The only reason I mentioned a site problem - I was getting site not found tho it was ok earlier- was that I couldn't double check the official names of the two Corona versions. My questions were (are) aimed primarily at earlier contributors to this thread, or other Sablon users, still around. Thanks,
Sablon Audio Reserva experience. Affordable S.O.T.A.
- Thread starter Blue58
- Start date
Hi Highstream,
Just thought I'd pop a few lines to you as I started this thread. Let me say that I compared the Reserva to the Elite some while back and both have been upgraded to 2017 spec if I understand Sablon correctly.
Now, you probably understand that power cords can be system dependent in that the outcome may differ whether you use tubes or solid state for example.
I used the Sablon Reserva and raved about them, perhaps a little too much but I still think justified. I had the opportunity to test the Reserva Elite in my system and I thought they were too much of a good thing with my low power tube amps, favouring the bass impact and strength to the detriment of the mids.
Now, I had my Reserva upgraded to 2017 spec and they gave me everything that I wanted the original Elite to be.
I have not had the opportunity to demo the latest Elite but suspect they are greatly improved on the pre 2017 versions.
If I had to recommend one of them I would say the Elite are best for Solid State and the standard Reserva for Tubes.
For source components it may be Elite is the way to go.
Please note that the Elite use Furutech NCF plugs and have a wonderful synergy with NCF sockets. The Reserva use Oyaide and in my system I use Oyaide sockets and mains spurs so please be aware of some possible synergy going on here.
As an addendum I have to say that all Sablon products exhibit this wonderful balance across the frequencies and sound so musical. I wouldn't use anything else.
Please contact Sablon Audio for a demo, you will surely be impressed.
Cheers
Blue58
Chipping in w my two cents
Sablon Reservas remain the real deal
I think the word we fans should coin to sum them up is "holistic"
Totally even top to bottom
You can listen out for treble and bass and be satisfied, but neither draws attention to itself
Natural warmth that's not euphonic or resonance band enhancing, sparkling treble that's not icy or artificially leading edge enhancing, mids transparency that combines see thruness w no loss of body
If these attributes are what you're after, then look no further
My journey w Mark started some 3 years ago w the previous range, moved on to current Reservas
If it's anything to go by, my system was truly compromised in my old space, and completing a full Sablon loom wrangled more tonal density and agility from my system by a long distance from previous looms I've owned incl Zu Event, Audience Au24, Acoustic Zen, and mixtures of Hovland, Argento, SME and Lumley, and the Nordost and Transparent I've briefly had on loan
And in completing a full Reservas complement a significant shift to the positive was wrought
Fast fwd 18 months to my new room w the kind of open window neutrality and expressiveness I could only dream of, and the Reservas loom is even more organic and natural
Sablon Reservas remain the real deal
I think the word we fans should coin to sum them up is "holistic"
Totally even top to bottom
You can listen out for treble and bass and be satisfied, but neither draws attention to itself
Natural warmth that's not euphonic or resonance band enhancing, sparkling treble that's not icy or artificially leading edge enhancing, mids transparency that combines see thruness w no loss of body
If these attributes are what you're after, then look no further
My journey w Mark started some 3 years ago w the previous range, moved on to current Reservas
If it's anything to go by, my system was truly compromised in my old space, and completing a full Sablon loom wrangled more tonal density and agility from my system by a long distance from previous looms I've owned incl Zu Event, Audience Au24, Acoustic Zen, and mixtures of Hovland, Argento, SME and Lumley, and the Nordost and Transparent I've briefly had on loan
And in completing a full Reservas complement a significant shift to the positive was wrought
Fast fwd 18 months to my new room w the kind of open window neutrality and expressiveness I could only dream of, and the Reservas loom is even more organic and natural
Sorry Highstream, just realised you were asking about Corona and Quantum Corona.
I did try a Quantum Corona comparing it to my VHAudio Airsine and it was on a par, maybe a touch more resolving, less thick, but the Airsine had Furutech gold plugs in any case.
