Taralabs grandmaster evolution: new top of the line cables from Taralabs

[microstrip]

Micro:

Thanks for your response.

Playing devil's advocate here, I am not sure I understand how you can say that no measurements or technical data can correlate to sound quality. I am NOT
saying they do, but how would you know unless you had a sampling of scores of cables with their measurements and listening tests?

I don't think L,C,R are irrelevant, and I have never heard anyone say that before, they are an important part of the equation, but of course, only one part of the story.

Here is an example of technical claims without any data I am aware of:

"Imagine an interconnect cable that has 2.5pf, in an industry where our competitors boast about their double digit pico-farads (pf) Never has the industry seen anything like this before! The legendary Zero Gold was known for its extremely low capacitance and ultra wide bandwidth. The new Zero Evolution has an increase of 75% bandwidth over the Zero Gold, and a 300% increase over any other high-end audio cable in the world today. The Grandmaster Series has the largest bandwidth ever! Ever!"

Largest bandwidth ever? How can they make these claims if they have not tested their cable against every other cable on the market?

Do you see what I am getting at?

Andre,

When I say there is no measurement that can correlate the sound characteristics of high-end cables with their technical data I am surely referring to facts that are of public knowledge, not of some imaginary or non documented research kept hidden from the reviewers and consumers.

I understand your point and what you dislike. But try to write a marketing leaflet for an high-end cable, or if you do not want to do it, please nominate a single manufacturer of top sounding high-end cables that produces what you consider as being exemplary technical literature.

BTW, I also still have some top Kimber cables - KS3038 and KS1136. I would love to know, in pure technical terms, why they sound so different from their copper equivalents.

 

[Andre Marc]

Andre,

When I say there is no measurement that can correlate the sound characteristics of high-end cables with their technical data I am surely referring to facts that are of public knowledge, not of some imaginary or non documented research kept hidden from the reviewers and consumers.

I understand your point and what you dislike. But try to write a marketing leaflet for an high-end cable, or if you do not want to do it, please nominate a single manufacturer of top sounding high-end cables that produces what you consider as being exemplary technical literature.

BTW, I also still have some top Kimber cables - KS3038 and KS1136. I would love to know, in pure technical terms, why they sound so different from their copper equivalents.

Micro, I am becoming bemused by your habit of posting as voice of authority and positioning your opinion as facts.

How is it common knowledge that objective and subjective test results of cable can never correlate? It has never been attempted.

Your previous post about certain specifications not being relevant "since 1999" is another opinion masquerading as a fact.

Again, I am NOT saying that cable measurements and subjective listening can yield specific results, I AM saying we DON"T KNOW if they can.

As far as Kimber Select..I could not tell you why the copper and silver cables sound so different. Is the only difference conductor metallurgy?
Also were comparisons done with the identical lengths and connectors? I like Kimber silver cables a lot. No gimmicks. Just superb quality
conductors and good construction. And of course the WBT connectors.

 

[TBone]

I like Kimber silver cables a lot.

I'm currently using a pair for recording purposes, and within this application, you certainly can hear the Kimber silver influence. I do like em, but they really must be paired carefully, because they are very lean, some would say too bright, although in this case, I prefer "sunny" ...

 

[Bodhi]

Kimber makes superb cables. I've been to the factory. I own thousands of $ worth of Kimber Kable bro. He is also a brilliant and very ethical business man.

Really? A few years ago I ordered several meters of unterminated Kimber cable from the Australian Distributor. A short time later I decided to go in a different direction, and contacted the Distributor to advise I wished to return the untouched cable for a refund (less shipping and re-stocking fees). The Distributor flatly refused. After numerous emails, I even proposed a part-refund. No response. In several follow up emails I proposed even lower part-refunds so I could cut my losses. Again, no response. I then returned the cables to the Distributor anyway hoping that he would take them back and offer some kind of refund. Again, no response. In the end, I had to humiliatingly request the cables be sent back to me so I could sell them on Ebay, to which I received an immediate response advising they were "on their way". That was the worst experience I have had dealing with any business or brand in my 25 years in this hobby. I have never before come across a nastier piece of work as that Distributor, and vowed I would never buy another Kimber product. Yeah, real ethical...

