What are members' impressions of Transparent Audio cables? Any thoughts?

[Ron Resnick]

Ron. I look at your signature and see a very financially inoffensive cable on the list of your equipments.

Tang

Dear Tang,

I certainly can understand the puzzlement and suspicion of inconsistency. I absolutely find the cost of the super expensive cables offensive.

I have a very particular interconnect problem: in my current equipment location configuration the distance between pre-amp and amp is 17 meters. (I am hoping less when I actually connect a test wire.) To solve for that problem I feel compelled to use an extremely low capacitance interconnect, which I believe the Masterbuilt Ultra is.

I am not happy about “having” to pay that much for interconnects, but I feel I “have” to to minimize the likelihood of the required (based on my preferred equipment location) interconnect length having a deleterious effect on the signal/sound.

Fortunately I presently have the ability to purchase what I want, even if I find the cost “offensive.”

 

[jfrech]

Lee,

Honestly, you should try them. Transparent has a great loaner program through their dealers.

I've used Transparent with Wilson and Rockports (also internally wired with Transparent). The Gen 5 versions are better. Yes they cost money, yes the network boxes (or swooped cars some even call it a chicken ready for the roaster elicit all sorts of opinions. Transparent just makes music to me sound more realistic in my system. A few years ago I swapped out all of my Shunyata power (top of the line cables, power conditioners etc) for Transparent Opus power cords and isolators.

This is one of those things that people on both sides of the isle will have pro and con arguments. Just call a dealer, get some in for demo, make sure they are tuned for your set up. Best of luck to you.

 

[Cincy2]

Just wondering what folks think about this cable...Same stuff inside my new Wilson speakers so was wondering.

Back in the early 90's I wandered into a specialty audio shop not too far from you. I can't remember the shop's name but the owner's name was Ellis. His high end room was set up with B&W Matrix speakers, Mark Levinson front end and a Krell amp. Everything was connected with Transparent Reference cables. I was floored. I left with most of that demo system. Since then I've been on the Transparent train with many upgrades over the years. I tried a pair of Nordost speaker cables once when my TA set was out for an upgrade. I hated them. I have found the company to be great to work with, quick to answer inquiries and consistent in providing upgrades that deliver discernible improvements over previous versions. They have my highest recommendation.

Eric

 

[microstrip]

Dear Tang,

I certainly can understand the puzzlement and suspicion of inconsistency. I absolutely find the cost of the super expensive cables offensive.

I have a very particular interconnect problem: in my current equipment location configuration the distance between pre-amp and amp is 17 meters. (I am hoping less when I actually connect a test wire.) To solve for that problem I feel compelled to use an extremely low capacitance interconnect, which I believe the Masterbuilt Ultra is.

I am not happy about “having” to pay that much for interconnects, but I feel I “have” to to minimize the likelihood of the required (based on my preferred equipment location) interconnect length having a deleterious effect on the signal/sound.

Fortunately I presently have the ability to purchase what I want, even if I find the cost “offensive.”

The choice of the VTL 7.5 III alleviated the need for ultra-low capacitance - I would say you need a moderate capacitance cable. And, unless someone gives you straight number - X pF per meter or foot, do not believe any one in this affair - the notion of low, medium or high capacitance is too ambiguous to be of real use.

Top Tansparent Audio XLR cables can be used with the length you need - the network is tuned for this precise length. I suucessfully used a 10m pair with an Audio Research REF40 , that has an output impedance about five times higher than your VTL 7.5.

In the Wilson Audio room the VTL 7.5 is also used with very long XLR cables.

BTW, what is the price of 17m Masterbuilt Ultra?

 

[KeithR]

I found ludicrous and offensive the recent top-of-the-line Transparent network boxes formed into the swoopy shape of an exotic car. Does Transparent really think we audiophiles consider ourselves to be so pathetically uncool that we would spend a fortune to purchase McLaren-shaped network boxes to regain some semblance of masculine self-esteem? I would love to hear the sonic or technical justification for network boxes having front and rear swoopy fenders!

A pair of those swoopy things costs more than my M2. Think about that!

I also find it interesting that in 30+ years, no one else has entered the network box arena other than Transparent (and Bruce who split off to form MIT).

 

[DaveyF]

A pair of those swoopy things costs more than my M2. Think about that!

I also find it interesting that in 30+ years, no one else has entered the network box arena other than Transparent (and Bruce who split off to form MIT).

Great point, Keith.
Thing is that in the high end industry, and in the cable area in particular, the usual suspects truly understand PT Barnum's dictum..."there' a sucker born every minute". Too bad that these guys are so very prevalent in the hobby right now. Although, I do seem to remember something called the Tice clock in the past, hmmm.
I agree with Ron 100%...the shape of the Transparent boxes is basically an insult...problem is that this 'insult' is going to drive sales for that particular product. Marketing works like that.

BTW, has anybody actually opened up any of these 'boxes' and looked inside to see what they consist of...are there tens of thousand of $$'s worth of parts? (Heck, even hundreds of $$'s worth of parts might validate them...lol).

 

[Ron Resnick]

[QUOTE/] . . .

Top Tansparent Audio XLR cables can be used with the length you need - the network is tuned for this precise length. . . . [/QUOTE]

Unless we could get from Transparent an honest and straight answer as to what “the network is tuned” means I just cannot get comfortable with the network box concept.

 

[Leif S]

[QUOTE/] . . .

