jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
A closer view:
[NDH-30 & this NDH-30 listener Lavricables Grand Silver]
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same same here grand everything!Lastly, I am an obvious fan of Lavricables (Grand Silver) for headphone cables and for interconnect cables. Note the custom XLR to RCA cable in front of the computer. Two other cables (RCA interconnect) not shown are currently in the system.
GRAND 30 CORE SILVER MAINS EU US POWER CABLE IMPRESSIONS
During the last month I had the chance of trying the Lavricables Grand power cable in my system.
I started the testing expecting some relatively easy A/B sessions in order to get the idea of where the cable fits in between the characteristics of the other cables I selected for my gear, but it quickly turned out that the evaluation was going to take longer than expected.
Basically, I wasn't able to identify meaningful differences with quick A/B switching from the start, so I decided to move to longer listening sessions (days), which allowed me to grasp the pairing of the Grand with the various pieces of my setup in a more consistent way, thus making subsequent comparisons easier.
In my cable loom, which I refined after a few iterations, I now use an old Shunyata Alpha HC with my DAC (Chord DAVE), Audioquest NRG-1000 for the amp, Hurricane HC for power conditioner, and Hurricane Source for my music server.
I started with the amplifier. The first impression I had it was of a more controlled, quick and tight low end, with no loss of extension. A cleaner sound with fast rise and shorter decay of notes, but still with a very satisfying roundness. Tonality was overall unchanged, where the overall snappiness / bounciness of the amp response the most peculiar modification. Rhythmic drive and PrAT were consequently improved as it was the liveliness of the presentation.
Transparency is another area where I found a benefit, which, together with the improved articulation of the notes, provided a nice sense of ease of reading into the score.
Midrange bloom and weight were comparatively a bit reduced. Overall effect on my amp was similar to what I get (although to a lesser degree) when I roll my Mullard CV491 NOS tube to my Fivre: a more dynamic and sculpted sound with more agility and less lushness.
I would say that the Lavricables Grand is a very good match for my Riviera AIC-10 amplifier.
When I moved to my Music Server, the differences were somewhat easier to identify. In this case the Grand precision provided to the server an almost mechanical character, which I did not particularly enjoyed. Also, some dryness creeped in, sucking out a bit too much of resonance tail and complexity, thus making for example piano listening a less relaxing and enveloping experience.
On the other hand, the additional background blackness made electronic music sound spectacular, thanks to an almost holographic display of very distinct sound sources popping out of nowhere.
Finally, I tried the Grand on my DAVE and I found these two go very well together, meaning that they do very well similar things. The DAVE seemed even more three-dimensional sounding and resolving, providing an almost tactile feeling to sound images. Timing was especially compelling, toe tapping assured. For example, momentum produced by double bass sections in a jazz band, or drums kicks, or brass blasting out were exciting and involving.
Notes were lighter, and clarity improved, reminding of a sunny winter day where everything seems easy to detect and even things far away seem at an arm's length.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with the Grand, it is extremely well built and pleasing to the eye without being flashy or intrusive, and sonically like a stream of pristine water springing from a high mountain. It is energetic, pure, transparent and refreshing, all virtues that can be exploited with synergy and personal taste in mind, as always with audio gea
Hi there. Apologies I think I made a mistake with my first attempt to reply ad deleted some of your text. I see that you have a Riveria AIC-10, and I also see from the rest of your gear that you are a much more seasoned head-fi guy than I am, so I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction regarding the cables you use out there at the back of this beauty! (interconnects and power cable) Thanks in advance.
@gerelmx1986 yes, the latest locking plugs are about 35mm long (tip to end of barrel). The barrel alone is 15mm. Hope it helps.
Congratulations. I keep being amazed by the sheer quality it brings to the sound, the naturalness, control, space, details, no listening fatigue at all, etc. A very worthwhile investment; sometimes a product costs quite some money, yet still it cannot be called expensive, if you get so much improvement in return.What I found in my mailbox today