The Corona are much heavier than Reserva cords and as I use rollerblocks on most of my equipment they were too heavy and restricted the free floating movement of the gear.
Once again I hope this helps somewhat in your cable selection.
Blue58
I did try a Quantum Corona comparing it to my VHAudio Airsine and it was on a par, maybe a touch more resolving, less thick, but the Airsine had Furutech gold plugs in any case.
The Corona are much heavier than Reserva cords and as I use rollerblocks on most of my equipment they were too heavy and restricted the free floating movement of the gear.
Once again I hope this helps somewhat in your cable selection.
Blue58
Thanks. My system is solid state - PS Audio Direcstream dac, ATC SCM19AT (active) speakers and an Oppo 203 (there's a TV and cable box in there too). I've been using a combo of HiDiamond and Snake River cords, which gives a wonderful sense of natural warmth, presence and fullness that engages, but lacks in staging and detail (and maybe is a bit bright). I've been auditioning a full set of Snake River power cords (+ ICs) for the past month, and that loom has the latter qualities, but lacks the first set. The ATC's, one of the best two-way towers around, are especially good with live performances, but unfortunately for my time and pocketbook (as a repeat customer) that isn't coming through with the full SR loom. That's why I'm looking some more. And why I also asked about the Quantum Gran Corona, which sometimes shows up on the used market.
Standard Reservas
I believe the Elite adds a certain degree of extra heft
I'm looking at auditioning an Elite to put on my preamp
If it tickles my fancy , I'll commit to the whole lot (seven in total)
I believe the Elite adds a certain degree of extra heft
I'm looking at auditioning an Elite to put on my preamp
If it tickles my fancy , I'll commit to the whole lot (seven in total)
So, have been running an Elite PC on my preamp, will also try on cdp tomorrow
Out of the box, another winner from Mr Sablon, and a day later things even better
The first thing to strike me, and this is a trait of all Mark's cables, is the increase in bass envelope
Like, not just increased bass, but an increase in the bass performance spectrum
Ie extension, natural warmth, power, speed/agility, intimacy
And then the second, and in many ways harder trick to get right, the zero conflict or compromise with the spectrum higher up
Ie no cloying or slowing of mids purity or treble sweetness
So we have another example of Sablon holisticness, where all aspects of sound are improved, even if it's true that it's the bass where one is instantly aware of changes
In a nutshell, Elite takes the Reserva formula of truly organic, non spotlit sound, rounds things out more with indeed better warmth and improved dynamics, seemingly allows more details to arise from a lower noise floor inkier background, and at no point shouts about its presence
Organic and holistic are the words I'd use about all of Mark's cables, never were these attributes more apparent than in the Elites
I'm ordering two, only six to come after those
One last thing
After my move to a room with quite superb acoustics and power that is truly noise free, I'm instantly aware of any changes good or bad in my system
So for a single Elite on preamp within 24 hours to be weaving its magic spell so comprehensively and with no apparent shortcomings is an amazing testament to how great it is
Highly recommended
Out of the box, another winner from Mr Sablon, and a day later things even better
The first thing to strike me, and this is a trait of all Mark's cables, is the increase in bass envelope
Like, not just increased bass, but an increase in the bass performance spectrum
Ie extension, natural warmth, power, speed/agility, intimacy
And then the second, and in many ways harder trick to get right, the zero conflict or compromise with the spectrum higher up
Ie no cloying or slowing of mids purity or treble sweetness
So we have another example of Sablon holisticness, where all aspects of sound are improved, even if it's true that it's the bass where one is instantly aware of changes
In a nutshell, Elite takes the Reserva formula of truly organic, non spotlit sound, rounds things out more with indeed better warmth and improved dynamics, seemingly allows more details to arise from a lower noise floor inkier background, and at no point shouts about its presence
Organic and holistic are the words I'd use about all of Mark's cables, never were these attributes more apparent than in the Elites
I'm ordering two, only six to come after those
One last thing
After my move to a room with quite superb acoustics and power that is truly noise free, I'm instantly aware of any changes good or bad in my system
So for a single Elite on preamp within 24 hours to be weaving its magic spell so comprehensively and with no apparent shortcomings is an amazing testament to how great it is
Highly recommended
I purchased the Reserva (days before Mark brought out his Elite) unpowered USB cable and felt it worked very well with my Lampi GG. I got his upgrade to the Elite version.
