[bundee1]

Paging Dr. SaltPeanuts, Paging Dr. SaltPeanuts.

I just sold him my Flavor 1 and hes pretty happy with it. PM him about it.

 

[WK446]

Mark:

I totally agree with you about VH Audio power cords. I have the Flavor 4 on my amplifier and the cord is so stiff, it's like it has a mind of it's own. It definitely won't snake into tight spots and due to the weight of the cable, it sags from the power outlet connection.

I have 2 Zu Cable Boks on my digital front end. Not only are they in your price range, they are extremely well made, and very flexible. They have very good spatial qualities in comparison to other after market cables I have used - very good noise floor, excellent detail and resolution. Zu doesn't subscribe to power cords specifically for analog or digital as other manufacturers do. I have had good experience with either, but think their capabilities (in my system) are best on the digital end.

Can you comment on how flexible the Flavor 1 and 2 cables are? Will they work in tight spaces?

 

[DrOctagon]

I burned my Flavor 1 power cord on my computer, by leaving it on for a little over a week. Periodically I'd check to see how it was coming along, and I did note minute changes along the burn in time. Mine now has around 300 hours on it I'm guessing. Along with much improved bass the recordings just seem to be that much more REAL now. It's like I can see deeper into what I'm hearing...things are cleaner and clearer. I heard an improvement across the spectrum really, not just in a couple areas...everything from dynamics to imaging saw improvement. I wasn't really a believer in cabling before, but I sure am now. Give that Flavor 1 and 2 of yours a few hundred hours of burn in, and then pass judgement, Mark. I'm now really curious to try out some other mid priced power cords to see how they compare to my Flavor 1 (it's hard for me to quantify the improvments it has made when like I say, everything seems to sound 'better' to my newb ears).

 

[bundee1]

Quote:

Along with much improved bass the recordings just seem to be that much more REAL now. It's like I can see deeper into what I'm hearing...things are cleaner and clearer. I heard an improvement across the spectrum really, not just in a couple areas...everything from dynamics to imaging saw improvement.

These are exactly the improvements I heard in my system. It took 3 months at about 6 hours a week to notice the improvements though. I got scared at first because the music was congested and different frequencies stuck out like a sore thumb. Then everything settled down and the music became palpable. I was weirded out by the sound too because the first set of Flavor PCs I bought didnt exhibit this behavior. Was this the weird sound you heard?

 

[markl]

Quote:

What about the lower-end VD cables? (That's what I've got) I thought you were a VD fan

Yeah, I may end up crawling right back to some old VD cords. I've just been looking for something new. I always forget how darn hard it is to find cables that sound good. Quote:

I remember Chris used to tout a DIY cord at the Asylum that I built a few years ago, before he started VH Audio. I haven't looked at the power cords on his site lately but if he's still using the two conductor Belden cord, which is a stranded cable with very thick strands (silver coated copper) and then he twists a ground wire of similar type in he opposite direction, then I know what you mean.

Chris now has his own cable custom-made to his specs, it's no longer the Belden.
Quote:

I think at <$150 your options are a bit limited

Yeah, I know. Money is tight right now. But that's $150 for each cable though, I need two. I'll look at that Acoustic Zen, thanks.
Quote:

I have 2 Zu Cable Boks on my digital front end. Not only are they in your price range, they are extremely well made, and very flexible

Heh heh, as a matter I've fact, I've owned a Bok in the past and found to me, in my system, it had really weird tone problems, a kind of synthetic metallic twinge coloration that was very pronounced. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Quote:

Can you comment on how flexible the Flavor 1 and 2 cables are? Will they work in tight spaces?

Well, I have them in a really tight space, but it took me an hour to get them situated. As you've seen they really do have a mind of their own. I would advise caution. Quote:

These are exactly the improvements I heard in my system. It took 3 months at about 6 hours a week to notice the improvements though. I got scared at first because the music was congested and different frequencies stuck out like a sore thumb. Then everything settled down and the music became palpable. I was weirded out by the sound too because the first set of Flavor PCs I bought didnt exhibit this behavior. Was this the weird sound you heard?

bundee1, yes, that describes what I'm hearing with the VH Audio cables. The frequency response is not under control, it's very ragged and jumpy with lots of anomolies. The highs have this sort of gauzy effect on them, yet they are also rough and jagged at the same time, causing smearing and a sort of "muddled" sound. There is also a sort of "glare" over the entire image that hurts soundstaging, which I could also use the word "congested" or to describe.

I know that lots of people think very highly of these cables (that's why I bought them), and the reviewer at Positive Feedback said they were the best sub-$1000 cables he'd heard (http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue18/vhaudio.htm), and I know that Chris says they need extra burn-in. I suppose I should at least try to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

But I would still like any other recommendations anyone has ready as a back-up in case they don't work out. Cheers!

 

[WK446]

Mark:

Thks for the repliy. Might I suggest PCs from Signal Cable or Element Cables? The Signal Cables have also had good press, if you believe that sort of thing. Both have money back refunds so you can't go wrong trying them.

Unfortunately, I don't have first hand experience with them so I can't offer a user opinion.

 

[Welly Wu]

Hey, uh, Mark: what specific sonic attributes are you not willing to compromise on and which ones are you willing to bend the rules with? You pretty much know what you want and how it should behave in your reference system, but none of us have heard it. It would help us a bit so that we don't wind up making your life more aggravating with frustration over searching for something that isn't defined.

