Sablon Audio Reserva experience. Affordable S.O.T.A.
- Thread starter Blue58
- Start date
Well, as with all things good in audio, plenty has had to come together to get to this point.
A better room has enabled me to get a better "fix" on my sound. Not only am I more sure than ever my bias twds SETs w high efficiency full range drivers is totally up my street, but the gear sounds better than ever here.
At the same time the shortcomings I had in my old room which meant ultimate performance could never be realised have all gone. In the old room, have the subs at where they are now and the sound was thin and papery, have the subs where they were and the sound was warm and fuzzy, never could I get it right.
So for me to finally crack the subs formula has been a massive learning curve, initially the room allowing this step to be entertained, and now the Reserva Elites pwr cords to the subs liberating tone and density, critically lowering noise floor too.
And by having the subs JUST operating, I'm properly hearing the spkrs and hence the system, more of the music, and in effect the cumulative results of all the other Reservas/Elites in my system.
A better room has enabled me to get a better "fix" on my sound. Not only am I more sure than ever my bias twds SETs w high efficiency full range drivers is totally up my street, but the gear sounds better than ever here.
At the same time the shortcomings I had in my old room which meant ultimate performance could never be realised have all gone. In the old room, have the subs at where they are now and the sound was thin and papery, have the subs where they were and the sound was warm and fuzzy, never could I get it right.
So for me to finally crack the subs formula has been a massive learning curve, initially the room allowing this step to be entertained, and now the Reserva Elites pwr cords to the subs liberating tone and density, critically lowering noise floor too.
And by having the subs JUST operating, I'm properly hearing the spkrs and hence the system, more of the music, and in effect the cumulative results of all the other Reservas/Elites in my system.
I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the Audio Bacon site, however Jay is a very industrious emerging reviewer with a keen interest in digital audio. I discovered his site several months ago whilst researching LPS for my router and he got in touch with me last Autumn with a request to review my digital cables. The review was published yesterday and you can read it in the link below as well as have a browse around other stuff on his site. Understandably I'm flattered by his evaluation, not least of all since I am keen for Sablon to be able to deliver customers a full cabling loom of very high performance, despite not having the resources of the 'big players'.
https://audiobacon.net/2019/01/04/sablon-audio-panatela-reserva-digital-elegance/
https://audiobacon.net/2019/01/04/sablon-audio-panatela-reserva-digital-elegance/
Mark,
I've barely spent enough time with the upgraded Reserve Elite USB cable since I left for vacation quite soon after receiving it but the improvements were clear straight out the gate. My impression may be influenced by the fact that I also went with the powerless option with the upgrade to Elite. However, I'll be surprised if the improvements wrought across the board were simply due to eliminating the power leg from the cable.
Direct comparisons showed a noticeable degree of enhanced resolution, better bass + bass resolution, much quieter backgrounds, plus a significant reduction in HF stridency.
For the nominal cost of this upgrade, I'm extremely satisfied with the results.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Etor. Now that you have upgraded your dac, there is definitely extra headroom to allow the enhanced performance of the Elite model to shine through. You also have the lower noisefloor of dropping the voltage line, so double whammy.
As an aside, Jay from Audio Bacon reviewed my ‘entry level’ Reserva model rather than the Elite since I felt that people may be overlooking its potential and automatically assuming they needed the top model.
Incidentally, the ethernet cable makes a great i2s cable and has been used happily in Aqua / Metrum / MSB systems.
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Just so everyone knows, Mark discouraged me from going with the elite cable but rather with the regular reserva about a year ago when I had my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC. After upgrading last month to a Golden Gate, it was a no brainer.
Here's a fresh review on the Aqua combo using my lan cable for i2s transmission. It seems Peter likes it!
