Smooth musical cabling suggestion

[cannata]

Cardas. Anything they ever made.

 

[Cellcbern]

I think they can make custom balanced xlr ic. I have tried their top of the line rca IC with separate ground cable and LS. Both are excellent. Boenicke cables are somehow based on Lessloss cables. I don’t know what the difference is but it might be worth checking them out because they are quite a bit more affordable.

Basically a refinement on Lessloss CMARC with more wire and therefore a more complex weave. Also much more expensive. Explanation is provided here:

S3

6moons.com

What I haven't seen Boenicke using is Lessloss' new "Entropic" process which makes me wonder if that offsets Boenicke's more complex design.

 

[scot]

Hi Thieliste

I don’t know about the interconnects but I do have a recommendation for the speaker wires. After much research on both this forum and reading every review I could find, and especially after watching Greg Weaver’s Youtube video, I decided to give these speaker wires a try. The name of the company is Silversmith Audio. Before you get crazy, because you asked for copper wires, keep an open mind.

Their speaker cables are called Fidelium and I don’t even know if there are copper or silver. I don’t care what they’re made of. All I do care about is the sound quality.
They have a 30 day money back refund policy if you’re not satisfied. It took me about 30 seconds (no exaggeration) to determine that they were not going back. I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The owner of the company is Jeffrey Smith, a 20 year military man & engineer. For the last 20 years Jeffrey has been designing speaker cables that are, let’s just say very different than most others.

All I can say is, these are simply the best sounding, smoothest yet most detailed speaker cables I have ever heard. Never bright, completely grain free with the most articulate and tuneful bass I’ve ever heard. Oh, and the midrange is to die for.

Greg Weaver, a respected audio reviewer, compared them to his six year old reference cables and his jaw dropped as well. After the review he gave them a “Product of the Decade” award! His reference cables he had been using for the last six years cost $18K a pair. Here’s the best part of this story, the Fidelium cables cost $1295.00 for an 8’ pair! That’s not a misprint, $1295.00 per pair! Don’t let the price fool you.

Watch the Greg Weaver video on Youtube. It’s about 35 minutes long but it’s very interesting to say the least. With a 30 day return policy, what do you have to lose? If these aren’t the smoothest speaker wires you’ve ever heard, then there are other problems elsewhere in your system that need to be looked at. Good luck & take care.

Best regards
Scot

 

[Thieliste]

Hi, if you're in the States I'm happy to help. DM/call/email: 615-838-7178 or colin@gestalt.audio.

I'm in EU.

 

[gestalt]

I'm in EU.

No worries; this should help you find the closest Combak (Harmonix/Hijiri/Reimyo/Encore) dealer in your area: http://combak.net/distributors_list/distributorlisting.html

 

[Thieliste]

Hi Thieliste

I don’t know about the interconnects but I do have a recommendation for the speaker wires. After much research on both this forum and reading every review I could find, and especially after watching Greg Weaver’s Youtube video, I decided to give these speaker wires a try. The name of the company is Silversmith Audio. Before you get crazy, because you asked for copper wires, keep an open mind.

Their speaker cables are called Fidelium and I don’t even know if there are copper or silver. I don’t care what they’re made of. All I do care about is the sound quality.
They have a 30 day money back refund policy if you’re not satisfied. It took me about 30 seconds (no exaggeration) to determine that they were not going back. I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The owner of the company is Jeffrey Smith, a 20 year military man & engineer. For the last 20 years Jeffrey has been designing speaker cables that are, let’s just say very different than most others.

All I can say is, these are simply the best sounding, smoothest yet most detailed speaker cables I have ever heard. Never bright, completely grain free with the most articulate and tuneful bass I’ve ever heard. Oh, and the midrange is to die for.

Greg Weaver, a respected audio reviewer, compared them to his six year old reference cables and his jaw dropped as well. After the review he gave them a “Product of the Decade” award! His reference cables he had been using for the last six years cost $18K a pair. Here’s the best part of this story, the Fidelium cables cost $1295.00 for an 8’ pair! That’s not a misprint, $1295.00 per pair! Don’t let the price fool you.

Watch the Greg Weaver video on Youtube. It’s about 35 minutes long but it’s very interesting to say the least. With a 30 day return policy, what do you have to lose? If these aren’t the smoothest speaker wires you’ve ever heard, then there are other problems elsewhere in your system that need to be looked at. Good luck & take care.

Best regards
Scot

Scot thanks i'll check these out, do you know when the interconnects are going to be available ?

 

[Mr P]

I went all in on the LessLoss C-MARC technology when it first came out and have upgraded to the newer series as they were released. My recommendation would be to contact Louis at LessLoss and see if he will let you try the Firewall for Loudspeakers. That may be all you need.

 

[Kingrex]

I have also had a few Audioquest cables at my house. And I have heard them at other houses. They are always a solid contender. Always clean and balanced. Nerver bright or overly rich. They are usually just right. When you find the one your system wants, the Audioquest can bring out the best in your gear.

