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

[andromedaaudio]

I am current ly testing , having a coil in series with the signal for a couple of month now and i must say it improves digital , it seems like much of the digital harshsness is in the top end .
I wanna measur off course Also if i see roll off occuring actually .

 

[andromedaaudio]

You are talking very low value coils other wise they Will influense FR and x over behaviour to much

 

[pke10000]

Are you saying that you have all Transparent cables now except for one MasterBuilt IC cable? From everything that I have read, the MB cables are much better than Transparent, so why do you think that getting a
Transparent XL IC would be an upgrade? Does mixing brands somehow diminish/effect the high quality of one MB IC?

TA is my main cables, eventhough I'm also using Shunyata, SignalProjects, and WireWorld...

Sorry ! It was just my assumption that I said TA's XL would be better than MB's ref.
MB is good enough, but doesn't meet my taste.
I've ever considered to add more MB cables like as PC, but my dealer suggested to stop. because all MB has similar charactor.

So I'm considering several cables now. TA is one of the candidates, but double pricing of XLR makes me hesitate.

 

[PeterA]

TA is my main cables, eventhough I'm also using Shunyata, SignalProjects, and WireWorld...

Sorry ! It was just my assumption that I said TA's XL would be better than MB's ref.
MB is good enough, but doesn't meet my taste.
I've ever considered to add more MB cables like as PC, but my dealer suggested to stop. because all MB has similar charactor.

So I'm considering several cables now. TA is one of the candidates, but double pricing of XLR makes me hesitate.

Thanks pke10000. Could you describe this MasterBuilt "character" and how it differs from what you hear from Transparent?

 

[Leif S]

Are you saying that you have all Transparent cables now except for one MasterBuilt IC cable? From everything that I have read, the MB cables are much better than Transparent, so why do you think that getting a
Transparent XL IC would be an upgrade? Does mixing brands somehow diminish/effect the high quality of one MB IC?

Hi Peter,

It has been our experience that mixing the MB cables with TA has been a negative experience. The only way we have heard a significant improvement was when we replaced the TA speaker cables with MB. But with having TA speaker cables in the system and installing MB interconnects had a negative effect. What we heard was almost a dull sound and a lack of air around the instruments. So I do believe that the filters have a negative impact on the MB cables. I recommend that if you have TA or MIT speaker cables in your system that you don't integrate MB interconnects into the system. Power cords are a different story and I have not experienced any negative impact on sound quality to the system with TA cables installed.

Leif

 

[NorthStar]

Hi Leif, this question:

Say you have a system with all Transparent cables (the full loom) and you switch only one interconnect or only one AC power cord with MasterBuilt?

a) Would it be best to stay all the way Transparent?
b) Or would it be best that after switching only one 'T' for one 'MB' cable to simply switch everything else, the entire loom all MasterBuilt?

Say you were a dealer for Transparent.

 

[bazelio]

One clear differentiator I've heard in an all Masterbuilt system vs an all Transparent system was the MB system had a very lifelike tactile palpability which the Transparent system did not. Now there were different electronics in the different systems, so variables abound. But what I will say is that when I demoed a SINGLE MB Ultra interconnect stretch in my own system with all else remaining the same, that tactile sound quality surfaced. I think that does say something about the character of MB.

Here is the Transparent system I recently heard. Ayre electronics, Clear Audio TT, Wilson Yvettes. I felt this sound was very flat and lacking in vibrance. The Wilsons do bass well, however I find the soft dome tweeters to be far too forgiving. The highs simply don't crash and sparkle the way they should.

 

[PeterA]

One clear differentiator I've heard in an all Masterbuilt system vs an all Transparent system was the MB system had a very lifelike tactile palpability which the Transparent system did not. Now there were different electronics in the different systems, so variables abound. But what I will say is that when I demoed a SINGLE MB Ultra interconnect stretch in my own system with all else remaining the same, that tactile sound quality surfaced. I think that does say something about the character of MB.

