Doctor's Orders-Part Two-The New Listening Room Of Steve Williams

[ddk]

Thank you Damon, it's clear now. The confusion wasn't so much from your post but MB's site.

david

Hi David,

First off, no one at VSA is involved with the engineering or manufacturing of MB product. We simply distribute it. I'm sorry for the confusion my previous post may have created. As I look back now, I see how I gave that impression. While we did consult on the performance of their designs over the last 8 years (both external cables and our internal signal wire) that was the extent of our development assistance.

The engineers of MasterBuilt Audio have worked for many years in the aerospace industry here in the states. As such, they have access to both it's collected knowledge on signal transmission technology as well as its suppliers. It's this supplier relationship that has given them access to the foundries that produce their conductors and is covered under their licensing agreement.

I hope that helps.

 

[fas42]

Maybe I should expand on this a bit. There has been a few DACs we have used that no matter what cables we used that the digital glare was still audible. But as far as the digital at Steve's, I thought it was quite good. Fantastic would be a better word lol.

My take on this is that a system, any system, is capable of producing superlative, magical sound. What using cables which don't damage the sound is adding to the equation, is eliminating one of the problem areas which are "holding back" the potential of the overall - it's removing key Badness from the whole. But, it doesn't solve problems that lie elsewhere - thus, the most perfect and supreme cables that are possible to ever create, will never resolve an issue with a DAC that's got some flaw in its implementation.

The hardest bit in this dilemma is understanding where the bottleneck is - once found, it may be trivial to fix; but you may have been driven mad trying to find it in the first place ... .

 

[NorthStar]

Some of you might find the sound superlative from that simple youtube music video:

 

[mullard88]

Hi Steve,

On post #1599, which of the three cables you tried made the most dramatic transformation?

 

[Steve williams]

Hi Sam

The biggest difference was the Signature IC then the SC and then the PCs

I would expect others to have the same or different results based on their systems. I am going to try an Ultra IC from my phonostage to my line stage and replace the existing Signature with an Ultra.

 

[mullard88]

Thank you Steve. I will try an IC and SC on my system(s) this Sunday.

 

[kernelbob]

The biggest difference was the Signature IC then the SC and then the PCs

I would expect others to have the same or different results based on their systems. I am going to try an Ultra IC from my phonostage to my line stage and replace the existing Signature with an Ultra.

Steve, in 2011 when I received my MasterBuilt Signature interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords, it happened to be a weekend when I had company visiting. My friend and his wife aren't audiophiles and put up with what must have seemed interminable audio ramblings with good nature. Anyway, they got to hear the differences as I replaced one cable after another, starting with the most upstream interconnects. After each substitution, we listened to the change with various recordings. They were surprised that there was 1) such an improvement and 2) that they could actually hear it. Well, the afternoon was getting on and we went out for dinner.

I decided that I would hold off on installing the power cords until later (and be a good host), not expecting much of a change since after all, how much difference could the power cords make? After all, I was already using Shunyata Pythons and Anacondas CX's. So, after my friends left, I powered off the two monoblock power amps and inserted the MB Signature. I had left music playing through the system, so when I powered the first amp back up, the music started right away.

Even standing between the speakers, I was shocked (figuratively that is) at the transformation of the sound and remember saying aloud "holy $#!+". The music was much more focused, instruments were more clearly delineated, and bass extended into what I can best describe as subterranean. Instruments were so well defined, as in a Albrecht Durer print. What I didn't realize was that the power cords would take several weeks of use to settle in. To continue the analogy, the Durer line drawing was gradually filled in with the aural equivalent of colors, shading, and subtle texture of a Rembrandt portrait.

I still use those MB Signature power cords, though I did draw the line at purchasing more to use on the XS subwoofers of my VR100 system. Out of curiosity, though, I did try using them on the subs and was surprised at the improvement they made in the music's richness and articulation. So, I'm still using the Shunyatas on the subs. As Dirty Harry said, "a man's got to know his limitations".

Best,
Robert

 

[Steve williams]

Bob

I have a pair of Ultra PC's on my amps and after a few days of listening I can't disagree with what you stated. These cables are night and day different from anything I have heretofore ever used. The PC's were the first thing we added when everything was not warmed up. Since that time my thoughts about these PC's are very positive. The question however is "a man's got to know his limitations"

They are priced in the stratosphere

I agree about the settle in as they are changing daily

 

[Leif S]

The new Reference PC's were upgraded to the Signature status and the Signatures took a huge upgrade as well. Over the last few years we have been using Reference PC's mixed with Signatures and now the the new Ultra's.

 

[mullard88]

Hi Steve,

Yesterday, when super mario and 3 of his kids came to help me store the stacked Quads and rotate the stacked Metaphors into the system, Jack's driver delivered a pair of 6 feet Master Built Signature speaker cables.

I immediately pm Jack to inform him that I have received the speaker cables and also to ask him if these were directional as I could not find any indication on the cables to show how the signals should flow.