 

[Andre Marc]

Really? A few years ago I ordered several meters of unterminated Kimber cable from the Australian Distributor. A short time later I decided to go in a different direction, and contacted the Distributor to advise I wished to return the untouched cable for a refund (less shipping and re-stocking fees). The Distributor flatly refused. After numerous emails, I even proposed a part-refund. No response. In several follow up emails I proposed even lower part-refunds so I could cut my losses. Again, no response. I then returned the cables to the Distributor anyway hoping that he would take them back and offer some kind of refund. Again, no response. In the end, I had to humiliatingly request the cables be sent back to me so I could sell them on Ebay, to which I received an immediate response advising they were "on their way". That was the worst experience I have had dealing with any business or brand in my 25 years in this hobby. I have never before come across a nastier piece of work as that Distributor, and vowed I would never buy another Kimber product. Yeah, real ethical...

First, sorry to hear of your terrible experience. No customer should be treated that way.

By the same token, I think it is a stretch to blame the Kimber company for this type of terrible service, 8.000 miles away.

I don't know why your distributor did not want to please you. Did you bring the matter to the attention of Kimber in the US?
That is what I would have done immediately.

 

[Bodhi]

First, sorry to hear of your terrible experience. No customer should be treated that way.

By the same token, I think it is a stretch to blame the Kimber company for this type of terrible service, 8.000 miles away.

I don't know why your distributor did not want to please you. Did you bring the matter to the attention of Kimber in the US?
That is what I would have done immediately.

Thanks Andre, and I agree.

I just used that example to question if Kimber is as ethical a businessman as you described, not forgetting that he appointed this Distributor based on one would presume his character and perceived values amongst other things. What does that say about Ray Kimber?

 

[Andre Marc]

Thanks Andre, and I agree.

I just used that example to question if Kimber is as ethical a businessman as you described, not forgetting that he appointed this Distributor based on one would presume his character and perceived values amongst other things. What does that say about Ray Kimber?

To be honest, the Distributor intimidated me out of reporting the matter to Kimber in the US, warning he would make various accusations about me to blunt my complaint, so I gave up. Sorry Andre, but the buck stops with the Company (Kimber) as far as i'm concerned.

Bodhi, again, I would not wish your experience on any member of our hobby.

However, with all due respect, if the distributor could intimidate you out of contacting Kimber US operations, there is more to the story.

 

[Bodhi]

However, with all due respect, if the distributor could intimidate you out of contacting Kimber US operations, there is more to the story.

That's a fantastic statement to make from someone who is not in possession of all the facts including transcripts of email communications. Sounds like you're seizing on a perceived flaw in my statement to 'go in to bat' for Kimber. I mean, why would I be interested in point scoring about an issue that occurred 4 years ago? Seriously? I know shockingly bad service when I receive it.

 

[Andre Marc]

That's a fantastic statement to make from someone who is not in possession of all the facts including transcripts of email communications. Sounds like you're seizing on a perceived flaw in my statement to 'go in to bat' for Kimber. I mean, why would I be interested in point scoring about an issue that occurred 4 years ago? Seriously? I know shockingly bad service when I receive it. Man, that Distributor is clever...he was not only successful in intimidated me out of making a complaint to Kimber, but obviously knew any attempt to later explain the circumstances would be questioned and likely dismissed.

Honestly Bodhi, I am not defending anybody.

But Ray Kimber NEVER had the opportunity to remedy the situation because you were "intimidated" out of contacting him or the company. These are the facts, no?

I can't imagine, under any circumstances being threatened by a distributor and no taking action. Sorry.

 

[Andre Marc]

You are not me.

Yes, and your situation could never happen to me, not in this lifetime. I am sorry it did it happen to you, most unfortunate. But it is unreasonable to taint Kimber. IF they had been made aware of the behavior of this distributor and did nothing, then you have a case I would join you in condemning the way they do business.

 

[Bodhi]

Yes, and your situation could never happen to me, not in this lifetime. I am sorry it did it happen to you, most unfortunate. But it is unreasonable to taint Kimber. IF they had been made aware of the behavior of this distributor and did nothing, then you have a case I would join you in condemning the way they do business.

Well thanks for the vote of confidence, and you're right it's my fault.

 

[TBone]

Well then, hmmm ... if I may interject a similarly frustrating yet in-retrospect a funny kinda saga ...

Moons ago, one channel in my phono section started to have issues. I called the manufacturer, and shipped 500 miles away. They had it for near a month and sent it back stamped with a clean bill of health. The thing was, it sounded identical. They claimed nothing had tested wrong, so maybe I was hearing other changes, you know ... perhaps room treatments. Anyway, after assuring them I wasn't crazy, they decided to have another look. So I shipped it, 500 miles ...

