Sablon Evo usb cable
- Thread starter Sablon Audio
- Start date
Some fantastic feedback from @QuantumWave copied over from the Taiko Extreme thread. Many thanks Ced for taking the time to share your views and also for all your support!
I received shortly before Christmas the new USB Sablon 2022, and was rather (very!) impressed by it, so here is a short review. I am by no means an experienced reviewer, so please excuse the enthusiasm, but I thought I might share the highlight of a great holiday after a gloomy 2021. Any feedback welcome, what amazing times for audio!
Sablon USB 2022 Review:
I have received slightly before the Christmas break the new Sablon USB cable, which
was a great way to finish a long and difficult year. Firstly, I should emphasise how much of a pleasure it is to deal
with Mark, who has been providing solid guidance throughout. A few words about my system,
I am using both a headphone (Woo Audio Wa33 with Abyss TC 1266),
and a speaker setup with Magico A1/Gryphon 120 depending on mood and work-from-home constraints.
Like many of us, I have gone through a long period of rabbit holes and explorations, before settling on the fantastic Taiko Extreme
and a Chord Dave, the latter now powered by a Sean Jacobs ARC-6. The system rests on a Norstone spider rack,
using a combination of Daiza platforms and critical centre stage footers for both the Taiko and the DAC.
The system is connected to an Everest, all cabling is now Sablon. The fantastic Audiowise SRC-DX is used
as a bridge between the Dave and Taiko. I have gone through a long list of rabbit hole of dealing with network tweaks,
and settled on a dual Buffalo upgraded switch. Finally, the Dave is wrapped with a sheet of a
highly permeable alloy, for magnetic shielding, as my DAC sits inbetween my two amplifiers - that’s a
great suggestion from Audiowise that I hIghlgy recommend, although the esthetitcs might bring in
interesting arguments with family and friends
. I should emphasise that all the tweaks above
have been introduced one at a time, over many months, and the impact/improvement was apparent and impressive at all of those
steps, opening the soundstate, increasing density and timbre, and most importantly (for me at least!) imaging and
dynamics. It also gave me time to get used to my system and set a baseline for future tweaks. I should say that
improving anything upon the work of Ed and Emile (Taiko Extreme, USB card, TAS) is a real achievement in itself,
our colleagues have set the bar very very high, so the baseline is the Atacama Plateau rather than our good old England
south downs.
I should say that I had used the 2020 USB Sablon as a reference cable for all these changes, and had somewhat
forgotten about it. I thought I was very much done on the side of USB, and to be honest how much a difference
could the USB make after all the care put in my system? To be completely honest, as I started experimenting
with the new USB cable, my excitement was very moderate at best and I
was giving it a go expecting the usual 10% improvement here and
there, possibly some compromises and tradeoffs.
Goodness me did I not expect what I was hearing. The density was hugely increased, dressing texture on
every single instruments, but also improving the smoothness in the highs, that are to die for.
In my limited experience, it’s very rare that an improvement is made in a part of the spectrum without
affecting something else, but I think that’s the tour-de-force that Mark has achieved here.
Voices became far more articulated, and another drop of ’noise’ could clearly be heard.
Electrical noise is a very subtle concept, as it’s not something that you really hear until electrical pollution is removed,
in the old sense of radio interferences that would crackle. It’s nothing like that, rather a sudden increase of
information captured by the listener. Practically, this translates in many improvements, in my case for instance I always
had a decent sound stage but with a clear loss of density at the edges, now the instruments sound even more alive
at the edges, which gives spooky moments where drums or violins seems to be playing next to you, a very holographic
experience!
We usually naively think of noise as 'white noise,
random gaussian distributed noise that fluctuates uniformly through time, frequencies or space, however my
take is that likely harmful electrical effects are sources of correlated noise, which can be introduced by any subtle
bias in electrical transmission, that’s actually a very complex field of research at the intersect of material science
and electrical engineering. I should say that my background
is in theoretical physics, and I am not unfamiliar with odd concepts such as quantum mechanics, but
the one thing I learned through time is that empirical evidence comes first, and here the evidence with Mark’s cable
is loud and clear, theory will hopefully follow one day and explain some of the effects at play!