Again works very well, difficult to say if it is better than the Reserva without A/B comparison. Bit disappointed there is no actual Elite designation on the cable.
Again works very well, difficult to say if it is better than the Reserva without A/B comparison. Bit disappointed there is no actual Elite designation on the cable.
Final conclusions after some time listening to a trial Elite pwr cord first on preamp, then cdp
Just an across the board step up over my current Reserva
The ability esp to dig deep into the mixes in previously resolutely congested recordings plus the gilding of the lily on already good sounding material makes the move to them an absolute no brainer, and over the course of a few months I'll be looking to upgrade six Reservas for Elites
These Elites, Stacore isolation platforms, upgraded IEC inlets and most likely SR Black fuses, are going to be the sole focus of my remaining audio upgrading
So good are the Elites in helping combat my last remaining area needing attention (some bloat in lower midbass), that any compulsion to go to different spkrs is being well and truly obviated
Just an across the board step up over my current Reserva
The ability esp to dig deep into the mixes in previously resolutely congested recordings plus the gilding of the lily on already good sounding material makes the move to them an absolute no brainer, and over the course of a few months I'll be looking to upgrade six Reservas for Elites
These Elites, Stacore isolation platforms, upgraded IEC inlets and most likely SR Black fuses, are going to be the sole focus of my remaining audio upgrading
So good are the Elites in helping combat my last remaining area needing attention (some bloat in lower midbass), that any compulsion to go to different spkrs is being well and truly obviated
Blue58 and Spirit, Thanks for your posts. I'm curious to hear more about the difference between the Corona Reserva and Elite versions in terms of warmth. Here's why...
I decided to take the plunge and received three Reserva's from Mark last Wednesday to try out. My system is listed below, but these three are positioned as follows: GTX-D(R) to PS Audio P5 regenerator; P5 to Oppo 203 and P5 to Directstream dac. While they are in the process of settling down, there are some things that are evident about the cables' effects in my system that I don't imagine will fundamentally change without some adjustments elsewhere. They are captured in good part by the following from a Stereophile reviewer's capsule of a another cable company's music show setup:
"It sounded great. The tonalities of soprano Renée Fleming’s recording, “Touch the Hand of Love” were gorgeous, and the spacious acoustic around soprano Elly Ameling’s voice was extremely special. I continue to find a certain dryness to ... [transport's] sound that is not my favorite, but with it comes a depiction of voice and acoustic, including a natural-sounding die-off of acoustic reverberation, that are truly superb."
Specifics aside, that's how I'm finding the new cords' effects in my system: superb and dry. I'd very much like to figure out a way to overcome the second with the Sablon's in my system; they really are superb cables. I don't know if there is an agreed upon audiophile definition of dry, but the practical result when I run into it is not being able to engage with the music emotionally, unless a recording itself has been engineered on the warmer side. And to be clear, Mark accurately represented the cables to me in advance as slightly on the warm side of neutral. That latter also describes the ATC speakers and MG Audio Design IC's in my system. So the new cords may merely be exposing problems, or further adding to rather than complementing, already existing characteristics of my system that need to be addressed.