Anyway, I think that you might want to check out the custom Balanced Power Technologies power cords. Very very immaculately clean, clear, and easily a giant killer in my book. My Cardas Golden Reference Power cord can't compete with them at a much higher price tag. http://www.b-p-t.com and perhaps http://www.cardas.com as well (but I know you don't really like Cardas). Another thing you might want to try is the PS Audio xStream Statement power cord, because it is pretty much dead neutral except there is slight warmth and emphasis in the bass region which may work well in the context of your reference system and (no offense) your SONY MD R-10 headphones. Just food for thought.

If I had to pick, then I would not hesitate to make everything BPT custom power cords - Litz 9 AWG with FIM or Wattgate AC/IEC connectors and Super Shield to reject RF/EMI. Kind of stiff, but do-able in tight places. Every other power cord that I have owned, which are not that many and I do believe that power cords make significant alterations to the sound, sounds colored compared to the BPT gear.

 

[markl]

Quote:

Another thing you might want to try is the PS Audio xStream Statement power cord

Hi Welly. One of the cords I had and rejected was the PS Audio XStream Plus, a step below the Statement. It was sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow as molasses. Suffocated highs, no air, and suprisingly average bass for an 8-guage cable. Of course, that's in my system to my ears, I know that cables respond differently in different systems. The XStream Plus had a similar sonic signature as the Virtual Dynamics cables in some regards, but too many other problems. My feeling about the PS Audio is that it might be best suited to extremely high-powered speaker amps that suck A LOT of juice to overcome the extra resistance that cable throws up. I could see it being effective in that application.

As far as what I want, I like defined, somewhat forward mids (good reproduction of vocals is crucial to me), clean and clear sound (transparency), air and 3D soundstaging. Because I use the R10s, I need a cord that can pump out the bass with authority. I would say those are my priorities. I'll take a look at the BPT cables, thanks.

I've left the components with the VH Audio cables on 24-7 now for 3 days. Listened again this afternoon. It may have been the recordings I chose, but today, the things I objected to *appear to be* dissipating. Still there, but not as pronounced. VH Audio cables really do great bass, though, and that's a big plus. Time will tell...

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Yeah, I may end up crawling right back to some old VD cords. I've just been looking for something new.

I still have a bunch of Power 3's that I use whenever I want a good sounding reliable PC (and have a component heavy enough to hold it down). The higher end VD cables may be stiffer, but at least they stay bent once you bend them

 

[djbnh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopher I'm very curios about the Ven Haus offerings myself for whatever pair of monoblocks I end up with. I think at <$150 your options are a bit limited, but I recently picked up an Acoustic Zen Tsunami Plus which I placed on my Sonic Frontier Line 1 preamp and really like there. It added warmth and body to the sound. Perhaps slowed things down just a touch, but musically are very satisfying on my very neutral pre. Might not be for you, but they frequently come up used and are seemingly pretty liquid if you want to play around with one and re-sell if you don't like.

Regarding your monoblocks, I have a pair of Odyssey Audio Extreme Monoblocks, each connected to a VH Audio cryoed Flavor 4 PC - black background, wonderful frequency response (the monos have something to do with that as well), great detail, just call me well pleased. Chris VH recommend 400 hours of burn-in for the Flavor 4s, I gave them that, and they are winners in my system, with my gear. I also run a cryoed VH Audio Flavor 2 to my preamp, as well as a cryoed Flavor 1 to my cdp.


Re: Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I know Chris says they need 200 hours of burn-in (ouch!), but my opinion at this moment in time is that the state these cords are in, it would require more than mere burn-in to make them "right". That is, thus far, I've never experienced a level of burn-in that could make sufficient change in a cable to make these cables sound right.

When I hooked up my Flavor 1 to my cdp, I found the PC will start markedly hitting more of its signature stride around 150 hours. Mids and upper start to come in well and bass tightens up, even more so as you get closer to the 200 hour mark. If you don't want to do the burn in with your gear, Chris VH recommends using a box fan. Yeah, stiff cords! Also, I like Walker SST on the PC and IEC prongs to help get that last bit of detail.

YMMV.

 

[markl]

I'm now closing in on the 200 hour mark on the VH Audio cables, and I'm still not happy. There has been some improvement, but they are still harsh, splashy, slightly sibilant, the edges of aggressive sounds are frayed and tizzy, there's a blurry-ness that kind of smears the edges of different sounds together, no focus. The weird "fog" that afflicts the upper-mids to lower treble is allieviated but still there. On the plus side, the bass is just great, these cables have serious balls, and are very dynamic and slammin', good for hard rock. But they need more control and ability to do subtleties like soundstaging. They lack finesse. Probably going to try something else.

 

[radrd]

Quote:

The frequency response is not under control, it's very ragged and jumpy with lots of anomolies.

Wow, I'd love to see the frequency response graph for those cables. Oh wait, that's not possible...

I recommend saving your money and upping your budget. Spending more always seems to make you guys feel better about the sound.

Alright. I'm done. No more crapping in cables threads for a while. Feel free to flame away. Have a nice day.

 

[markl]

Why do you come into this forum at all, if those are the kind of "helpful" comments you have to "contribute". Get a life!

 

[fmonar]

.

 

[geek707]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Why do you come into this forum at all, if those are the kind of "helpful" comments you have to "contribute".