High End Cables Thread (digital, analog, power)

[572217]

Here is a picture to visualize. DAC and two amps plugged into the Shunyata Research Delta D6(located in bottom right on rack).

Beautiful setup!

My HA300 in silver is coming next week.

Off topic, but have you considered a dedicated server into your Weiss DAC? Made a beautiful difference for me to add one.

 

[RobertSM]

Beautiful setup!

My HA300 in silver is coming next week.

Off topic, but have you considered a dedicated server into your Weiss DAC? Made a beautiful difference for me to add one.

Thank you.

I've thought about it. Maybe next year. The HA-300B and the Elrog 300B MOs have taken all of my budget for this year. But definitely open to the possibility.

 

[572217]

Thank you.

I've thought about it. Maybe next year. The HA-300B and the Elrog 300B MOs have taken all of my budget for this year. But definitely open to the possibility.

I listened to Aurender (adds audiophile sauce), Auralic (somewhat technical), Antipodes (micro–timing issues) among others. Not my cups of tea.

I have the Innuos gear and am happy with it. They develop towards a musicality I enjoy. I listen to genres from Electronic to Alternative (Rock, Pop, Folk), Post–Rock, Metal, Classical, Blues. “Music first.” The music presentation is just as the musicians intend. If it is soothing then that. If it is vengeful, that too.

Rose RS130 coming soon. Let‘s hear how it compares...

 

[hafzz123]

Shunyata GEMINI Model-4 is at the upper limits of your budget. You'd still have to account for a power cord from the wall into it.

Thanks for your recommendation, looks solid. I'm quite familiar with Shunyata since some of my friends used it

 

[Roasty]

Here is a picture to visualize. DAC and two amps plugged into the Shunyata Research Delta D6(located in bottom right on rack).

that looks super clean. obviously, u have space for another system... heh..

 

[hafzz123]

I listened to Aurender (adds audiophile sauce), Auralic (somewhat technical), Antipodes (micro–timing issues) among others. Not my cups of tea.

I have the Innuos gear and am happy with it. They develop towards a musicality I enjoy. I listen to genres from Electronic to Alternative (Rock, Pop, Folk), Post–Rock, Metal, Classical, Blues. “Music first.” The music presentation is just as the musicians intend. If it is soothing then that. If it is vengeful, that too.

Rose RS130 coming soon. Let‘s hear how it compares...

A bit out of topic but have you tried the lumin or melco? and i assume that you didn't like Aurender's "audiophile sauce" that much?

 

[RobertSM]

that looks super clean. obviously, u have space for another system... heh..

Hahaha!!! Yes, you're right.

 

[572217]

A bit out of topic but have you tried the lumin or melco? and i assume that you didn't like Aurender's "audiophile sauce" that much?

I have not tried Lumin and had a Melco server about four years ago. Innuos does the trick better for me than Melco. Melco had a couple of years to improve since then, so I don‘t know what is the status now. Melco has an audio heritage, their much bigger business however is Buffalo (NAS, other storage solutions, networking gear).

Yeah, the Aurender “audiophile sauce” pretties the music up. That‘s fine when I listen to pretty music. It is counterproductive for all things dirty, angry, intense, and so on. Imagine a piece of cotton–wool filtering the wrathful growls of a metal singer.

 

[hafzz123]

Yeah, the Aurender “audiophile sauce” pretties the music up. That‘s fine when I listen to pretty music. It is counterproductive for all things dirty, angry, intense, and so on. Imagine a piece of cotton–wool filtering the wrathful growls of a metal singer.

Oooh i get it now what you mean by "audiophile sauce". Thanks for your short impression

 

[BlakeT]

I've had Melco (N1A/2) and now Lumin. Melco user interface was poor, but sound was quite good. Melco interface I'm sure is better now as my N1A/2 was released some years ago.

I much prefer my Lumin, as their app and sound quality are both great. Their customer support is top notch as well.

 

[572217]

In case someone is looking for marvellous digital cables:

https://blackcatcable.com/

I have their Trøn AES/EBU digital and BNC clock cables. The improvements they made to my DAC stack were like “NOW we are talking!”. I know two others, whose reactions were similar. And then one who fell silent on another forum after buying one of those. He was a vocal proponent of the “cables don‘t matter much” camp. Guess he secretly ate his hat.

Unfortunately Chris Sommovigo passed away last year. His wife has decided to reopen the doors of Black Cat Cable. He was one of the iconoclasts in the audio cable business. All cables are hand made to order.

@Roasty: Thank you for your in–depth Network Acoustics Muon2 USB writeup. I just ordered one.

 

[Roasty]

I just ordered one.

awesome and congrats in advance! keen to hear your thoughts on the cable and see if they are commensurate with mine!

I missed the chance to get a second hand FTA Sinope recently.. was also looking at the Intona USB cables.

 

[Audiophiliac]

My new IC's that I got during a 45% off sale sound like they were worth more than the original price. Well, ok, more than is harder to justify than what I paid.
But still, that's why attitude is so important. It's what you need while you wear expensive interconnects around your neck to make the women on the street who don't care about anyone else because they have headphones on get that it's actually you.

 

[572217]

awesome and congrats in advance! keen to hear your thoughts on the cable and see if they are commensurate with mine!

I missed the chance to get a second hand FTA Sinope recently.. was also looking at the Intona USB cables.

Your explorations are very valuable for me. Thank you for sharing so generously. The Muon2 USB arrives tomorrow. I don’t have any of the higher end cables you were able to audition and am replacing an Audioquest Cinnamon, nothing fancy. After Christmas / New Years I should know more and will share.

By then I should also have an idea how Luna Rouge power cords and the Muon streaming system stack up.

 

[audiophilac8]

For power conditioners, I've used Blue Circle Audio (now Entracte Audio by Gilbert Yeung) and think they are very good, and I'm also using PS Audio Power Plant 12 (not a conditioner, but serves an equal purpose).

Not sure how they compare with Shunyata or Audioquest conditioners. Ansuz and Gigawatt also interesting with some good reviews, but the pricing on Ansuz is astronomical!

I ordered a Gigawatt Powerprime with the Gigawatt Powersync Ultra (upgraded cord)
Meanwhile, i was loaned a Gigawatt PC1-EVO
Quite an upgrade from the Atlas EOS strip. The imaging, dynamics.