3 months later, I called inquiring, and they informed me that it was sitting waiting audition in some technicians home, because he was the only one who could test it with an actual turntable. 6 months later, the story changed, saying they were going to adopt a turntable into the factory system to test it specifically. Then it hit me, a company once known specifically for it's phono-stage, no longer included a turntable in it's own system. This in a time when CD was perfect, many of my analog friends were jumping ship, and most LP's could be found at garage sales or stacked against some curb at $2 a dozen. In actual fact, this was when "Line-Stages" first made an appearance, no internal phono stages, but at the same cost (sigh).

I digress ...

So, without much choice, I promptly ask for a quick return, and I'll take responsibility independently. They then contracted a local engineer/tech and shipped it to him. It just so happened that he was 10 minutes down my street. A few days later, the pre-amp was back in it's system. Interestingly enough, this technician had fixed the problem in under an hour. Cost me ~ $170 parts/labour, and they absorbed all shipping cost. The real cost however, mostly my patience, and near an annual without my pre-amp, but that didn't register because I was having fun auditioning pre's - thinking mine was forever wonky.

I still use that pre-amp today.

tb1

.

 

[Audiocrack]

I am not surprised at all given after the hostile reactions regarding the wonderful Tripoint Troy se I am wondering about the following:
- After seing this happen with the threads regarding the Tripoint Troy and Trinity cd-combo it is now the third time that the 'outrageous pricing brigade' has highjacked a thread.
- Why are we contributing to the WBF? For me it is only sharing experiences and learning from somebody's else experience
- How come that this 'brigade' again and again is bashing products they have never heard?
- Quality always has it's price. Audio is no different in this regard than eg haut cauture fashion. Why this rage against and obsesdion about high end products?
- This thread is dedicated to the stunning sounding Taralabs grandmaster evolution cables. So one final request to get back to this topic.
- May I remind the 'outrageous pricing brigade' to the name of this forum: so let us share our experiences with high quality audio components that sometimes cost a lot without being highjacked again and again.

 

[LL21]

I am with you on this one Audiocrack. I appreciate value discussions as much as anyone, particularly given the fact that nearly everything I own is 2nd hand and has taken me nearly 8 years to assemble, one piece at a time. Nevertheless, I always appreciate hearing and reading about the furthest reach of the uber high end.

So on that note!...any more listening notes on the cables?

 

[LL21]

Specifically:

- curious about the Tara grounding box that comes with the cable...can you tell us more about that? Is it meant to be used with a Tara product? What happens if you don't have a grounding box...do you connect it to something else?
- How do you connect to Tripoint? Does it just simply connect to Tripoint, or do you need a tripoint cable?
- When you say haze disappeared...did anything else happen when you connected it to Tripoint?

- Did the tonal balance of your system change? Any adjustments you need to make after the cable has started to settle in?
- Has it improved since your original post?

 

[asiufy]

Really? A few years ago I ordered several meters of unterminated Kimber cable from the Australian Distributor. A short time later I decided to go in a different direction, and contacted the Distributor to advise I wished to return the untouched cable for a refund (less shipping and re-stocking fees). The Distributor flatly refused. After numerous emails, I even proposed a part-refund. No response. In several follow up emails I proposed even lower part-refunds so I could cut my losses. Again, no response. I then returned the cables to the Distributor anyway hoping that he would take them back and offer some kind of refund. Again, no response. In the end, I had to humiliatingly request the cables be sent back to me so I could sell them on Ebay, to which I received an immediate response advising they were "on their way". That was the worst experience I have had dealing with any business or brand in my 25 years in this hobby. I have never before come across a nastier piece of work as that Distributor, and vowed I would never buy another Kimber product. Yeah, real ethical...

Bodhi,

Living in a far away country like you, I can attest that, sometimes, the behaviour of a local distributor has no correlation to the actual BRAND. There's simply a lot of misrepresentation going on, and the brand sometimes is at a loss about what their local distributors are doing with their product/brand.

Have you contacted Kimber directly? Some brands WILL listen to their end customers, and investigate the dealer, while some others will just ignore it, most likely if the dealer does good business for them ($$$).


alexandre

 

[TBone]

- How come that this 'brigade' again and again is bashing products they have never heard?

