[rsbrsvp]

I must say- I'm quite nervous as to what expect from my 3 week burnt in but never heard 1512 with all ultimate cables in my system.

I hope it is not sharp and bright- but in a few days- I'm going to just have to go listen. At least I know that I will be at full burn in and only ear adjustment and minor tweaks will make a difference if I want to change anything...

I need solidity of tonality;- just fundemantal to my musical taste....... I had it in spades before, and I dont need more- just dont want it to dissapear.

 

[iCoy]

I must say- I'm quite nervous as to what expect from my 3 week burnt in but never heard 1512 with all ultimate cables in my system.

I hope it is not sharp and bright- but in a few days- I'm going to just have to go listen. At least I know that I will be at full burn in and only ear adjustment and minor tweaks will make a difference if I want to change anything...

I need solidity of tonality;- just fundemantal to my musical taste....... I had it in spades before, and I dont need more- just dont want it to dissapear.

I think more than just I'm waiting with excitement for your impressions.

 

[rsbrsvp]

I think more than just I'm waiting with excitement for your impressions.

Am I interpreting your impressions of your system as being too sharp for you or is this a misunderstanding on my part? You seem not to be convinced about the low end being there.

 

[iCoy]

Am I interpreting your impressions of your system as being too sharp for you or is this a misunderstanding on my part? You seem not to be convinced about the low end being there.

You aren't interpreting my impressions incorrectly, but I think it's more complicated with that and... please do take my impressions with a grain of salt. I'm *newish*. If anything I'm excited for your impressions so they can help give me clarity in what I'm hearing. But let me try to explain.

When I first added the PSM 156 and the first Ultimate Mains cable I was overtaken with what felt like an absolutely balanced across-the-board clarity lift. It was pretty nuts. The top end was clear, but so was the bottom end. It just felt like I could hear everything more clearly and it felt "right" to me. And I would say I have a brightish leaning system these days and I'm trying to combat that. So it didn't feel like it went the wrong way at all. It was really striking and it prompted me to buy more.

I've added more and since then there has been a lot of time where things sounded off during the break-in period. Mostly flat and sharp. Clear on the top end but fatiguing. But things have been improving a lot. Where I'm at now is that the fatiguing top end has dyed down a lot. I'm not sure if it's still there or not exactly. The articulation of notes and voices is absurdly good. Total viel lift for that when it comes to my previous setup. Dynamics are increased. The sound is far more "open" then I'm used to. Lots of decay, delicateness. So lots of positives.

The question for me still is:
"What does my system lack to get me to where I want to go?" Is it low end heft and tactile 3D sound? Have I not quite let everything settle yet (in my system and in my ears? Probably a bit) I think so to everything, maybe. Is it these cables "fault" that I don't have that stuff? I don't know. So don't let me scare you. Let your impressions come naturally and I bet they help guide me. If anything, I'm rooting for your system to sound incredible, not have any issues with low end / 3D etc (like others have experienced), and put me back to the drawing board when it comes to getting that last adjustment I need.

 

[rsbrsvp]

You aren't interpreting my impressions incorrectly, but I think it's more complicated with that and... please do take my impressions with a grain of salt. I'm *newish*. If anything I'm excited for your impressions so they can help give me clarity in what I'm hearing. But let me try to explain.

When I first added the PSM 156 and the first Ultimate Mains cable I was overtaken with what felt like an absolutely balanced across-the-board clarity lift. It was pretty nuts. The top end was clear, but so was the bottom end. It just felt like I could hear everything more clearly and it felt "right" to me. And I would say I have a brightish leaning system these days and I'm trying to combat that. So it didn't feel like it went the wrong way at all. It was really striking and it prompted me to buy more.

I've added more and since then there has been a lot of time where things sounded off during the break-in period. Mostly flat and sharp. Clear on the top end but fatiguing. But things have been improving a lot. Where I'm at now is that the fatiguing top end has dyed down a lot. I'm not sure if it's still there or not exactly. The articulation of notes and voices is absurdly good. Total viel lift for that when it comes to my previous setup. Dynamics are increased. The sound is far more "open" then I'm used to. Lots of decay, delicateness. So lots of positives.