So the question is what to try. Possibilities that come to mind:
- swapping in a warmer power cord, maybe something like the old Corona (from testing, I've found the P5 to Oppo position has the most effect overall)
- changing ICs or S/PDIF cables or the speaker power cords to something warmer
- changing the wall outlet and Oppo/PS Audio/ATC inlets to Furutech gold models (I am going to try swapping the rhodium wall outlet for the gold version this week)
Any thoughts or other ideas? Thanks,
----
Audio system (part of 2.0 HDTV set up):
Furutech GTX-D(R) to PS Audio P5 power regenerator
P5 to Oppo 203, PS Audio Directstream dac and ATC SCM19A (active) speakers
Cables (in addition to Sablon's mentioned above):
- P5 to speakers: Snake River Cottonmouth Gold power cords
- Oppo to Directstream dac: Snake River Audio Boomslang digital (RCA)
- Directstream dac to speakers: MG Audio Design Planus AG2 Series 2 (XLR)
Fuses: SR Black in dac and speakers
I decided to take the plunge and received three Reserva's from Mark last Wednesday to try out. My system is listed below, but these three are positioned as follows: GTX-D(R) to PS Audio P5 regenerator; P5 to Oppo 203 and P5 to Directstream dac. While they are in the process of settling down, there are some things that are evident about the cables' effects in my system that I don't imagine will fundamentally change without some adjustments elsewhere. They are captured in good part by the following from a Stereophile reviewer's capsule of a another cable company's music show setup:
"It sounded great. The tonalities of soprano Renée Fleming’s recording, “Touch the Hand of Love” were gorgeous, and the spacious acoustic around soprano Elly Ameling’s voice was extremely special. I continue to find a certain dryness to ... [transport's] sound that is not my favorite, but with it comes a depiction of voice and acoustic, including a natural-sounding die-off of acoustic reverberation, that are truly superb."
Specifics aside, that's how I'm finding the new cords' effects in my system: superb and dry. I'd very much like to figure out a way to overcome the second with the Sablon's in my system; they really are superb cables. I don't know if there is an agreed upon audiophile definition of dry, but the practical result when I run into it is not being able to engage with the music emotionally, unless a recording itself has been engineered on the warmer side. And to be clear, Mark accurately represented the cables to me in advance as slightly on the warm side of neutral. That latter also describes the ATC speakers and MG Audio Design IC's in my system. So the new cords may merely be exposing problems, or further adding to rather than complementing, already existing characteristics of my system that need to be addressed.
So the question is what to try. Possibilities that come to mind:
- swapping in a warmer power cord, maybe something like the old Corona (from testing, I've found the P5 to Oppo position has the most effect overall)
- changing ICs or S/PDIF cables or the speaker power cords to something warmer
- changing the wall outlet and Oppo/PS Audio/ATC inlets to Furutech gold models (I am going to try swapping the rhodium wall outlet for the gold version this week)
Any thoughts or other ideas? Thanks,
----
Audio system (part of 2.0 HDTV set up):
Furutech GTX-D(R) to PS Audio P5 power regenerator
P5 to Oppo 203, PS Audio Directstream dac and ATC SCM19A (active) speakers
Cables (in addition to Sablon's mentioned above):
- P5 to speakers: Snake River Cottonmouth Gold power cords
- Oppo to Directstream dac: Snake River Audio Boomslang digital (RCA)
- Directstream dac to speakers: MG Audio Design Planus AG2 Series 2 (XLR)
Fuses: SR Black in dac and speakers
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Highstream, greetings
I guess the hardest thing to do in audio descriptions is compare and contrast qualities since there is no "agreed" objective measure of evaluation
One person's "dry" is another's "neutral" or "accurate", one person's "wet" is another's "lush" or "over warm"
From my viewpoint Mark's cables have always straddled the line of accurate and involving, neutral and alive
Maybe his most recent wire treads more into analytical or uber linear, and maybe not chameleon like in every system
I could imagine a very harsh, shredding sound might not get the best out of them
I have to say the vast majority of my cds are appallingly hard sounding, with little natural warmth and texture
But the Reservas and now Elite demo really enhances/reveals what natural warmth and dimensionality is buried deep, making the vast vast majority more listenable than ever, and a good proportion truly stellar where they had no inkling of this w previous non Sablon cables
I'm not sure if this helps
My conclusion is that the Reservas and Elite esp manage to ramp up the revealing nature of things but conterbalanced with a ton of natural warmth and texture too
But maybe in some systems like yours the analytical nature may dominate
I guess the hardest thing to do in audio descriptions is compare and contrast qualities since there is no "agreed" objective measure of evaluation
One person's "dry" is another's "neutral" or "accurate", one person's "wet" is another's "lush" or "over warm"