Props also to Sablon Audio for its superb RJ45 Ethernet cable which I purchased to upgrade the I2S connection between the La Diva and the xHD. A short run of this cable resulted in a further lowering of the noise floor, broadened frequency extremes and an appreciable enhancement of the uncanny purity, ease, and lucidity that are already the raison d’etre of the Aqua Formula xHD.
https://www.soundstageaustralia.com/index.php/reviews/239-aqua-acoustic-quality-formula-xhd-dac
My two Panatela Ethernet cables arrived, the long one to replaced AQ Vodka and the short one to replace Wireworld Platnium Starlight. Definitely an improvement on both those cables: a more balanced and fuller sound. I am impressed! Thank you Mark!
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Mark's Ethernet cable was my first experience of his knot of cables. Revelatory.
After a really successful trial of a Prince Sablon/Elite w Bocchino termination, I've just installed one in my preamp.
At this point in my system evolution and tweaking, I'm not looking for massive changes, just a refinement of what I have.
This power cord again surprises, with further dropping of the noise floor to allow greater resolution of inner beauty ie tone, timbre, natural warmth, microdynsmics.
So at once it is indeed a refinement of what I currently have, but it continues to maxx out those afore mentioned attributes that are making my rim drive tt/SETs/Zus so compelling.
At this point in my system evolution and tweaking, I'm not looking for massive changes, just a refinement of what I have.
This power cord again surprises, with further dropping of the noise floor to allow greater resolution of inner beauty ie tone, timbre, natural warmth, microdynsmics.
So at once it is indeed a refinement of what I currently have, but it continues to maxx out those afore mentioned attributes that are making my rim drive tt/SETs/Zus so compelling.
Mark was nice enough to make me a custom 30cm Ethernet cable, specifically with the source side plug facing up and the other side facing down. It now fits perfectly with my setup and sounds awesome!
1M Panatela Ethernet cable-->SOtM iSO-CAT6 Filter --> 30cm Panatela Ethernet cable--> SOtM Network Switch
1M Panatela Ethernet cable-->SOtM iSO-CAT6 Filter --> 30cm Panatela Ethernet cable--> SOtM Network Switch
A naive question - CAT6 cables only use two pairs of 100 ohm twisted cables - do specialty audio cable manufacturers of expensive cables using precious metals include the four pairs?
My Panatela Ethernet cable from @Sablon Audio arrived. Super fast shipping from UK to US!
You can now call me a believer or a phool, your choice. This cable works! It significantly outperformed the Wireworld Starlight I was using for the past year or so. Music sounds noticeably smoother, with quite a bit more weight. Definitely an improvement for my system.
It’s used from going from my Fiber Media Converter to my streamer/ server, an Innuos ZENith MK3.
Whoever thinks all Ethernet cables sound the same, if it ain’t broken it works, should try for themselves before dismissing everything as Snake Oil
You can now call me a believer or a phool, your choice. This cable works! It significantly outperformed the Wireworld Starlight I was using for the past year or so. Music sounds noticeably smoother, with quite a bit more weight. Definitely an improvement for my system.
It’s used from going from my Fiber Media Converter to my streamer/ server, an Innuos ZENith MK3.
Whoever thinks all Ethernet cables sound the same, if it ain’t broken it works, should try for themselves before dismissing everything as Snake Oil
I got my Sablon Ethernet cables yesterday. One from router point to my Small Green Computer server and the other to be used to connect the lumin U1 to the network. Right now I have only used one of the Sablon cables to connect my SGC i5 to the network. The uplift is considerable! Essentially a still lower noise floor now. The vocals, instrument separation, and the bass definition have gained significantly. All this resulting in a cleaner presentation. I can now better discern the vocals ( the actual words/lyrics) if that makes sense. Also, the soundstage feels more believable and the micro details are better heard.
I intuitively feel the other cable connecting the lumin will afford even greater benefits. I have to wait to do that though as I am still awaiting the lumin.
This is good stuff, really!
I intuitively feel the other cable connecting the lumin will afford even greater benefits. I have to wait to do that though as I am still awaiting the lumin.
This is good stuff, really!
My first Sablon cable as well, it’s an amazing cable especially given its price