Here is the Transparent system I recently heard. Ayre electronics, Clear Audio TT, Wilson Yvettes. I felt this sound was very flat and lacking in vibrance. The Wilsons do bass well, however I find the soft dome tweeters to be far too forgiving. The highs simply don't crash and sparkle the way they should.

Are you saying that you attribute the very flat sound lacking vibrance to the Transparent cables and not to anything else in the system like set up, room, or gear? How did you reach this conclusion?

You are also comparing the sound of two different cable brands in different systems and different rooms? I would not be confident in my own ability to sort the cable contributions to those of the rest of the system and room. Was the music and volume the same? These anecdotes do not really convince me that the tactile palpability which you describe is a characteristic of one cable and not the other or of something else entirely. My all Transparent cable system has a very good sense of tactile palpability, presences and believability, in my opinion of course, but also in that of a few friends who have heard it. I found this quality was much more the result of Jim Smith voicing my system to my room than it was with my particular cable brand.

From everything that I have read, the MasterBuilt cables are excellent. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had done a direct comparison of one brand to the other in the same system with the same music and then a description of sonic differences they heard.

 

[Leif S]

Are you saying that you attribute the very flat sound lacking vibrance to the Transparent cables and not to anything else in the system like set up, room, or gear? How did you reach this conclusion?

You are also comparing the sound of two different cable brands in different systems and different rooms? I would not be confident in my own ability to sort the cable contributions to those of the rest of the system and room. Was the music and volume the same? These anecdotes do not really convince me that the tactile palpability which you describe is a characteristic of one cable and not the other or of something else entirely. My all Transparent cable system has a very good sense of tactile palpability, presences and believability, in my opinion of course, but also in that of a few friends who have heard it. I found this quality was much more the result of Jim Smith voicing my system to my room than it was with my particular cable brand.

From everything that I have read, the MasterBuilt cables are excellent. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had done a direct comparison of one brand to the other in the same system with the same music and then a description of sonic differences they heard.

Hi Peter,

What I'm saying is the cables didn't mix well together. I'm not blaming either of the brands for this

 

[NorthStar]

I agree, it has to be the exact same sound system, the exact same audio gear, in the exact same room, @ the exact same volume level for each full loom of cables...Transparent, and MasterBuilt.

 

[NorthStar]

Hi Peter,

What I'm saying is the cables didn't mix well together. I'm not blaming either of the brands for this

The safe zone. :b

 

[bazelio]

Are you saying that you attribute the very flat sound lacking vibrance to the Transparent cables and not to anything else in the system like set up, room, or gear? How did you reach this conclusion?

You are also comparing the sound of two different cable brands in different systems and different rooms? I would not be confident in my own ability to sort the cable contributions to those of the rest of the system and room. Was the music and volume the same? These anecdotes do not really convince me that the tactile palpability which you describe is a characteristic of one cable and not the other or of something else entirely. My all Transparent cable system has a very good sense of tactile palpability, presences and believability, in my opinion of course, but also in that of a few friends who have heard it. I found this quality was much more the result of Jim Smith voicing my system to my room than it was with my particular cable brand.

From everything that I have read, the MasterBuilt cables are excellent. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had done a direct comparison of one brand to the other in the same system with the same music and then a description of sonic differences they heard.

No Peter. I haven't said I attribute flat sound to Transparent cables. I have tried to share what I've heard from MB cables in two completely different systems that was easy to pick out; namely a tactile palpability. And while I don't attribute the deficiencies of the Wilson system to Transparent cables, I do have justifiable doubts that they perform at the level of MB cables. The flatness was extreme - a wall of sound. Most likely it was primarily that the Ayre electronics are simply flat and dead. But on the other hand, having heard the performance capabilities of MB Ultras, I'd be surprised if they didn't improve that system. I could be wrong.

