QSA LANEDRI Series

Hi Steven,
Very glad yo see that there is a QSA Forum on WBF.
Congratulations!



I think I wrote the first QSA review on WBF, back in 2012.
:D

May I ask you two questions?

Firstly, I notice on you website that QSA-Lanedri cables are being launched.

May you tell us more about them?
What metals are employed and what special features do they have?

Secondly, several frds of mine in Hong Kong have bought QSA JitterPower.
IMG-20221230-WA0009.jpg

Again, please tell the WBF members more about these series of accessories.

Many thanks!

Cheers,
CK
 
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Hi all, I’m a long time lurker here in WBF but I’ve been following this QSA-L journey for a while now after a few mates from the AS site nudged me about it. I have a few purple QSA fuses in my system for a few years now so I’m familiar with the natural house sound it the QSA tech offers.

I ordered 2 AC cables sometime back but only had them arrive 2 weeks ago (no fault of Anas and team) and had them on continuous burn for around 200 hours before critical listening. I have the GR and GI versions. Locations for them in my system not quite concluded yet but presently using the GI on my Vinnie Rossi L2iSE preamp and GR on my Paul Hynes DR7t+ as an external supply powering my Pink Faun Ultra USB card in a Pink Faun 2.16x streamer.

Very nice improvement to my system sound and follows mostly the same as others have reported - more details, tighter bass and overall more control and micro dynamics. The cables they replaced were pretty old MIT and large girth Pangea cables so I did expect quite an improvement and it came to be so.

An interesting thing I’m noting is that I’m now more connected to the music emotionally. I think it’s because I’m can hear the intention of the artists better. Also, it’s always been there but now, the background stage shape, size and weight of the air is more apparent than before.

Any downsides? Yes, I’m finding I am playing louder than before and along with that, the images are projecting larger and more forward than I’m used to. I’ll wait another 200 hours more and then start tuning the system to bring back my preferred balance.

These QSA-L GI and GR power chords have done enough for me to be interested in their UI speaker cables. I want to experience the "Space vessel vs. Bike" difference as Anas put it! :-D
Hi all,
An update to my set of QSAL cables. The GR snd GI power cables have fully settled in and I feel I now have a grasp of how they contribute to my system. The cables helps my system take a step towards sounding more natural and helps tame hardness in the treble. I had consider my system already very natural and treble well under control but when one hears a better version, you then realise there is still more to go.

I also feel that the cables add meat to the sound. Not only for bass but also in the mids and even treble sounds. I hear a thicker and more crowded soundstage but this eventually settles to a feeling of being closer to the stage and performance and so helps increase the emotional connection to the music.

At this point, my QSAL Ultimatum Infinity speaker cables arrived. I took the 3.5m option as I was told the longer the cable, the more one would hear the QSA effect. As some here have already described earlier, the impact of seeing and feeling the weight of the cables is shocking. My set was like a white 19kg anaconda, coiled up asleep in the box.

Installation turned out to be a little tricky. Unless your system has easy access behind where all the wires reside (mine is a little restricted), it's a bit of a pilates session with a lot of core action to install the heavy snake! I am told the wires are highly directional and so one has to follow the cable arrows carefully from the

+signal from amp-->speaker and
-return speaker-->amp.

The colour sleeves on the cables are only cosmetic and so I ended up following my amp and speaker standard of RED being positive. The cables are marked RED as being negative. So long as one is consistent and follow the arrows I'm told it's fine either way.

Second issue noted were the very large spades on the QSAL-UI cable. They turned out to be wider than the WBT connectors on my YBA1000 Passion monoblocks which accepts spades inside what appears to be an anti-dust slot. I had to remove the connector's plastic slot before the spades would fit. Also since the cables are very thick, and speaker connectors are close together, there is a very real possibility that the cables might short out if they came loose or undone. To prevent this, I separated the speaker side ends with some cardboard and tied the cable ends together with a strip of velcro. Location of the velcro strip as marked in red below. (Ignore the direction and colour of the cables below, I changed them later).

1.jpeg 1 (1).jpeg

One last installation issue to note is that despite the very large spade connectors seen above the legs are not that thick and the copper is quite soft. When tightening them onto the speaker, one has to be careful not the move the cable sideways after tightening the post or the spade legs might splay outwards. Pure copper is highly ductile and bends easily without breaking so it's not a serious problem. It's good just to be aware of the issue during setup.