From my viewpoint Mark's cables have always straddled the line of accurate and involving, neutral and alive
Maybe his most recent wire treads more into analytical or uber linear, and maybe not chameleon like in every system
I could imagine a very harsh, shredding sound might not get the best out of them
I have to say the vast majority of my cds are appallingly hard sounding, with little natural warmth and texture
But the Reservas and now Elite demo really enhances/reveals what natural warmth and dimensionality is buried deep, making the vast vast majority more listenable than ever, and a good proportion truly stellar where they had no inkling of this w previous non Sablon cables
I'm not sure if this helps
My conclusion is that the Reservas and Elite esp manage to ramp up the revealing nature of things but conterbalanced with a ton of natural warmth and texture too
But maybe in some systems like yours the analytical nature may dominate
Yes, not being able to listen to each other's systems makes it impossible to compare what we are hearing and respective tastes. Speaking more generally, there are a couple of thoughts I edited out after posting that I think are relevant. First, what I mean by "dry" is that the pitch is slightly low, at least in the middle region where it counts the most for our hearing (pitch is absolute, and my sense of it has always seemed close enough). The second thought is one that seems obvious to me but obviously not to many others. That is, musical instruments, including the human voice, are (at least) by and large warm, not "neutral." My sense of it is that neutral is the preference of those that prefer, or get their enjoyment more from "audiophile sound" than from music itself.
What I'm hearing since swapping in those three Reservas is superb audiophile sound, not music, except on warmer recordings (irrespective of each recording's quality otherwise). Definitely as dry as I've ever heard in a system, and I've had some higher priced cables in here, though nothing as superb sounding in the many things it does well as the Reserva. From the perspective of trying to make these work, I'm willing to work for now with the notion that this is in one way or another a synergy issue, that some modifications will solve it satisfactorily, such as starting with the wall outlet this week. At the same time, I have to recognize the possibility that the design philosophy, or the compromise ultimately chosen based on the developer's listening panel, may not be compatible with my tastes.
What I'm hearing since swapping in those three Reservas is superb audiophile sound, not music, except on warmer recordings (irrespective of each recording's quality otherwise). Definitely as dry as I've ever heard in a system, and I've had some higher priced cables in here, though nothing as superb sounding in the many things it does well as the Reserva. From the perspective of trying to make these work, I'm willing to work for now with the notion that this is in one way or another a synergy issue, that some modifications will solve it satisfactorily, such as starting with the wall outlet this week. At the same time, I have to recognize the possibility that the design philosophy, or the compromise ultimately chosen based on the developer's listening panel, may not be compatible with my tastes.
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Sure Highstream
Interestingly, I do believe we really all hear things differently and are looking for different things
In the time I've been running first Sablon Panatellas and Coronas, then Reservas, and now this Elite demo, I've noticed no shortfall in tone, density, timbre etc
The tilt twds the lower mids maybe, but I actually prefer this
Indeed any cables that sptlight treble I tend to describe as analytical and dry, and keep well clear of, like Nordost, Kimber etc
So, I suppose I'm saying I don't recognise the attribute you describe of "hifiness", but truly a more realistic tone
However I will contend the Reservas are maybe more analytical than the previous Coronas and Panatellas, but in my current setup this is no bad thing
Interestingly, I do believe we really all hear things differently and are looking for different things
In the time I've been running first Sablon Panatellas and Coronas, then Reservas, and now this Elite demo, I've noticed no shortfall in tone, density, timbre etc
The tilt twds the lower mids maybe, but I actually prefer this
Indeed any cables that sptlight treble I tend to describe as analytical and dry, and keep well clear of, like Nordost, Kimber etc
So, I suppose I'm saying I don't recognise the attribute you describe of "hifiness", but truly a more realistic tone
However I will contend the Reservas are maybe more analytical than the previous Coronas and Panatellas, but in my current setup this is no bad thing
Chris of VH Audio suggests that on a relative scale of warmest to most sterile/clinical, the Furutech gold is a one and rhodium a ten (NCF-R a 6-7), so I'll see what happens with the outlet change. Another more expensive option is switching from MG Audio Design's silver to copper XLR's, although that would entail a loss of about 10% in definition and a bit less present sound.