So I was wrong, the USB cable matters even more now that my system has been carefully tuned, and it left me wonder
with what comes next, and how this can even get better? I have to say, at this stage, it’s all bonuses, I could
just left myself drift for hours into the music. In one sentence - Mark’s new USB cable comes highly recommended, and expect large and significant changes in your system. It’s actually somewhat unfair to name it or label it after the previous iteration, the improvement isn’t incremental, a totally different beast. Where does all of this stop ?
I received shortly before Christmas the new USB Sablon 2022, and was rather (very!) impressed by it, so here is a short review. I am by no means an experienced reviewer, so please excuse the enthusiasm, but I thought I might share the highlight of a great holiday after a gloomy 2021. Any feedback welcome, what amazing times for audio!
Sablon USB 2022 Review:
I have received slightly before the Christmas break the new Sablon USB cable, which
was a great way to finish a long and difficult year. Firstly, I should emphasise how much of a pleasure it is to deal
with Mark, who has been providing solid guidance throughout. A few words about my system,
I am using both a headphone (Woo Audio Wa33 with Abyss TC 1266),
and a speaker setup with Magico A1/Gryphon 120 depending on mood and work-from-home constraints.
Like many of us, I have gone through a long period of rabbit holes and explorations, before settling on the fantastic Taiko Extreme
and a Chord Dave, the latter now powered by a Sean Jacobs ARC-6. The system rests on a Norstone spider rack,
using a combination of Daiza platforms and critical centre stage footers for both the Taiko and the DAC.
The system is connected to an Everest, all cabling is now Sablon. The fantastic Audiowise SRC-DX is used
as a bridge between the Dave and Taiko. I have gone through a long list of rabbit hole of dealing with network tweaks,
and settled on a dual Buffalo upgraded switch. Finally, the Dave is wrapped with a sheet of a
highly permeable alloy, for magnetic shielding, as my DAC sits inbetween my two amplifiers - that’s a
great suggestion from Audiowise that I hIghlgy recommend, although the esthetitcs might bring in
interesting arguments with family and friends
. I should emphasise that all the tweaks abovehave been introduced one at a time, over many months, and the impact/improvement was apparent and impressive at all of those
steps, opening the soundstate, increasing density and timbre, and most importantly (for me at least!) imaging and
dynamics. It also gave me time to get used to my system and set a baseline for future tweaks. I should say that
improving anything upon the work of Ed and Emile (Taiko Extreme, USB card, TAS) is a real achievement in itself,
our colleagues have set the bar very very high, so the baseline is the Atacama Plateau rather than our good old England
south downs.
I should say that I had used the 2020 USB Sablon as a reference cable for all these changes, and had somewhat
forgotten about it. I thought I was very much done on the side of USB, and to be honest how much a difference
could the USB make after all the care put in my system? To be completely honest, as I started experimenting
with the new USB cable, my excitement was very moderate at best and I
was giving it a go expecting the usual 10% improvement here and
there, possibly some compromises and tradeoffs.
Goodness me did I not expect what I was hearing. The density was hugely increased, dressing texture on
every single instruments, but also improving the smoothness in the highs, that are to die for.
In my limited experience, it’s very rare that an improvement is made in a part of the spectrum without
affecting something else, but I think that’s the tour-de-force that Mark has achieved here.
Voices became far more articulated, and another drop of ’noise’ could clearly be heard.
Electrical noise is a very subtle concept, as it’s not something that you really hear until electrical pollution is removed,
in the old sense of radio interferences that would crackle. It’s nothing like that, rather a sudden increase of
information captured by the listener. Practically, this translates in many improvements, in my case for instance I always
had a decent sound stage but with a clear loss of density at the edges, now the instruments sound even more alive
at the edges, which gives spooky moments where drums or violins seems to be playing next to you, a very holographic
experience!
We usually naively think of noise as 'white noise,
random gaussian distributed noise that fluctuates uniformly through time, frequencies or space, however my
take is that likely harmful electrical effects are sources of correlated noise, which can be introduced by any subtle
bias in electrical transmission, that’s actually a very complex field of research at the intersect of material science
and electrical engineering. I should say that my background
is in theoretical physics, and I am not unfamiliar with odd concepts such as quantum mechanics, but
the one thing I learned through time is that empirical evidence comes first, and here the evidence with Mark’s cable
is loud and clear, theory will hopefully follow one day and explain some of the effects at play!