May I remind the 'outrageous pricing brigade' to the name of this forum: so let us share our experiences with high quality audio components that sometimes cost a lot without being highjacked again and again.

The one consistent thing about hi-end audio, time ALWAYS determines a products true worth, no matter what the cost, no matter how much the "reviews" read like fluffy press copies.

 

[Andre Marc]

Well then, hmmm ... if I may interject a similarly frustrating yet in-retrospect a funny kinda saga ...

Moons ago, one channel in my phono section started to have issues. I called the manufacturer, and shipped 500 miles away. They had it for near a month and sent it back stamped with a clean bill of health. The thing was, it sounded identical. They claimed nothing had tested wrong, so maybe I was hearing other changes, you know ... perhaps room treatments. Anyway, after assuring them I wasn't crazy, they decided to have another look. So I shipped it, 500 miles ...

3 months later, I called inquiring, and they informed me that it was sitting waiting audition in some technicians home, because he was the only one who could test it with an actual turntable. 6 months later, the story changed, saying they were going to adopt a turntable into the factory system to test it specifically. Then it hit me, a company once known specifically for it's phono-stage, no longer included a turntable in it's own system. This in a time when CD was perfect, many of my analog friends were jumping ship, and most LP's could be found at garage sales or stacked against some curb at $2 a dozen. In actual fact, this was when "Line-Stages" first made an appearance, no internal phono stages, but at the same cost (sigh).

I digress ...

So, without much choice, I promptly ask for a quick return, and I'll take responsibility independently. They then contracted a local engineer/tech and shipped it to him. It just so happened that he was 10 minutes down my street. A few days later, the pre-amp was back in it's system. Interestingly enough, this technician had fixed the problem in under an hour. Cost me ~ $170 parts/labour, and they absorbed all shipping cost. The real cost however, mostly my patience, and near an annual without my pre-amp, but that didn't register because I was having fun auditioning pre's - thinking mine was forever wonky.

I still use that pre-amp today.

tb1

.

Similar situation here, with a power amp. Sent it back to the factory, they found nothing, and sent it back. Problem still there. Sent it back again
and they found the issue. The owner/designer was very apologetic, and all was well in the end. Sometimes the most obvious issues are missed.

Your story is kinda funny and sad.

 

[Andre Marc]

Bodhi,

Living in a far away country like you, I can attest that, sometimes, the behaviour of a local distributor has no correlation to the actual BRAND. There's simply a lot of misrepresentation going on, and the brand sometimes is at a loss about what their local distributors are doing with their product/brand.

Have you contacted Kimber directly? Some brands WILL listen to their end customers, and investigate the dealer, while some others will just ignore it, most likely if the dealer does good business for them ($$$).


alexandre

Your advice is falling on deaf ears. I tried repeatedly to make your point above to no avail.

And it he says clearly, in numerous posts, Kimber was NEVER contacted about the situation.

I sniff another Q7 caper here.

 

[MasterChief]

About two weeks ago I received the new Taralabs grandmaster evolution (6 ft) loudspeaker cable and Taralabs grandmaster evolution (1,5m) ic cable. These new top of the line cables are not yet officially launched by Taralabs. However the word spread rapidly that the Grandmaster evolution cables are something extraordinary and they can be ordered, although the availability is restricted (partly because it takes quite some time to produce them). Being a music lover and audiophile for more than thirty years I have learned the hard way that a lot so-called break through products do not live up to the expectations. And although I was a little sceptical that the new grandmaster evolution would outclass my taralabs omega gold and zero gold cables, after talking several times to Matthew Bond and Devon Scott I took the jump. Boy, what am I glad that I did!

Having listened to them for about 50 hours I can say the following: the grandmaster evolution cables are by far the best loudspeaker and ic cables I have ever heard. These cables sound on the one hand very calm/serene but are on the other hand the most dynamic cables I have ever experienced. Furthermore they are very refined (velvet) sounding with a huge soundstage (deep as well as wide) but at the same time with a focus that exceeds easily all other cables that I am familiar with. Probably as a consequence of the great extension of the grandmaster evolution cables they also give you the impression that the soundstage is larger in height without making the players and instruments larger than they are. For example, the distance in height between various players in a large orchestra can be noted easily. Talking about an inky black background and transparency: the grandmaster evolution excells in this regard.