 

[scot]

Hi Thieliste

I spoke to Jeffrey about one week ago (via email) and asked him that same question. He told me he was working on them but no solid release date yet.

I’m a big proponent of a matched loom when it comes to speaker wire, interconnect and power cords. In my experience this has always yielded better results. My previous speaker cables were Kubala Sosna “Emotion” which I was very happy with for over 5 years. I also have their interconnects and power cords. I was very reluctant to try his speaker cables for that very reason.

Let’s just say, my curiosity got the better of me. Because they have a 30 day money back guarantee, I thought I would try them. I’m the kind of buyer that hates to return anything. The other thing was the price. I, like so many other audiophiles thought, at $1295.00 for an 8’ pair, there’s no way they’re going to sound better than my KS Emotion cables. Let’s just say I’m glad I tried them. I knew right away they were doing something very different than conventional speaker cables. I’m not a very technical guy. I read all the tech stuff on their website but it all went over my head. For me, nothing beats a home audition. If you have the opportunity to try something in your own system, do so. I do trust my own ears. I’m very familiar with my room and my system. If I move my speakers as little as an 1/8”, I can immediately hear the difference. Once I tried these cables in my own system, I knew they were not going back. Take care.

Best regards
Scot

 

[Thieliste]

Hi Thieliste

I spoke to Jeffrey about one week ago (via email) and asked him that same question. He told me he was working on them but no solid release date yet.

I’m a big proponent of a matched loom when it comes to speaker wire, interconnect and power cords. In my experience this has always yielded better results. My previous speaker cables were Kubala Sosna “Emotion” which I was very happy with for over 5 years. I also have their interconnects and power cords. I was very reluctant to try his speaker cables for that very reason.

Let’s just say, my curiosity got the better of me. Because they have a 30 day money back guarantee, I thought I would try them. I’m the kind of buyer that hates to return anything. The other thing was the price. I, like so many other audiophiles thought, at $1295.00 for an 8’ pair, there’s no way they’re going to sound better than my KS Emotion cables. Let’s just say I’m glad I tried them. I knew right away they were doing something very different than conventional speaker cables. I’m not a very technical guy. I read all the tech stuff on their website but it all went over my head. For me, nothing beats a home audition. If you have the opportunity to try something in your own system, do so. I do trust my own ears. I’m very familiar with my room and my system. If I move my speakers as little as an 1/8”, I can immediately hear the difference. Once I tried these cables in my own system, I knew they were not going back. Take care.

Best regards
Scot

I'm going to wait until i can gather 3-5 different brands for a big shootout in my house and will include the Fidelium, it's going to be fun

 

[Cableman]

Cables are not tone controls and should not be used as such.

 

[RnRmf]

Cables are not tone controls and should not be used as such

But assuming you agree that cables that can effect tone and/or transparency, how do you choose?

 

[Cableman]

But assuming you agree that cables that can effect tone and/or transparency, how do you choose?

I’d get to the source of the tone problem before I looked at changing the cables. All cables detract from what’s already apparent. Using cables to tone the sound detracts/ distracts from the real issue

 

[Cellcbern]

Hi Thieliste

I spoke to Jeffrey about one week ago (via email) and asked him that same question. He told me he was working on them but no solid release date yet.

I’m a big proponent of a matched loom when it comes to speaker wire, interconnect and power cords. In my experience this has always yielded better results. My previous speaker cables were Kubala Sosna “Emotion” which I was very happy with for over 5 years. I also have their interconnects and power cords. I was very reluctant to try his speaker cables for that very reason.

Let’s just say, my curiosity got the better of me. Because they have a 30 day money back guarantee, I thought I would try them. I’m the kind of buyer that hates to return anything. The other thing was the price. I, like so many other audiophiles thought, at $1295.00 for an 8’ pair, there’s no way they’re going to sound better than my KS Emotion cables. Let’s just say I’m glad I tried them. I knew right away they were doing something very different than conventional speaker cables. I’m not a very technical guy. I read all the tech stuff on their website but it all went over my head. For me, nothing beats a home audition. If you have the opportunity to try something in your own system, do so. I do trust my own ears. I’m very familiar with my room and my system. If I move my speakers as little as an 1/8”, I can immediately hear the difference. Once I tried these cables in my own system, I knew they were not going back. Take care.

Best regards
Scot

My experience has been the opposite. I've had several different complete looms from one manufacturer (e.g., Cerious, ASI Liveline, Verastarr) and in each case the best system sound has come from mixing cables from different manufacturers. My system currently combines Verastarr speaker cables, Echole and Hemingway power cords, and Townshend interconnects, and sounds the best it ever has. For example, with the full Verastarr Grand Illusion loom in place I tried an audiophile friend's pair of Townshend Fractal F1 interconnects and they were clearly a step up in sound quality so I ordered a pair. The process repeated with power cables. If this is using cables as tone controls (is it?) then I am all for it. My approach is to find the cable that works best for each individual component, while also elevating the performance of the system, which can only be accomplished via trial and error.