 

[Leif S]

Hi Leif, this question:

Say you have a system with all Transparent cables (the full loom) and you switch only one interconnect or only one AC power cord with MasterBuilt?

a) Would it be best to stay all the way Transparent?
b) Or would it be best that after switching only one 'T' for one 'MB' cable to simply switch everything else, the entire loom all MasterBuilt?

Say you were a dealer for Transparent.

Hi Bob,

I haven't experience a drop in sq when adding MB power cords to a system with TA cables. In fact, I thought the sq improved quite a bit. It was only adding MB interconnects into a system with all other cables being TA. Like I had stated it was only when we removed the TA speaker cables that IMO the sq was better. Again, this is my opinion and we know we all have different taste and our systems are all different. If I had TA speaker cables I myself wouldn't use MB for the interconnects. But that was on our system and someone might have different results.

 

[Leif S]

The safe zone. :b

No Doubt lol

 

[NorthStar]

Bazelio, I like what you're saying.

 

[NorthStar]

Hi Bob,

I haven't experience a drop in sq when adding MB power cords to a system with TA cables. In fact, I thought the sq improved quite a bit. It was only adding MB interconnects into a system with all other cables being TA. Like I had stated it was only when we removed the TA speaker cables that IMO the sq was better. Again, this is my opinion and we know we all have different taste and our systems are all different. If I had TA speaker cables I myself wouldn't use MB for the interconnects. But that was on our system and someone might have different results.

Excellent.

I have no personal experience, I go with you guys the experts. I read all sides, I make the best balance of all common sense. MasterBuilt sounds to be the best full loom of audio cables ever, period.
If I was a bit better off financially there is no doubt, I would try them, compare them, and buy the ones that sound best to my ears, the ones that make me comfortably numb, relaxing in my music listening for that extra higher sound music listening experience of life as closest to live.

Highest and Best emotional comfort zone.

 

[microstrip]

Hi Peter,

It has been our experience that mixing the MB cables with TA has been a negative experience. The only way we have heard a significant improvement was when we replaced the TA speaker cables with MB. But with having TA speaker cables in the system and installing MB interconnects had a negative effect. What we heard was almost a dull sound and a lack of air around the instruments. So I do believe that the filters have a negative impact on the MB cables. I recommend that if you have TA or MIT speaker cables in your system that you don't integrate MB interconnects into the system. Power cords are a different story and I have not experienced any negative impact on sound quality to the system with TA cables installed.

Leif

Even Transparent Audio will advise you to not use their speaker cables without at less their interconnect after the source. It was written on their site somewhere on the FAQs. In this case it is the MB interconnects that have a negative impact on the TA cables ...

IMHO we should be very careful when mixing signal cable brands in a system - and particularly Transparent Audio should not be mixed with others. When I remove an Opus I take them all ... My choice of cables is mostly connected with the speakers and the source I am using.

 

[NorthStar]

Francisco, I sure read your post above. :b

 

[PeterA]

No Peter. I haven't said I attribute flat sound to Transparent cables. I have tried to share what I've heard from MB cables in two completely different systems that was easy to pick out; namely a tactile palpability. And while I don't attribute the deficiencies of the Wilson system to Transparent cables, I do have justifiable doubts that they perform at the level of MB cables. The flatness was extreme - a wall of sound. Most likely it was primarily that the Ayre electronics are simply flat and dead. But on the other hand, having heard the performance capabilities of MB Ultras, I'd be surprised if they didn't improve that system. I could be wrong.

Thanks for the clarification. It was just not clear to me why you would bring up this negative experience in a thread about Transparent cables and now describe the culprit as being primarily the Ayre electronics. I thought you were earlier making some claims about Transparent versus MasterBuilt.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I use only copper in my cables that is mined in a small corner of the Himalaya n mountains .
Its the purest copper in the world due to the lower oxygen level.
Its also quit pricey die to mining difficulties .
For best results its stored in a dark cellar for about 20 years .
Mixing with other cables is off course out of the question .