Sablon USB cable - 2020 model

nonesup

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Feb 15, 2017
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Hi. About 25 days ago I bought Mark a Sablon USB cable. My idea was to buy the 2020 model, but he offered me his new prototype, which he told me was 20% higher than the 2020 model. The sum of Innuos Phoenix USB + Göbel USB + Sablon 2020 “Plus”, was too body for my taste. I put it on sale for € 300 (50% of what it cost me)
 

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nonesup

VIP/Donor
Feb 15, 2017
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Well I must delete the previous post. Not satisfied with what I heard, I decided to go back in the modifications made, because I remembered that when the Sablon cable arrived I liked the sound. So I decided to replace the stock fuse in the Innuos Phoenix USB, which I had exchanged for an SR Orange that I already had and for Purple that I bought specifically for the Innuos. Problem totally solved. I've always been a believer in SR fuses, but for some reason my last three purchases haven't worked at all well: Innuos PhoenixUSB, Gryphon Essence Amplifier and Pre-Amplifier.
 

Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
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As a spin off from my Evo cable development work, I found a neat little upgrade last week which is retrofittable to the 2020 model. The sonic effect is of greater clarity / resolution / purity.

I’ll be offering this to existing owners for a nominal charge. Drop me a pm / email to arrange.
 

romaz

Well-Known Member
Oct 7, 2015
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The Sablon 2020 USB had been my reference USB cable in my main listening room since January of 2020. It was so good, it replaced my previous reference, the much more expensive Intona Ultimate USB. In July of this year, someone sent me a Shunyata Omega USB cable to try. It didn't have the speed and liveliness of the Sablon 2020 but it had a lower noise floor that resulted in a midnight black background with beautifully rich and vivid timbres. It also had more body to the presentation which benefited the SGM Extreme and so the Shunyata Omega replaced the Sablon 2020 USB cable in my big listening room.

I was asked by Mark to evaluate his new USB cable and I was happy to oblige. After considerable FedEx delay, this "Evo" cable finally arrived yesterday and I had a chance to evaluate it for the first time today.

Pictured below, to the left is the Shunyata Omega. In the upper right is the Sablon 2020 USB cable:

1641124125686.png

The cable on the bottom right is the new Evo. Here is a closer up view:

1641124241876.png

It has a similar appearance to the original but if you look carefully, the Evo is a considerably thicker cable than the 2020 cable.

1641124307673.png

With zero hours on it, I was shocked with just how good the Evo already is. It matches the fullness and black background of the Shunyata Omega with vividly rich but accurate timbres. It is a balanced, neutral cable with excellent treble air, richly textured vocals, and fantastic bass. What really stands out above and beyond the Shunyata Omega is the transient response. The attack is cleaner and and strikes more fiercely. The Shunyata sounds muddled and too polite in comparison. The Shunyata Omega is an excellent USB cable. I didn't expect it would be toppled so soon.
 

Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
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Thanks ever so much for sharing your thoughts @romaz, not least of all so quickly given the delays in Fedex delivering to you. Am thrilled by your comparison against what I had identified as the best usb cable on the market!

I have just opened up a separate thread for discussion of the new Evo usb cable and will ask Julian / @admin to move your post over to that thread. Fwiw the burn in profile of this new cable is quite benign and the soundstage will grow with some hours of use.
 

DSK

New Member
Oct 22, 2021
1
1
3
I'd just like to pass on my thanks to Mark for a quick and easy transaction and great USB cable.

My Sablon 2020 (Jan 2022 update) USB cable arrived in Melbourne AUS from UK in 7 days (as a comparison I have some fuses coming from the USA that are taking 4 weeks).

Aside from a few quick 15 minute listens, I didn't listen during the first few days as Melbourne was in the middle of a week of 30degC+ temps and the air conditioning meant I didn't have a nice quiet room in which to listen critically. However, even during these snippets the improvement across the board was quite obvious. Aside from the usual benefits of a lower noise floor, what impressed me most was the increased energy projected into the room. Everything was just more "real" and "live", you "feel" the music more. It is a very expressive cable, or at least it allows more of the expression to pass through the system to my ears. A few days later, either due to burn in or the quieter room, the extra detail and texture of each instrument became more evident. Electric guitars, horns, piano and oboe just sounded SO much more like living, breathing entities.

Why not the 2022 EVO USB model? Originally that's what I was going to purchase but Mark suggested that my front end (Auralic Aries G1 to a Holo Spring R2R DAC) would not allow me to hear the best of the EVO cable and I'd be better off saving money and going with the updated 2020 cable. The cables I had been using in this position previously were the Curious USB (original) and the DH Labs Silversonic D110 AES/EBU. These were both excellent for the money but not in the same league as the Sablon which sounds neither like copper or silver but instead just like real instruments.

After using tube preamp and power amp for the last few years I recently came back to an all solid state system which is more transparent and highly resolved. Interestingly, with the extra detail and texture afforded by the Sablon USB cable, my system is sounding as rich and tube-like as it ever has but with greater transparency and resolution that makes the music sound more convincingly real and present. I'm now consistently enjoying the music performances rather than listening to the system and picking out weaknesses.
 
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Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
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@DSK - thanks ever so much for sharing your views on my 2020 usb cable in such detail. I’m glad you are happy with my recommendation. Whilst people mostly gravitate towards my top models, they aren’t always the most appropriate option for every system. The 2020 model remains one of the better performing usb cables in the market place and has been usefully improved for this year.
 
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Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
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Although it’s been out of production for about a year now, the 2020 model is still working its magic!

Hi Mark,
Thanks for your prompt delivery as this gives me the opportunity to begin the burning in process using Roon. Firstly, from the initial sound I could tell that I was in for something very special as it was clear that it had blown my Wire world platinum out in the wilderness. As for the doubters that continue to believe that cables doesn’t matter they should be charged with heresy! Needless for me to go on about what this USB has done to my system because you are already familiar with the many positive response and feedback from audiophiles that have experience using all your cables. For me the transformation was akin to installing a high quality amplifier! At first I thought that the length of the cable might have been somewhat longer than what I may havewanted but on reflection it could very well be an ideal situation because it would allow me to bring my streamer closer to my router, bingo! Of course that would allow me to ditch my wire world carbon ethernet cable for a Sablon ethernet cable. Any way I will leave that for now given I more incline to upgrade my DAC so I better remain focus on that regard.
Okay Mr Magician just keep the magic flowing and have a nice day!
Best wishes
Noel
 
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joaovieira

Well-Known Member
Feb 16, 2013
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Brazil
I love my Sablon Ethernet cable.
Mark, I will build a new listening room and will need to select new in wall Ethernet cable.
If you think I need some selected cable, and if you have a suggestion, please let me know.
You can PM me.
Thanks
João
 
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