[OM hawk]

Currently at 60 hours burn in, and AC/DC's Back in Black has gone all the way from "ho-hum 100% meh" to "realistic in a fun way". I was convinced that my Hugo 2 (or my Aeon 2 Closed) was simply not suited to AC/DC, even though other hard rock sounded great, like Van Halen. With the Vivo cable, that was the case. But with this Signum +, AC/DC sounds the best I've ever heard! What is so awesome is that there is more detail and realism, but also more musicality, more fun at the same time! And Van Halen still sounds good, better than on the Vivo. The soundstage seems to have evolved in a general sense, without losing any positive traits that I can detect. Loving it so far!

 

[greenfielda2]

Deleted

 

[InstantSilence]

Which artic cable smooths out the highs the most, and the mids, to tame down spikes in the FR.?
Therr are so many cables. Whxih is best for this? I want bass to stay neutral but the low mids to push up, if possible

But most importantly, tame the treble.

 

[OM hawk]

Alright! I made it to 150 hours burn in on my Signum Plus! Took me about two weeks, cause I prefer to give my headphone rest breaks rather than going 24/7, even though it may not be necessary. But now it seems the bass and mids have fully bloomed, and the whole sound has become more refined and pleasant. My Aeon 2 Closed almost sounds like a whole new headphone, and I bet if I had been using the basic stock cable rather than the premium Vivo cable, it absolutely would sound like a whole new headphone. Compared to the Vivo, detail has increased across the whole spectrum, treble and bass are both better extended, every aspect of the soundstage has improved a bit, and everything sounds "nicer" or "more refined" in a way that words can't properly express. The most exciting thing to me about the Signum+ is that, due to the improvements in imaging/soundstage, many albums which I thought lacked the acoustic information necessary for interesting soundstaging are now presented in a fun, spatially varied, natural sounding 3d way. Two of my favorite albums, Back in Black by AC/DC and A Day Without Rain by Enya both sounded tragically boring to me with the Vivo cable. Detailed yes, "technically accurate" certainly, but just dead, lifeless in the soundstage department, a flat, mediocre image. The Signum + brings a little more detail, and still sounds natural and honest, but it presents certain recordings in a fundamentally more interesting, involving way that will have a MAJOR impact on how much of my music I really enjoy vs simply appreciate. I feel so sorry for people who don't believe cables make a difference. I seriously thought Enya just wasn't hifi worthy. Man was I wrong. Same exact cans/dac/amp/source, and this cable, by itself, made Enya good (at least from the perspective of a soundstage maniac like me).

 

[DavidWeinberg]

I purchased the Signum cables last week. I first posted in this thread back in October (#219) where I was looking at the Arctic Ion as suggested by other posts and Val at Arctic Cables. My goal is to replace the original Focal Clear cables.

After my post, I did some additional research that led me to the Signum cable. While it is a price bump, here is why I did it. Based on my research, and especially this video from PS Audio's Paul McGowan. At 4:15, Paul discusses (as do others elsewhere) that silver is generally preferred over copper. Accepting that moved me out of the Ion series. The other copper cable I initially considered was the Prisma series. Val from Arctic advised that the "Prisma is a bit sweet-sounding than the Ion series" and I am seeking a neutral cable. I share that for others who may be evaluating the Ion and the Prisma.

At 3:05, Paul talks about gold plated connectors that can prevent oxidation, so I ordered the Oyaide 3.5mm connectors (P-3.5G) for the termination and the headphone connectors (needed to specify gold plated for the latter as that is not one of the menu options).

There is one thing that threw me on the Signum page under "what is UP-OCC wire". It speaks to copper. Why copper since the Signum cable is silver? Val replied that "some of the description on the Signum page talks about OCC technology in general, referring to copper, but it (the Signum cable) is a 100% pure silver OCC cable." Again, posting for others who might have been confused.

Thanks to all for helping me navigate the Arctic product line.

 

[subguy812]

I purchased the Signum cables last week. I first posted in this thread back in October (#219) where I was looking at the Arctic Ion as suggested by other posts and Val at Arctic Cables. My goal is to replace the original Focal Clear cables.

After my post, I did some additional research that led me to the Signum cable. While it is a price bump, here is why I did it. Based on my research, and especially this video from PS Audio's Paul McGowan. At 4:15, Paul discusses (as do others elsewhere) that silver is generally preferred over copper. Accepting that moved me out of the Ion series. The other copper cable I initially considered was the Prisma series. Val from Arctic advised that the "Prisma is a bit sweet-sounding than the Ion series" and I am seeking a neutral cable. I share that for others who may be evaluating the Ion and the Prisma.

At 3:05, Paul talks about gold plated connectors that can prevent oxidation, so I ordered the Oyaide 3.5mm connectors (P-3.5G) for the termination and the headphone connectors (needed to specify gold plated for the latter as that is not one of the menu options).

