[fiddler]

...and frankly, I hate them. These are only first impressions, mind you. The only IC's I've tried before are stock crap and Audio Research cables that I suspect are the same thing as the RadioShack Gold Series.

The only "improvement" I heard over the AR cables was increased "detail". I put it in quotes becaues this perceived added detail seems to be coming from an artificially boosted treble, that just sounds downright zingy and awful a lot of the time, as if somebody cranked up the treble knob. All that added "detail" at the expense of both bass and midrange; the bass sounds more distant while the midrange is cold and sterile. The AR are far too rolled off in the treble for my liking, but at the very least, the midrange is intact.

I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they say their setup sounds "musical" or "emotional" etc... I mean, I know very well that a good musician creates a sound that is pleasing to his ear, one that for some aesthetic reason instills a sense of beauty. Therefore, a colouration that breaks up this aesthetically pleasing sound could potentially erase any emotional impact the music might have had on the listener.

Setup: Pana SL-CT570 -> [interconnect] -> modded Corda -> HD600 w/ stock cable

In this setup at least, these cables sound like ****. I guess I'll give em a little more listening time, but I've found that in general, my first impressions are pretty similar to my last. I bought em off a head-fier so I'll probably just put em back up for sale on the Buy/Trade forum. Anybody interested?

But at the very least, this gives me faith that CABLES DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Just not necessarily for the better.

 

[pearle]

I've had these cables for a long long time (2 years) and I've also been suspect of them, particularly being too bright/harsh in the trebel. However, I haven't tried anything else in my current system. I think I might have to try alternate cables.

 

[millerdog]

what are their length and how much?
md

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by fiddler ...and frankly, I hate them. These are only first impressions, mind you. The only IC's I've tried before are stock crap and Audio Research cables that I suspect are the same thing as the RadioShack Gold Series.

Do NOT judge a cable on first impressions. Cables take a surprisingly long time to burn in. For example, MIT doesn't recommend critical listening until their cables have at least 200 hours on them...and IME they're right. Awful and shrill to start with, but smooth out nicely with use.

 

[millerdog]

Ssshhhh! Hirsch!
okay, you spoiled my good deal

LOL
To be fair, it took about three days for my DH Labs q10s and speakers to really work.
Silver though, I heard is bright by nature. I like bright.
md

 

[fiddler]

Well they were bought used, so I assume they've been burned in. Or are you trying to tell me that it has to be burned into my specific system? As I said, I'm more than willing to give them more time before I make a final judgement.

Millerdog, I think it's the silver/copper combo that makes it bright; pure silver cables are supposed to be neutral.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by fiddler Well they were bought used, so I assume they've been burned in. Or are you trying to tell me that it has to be burned into my specific system? As I said, I'm more than willing to give them more time before I make a final judgement.

If they are well used, then burn-in should be short. If they've been sitting on a shelf for months, and weren't used a lot, burn-in will take longer. The only person who can really judge is you. If you've got a tuner somewhere, you can hook the interconnects between the tuner and a preamp, headphone amp, or receiver (less mechanical wear than putting a CD player on repeat) and let it play by itself for a few days. You don't even have to turn the preamp on...just have signal coming from the source. See if it improves after some time by itself. If not, I think you've got a buyer...

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Sounds like you should try them for a few weeks and see if tey break-in, and if not sell them to Hirsch. Since you bought them used you shouldn't loseany money in the process.

 

[DanG]

The problem is probably the source and amp. I haven't spent much time with the Corda (heard it once at Headroom's show in NYC two years ago) but I've heard it's a somewhat bright amp. But the portable CD player is likely the main root of the problem. The BL-1s are quite transparent at the top and just don't get the bass across as well. At that price it seems to me you just have to choose your trade-offs, because there'll be plenty to make. I found the Tara Labs Air1 to have as clear a treble as the DH Labs with deep, natural bass and a great midrange as well as a cohesive image. Then again, you can't buy the Air1 for $50 used on Audiogon.

If you can get back your money for those cables by selling them here or on audiogon I would suggest you do that. Save your money for a home deck and meanwhile just use the audio research cables... it would make far more sense.

 

[fiddler]

Well the Corda's been semi-blued (the opamp's been changed, current source added, but nothing done yet to do the output stage) and it's gotten far less bright than the stock HA-1.

I have a home deck as well, but ****ty Technics deck; my portable sounds better.

I guess it's time to upgrade my source.

 

[fiddler]

Ok, well the seller says it's only been used for 20-25 hours so I'll give 'em some more time to burn in, although after 48 hours or so, it still hasn't improved enough to change my mind.

Does anybody know how the Outlaw PCA's compare to these?

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by fiddler Does anybody know how the Outlaw PCA's compare to these?

I hear more detail using the BL-1 series 1 than I do with the Outlaw PCA. I've got a bunch of both cables, and usually choose the BL-1 over the Outlaws. Not always, though. There are some component combinations in which the Outlaws sound better than the BL-1. I haven't figured out how to predict when this will happen.

 

[fiddler]

Hmm... I think I'm looking for a warmer cable in this setup, but one that reveals more details than the AR cables I've got now. Well, after I get the Clou Blue (which should arrive soon), I'll have a better idea on what I want in an IC.

 

[KurtW]

The BL-1 is on the brighter side, as is every silver cable I've heard, so a clean source is required. I made some pure silver cables and they were really bright even after extended burnin. But you're right fiddler, cables do make a difference but you can't generalize on what's better as system matching is important.