BTW, I connected the (double box) Taralabs grounding device to my Tripoint audio Troy signature se grounding device and noticed that the haze on some vocals was (nearly completely) gone. Spooky!

If I am informed correctly, the new Taralabs evolution line (situated directly below the top of the line grandmaster evolution cables) is right now being tested and reviewed by one of the leading audio reviewers. So if you find my great enthusiam hard to swallow, wait for this review and find out if there are oher people who are as impressed as I am.

Top notch products never come cheap and the same applies to the Taralabs grandmaster evolution line. So probably some WBF readers will jump on the issue of pricing and will be very criticall. I am not going to react to this and can only advise the following: try to give the grandmaster evolution cables a serious listen. They are phenomenal imho.

For those who are interested I include some info from the Taralabs website. Happy listening to eveybody.

"The Grandmaster Evolution Interconnect with “Dual Mono-block” HFX Floating Ground Station System

The Grandmaster Evolution Series from TARA Labs is truly beyond belief. It is quite simply the new watershed in the art and science of audio cable design. The Evolution Series is in a class of its own, beyond all other audio cable products in the history of the audio industry worldwide.

The Grandmaster Evolution Interconnect uses the same multi-lumen air-tube concept invented by TARA Labs as used in the ZERO Interconnects and the AIR Series Interconnects originally developed in 1986. However, the Evolution Interconnect is remarkably flexible.

The Evolution Interconnect uses the same displaced and Floating Shield design together with a new Dual Mono-Block HFX Ground system with greater absorption of RF/EMI and a vanishingly low background noise.

Incredibly, the new Grandmaster Evolution Interconnect boasts a remarkably low capacitance figure of just 2 pF per foot. This means that the new Evolution has a High Frequency bandwidth that is more than 300% greater than any other high-end cable in the world.

• The most advanced air-tube technology and design
• All new proprietary “dual mono-block” floating ground station (HFX) and floating shield system
• Controlled spacing of conductor to conductor geometry, produces record low interconnect capacitance of a mere 2 pf (pico farads)
• Additionally the conductor to shield capacitance is remarkably low so the EMI/RFI coupling from the shield to conductors is negated
• The outer shield is expanded and spaced away from the conductors to such a degree that the background noise is at an all-time low
• Two layers of anti-corrosion coated SAOF-8N copper shield
• Compared to the Zero Evolution, The Grandmaster Evolution has a larger, more complex system of Teflon and Aero-PE filaments that ensure a complete air dielectric system.
• The most revealing and lifelike presentation possible
• Compared to the Zero Evolution, The Grandmaster Evolution has a high-frequency bandwidth that is 50% greater, with a stunning low level of background noise contrasted with more image outlines and fine detail
• Revolutionary liquid micro-film (LMF) dielectric ensures a linear transfer of low-level ambient and spatial information

The Grandmaster Evolution Speaker Cable

The new Evolution speaker cable is a stunning achievement, boasting the greatest current-carrying capability of any speaker cable in the world, together with the High Frequency extension and linearity of a 32-gauge conductor. The Evolution Speaker Cable is an all air-dielectric design with 288 Rectangular Solid Core ® conductors per channel.

Importantly, the gauge size for each channel is far greater than any speaker cable ever made or ever conceived in history. The gauge size is not 10, or 6, or 4, or even 0. The gage size for an Evolution Speaker Cable is 000, that’s an area of 85 square millimeters per channel.


• BSM (with 1/4”or 5/16” Spades or Bananas)
• Gauge size is 000 = an area of 85 Square mm per channel
• SA-OF8N® copper.
• Each channel comprised of 288 Rectangular Solid Core ® conductors per channel
• Aero-PE® GMI™ dielectric.
• Separate positive and negative conductor run for each channel.
• Helixed Rectangular Solid Core® conductors and air-tube technology
• Gauge size is 000 = an area of 85 Square mm per channel
• Spectacular power and clarity. Absolutely neutral and coherent.
• Superb resolution of micro-detail and ambient information.
• Incredible dynamic contrasts & vivid imagery
• Holographic soundstage & superb resolution of micro-details
• Excellent imaging & absolute coherent and neutral
• Holographic soundstage & superb resolution of micro-details".

Grandmaster Evolution Interconnect, 1 meter - Retail $28,000.00
Grandmaster Evolution Speaker cable, 8ft/2.4m – Retail $42,000.00

Amazing review, thank you!

(The rest of the crap in this thread I will just ignore).