Have a lovely parcel waiting for me at work, two Reserva Elite PCs to pwr my cdp and pre
My already low noise flr is just about to go lower still
My already low noise flr is just about to go lower still
Just installed the two Elites.
Atm, mainly subtle changes until cables open up a little more.
But really happy w the increase in overall bass performance.
Lower frequencies more palpable, yet more agile and transparent.
Resulting in more ability to breathe further up the spectrum.
Having immersed myself in a diet of a dozen live classical concerts in a fortnt recently, I really value any component that gets me closer to that low midband tonal density, timbral accuracy and as low as possible noise flr, that I heard at each of these gigs.
The Sablon cables, and these Elites in particular, really score very highly here.
Only another four Elites to go.
Atm, mainly subtle changes until cables open up a little more.
But really happy w the increase in overall bass performance.
Lower frequencies more palpable, yet more agile and transparent.
Resulting in more ability to breathe further up the spectrum.
Having immersed myself in a diet of a dozen live classical concerts in a fortnt recently, I really value any component that gets me closer to that low midband tonal density, timbral accuracy and as low as possible noise flr, that I heard at each of these gigs.
The Sablon cables, and these Elites in particular, really score very highly here.
Only another four Elites to go.
This is going to be my last post on the Reserva Elites until they fully burn in, and it's bad enough listening to music on one's own w'out posting to yourself online as well .
24 hrs in, and there's a definite opening up higher up, so that the immediate impvts in bass on day one are joined by a real transparency higher up.
This means that bass heavy music isn't kept earthbound and tied to the spkrs, but can soar well into the room.
A previous comment mentioned they were somewhat hifi-ish and not as musical as others.
Well, I really disagree.
Having owned or demoed at length: Acoustic Zen, Hovland, Zu Event, Audience Au24, Nordost, Transparent - I can honestly say the Elites, and indeed the whole Sablon Reservas line is the very epitome of musicality, not drawing attention to themselves, but really letting the music speak for itself.
Happy to answer qs on the line, give l/t user opinions, but I'm in danger of sounding like a scratched record repeating myself, so on to others for follow up comments.
24 hrs in, and there's a definite opening up higher up, so that the immediate impvts in bass on day one are joined by a real transparency higher up.
This means that bass heavy music isn't kept earthbound and tied to the spkrs, but can soar well into the room.
A previous comment mentioned they were somewhat hifi-ish and not as musical as others.
Well, I really disagree.
Having owned or demoed at length: Acoustic Zen, Hovland, Zu Event, Audience Au24, Nordost, Transparent - I can honestly say the Elites, and indeed the whole Sablon Reservas line is the very epitome of musicality, not drawing attention to themselves, but really letting the music speak for itself.
Happy to answer qs on the line, give l/t user opinions, but I'm in danger of sounding like a scratched record repeating myself, so on to others for follow up comments.
Hi
I’m still running in a Sablon USB Reserva Elite, but straight off I had better everything. More natural flow to the music, improved transparency, effortless musicality and engaging with better coherence. Great synergy with Boenicke, Mola Mola DAC and fidata NAS. And they should get even better in time.
I’m still running in a Sablon USB Reserva Elite, but straight off I had better everything. More natural flow to the music, improved transparency, effortless musicality and engaging with better coherence. Great synergy with Boenicke, Mola Mola DAC and fidata NAS. And they should get even better in time.