So I was wrong, the USB cable matters even more now that my system has been carefully tuned, and it left me wonder
with what comes next, and how this can even get better? I have to say, at this stage, it’s all bonuses, I could
just left myself drift for hours into the music. In one sentence - Mark’s new USB cable comes highly recommended, and expect large and significant changes in your system. It’s actually somewhat unfair to name it or label it after the previous iteration, the improvement isn’t incremental, a totally different beast. Where does all of this stop ?
If I proceed with the mod I was previously considering then it will be retrofittable to older ethernet cables
I am a current user of Sablon 2020 usb cable which is already very impressive……..but I just placed an order for Evo version
I am also a proud owner of the 2020 which is a wonderful USB cable (upgraded from Elite). The 2020 was a real upgrade for me. It was significant enough to make me a believer, so I just ordered the Evo. Cannot wait to get it.
I was fortunate to be included in the US demo tour of the new EVO cable. First, I really appreciate that Mark offers this service to prospective
buyers. Truth be told I doubt if many of these EVO cables ever make it to a second prospective buyer as once it is heard it is difficult to let go. I have had the Shunyata Omega in my system on loan from a friend for several weeks so have been able to make a direct comparison with the EVO. While quite easy to differentiate the two cables it is more difficult to determine a preference. Given the difference in price, the Omega 3X more costly, the value of the Sablon EVO is remarkable. No need for me to repeat what other listeners are hearing. I hear those same virtues with the EVO in my system. The Omega was not as dynamic and bold/exciting as the EVO but did offer slightly more transparency and depth. Not significant but incremental. Harder to justify the purchase of the Omega however easy to justify the purchase of the EVO. I purchased the EVO.
buyers. Truth be told I doubt if many of these EVO cables ever make it to a second prospective buyer as once it is heard it is difficult to let go. I have had the Shunyata Omega in my system on loan from a friend for several weeks so have been able to make a direct comparison with the EVO. While quite easy to differentiate the two cables it is more difficult to determine a preference. Given the difference in price, the Omega 3X more costly, the value of the Sablon EVO is remarkable. No need for me to repeat what other listeners are hearing. I hear those same virtues with the EVO in my system. The Omega was not as dynamic and bold/exciting as the EVO but did offer slightly more transparency and depth. Not significant but incremental. Harder to justify the purchase of the Omega however easy to justify the purchase of the EVO. I purchased the EVO.
I didn't know the price when I first heard the cable and the more I listened to it the more nervous I was getting as I felt this is going to cost me! I was positively surprised when Mark finally revealed the price and I thought I better hurry and pay before he changes his mind...
I can honestly say that I would have been ready to pay more (shhhhh!), but I really like the aggressive pricing making it accessible to a lot more people, and that we're also not paying for any fancy boxes or stuff that doesn't really matter, the cable itself is a quite pure and simple design for example. Still, it's not a cheap USB cable, but price/performance is very high I think.
One of my close friends is a Nagra/AirTight Dealer. During Covid with nothing to do, we spend hours painstakingly improving our digital Front End. We carefully without bias compared various USB Cables, from inexpensive to Nose Bleed pricing. It was NOT close. Sablon Wins. We then but not as comprehensive did a analysis with the SPDIF/RCA, AGAIN SABLON was the winner.
@Sniper17 thanks for the kind works Mark and fwiw I have a small tweak trickled down from the Evo which can be retrofitted for existing 2020 owners.
I also have a sweet spot for that bocchino rca spdif! It’s interesting what can be achieved when one breaks free from technocratic orthodox thinking and take a very different design approach.
I also have a sweet spot for that bocchino rca spdif! It’s interesting what can be achieved when one breaks free from technocratic orthodox thinking and take a very different design approach.
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My new EVO usb cable arrived swiftly. It's bigger, richer, more detailed & textured. It offers a better sense of space and delicacy. It made my old 2020 USB feel tiny. Mark, thank you for the excellent work.