Ok, all that said, the installation completed fine and right off the bat, sounded BIG. That's the first impression, everything is larger and heavier. When loads of details and a lot more bass. Impressive but not really my preferred sound. And as some have said earlier a roller coaster ride during the next 200 hours or so. From really impressive tight and detailed sound, to dull and fat sounding. With hinesight, I think it would have been better to wait for the 250 hour mark before any serious listening.

But you'll know once the break in process is ending. Wow, as with the GR and GI power cables, the texture of the music takes a large step towards natural. Everything is so real it's shocking what more one can achieve after thinking you've already gotten so far. And treble hardness yet another step forward towards smoothen out while maintaining all details. Actually it's more than that, it feels like details are revealed once the treble is properly delivered. Right up to the end of the burn, I felt the stage wasn't quite right with large orchestra pieces sounding confused and not properly layered. And then it all gelled together nicely and became wide, deep with instruments positioned clearly. Tone took a large shift to what I consider now the QSAL house sound. Same as with the QSAL power cables the sound became thicker and meatier. For those with thin sounding system this is a major correction. For those with normal density systems initially it comes across as fatter sounding but over time as the burn continues, the separation of voices, instruments are very clear and with the soundstage developing properly, placed in the correct positions. Mids, upper mids and treble are all thicker and with that more real sounding. I didn't understand how a thicker treble like the weight behind a brush on a snare drum or weight behind a soft strike on a cymbal can make them sound more real until I heard this QSAL UI sound. I think this is a defining character of the UI.

In addition to the texture/tone being thicker, it is also wider sounding. The frequency extensions are clear to hear. Bass increases but becomes tighter at the same time. It's a whole new presentation of double bass sounds, like a different instrument or even a different speaker playing it! In real concerts one is always aware of the murmur in the air of the venue. I call this the weight of the air in the soundstage. This air weight is so much clearer now and helps define the shape of the venue and recording. I think this is from the increased tonal width of the cable.

An audiophile visited me last night to have a listen to the system. Being familiar with my system, with his last visit just before the QSAL UI and near the end of the GR and GI power cables burn in, he was shocked at the change in sound. He commented that unlike a component switch which affects aspects of the sound, it was more like a whole new presentation. Different and better way to connect to the music and emotion of the artist.

Recently going through my bookmarked tracks of favourite pieces, I'm finding that I end up listening to the entire album instead of just the track. This is something new for me. It's like I am discovering a whole set of music and so I'm curious to investigate further. Listening to more music is always a good sign I'm heading in the right direction. :-D

Kin
 
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Lol, Darryl. This 4/0 power cord is a "one off" proof-of-concept prototype that is Anas' brainchild. Only Anas has personally experienced this power cord (I am not brave enough to try it). As far as I know, there are no plans to make this a product due to practical and safety concerns but predictably, according to Anas, the impact of a treated power cord this size is huge. One thing that was learned is the importance of ground. Most manufacturers compromise the gauge of the ground lead with the thought that it doesn't need to be the same gauge as hot and neutral but once treated, the impact of the ground lead is quite massive and so from a safety standpoint, I wouldn't see a problem with using as large a ground lead as possible.

View attachment 111911
As part of our R&D we are pushing all the limits in our labs in order to put in practice the theories for maximizing the QSA Lanedri cables impacts.

It goes without saying that security is our first criteria when it comes to the commercial version.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PhoenixRising
Hi all,
An update to my set of QSAL cables. The GR snd GI power cables have fully settled in and I feel I now have a grasp of how they contribute to my system. The cables helps my system take a step towards sounding more natural and helps tame hardness in the treble. I had consider my system already very natural and treble well under control but when one hears a better version, you then realise there is still more to go.

I also feel that the cables add meat to the sound. Not only for bass but also in the mids and even treble sounds. I hear a thicker and more crowded soundstage but this eventually settles to a feeling of being closer to the stage and performance and so helps increase the emotional connection to the music.

At this point, my QSAL Ultimatum Infinity speaker cables arrived. I took the 3.5m option as I was told the longer the cable, the more one would hear the QSA effect. As some here have already described earlier, the impact of seeing and feeling the weight of the cables is shocking. My set was like a white 19kg anaconda, coiled up asleep in the box.

Installation turned out to be a little tricky. Unless your system has easy access behind where all the wires reside (mine is a little restricted), it's a bit of a pilates session with a lot of core action to install the heavy snake! I am told the wires are highly directional and so one has to follow the cable arrows carefully from the

+signal from amp-->speaker and
-return speaker-->amp.

