best cost no object, cables

[SCAudiophile]

Humble suggestions for the list, no hyperbole or b.s. , demo them before purchase as others have said.

Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold (power, analog, speaker)
Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Diamond (power, analog, speaker)

Shunyata OMEGA (power and other new offerings as they arrive)
Shunyata SIGMA v2 (power, speaker, analog and digital***)

 

[Alpinist]

Traditional jazz, classic rock, folk, acoustic and a little classical and opera.

 

[BlueFox]

Humble suggestions for the list, no hyperbole or b.s. , demo them before purchase as others have said.

Shunyata OMEGA (power and other new offerings as they arrive)
Shunyata SIGMA v2 (power, speaker, analog and digital***)

They are in my mind, but being retired I need to think twice before spending the money.

 

[highstream]

@BlueFox At a lower price point, you might be interested in the Shunyata power cord discussion at Audiogon, specifically the final post by long-time Shunyata user gmcleod at https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/shunyata-zitron-cobra-vs-transparent-reference-g5?highlight=shunyata+zitron+cobra. In that discussion, he especially likes the Delta NR and Zitron Cobra, although more recently he likes the Delta NR2 (or v2 NR) even more than the original (and it's gotten vg reviews). The latter can be had at Music Direct, which has a 60-day return policy. He's not a fan of the Alpha line though.

 

[seeteeyou]

Has anyone compared High Fidelity cables to the likes of Sablon, MIT, Transparent, Tara Labs etc.? Would appreciate your feedback based on real listening experience. Thank you.

High Fidelity Cables Pro Series ? Sablon ? Nordost Odin 2

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-154#post-632402

 

[seeteeyou]

you asked .............

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...o-cable-business-is-getting-out-of-hand.7712/

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/audio-science-review-review.9827/

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ments-deconstructing-asr-amirs-hack-job.6442/

Going back to what this thread is intended for, maybe it's worth paying someone else to get this done for us?

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=1999995#1999995

I have made a few pairs of the DIY Helix IC’s with VH Airlok Copper and its far superior to a Double run of Duelund IC’s I once owned. Its like comparing a Honda to a Ferrari. The DIY Helix also surpassed a pair of $2800 HFC IC’s that I proclaimed as the best cable I had heard under $3k. The people that don’t try these are missing out big time.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=2000413#2000413

Not too long ago I had the pricey ($6500) Stealth Indra, Audience SX, HFC CT2 and Schroeder Duelund IC in for a showdown. To my surprise the Duelunds high frequencies were harsher in comparison to all the others and more forward. That might not be the popular results for some, but I know what I was hearing. The smoothest was the HFC CT2 and overall best sounding. Then came along the MIGHTY Helix DIY. Never in a millions years did I think these cables were going to do what they do. Just unbelievable. I can’t thank Steve and Wig enough.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=2020649#2020649

These Helix cables sound amazingly real and quiet, never heard this level of performance in 30+ years of listening.

Myself and five friends replaced our multi-buck cables with these, they worked the same every time in all systems.

Thanks to Steve and Ron!!

 

[DaveC]

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/audio-science-review-review.9827/

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ments-deconstructing-asr-amirs-hack-job.6442/

Going back to what this thread is intended for, maybe it's worth paying someone else to get this done for us?

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=1999995#1999995https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=2000413#2000413https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...-geometry-cabling/post?postid=2020649#2020649

The Helix geometry is not ideal, imo. It's the same as used by anti-cables, these guys did not come up with this geometry. I've made some test cables in the distant past using the helix ground myself.

These are the issues:

- Variable electrical characteristics. The uneven spacing of the signal vs ground helix will produce variable results as far as capacitance and inductance.

- The variability of the spacing will produce much more SCIN, or shield-current induced noise. While there is not a shield, the currents in the ground helix will have differing effects on the signal depending on spacing, which isn't consistent by it's very nature.

- Poor noise cancelation. This geometry will pick up a lot more noise vs something like a simple star quad.

- The ground is much longer than necessary so it'll have more resistance, hence more noise.

- The cable is physically very delicate. Over time the helix will become tweaked and uneven, which makes the 1st two issues worse.

I'd suggest the bias of completion of a DIY project may be having an effect on the claimed results.

One or more of the folks involved had my cables, then went with something else, then did some DIY, then years later compared it to one of my cables again and then decided my cable was much better. I have no issue with this at all, and in fact sold them some of my wire for DIY, but this is hardly anything close to an unbiased test of this geometry, and I'll be honest... IC geometry is hardly a primary factor for how the cable sounds vs what the cable is made out of.