Mark’s 2020 usb cable has been my reference since purchasing the Taiko Extreme. And every time a new improvement in the Extreme came down the pike, whether the new usb driver, or the usb card, or the TAS software, it was clear the 2020 usb cable was never the limiting factor. It always let the improvements flow through without constraint.
My thinking about what makes a quality system has been evolving recently in the direction of how well it conveys the emotional engagement of the original musical performance.
I received Mark’s new EVO usb cable on Monday. And right off the bat, cold, it was clear that it communicates the emotional content of the music better than any other USB cable I had ever previously used in my system.
The EVO cable now has slightly over 100 hours and the emotional energy flows even at low volumes. Yes there is more and more tuneful bass, wider and deeper soundstage, more fleshed out background instruments, blacker backgrounds, truer timbres yada yada.
But what’s more important in my view is how the emotional energy of the performance grabs your attention and engages you. I find myself listening to entire albums rather than skipping to different songs, regardless of musical genre.
Congratulations Mark for another great effort in the right direction of musical engagement!
My thinking about what makes a quality system has been evolving recently in the direction of how well it conveys the emotional engagement of the original musical performance.
I received Mark’s new EVO usb cable on Monday. And right off the bat, cold, it was clear that it communicates the emotional content of the music better than any other USB cable I had ever previously used in my system.
The EVO cable now has slightly over 100 hours and the emotional energy flows even at low volumes. Yes there is more and more tuneful bass, wider and deeper soundstage, more fleshed out background instruments, blacker backgrounds, truer timbres yada yada.
But what’s more important in my view is how the emotional energy of the performance grabs your attention and engages you. I find myself listening to entire albums rather than skipping to different songs, regardless of musical genre.
Congratulations Mark for another great effort in the right direction of musical engagement!
@wl215, @cmarin - thanks for sharing your thoughts; I am delighted to play a small part in your musical enjoyment and hope to be able to bring you more similar advances in the future.
To give an update on supply, now that my backorders are coming under control, I have updated the website for pricing. In order to manage workflow, I am focusing on standard lengths of normal vbus cables for another week, before moving onto a batch of non-vbus (aka unpowered) cables in wk1 of Feb for those people using dacs with Amanero or JL Sounds input cards (ie mostly Aries Cerat / Lampizator / Mojo Audio / T+A / Ypsilon).
To give an update on supply, now that my backorders are coming under control, I have updated the website for pricing. In order to manage workflow, I am focusing on standard lengths of normal vbus cables for another week, before moving onto a batch of non-vbus (aka unpowered) cables in wk1 of Feb for those people using dacs with Amanero or JL Sounds input cards (ie mostly Aries Cerat / Lampizator / Mojo Audio / T+A / Ypsilon).
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Just arrived….immediately plugged it in dCS….crazy….it is just damn good !
Amazing, Mark!
Amazing, Mark!
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I've just spent a few days with the demo Evo cable, and can only echo the praise other posters have expressed.
The Sablon 2020 USB cable has been in my system since early 2020, when it bested and replaced the excellent Intona Ultimate. Yet it only took a few seconds with the Evo to have me shaking my head in wonder at how much better it was than the 2020. Having evaluated a lot of USB cables now, I find the biggest improvement a better cable brings is enhanced realism, where instruments are better fleshed out, where there is more meat on the bone. This is exactly what the Evo does. If you like the 2020 USB, you will love the Evo. Upgrading to the Evo from the 2020 is a no-brainer.
The Sablon 2020 USB cable has been in my system since early 2020, when it bested and replaced the excellent Intona Ultimate. Yet it only took a few seconds with the Evo to have me shaking my head in wonder at how much better it was than the 2020. Having evaluated a lot of USB cables now, I find the biggest improvement a better cable brings is enhanced realism, where instruments are better fleshed out, where there is more meat on the bone. This is exactly what the Evo does. If you like the 2020 USB, you will love the Evo. Upgrading to the Evo from the 2020 is a no-brainer.
@austinpop - glad you’re enjoying it Rajiv and thanks for sharing
Work begins on a new batch this week
Work begins on a new batch this week
Mark,
The EVO USB cable has passed another sonic threshold this week while passing 200 hours of break-in
Although the cable sounds really good straight out of the box, engagement and musical appreciation levels are now exceeding anything I’ve had in my room before by far. Pretty amazing!
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