The colour sleeves on the cables are only cosmetic and so I ended up following my amp and speaker standard of RED being positive. The cables are marked RED as being negative. So long as one is consistent and follow the arrows I'm told it's fine either way.

Second issue noted were the very large spades on the QSAL-UI cable. They turned out to be wider than the WBT connectors on my YBA1000 Passion monoblocks which accepts spades inside what appears to be an anti-dust slot. I had to remove the connector's plastic slot before the spades would fit. Also since the cables are very thick, and speaker connectors are close together, there is a very real possibility that the cables might short out if they came loose or undone. To prevent this, I separated the speaker side ends with some cardboard and tied the cable ends together with a strip of velcro. Location of the velcro strip as marked in red below. (Ignore the direction and colour of the cables below, I changed them later).

View attachment 111927 View attachment 111928

One last installation issue to note is that despite the very large spade connectors seen above the legs are not that thick and the copper is quite soft. When tightening them onto the speaker, one has to be careful not the move the cable sideways after tightening the post or the spade legs might splay outwards. Pure copper is highly ductile and bends easily without breaking so it's not a serious problem. It's good just to be aware of the issue during setup.

Ok, all that said, the installation completed fine and right off the bat, sounded BIG. That's the first impression, everything is larger and heavier. When loads of details and a lot more bass. Impressive but not really my preferred sound. And as some have said earlier a roller coaster ride during the next 200 hours or so. From really impressive tight and detailed sound, to dull and fat sounding. With hinesight, I think it would have been better to wait for the 250 hour mark before any serious listening.

But you'll know once the break in process is ending. Wow, as with the GR and GI power cables, the texture of the music takes a large step towards natural. Everything is so real it's shocking what more one can achieve after thinking you've already gotten so far. And treble hardness yet another step forward towards smoothen out while maintaining all details. Actually it's more than that, it feels like details are revealed once the treble is properly delivered. Right up to the end of the burn, I felt the stage wasn't quite right with large orchestra pieces sounding confused and not properly layered. And then it all gelled together nicely and became wide, deep with instruments positioned clearly. Tone took a large shift to what I consider now the QSAL house sound. Same as with the QSAL power cables the sound became thicker and meatier. For those with thin sounding system this is a major correction. For those with normal density systems initially it comes across as fatter sounding but over time as the burn continues, the separation of voices, instruments are very clear and with the soundstage developing properly, placed in the correct positions. Mids, upper mids and treble are all thicker and with that more real sounding. I didn't understand how a thicker treble like the weight behind a brush on a snare drum or weight behind a soft strike on a cymbal can make them sound more real until I heard this QSAL UI sound. I think this is a defining character of the UI.

In addition to the texture/tone being thicker, it is also wider sounding. The frequency extensions are clear to hear. Bass increases but becomes tighter at the same time. It's a whole new presentation of double bass sounds, like a different instrument or even a different speaker playing it! In real concerts one is always aware of the murmur in the air of the venue. I call this the weight of the air in the soundstage. This air weight is so much clearer now and helps define the shape of the venue and recording. I think this is from the increased tonal width of the cable.

An audiophile visited me last night to have a listen to the system. Being familiar with my system, with his last visit just before the QSAL UI and near the end of the GR and GI power cables burn in, he was shocked at the change in sound. He commented that unlike a component switch which affects aspects of the sound, it was more like a whole new presentation. Different and better way to connect to the music and emotion of the artist.

Recently going through my bookmarked tracks of favourite pieces, I'm finding that I end up listening to the entire album instead of just the track. This is something new for me. It's like I am discovering a whole set of music and so I'm curious to investigate further. Listening to more music is always a good sign I'm heading in the right direction. :-D

Kin
Truly insightful review with lots of practical information on installation of the speaker cables. Your comments on the burn-in period are also helpful. And your description of the sound gives me a very good feel for what you are hearing. Thanks!
 
Truly insightful review with lots of practical information on installation of the speaker cables. Your comments on the burn-in period are also helpful. And your description of the sound gives me a very good feel for what you are hearing. Thanks!
Thanks!

I made some mistakes during the installation and thought it might be useful for others in the same position to know. Especially handling the directionally of the cables which may not be obvious.

The arrow on the negative leg of the cable should point towards the amp is something to watch out for and can easily be missed.
 
As part of our R&D we are pushing all the limits in our labs in order to put in practice the theories for maximizing the QSA Lanedri cables impacts.

It goes without saying that security is our first criteria when it comes to the commercial version.