Note that at no compromise Audio Exotics, where they could afford to demonstrate and recommend to customers a full loom of whatever they wanted (since price is no object), a mix of different cables is used for each system with power cords being selected/recommended on a component by component basis:

Audio Exotics - www.TheAudioBeat.com

read audio reviews, ratings, and user opinions on audio equipment before you buy an audio system

www.theaudiobeat.com

 

[Tbzc]

I’d get to the source of the tone problem before I looked at changing the cables. All cables detract from what’s already apparent. Using cables to tone the sound detracts/ distracts from the real issue

I have a different view on this: we are in a hobby where everything has certain influence on sound: design, layout, material used, damping, caps, resistors, internal wire, electricity, grounding, electric intereactions between components, design and material of the stand etc. Then we come to the influence of the room. So, basicaly we have tons of tone controls in our systems. I replaced today one cap: both top caps, same value, different material, very different sound. How the heck can you define and pinpoint which component is neutral or natural? How do you define that? Don’t want to get into that unfruitfull discussion but just want to emphasis that our hobby is a balancing act. On a very personal perception level and preferences. And that everything we have and do has an effect on tone. Therefore I think in order to achieve somekind of general uderstanding among us certain generalization is good and neccessary. That’s why using ‘warm’ or ‘analytical’ cables in the final balacing act does not necessary show that something (else) is wrong in your system or with the cables.

 

[Cableman]

I have a different view on this: we are in a hobby where everything has certain influence on sound: design, layout, material used, damping, caps, resistors, internal wire, electricity, grounding, electric intereactions between components, design and material of the stand etc. Then we come to the influence of the room. So, basicaly we have tons of tone controls in our systems. I replaced today one cap: both top caps, same value, different material, very different sound. How the heck can you define and pinpoint which component is neutral or natural? How do you define that? Don’t want to get into that unfruitfull discussion but just want to emphasis that our hobby is a balancing act. On a very personal perception level and preferences. And that everything we have and do has an effect on tone. Therefore I think in order to achieve somekind of general uderstanding among us certain generalization is good and neccessary. That’s why using ‘warm’ or ‘analytical’ cables in the final balacing act does not necessary show that something (else) is wrong in your system or with the cables.

A cable can’t ‘fix’ thd sound. It can only mask the problem IMHO

 

[Cellcbern]

I'm going to wait until i can gather 3-5 different brands for a big shootout in my house and will include the Fidelium, it's going to be fun

If component incompatibility is the cause of the problem, and cables are a component, then changing cables can help alleviate the problem just like switching sources or amps.

Looking at the description of your system I would say that in addition to trying copper cables you should borrow some tube electronics to try. Thiels have always had a reputation for being a little on the analytical/super resolving/bright side. You may need to add a little warmth to the system. Also, unless I missed it your system description doesn't say anything about isolation feet. Metal isolation feet (e.g., Stillpoints) can add a hardness and etched quality to the sound, as has been pointed out on this forum by others. Since you will be experimenting I suggest that you also try various tonewood footers, which range from the inexpensive Yamamoto and Clubwood ebony and mpingo cones/cups to the mid priced ASI Top Line Feet, to the expensive Shun Mook, Combak Harmonix, and Dalby Audio Design. All of them serve to some extent as a "mechanical diode" for draining internal component resonances while also imparting a "sympathetic" resonance of their own which creates a more natural, musical tone. I use the Dalby Lignum Vitae, and ASI Top Line feet with great results.

 

[scot]

Hi everyone

I am not saying you will always get the best performance using the same complete loom of cables from the same manufacturer. We all know, there’s always something out there that’s going to outperform whichever cable you use. I’m a big believer in trusting your own ears. Nothing beats a home audition.
If you take home a cable, put it in your system, listen to it for an extended period of time, and like what it’s doing, that’s the one you should buy. We all also know, there is no right or wrong decisions in this hobby, if you like it, buy it. The moral of that story is, trust your own ears. If you do, you’ll never go wrong. Take care.

Best regards
Scot

 

[Geir]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to try new speaker cables and interconnects in my system because i find my Gryphon cabling too clear for my speakers and the treble tends to be fatigueing in the long run.
I need to try 100% copper cabling only and the ones that come to mind are Tellurium Q Statement and Audience Front Row.
I only need a set of speaker cables and one set of balanced interconnect.
Please let me know if you have suggestions so i can get a smoother sound thanks.

Hi. There is a small brand from Sweden named Tarfala audio. The speaker cables Tarfala Vertigo is my advice. I use them myself, and everyone that tries them really loves these cables. Smooth, Organic, musical, open. If listen fatigue is an issue this is the right medicine.

https://www.tarfalaaudio.com/products/vertigo-speakercable-35923652

 

[Thieliste]

Anyone using Cardas Clear Beyond SC and IC in their main system ?
I've had Cardas cables in the past but never heard top of the line yet.