I think many in this hobby are affected by considering differences to be better and thus are on a lifelong odyssey of gear-churning. Nothing wrong with that either, except these folks never have judgements or opinions I'd consider reliable. I see many folks constantly switching gear and it always seems a little haphazard to me. Of course, I'm the polar opposite... I've been working on improving the gear I made myself for, in some cases decades. For example I've rebuilt my SET amp a handful of times, keeping it mostly the same, just more continuous improvements in parts and the circuit... Same for my cables and the speaker that I'll be releasing soon. I've been working on the same stuff for many years.


EDIT: Also, with the comparison to Duelund... IME it's a very low bar to get something clearer and more resolving.

 

[LL21]

Hi All,

I have been waiting nearly 4 months to get the system completely reassembled and tuned...it is not there yet, but at least all of the key pieces are back in order. New speakers, new preamp, Gryphon amp got damaged due to a fault in another piece of equipment and finally came back today.

And of course, the reason for this particular post...a new set of power cables...changed from my historic 10 year 'old reliables'. Sablon Audio Prince (Orange fuse). Over the years, I have heard:

- Transparent Audio Opus Gen 5
- Purist Audio 25th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary, Dominus (own all)
- Vertere (brief hearing...do not recall which one)
- Crystal Cable Absolute Dream
- Gryphon VIP Reference (own)

I have A/Bd in home:
- TA Opus Gen 5 vs Sablon Audio Prince vs PAD 25th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary and Dominus
- Crystal Cable Absolute Dream vs the above

Overall, I declared the Sablon Audio Prince Orange the absolute winner on all counts. It was not based on price but on absolute all-out performance, and the decision was decisive. Namely:

- a density of tone with a clarity that I did not find in the 25th Anniversary (which is the most lucid of the PADs other than the Dominus which is exceedingly clear but a bit coarse)
- shockingly, a far more powerful propulsion in upper bass (something I was not expecting)...the ability to shock/punch in the upper bass
- a quiet ease which eluded the Crystal Cable Absolute Dream (which was neck and neck with the PAD 25th Anniversary in the Gryphon)
- a clarity and superior capability to maintain an even effortless keel on all the syncopated rhythms of deep house simultaneously that very cleared bested the TA Opus Gen 5 (which in our system was remarkably elegant, but almost too much so)

Now on to the value proposition which is astoundingly good given that it costs half of the TA Opus Gen 5 and 1/6th of the PAD 25th Anniversary or Absolute Dreams. Again, this was a search for all out absolute performance, not best performance/price ratio.

This is only our system, our ears, but I have been waiting until the system settled in, the old cables have been formally and finally swapped out permanently (now for resale) before posting. Thanks to Mark Coles who founded the business and continues to dedicate his time and efforts to constantly driving his products forward.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Congratulations, Lloyd! I'm glad everything is all together and making music!

 

[microstrip]

Hi All,

I have been waiting nearly 4 months to get the system completely reassembled and tuned...it is not there yet, but at least all of the key pieces are back in order. New speakers, new preamp, Gryphon amp got damaged due to a fault in another piece of equipment and finally came back today.

And of course, the reason for this particular post...a new set of power cables...changed from my historic 10 year 'old reliables'. Sablon Audio Prince (Orange fuse). Over the years, I have heard:

- Transparent Audio Opus Gen 5
- Purist Audio 25th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary, Dominus (own all)
- Vertere (brief hearing...do not recall which one)
- Crystal Cable Absolute Dream
- Gryphon VIP Reference (own)

I have A/Bd in home:
- TA Opus Gen 5 vs Sablon Audio Prince vs PAD 25th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary and Dominus
- Crystal Cable Absolute Dream vs the above

Overall, I declared the Sablon Audio Prince Orange the absolute winner on all counts. It was not based on price but on absolute all-out performance, and the decision was decisive. Namely:

- a density of tone with a clarity that I did not find in the 25th Anniversary (which is the most lucid of the PADs other than the Dominus which is exceedingly clear but a bit coarse)
- shockingly, a far more powerful propulsion in upper bass (something I was not expecting)...the ability to shock/punch in the upper bass
- a quiet ease which eluded the Crystal Cable Absolute Dream (which was neck and neck with the PAD 25th Anniversary in the Gryphon)
- a clarity and superior capability to maintain an even effortless keel on all the syncopated rhythms of deep house simultaneously that very cleared bested the TA Opus Gen 5 (which in our system was remarkably elegant, but almost too much so)

Now on to the value proposition which is astoundingly good given that it costs half of the TA Opus Gen 5 and 1/6th of the PAD 25th Anniversary or Absolute Dreams. Again, this was a search for all out absolute performance, not best performance/price ratio.