Top Tansparent Audio XLR cables can be used with the length you need - the network is tuned for this precise length. . . .

Unless we could get from Transparent an honest and straight answer as to what “the network is tuned” means I just cannot get comfortable with the network box concept.[/QUOTE]

WOW.....is that what they claim?

 

[Leif S]

The choice of the VTL 7.5 III alleviated the need for ultra-low capacitance - I would say you need a moderate capacitance cable. And, unless someone gives you straight number - X pF per meter or foot, do not believe any one in this affair - the notion of low, medium or high capacitance is too ambiguous to be of real use.

Top Tansparent Audio XLR cables can be used with the length you need - the network is tuned for this precise length. I suucessfully used a 10m pair with an Audio Research REF40 , that has an output impedance about five times higher than your VTL 7.5.

In the Wilson Audio room the VTL 7.5 is also used with very long XLR cables.

BTW, what is the price of 17m Masterbuilt Ultra?

Not cheap at all

 

[Mike Lavigne]

back in 2005 I owned Von Schweikert VR9SE speakers, which were bi-wire able. so I purchased a second darTZeel NHB-108 stereo amplifier, and vertically bi-wired the VR9's with TWO pair of Opus MM speaker cables......at that time $66k worth of Transparent Audio speaker cable love.

honestly it was fantastic sounding, and did things that I had not previously heard. but my room and system context today is so different hard to make relative comments. I was definitely loving what the Opus MM did for the system. and bi-amping the VR9's was a revelation.

I also used a set of TA Opus MM 1.5 meter RCA's on sources for years. they never disappointed me.

 

[SuperDave]

Great point, Keith.
Thing is that in the high end industry, and in the cable area in particular, the usual suspects truly understand PT Barnum's dictum..."there' a sucker born every minute". Too bad that these guys are so very prevalent in the hobby right now. Although, I do seem to remember something called the Tice clock in the past, hmmm.
I agree with Ron 100%...the shape of the Transparent boxes is basically an insult...problem is that this 'insult' is going to drive sales for that particular product. Marketing works like that.

BTW, has anybody actually opened up any of these 'boxes' and looked inside to see what they consist of...are there tens of thousand of $$'s worth of parts? (Heck, even hundreds of $$'s worth of parts might validate them...lol).

It could just be a new injection mold that they formed to look like a car...not much more than a rectangle i bet.

 

[microstrip]

Unless we could get from Transparent an honest and straight answer as to what “the network is tuned” means I just cannot get comfortable with the network box concept.

Do you prefer the honest and straight answer that 99% of the high-end manufacturers (100% in the case of cables ) give when pressed - we do not want to say what is means to protect our intellectual property?

In this case tuned just means that the components in the box are adjusted to the length - if you want to cut the cable they will also modify the network.

 

[DaveyF]

It could just be a new injection mold that they formed to look like a car...not much more than a rectangle i bet.

Luckily, the shape that they molded only costs $10K more than the traditional rectangle. After all, it does allow one to navigate the sharpest bends without flipping over...which has got to be worth at least what ever price that is asked.

 

[microstrip]

Great point, Keith.
Thing is that in the high end industry, and in the cable area in particular, the usual suspects truly understand PT Barnum's dictum..."there' a sucker born every minute". Too bad that these guys are so very prevalent in the hobby right now. Although, I do seem to remember something called the Tice clock in the past, hmmm.
I agree with Ron 100%...the shape of the Transparent boxes is basically an insult...problem is that this 'insult' is going to drive sales for that particular product. Marketing works like that.

BTW, has anybody actually opened up any of these 'boxes' and looked inside to see what they consist of...are there tens of thousand of $$'s worth of parts? (Heck, even hundreds of $$'s worth of parts might validate them...lol).

What is the point of coming into a thread where we are debating the sound quality of a type of cable that many WBF members use with success to denigrate manufacturers, generically insulting expensive cable owners?

 

[SuperDave]

What is the point of coming into a thread where we are debating the sound quality of a type of cable that many WBF members use with success generically insulting expensive cable owners?

He is not one of the "usual suspects," and obviously not one of "these guys" that are so prevalent in the hobby? You're so high and mighty.

 

[microstrip]

He is not one of the "usual suspects," and obviously not one of "these guys" that are so prevalent in the hobby? You're so high and mighty.

I am not addressing Ron post, just what I quoted concerning PT Barnun.

BTW, I have a friend who owns Transparent Magnum Opus - I can assure you that they sound significantly better than Opus.

 

[microstrip]

WOW.....is that what they claim?

No, what I wrote concerning a particular 17m cable connecting a VTL 7.5 mkIII to a Siegfried II.

 

[SuperDave]

Sorry Micro,
I meant to quote DaveyF but agree with your post entirely.

Dave

 

[DaveyF]

Sorry Micro,
I meant to quote DaveyF but agree with your post entirely.

Dave

LMAO...

BTW, I know of a nice bridge that you guys can also buy...PM me for the info...

 

[SuperDave]

LMAO...

BTW, I know of a nice bridge that you guys can also buy...PM me for the info...

Does everything revolve around money to you Davey? Thread Title: What are members' impressions of Transparent Audio cables? Any thoughts? Do you have any thoughts about how they sound? Have you compared them to other significantly less expensive cables that are clearly superior to your ears? Or are you just stirring the pot? You're the exact opposite of the guy that thinks his equipment is the best because of its cost. Good talk Russ