do in this situation.
A very long story made as short as possible.....
I have an 18 month old Presa Canario dog. Since we got him as a young pup he would become agitated whenever I listened to my headphone system. Pacing, whining, restlessness, etc... I had simply chalked it up to him being a needy dog.
Last night as I was trying to listen and troubleshoot, my dog once again became agitated. He began pawing at my listening chair, so I took off the headphones and went over to him. He had positioned himself in between myself and the audio setup. He would not let me past him. He was crying and blocking me from getting closer. so as I'm standing there trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with my dog, I look down at my PSAudio Dectet power conditioner, which is where all of my audio gear is plugged into, and the damn thing is arcing over, sparks, lighting up from the inside like a Tesla coil!!!!!
My dog for almost a year and a half has been trying to tell me something was wrong, and I ignored him, or worse, chastised him. He quite possibly saved our home and family from a fire.
Anyways, I spoke with Fred about this revelation and even though FTA is in no way responsible for the damage to my USB cable, they are still willing to fix it for the cost of shipping.
So, hats off to Fred and FTA for spectacular customer service and going above and beyond of what most companies would do in this situation.
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A canine legend is born and a mystery solved. You should both take the weekend off. Please consider posting a pic of that now famous dog! He deserves it. Bravo!
The dog is man's best friend, as he proves time and time again. He deserved a big bone I think.
Nice story with lucky end for all i hope so
Just wanted to close this issue regarding my melted Callisto USB cable.
I shipped it from New York to FTA in Europe on September 20th. Somwhere along the way, an oily substance of some kind saturated the box as well as the cable itself. Zoran sent images of the box and cable showing the damage, but he offered to repair the cable for free regardless of the damage.
I received the cable back yesterday, October 16th. It has an entirely new sleeve and works and looks as if brand new, all it set me back was r/t shipping, so again, I'd like to thank Zoran and FTA for the epic customer service, as well as Fred Ainsley for being the go-between for myself and FTA.
If you're considering an FTA cable and/or working with Fred, rest assured you will be receiving excellent customer service in case of an issue down the road.
I shipped it from New York to FTA in Europe on September 20th. Somwhere along the way, an oily substance of some kind saturated the box as well as the cable itself. Zoran sent images of the box and cable showing the damage, but he offered to repair the cable for free regardless of the damage.
I received the cable back yesterday, October 16th. It has an entirely new sleeve and works and looks as if brand new, all it set me back was r/t shipping, so again, I'd like to thank Zoran and FTA for the epic customer service, as well as Fred Ainsley for being the go-between for myself and FTA.
If you're considering an FTA cable and/or working with Fred, rest assured you will be receiving excellent customer service in case of an issue down the road.
Things in life evolve hence:
The best USB available is not FTA nor any model else, the very best is PRANAWIRE ARHAT USB ultimate. Only available at PHP AUDIO. This is a stellar project I ask to Joe Cohen to design and build the very best USB cable for my TAIKO AUDIO or WADAX customers. Stay tuned for prices, pictures and ... listening results !Things in life evolve hence:
Really? Good for you
BTW read again - i did not and never would write BS claim like “the very best is ….”
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