There is one thing that threw me on the Signum page under "what is UP-OCC wire". It speaks to copper. Why copper since the Signum cable is silver? Val replied that "some of the description on the Signum page talks about OCC technology in general, referring to copper, but it (the Signum cable) is a 100% pure silver OCC cable." Again, posting for others who might have been confused.

Thanks to all for helping me navigate the Arctic product line.

Excellent cable choice....I had the Signum+ with the VC and Stellia. Loved what that cable did for Stellia

 

[Hinomotocho]

I currently use the MDR-Z1R with the Sony Kimber. I am finding 2 metres to be too long for my needs and the thick heavy weave frequently gets kinks and wild twists in it so I am considering a new cable. I have read many positive reviews for silver cables with the Z1R but may stick with copper. The Cuprum looks like a good copper option, does anyone know if the specs would be of equal or better quality than the Sony Kimber? I don't understand about cable specs, cores, gauge etc.

 

[NYanakiev]

Ordered one of the new Fusion Series Palladium&Silver cables for my Focal Utopia.

Super excited- thanks to Val for answering the host of questions I had!

 

[buzzlulu]

How does one get in touch with this company? There is no telephone number listed and the email I sent via their website interactive box on Thursday has not been answered

I run both a Utopia and Sony Z1R and have been using Kimber Axios copper cable for the past three years. I might be interested in the signum+ or palladium coated silver cable and I’m curious to know how they would compare to my Axios

 

[Roasty]

How does one get in touch with this company? There is no telephone number listed and the email I sent via their website interactive box on Thursday has not been answered

I run both a Utopia and Sony Z1R and have been using Kimber Axios copper cable for the past three years. I might be interested in the signum+ or palladium coated silver cable and I’m curious to know how they would compare to my Axios

Try emailing them at this address:
info@arcticcables.com

In my experience, Roy and Val respond quite promptly.

 

[jonathan c]

I definitely agree with @Roasty.

 

[buzzlulu]

Thanks - just sent them an email
Anyone ever compare with Kimberly Axios copper?

 

[George Hincapie]

How do Artic compare to Periapt Cables? I need a balanced 3m cable for my new HarmonicDyne Zeus.

 

[guyuemuziye]

I initially came to this thread for some impressions of a ion (+) cable as an update to the stock and meze 99 2.5mm cables for my Stellia. I read through 20 pages, now I am convinced that a pure silver cable, even though is 3~400 more, would be a better bang for my money……damn, this hobby
Anyway, since this is my first high-end aftermarket cable purchase, I have two very specific questions. I didn't see them being discussed much in this thread. Sorry if they are dump questions , am still learning about cables~

Some info of my usage and purpose: headphone in mind is of course a Stellia. I maily use it with a DX300, a LPG, or a IFI micro iDSD BL. Mobility is very important to me. I fly a lot, Stellia makes these long and tedious trips much much less painful.
So I am looking for a 1.5m banlaced 4.4mm cable for both home and mobile use. Here are my two questions:

1. For a 1.5m cable, how big a difference in sq could the 4x or 8x make? Is signum lighter and more mobile friendly compared to signum+? Are there any particular reasons that most head-fiers in this thread seem to opt for plus version?
2. Since two of my main sources are unbalanced. I also need to buy an 3.5mm adapter. Between a AC signum adapter, and some cheap adapters from aliexpress (something like this) , how much difference is there in term of sq and usability?

Thanks for reading~ Any inputs would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TooFrank]

I initially came to this thread for some impressions of a ion (+) cable as an update to the stock and meze 99 2.5mm cables for my Stellia. I read through 20 pages, now I am convinced that a pure silver cable, even though is 3~400 more, would be a better bang for my money……damn, this hobby
Anyway, since this is my first high-end aftermarket cable purchase, I have two very specific questions. I didn't see them being discussed much in this thread. Sorry if they are dump questions , am still learning about cables~

Some info of my usage and purpose: headphone in mind is of course a Stellia. I maily use it with a DX300, a LPG, or a IFI micro iDSD BL. Mobility is very important to me. I fly a lot, Stellia makes these long and tedious trips much much less painful.
So I am looking for a 1.5m banlaced 4.4mm cable for both home and mobile use. Here are my two questions:

1. For a 1.5m cable, how big a difference in sq could the 4x or 8x make? Is signum lighter and more mobile friendly compared to signum+? Are there any particular reasons that most head-fiers in this thread seem to opt for plus version?
2. Since two of my main sources are unbalanced. I also need to buy an 3.5mm adapter. Between a AC signum adapter, and some cheap adapters from aliexpress (something like this) , how much difference is there in term of sq and usability?

Thanks for reading~ Any inputs would be greatly appreciated.

To be honest, I trusted Roy at AC, when investing in the signum+ rather than signum. This was my first really high-end cable, and I recall thinking, that I am in the deep anyway, so why not go all in I am still enjoying this cable either with my Stellia’s of my Arya’s....Good luck with your decision....