[eldss]

On both Prima Donna it was. I didn’t get to post my impressions, but I really enjoyed the Prima Donna on both versions. Very soft/ergonomic, it paired well with the IEMs I had at te time and made me love a pair of IEMs that I didn’t enjoyed as much, because of its lack of bass extension and bright highs. It smoothed them out, the extension grew on both ends and the soundstage grew exponentially, everything was more revealing (something I always had my doubts when I read people’s impressions on cables). I was sad to find out the price though. As for the other cables, I only tried the copper one (I believe it was the Thor) and didn’t notice much difference vs stock cables and hated the ergonomics (very important to me). The ear hooks were very strange and when I noticed the other cables were the same or worst with ergonomics, I didn’t bother to try them. If the Prima Donnas were more accesible, everyone on head-fi would be talking about them. But in my case, when I consider the price, which is higher than many TOTL IEMs, the need to buy it just wasn’t there.

 

[ExpiredLabel]

I live in portland, oregon and agree to the terms. Thanks!

 

[Barra]

I live in portland, oregon and agree to the terms. Thanks!

Added

 

[muffins]

Picture time!

 

[muffins]

Package sent off to @kubig123

 

[Barra]

Package sent off to @kubig123

The pictures showed that they paired aesthetically very well, how about SQ? Did you hear any differences between cables?

 

[muffins]

The pictures showed that they paired aesthetically very well, how about SQ? Did you hear any differences between cables?

I did, at least with the Prima Donna. Admittedly, I heard little to no difference with the Supernova or Thor, but I couldn't try them much because of connector issues. To my ears I heard the Prima Donna as bright, with slightly leaner but tighter bass, and a more elevated treble. In fact I heard the treble immediately, and it was what made me decide that cables make a difference to be honest. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked comparing, and I wonder about synergy between ciem's cables, different metals, and different cable manufacturers, and if the Harmony's might not benefit from as much from cables as other ciem's. But as soon as I heard a difference that was enough for me.

 

[kubig123]

Package sent off to @kubig123

Received the package, everything looks in perfect condition!

 

[kubig123]

I'm really having fun testing all these cables

Thank you @Barra for arranging this tour!

I'm really impressed by the Primadonna in term of separation and clarity, the 4 wire cable is so supple!
Love the 8 wire, it add quite a bit of soundstage, more width than depth, but is significant increase, other than that both cables are quite transparent.

The Thor is a nice, honest copper cable, very flexible and comfortable

Not so impressed by the supernova, both cables are a little too rigid and have the characteristics of many silver plated copper cables, they give a little bump to the bass, extend the treble but doesn't add any body or separation, sometimes I found them a little too harsh. The 8 wire has more "air" but is more microphonic compared to the 4 wire cable.
I would not recommend this cable to an earphone that has a bright signature.

 

[kubig123]

Mail the package to @muffin9988 this morning with UPS
It will be delivered to morrow afternoon

Thanks again to @Barra, it was really fun!

 

[muffin9988]

Mail the package to @muffin9988 this morning with UPS
It will be delivered to morrow afternoon

Thanks again to @Barra, it was really fun!

Kit received from @kubig123 and have contacted @doctorjazz for next in line info

Haven't had a chance to dig through the contents yet but everything looks packaged safe and sound on first inspection - will report back soon with some impressions!

 

[Blueshound24]

@Barra I live in Sioux Falls, SD, and would like to participate in the Beat cable Tour, and agree to the terms of the Tour.

 

[muffin9988]

Sent the package on its way to @doctorjazz today, should arrive tomorrow or the next day barring any signature required issues

Thanks again to @Barra for the opportunity to hear these cables

I've compiled a couple of brief impressions and notes I made from my week with the cables, but before diving in I will say...

I am a cable "believer" in so much as I have heard what I think to be audible differences between cables in the past

I am also a cable "skeptic" in that I recognize the enormous mark ups cable makers are charging versus the materials costs (and even plus the skilled labor...gets into the ridiculous zone)

That all being said:

• I had serious issues with the 4.4mm adapter. Got the same hiss/buzzing that @hattrick15 was experiencing when connecting any of the cables to my WM1A via 4.4mm. This was no ordinary hiss - buzzing was loud enough to be heard over low to moderate music. I set this adapter aside and did the remainder of my testing via the 3.5mm adapter as I dont have a 2.5mm source
• I went for the 4 wire Prima Donna first as that's the one I was most interested in, but initially I wasn't as impressed by the sound as I was expecting. Sound was clear and refined but didn't do anything special/markedly improved versus my current go-to Linum SuperBax.
• After getting used to the 4 wire, I swapped up to the 8 wire Prima Donna. This was my first time testing the 4w and 8w variants of the same cable side by side and I felt that I could hear a bit of sound stage expansion in that each instrument/note had more room/air around it which allowed it to be better placed positionally. But on a few of my test tracks, I was noticing that this increased "air/roominess" was resulting in decreased body and weight, which I highly value, especially for a lot of vocal listening. I only came back to the 8w PD a few times after that as it would have to do something special for me at that price that it just wasn't doing
• Craftsmanship on the 8w PD was absolutely beautiful though, work of art. PD 4w build/weave was not as inspiring IMO. Definitely an awesome cable aesthetically and plenty supple to hold/wear, but at its $800 asking price, there are several cables in the $500 range I would choose first, so I set that one aside pretty early as well
• I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Supernova 4 wire, mostly due to my low expectations for that one coming in (heard complaints of firmness, less than stellar sound quality). I recently sold a Dita Truth cable as the ergonomics/firmness wasn't doable for me despite the good sound and adaptable plug, so I was concerned about similar issues with the Supernova. The 4w Supernova had a similar firmness, due to an outside plastic wrap around all the cables, just like the Dita, but the Dita cable always tried to spring back into its coil. The Supernova, while firm, I could bend and shape how I wanted and then it would rest easy. I used this cable for a few days straight and really appreciated the firmness when unwinding the cable it never tangled like supple cables do (Prima Donna was a tangler, but in my experience that's the price you pay for supple). Only noticeable sonic difference I found versus my SuperBax was I felt the Supernova tightens up the low end nicely, give some more definition to bass notes. I was also doing most of the 4w Supernova usage on my Noble K10's which I would consider to be "warmer" IEMs so I think they paired up well with the characteristics of the Supernova.
• Stepping up to the 8wire Supernova was a no-go though based on ergonomics alone. I noticed that the 8wire has the individual strands exposed, and are not wrapped around the outside by an additional plastic wrap like the 4w Supernova and Dita cables. But even without the outer wrap I found the 8 wires to be too obtrusive even for home use. The Supernova wires are pretty beautiful to behold as well though.
• Didn't actually try the Thor at all as I saw its no longer on their website (discontinued?) and I'm currently not in the market for any more copper or copper-esque cables
• I gave the Prima Donna 4wire another longer go toward the end of my tour and while I started to appreciate some qualities I hadn't heard my first go around, its still not a cable I would be willing to buy new. If I were to purchase any of the cables it would be the 4w Supernova as it could be a good addition to my cable crop but likely leaving my wallet closed this go around - such a great opportunity to be able to try these cables side by side without making the plunge, thanks Barra!

 

[doctorjazz]

I just got the package today (had trouble hooking up with UPS, signature issues did arise...).

 

[ericr]

Received a PM from @doctorjazz and I have replied with my address and phone number.

Looking forward to trying these out!