After installing the stacked Metaphors, we listened for about an hour with the same speaker cables you heard on the stacked Quads. When super mario and his kids were satisfied that the speakers and listening seat positions were optimized, we decided to try the Master Built Signature speaker cables. Except for the amplifiers which are now the Stax DA-80M monoblocks and the speakers which are now the stacked Metaphors, everything else in the chain is exactly the same when you visited.

The impressions that I will be sharing with you are as I heard it from he rear of m room beside the cd storage cabinets.

First thing I noticed is the clarity even at my position was a whole lot clearer. It was almost as clear as sitting on the listening chair. This reminded me of how the Entec ribbons could project sound with undiminished energy far into the room. To give you a sense of how deep into my room this clarity had been projected, I paced the distances from the front of the speaker. When you heard the stacked Quads, your head was about 5 paces from the front of the Quads. Where I was seated last night was 11 paces from the front of the Metaphors.

The second thing I noticed was that inspite of sitting 11 paces in front of the right speaker, I could distinctly hear the left speaker. The sound I was hearing was not exclusively from the right speaker but a good combination and proportion of both left and right speakers.

Third, the high frequencies were so naturally extended. Absolutely no etch or glare and very extended.

Lastly, there is so much more information on the textures on the sound of each voice and instrument. On The Brothers Four cd, each voice was so much more detailed with texture. Each voice was gentle and robustly rich and detailed. The diction was clearer than what we heard through the stacked Quads.

Thanks for sharing this secret.

Sam

 

[Steve williams]

Hi Sam

Have you been bitten by the MB itch as well?

They are fabulous cables and as great as the Signature SC is the Ultra is even better. I have been immersed in my listening room for the past 4 days as I am hearing my system like I've never before heard it. The cables are non directional. I won't let Leif take them back until mine come as I simply cannot listen to mine with the old cables. This for me has been transcending

BTW, it's Jack and Jim's 2nd best kept secret secret behind the CMS racks so thank them. I just happened to hear their systems and knew that this cable was special

 

[chopchopbin]

Hi Steve,

What is the ball park price for a 1.0m of MB Signature IC and Ultra IC? I came up empty on google search.
I may have to trade in my Toyota Camry to get a pair.

Thanks.

 

[Steve williams]

Hi Steve,

What is the ball park price for a 1.0m of MB Signature IC and Ultra IC? I came up empty on google search.
I may have to trade in my Toyota Camry to get a pair.

Thanks.

I would hate to misquote as I really just know ball park prices. I have a one meter Signature interconnect fro my CD player to my preamp and the change was so transformative that I was needing to turn down the gain many clicks on my preamp

I would suggest you contact Leif for prices. Are you in the USA?

 

[chopchopbin]

Thanks Steve, I will contact Leif. I'm in northern CA.

Maybe I'll start a thread on "Why some audio manufacturers refuse to post prices of their product on the internet?"
It is so difficult to find the prices of audio products that I am interested in.

 

[Steve williams]

Thanks Steve, I will contact Leif. I'm in northern CA.

Maybe I'll start a thread on "Why some audio manufacturers refuse to post prices of their product on the internet?"
It is so difficult to find the prices of audio products that I am interested in.

Uf you want to hear mine it is less than an hour flight from Northern California to John Wayne airport where I can pick you up and bring you to my house

 

[chopchopbin]

Thank you very much Steve! That was a very generous offer. I may take you up on it someday.
Have a great day!

Jason

 

[Steve williams]

I am retired Jason so most any time works for me.

 

[JackD201]

Thanks Steve, I will contact Leif. I'm in northern CA.

Maybe I'll start a thread on "Why some audio manufacturers refuse to post prices of their product on the internet?"
It is so difficult to find the prices of audio products that I am interested in.

It's a global game and this is a global forum. Prices can vary greatly mainly due to distribution structures, customs, duties and freight. Customers are thus encouraged to ask their local distributors/dealers instead of the manufacturers as the S in MSRP is just that "suggested" and price at origin at that. That's why say Bob Graham and I who distribute TechDAS in countries half a world away are careful not to quote prices. It gets even crazier with EU products where exports are exempted from VAT/GST only to be taxed in the country of destination. I ramble, my apologies. That's it in a nutshell really.

 

[DaveyF]

It's a global game and this is a global forum. Prices can vary greatly mainly due to distribution structures, customs, duties and freight. Customers are thus encouraged to ask their local distributors/dealers instead of the manufacturers as the S in MSRP is just that "suggested" and price at origin at that. That's why say Bob Graham and I who distribute TechDAS in countries half a world away are careful not to quote prices. It gets even crazier with EU products where exports are exempted from VAT/GST only to be taxed in the country of destination. I ramble, my apologies. That's it in a nutshell really.

Exactly, that's why Koetsu's can be had in Japan for a fraction of the price that they are offered for sale in the US and most other countries. Same for almost all other Japanese sourced cartridges. One has to remember there is the middle man and then the middle man to the middle man...and that good old thing we call 'profiteering', lol.
BTW, if we are talking cables...and we are, the "upside" on most of these borders on the obscene.

 

[chopchopbin]

Thanks Jack for your reply.
For a person on a budget, it is just easier for me to make a decision if I know what price point the product is.