But I hope the Ultimatum Infinity Poer cable is going to happen ?
 
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Anas. Are those arrows from flkin picture correct ?
I was told the gold should be pointing speaker +
and red should be pointing amp -
 

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Anas. Are those arrows from flkin picture correct ?
I was told the gold should be pointing speaker +
and red should be pointing amp -
The label colors are for cosmetic purpose only. What matters are the arrow directions:
Amp (+) (cable arrow) --> Speaker (+)
Speaker (-) (cable arrow)--> Amp (-)
 
The label colors are for cosmetic purpose only. What matters are the arrow directions:
Amp (+) (cable arrow) --> Speaker (+)
Speaker (-) (cable arrow)--> Amp (-)
So this is incorrect on the picture attached as both arrows are pointing Speaker !
 
So this is incorrect on the picture attached as both arrows are pointing Speaker !
Yes the connections on the photo shared by Kin is incorrect and he did mention it in his post by stating:
" (Ignore the direction and colour of the cables below, I changed them later)."
 
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Yes the connections on the photo shared by Kin is incorrect and he did mention it in his post by stating:
" (Ignore the direction and colour of the cables below, I changed them later)."

Ok thank you.
We seek no compromise on the the Ultimatum Series and we are confident that the latest version we have now on the Ultimatum Power cable will make it to the commercial version.

So should we expect Ultimatum Power Infinitum in July to arrive ?

Can you share some pictures of latest prototype ?
 
So this is incorrect on the picture attached as both arrows are pointing Speaker !
Yes I had it incorrectly installed at first. And switched it around once I found out. That’s why I mentioned it in my message above and asked people not to make the same mistake as I did.

Perhaps I should not have included this picture but a later one showing the correct arrow directions!
 
Yes I had it incorrectly installed at first. And switched it around once I found out. That’s why I mentioned it in my message above and asked people not to make the same mistake as I did.

Perhaps I should not have included this picture but a later one showing the correct arrow directions!
Thx
as long as we know how to connect it is great.
Did you notice any difference with correct v incorrect connection ?
 
My QSAL Ultimatum Infinity Speaker Cables are in a state that was not present in my system With any cable at any price.
I dont know if this was planned by Anas and Romaz but they had no specific sound , no color and no Elevation of any frequency.
Actually those cables sound like NO cable being present In a chain. Just Neutrality.
Strange feeling , but whatever cable I connect to test it against is much worst .
 
Thx
as long as we know how to connect it is great.
Did you notice any difference with correct v incorrect connection ?
Not really. It was during the first few hours of burn in when I had it incorrectly connected. Once I realized, I switched it anround and didn’t bother listening for any difference.
 
Hello
I ordered a month ago a lan cable and a gamma infinity mains cable. The lan cable was a revelation widening of the sound stage with depth, ventilation between the instruments? It was obvious that I was going to keep it.
I was more reserved with the mains cable, either on the integrated Goldnote Demidoff or on the Nadac Merging?
On the dac, a bump in the lower midrange acts as a loundness effect and the bass is rather runny.
On the other hand, great results on the amp, the beneficial effects of the LAN cable are increased with very nice mids.
These two cables have taken up residence in Normandy !

Philippe
 
My QSA initial order landed today. My God the Ultimatum Infinity SC weighs a ton. I am going to work out with them prior to installing.
I would have definitely installed them incorrectly if not for the comments above. I really don't understand the arrow pointing from the amp to the speaker and then from the speaker to the amp. That is strange in my mind.
I also received Gama Infinity PC and Gamma Infinity RCA's . I am only going to install the SC before trying any of the other cables. I still have a lot of SC, PC's, BNC, and Duplex outlet coming.
 
My QSA initial order landed today. My God the Ultimatum Infinity SC weighs a ton. I am going to work out with them prior to installing.
I would have definitely installed them incorrectly if not for the comments above. I really don't understand the arrow pointing from the amp to the speaker and then from the speaker to the amp. That is strange in my mind.
I also received Gama Infinity PC and Gamma Infinity RCA's . I am only going to install the SC before trying any of the other cables. I still have a lot of SC, PC's, BNC, and Duplex outlet coming.

share your experience Once burned in .
Ultimatum infinity SC are fantastic sounding.

I am still waiting for my Ultimatum infinity Power Cord .
hope is as good as Speaker cables are.
 
I will but first I have to enlarge the hole the speaker cables go through. The SC are larger than the opening that I have.
 

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