This is only our system, our ears, but I have been waiting until the system settled in, the old cables have been formally and finally swapped out permanently (now for resale) before posting. Thanks to Mark Coles who founded the business and continues to dedicate his time and efforts to constantly driving his products forward.

Congratulations Lloyd - unfortunately they are too bulky for me! How many power cables are you using in your system?

 

[LL21]

Congratulations, Lloyd! I'm glad everything is all together and making music!

Yes! Finally! Not that the loaner was bad...it was a D'Agostino so no slouch! But for me, also no comparison.

 

[LL21]

Congratulations Lloyd - unfortunately they are too bulky for me! How many power cables are you using in your system?

Interesting...they are FAR less bulky than Purist Audio which are super heavy and more than 5cm thick!

We now have 7 Sablon Audio cables in the system, 1 Gryphon VIP (simply because it was reterminated with the crazy big blue 20amp outlet thing and goes from wall special high power socket into the Torus AVR16), and 1 remaining PAD Dominus which powers the Zanden Transport PSU.

What power cables are you using now, Micro?

 

[spiritofmusic]

Lloyd, +1 on the Prince Sablon. Fascinatingly my recent install of two of them on my Nat SETs was both revealing and frustrating. Revealing in that they lowered noise floor and freed up dynamics. Frustrating in that the lowered noise floor badly revealed just how plagued by tubes hash my preamp was.
Sorted those tubes, and now the Prince Sablons revelation is all about the music, the lowered noise floor allowing the full tonal color, density and air of my system to be fully realised.
This episode is by far the most fascinating experience in my optimising experience, and proof positive that the Prince Sablons are really invaluable.

 

[infinitely baffled]

I'm intruiged
Can i ask if either of you, as Entreq users, have tried Entreq mains cables or Powerus mains distribution block?
That was my aspiration. But the Sablon Prince do seem to offer excellent value.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Gavin, at the start of my Sablon adventure, I was on the fence between the Quantum Gran Corona pwr cord from Sablon versus the Entreq alternative. It was a close call at the time, but the Sablon had the edge on fleshiness and natural warmth. The Entreq was a tad cooler and more restrained. On balance I felt a more tonally dense presentation suited my Zus/triodes signature better. And multiple generations/upgrades later, culminating in the Bocchinos cherry on the cake install, I'm 100% confident I've made the right choice.

 

[Barry2013]

I'm intruiged
Can i ask if either of you, as Entreq users, have tried Entreq mains cables or Powerus mains distribution block?
That was my aspiration. But the Sablon Prince do seem to offer excellent value.

I haven't tried the Powerus blocks but I have been a long time user of Entreq cables including their power cables
I have a mixture of Konstantin, Challenger 3V power cables and one Apollo Infinity on my Vitus 025 amp. I like them and the Apollo Infinity at about £6k is outstanding. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
My i/cs are are all Apollo Infinity and the the speaker cables are Apollo. Again very happy with them.
Resolving and musical in a nutshell.

 

[microstrip]

Interesting...they are FAR less bulky than Purist Audio which are super heavy and more than 5cm thick!

We now have 7 Sablon Audio cables in the system, 1 Gryphon VIP (simply because it was reterminated with the crazy big blue 20amp outlet thing and goes from wall special high power socket into the Torus AVR16), and 1 remaining PAD Dominus which powers the Zanden Transport PSU.

What power cables are you using now, Micro?

Most of the time the Transparent Audio XL Power Gen V set. And I would love to get thinner, more flexible power cables. There is no reason why they must look like garden hoses!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Garden hoses are for, um, gardens.

 

[PeterA]

Most of the time the Transparent Audio XL Power Gen V set. And I would love to get thinner, more flexible power cables. There is no reason why they must look like garden hoses!

Francisco, Garden hoses provide flow.

How would you describe the difference between your transparent power cords and the ching Cheng power cords?

 

[LL21]

Most of the time the Transparent Audio XL Power Gen V set. And I would love to get thinner, more flexible power cables. There is no reason why they must look like garden hoses!

The PADs stayed in the system for over 10 years...garden hose or otherwise...they were really great. But the Sablon are better and WAY thinner...actually about the same as the TA Opus Power cables.