The question for me still is:
"What does my system lack to get me to where I want to go?" Is it low end heft and tactile 3D sound? Have I not quite let everything settle yet (in my system and in my ears? Probably a bit) I think so to everything, maybe. Is it these cables "fault" that I don't have that stuff? I don't know. So don't let me scare you. Let your impressions come naturally and I bet they help guide me. If anything, I'm rooting for your system to sound incredible, not have any issues with low end / 3D etc (like others have experienced), and put me back to the drawing board when it comes to getting that last adjustment I need.

Thanks. I could not agree more. NEVER let others determine if you like the sound of equipment or not. We all decide for ourselves with our ears.. Headfi is just a place to get opinions and direction and ideas.

 

[rsbrsvp]

By the way- sometimes daily listenig and evaluating creates confusion. If I may respectfully advise, take a good week off from ALL listening and then come back and retry. It is a good reset.....

 

[iCoy]

By the way- sometimes daily listenig and evaluating creates confusion. If I may respectfully advise, take a good week off from ALL listening and then come back and retry. It is a good reset.....

I appreciate this advice. I think I may be at that point right now. I almost feel like I'm trying too hard to hear, and not just letting it wash over me and enjoying it.

Thanks. I could not agree more. NEVER let others determine if you like the sound of equipment or not. We all decide for ourselves with our ears.. Headfi is just a place to get opinions and direction and ideas.

Agree with this too. I find people's impressions on here to be extremely helpful. It's such a wonderful thing to get a sanity check against others and pretty much everyone here is worth listening to that I've read (even if I don't align 100% on what they say). But you are right, our ears are first and last say. Hard to stick to, but necessary.

 

[stevegpt]

Today I pulled the trigger on the PSM 156. Looking for sonic improvement as I have no noticeable hum or audible noise. I'm going to start with the Classic + PC that comes with the unit. Right now everything is plugged into a simple power strip using standard (cheap) power cables. My interconnects are Tributaries. Speaker cables are Clear Day Shotgun (made of 24 GA solid core .999 soft annealed silver wire). My path is as follows (Inspires are by Dennis Had) -

Amazon HD Music > Audiolab 6000N (streamer) > NewOntech DAC07 (dac) > Inspire LP-396a (pre) > Inspire 300B (amp) > Omega Super 7 High Output Monitor (speaker ~98db sensitivity) > Martin Logan Depth (sub)

Also - Focal Arche and Focal Clears for my "head" listening.

I purchased the 156 from Mikey at 11Stereo.com. I previously purchased my DAC from him based primarily on his description - it lives up to his recommendation.

Thanks for all the thoughtful conversation in this thread - Steve

 

[F208Frank]

Today I pulled the trigger on the PSM 156. Looking for sonic improvement as I have no noticeable hum or audible noise. I'm going to start with the Classic + PC that comes with the unit. Right now everything is plugged into a simple power strip using standard (cheap) power cables. My interconnects are Tributaries. Speaker cables are Clear Day Shotgun (made of 24 GA solid core .999 soft annealed silver wire). My path is as follows (Inspires are by Dennis Had) -

Amazon HD Music > Audiolab 6000N (streamer) > NewOntech DAC07 (dac) > Inspire LP-396a (pre) > Inspire 300B (amp) > Omega Super 7 High Output Monitor (speaker ~98db sensitivity) > Martin Logan Depth (sub)

Also - Focal Arche and Focal Clears for my "head" listening.

I purchased the 156 from Mikey at 11Stereo.com. I previously purchased my DAC from him based primarily on his description - it lives up to his recommendation.

Thanks for all the thoughtful conversation in this thread - Steve

Which dac did you get off Mike? Just curious.

 

[stevegpt]

Which dac did you get off Mike? Just curious.

I purchased the NewOntech DAC07. About the only DAC he had in my price range. Since this video, the price went from $2,000 to $2,500. Just noticed your DAC - I can only hope to get an MPD-8 one day!

 

[F208Frank]

I purchased the NewOntech DAC07. About the only DAC he had in my price range. Since this video, the price went from $2,000 to $2,500. Just noticed your DAC - I can only hope to get an MPD-8 one day!

Congrats on the purchase. Happy listening!

 

[kumar402]

I purchased the NewOntech DAC07. About the only DAC he had in my price range. Since this video, the price went from $2,000 to $2,500. Just noticed your DAC - I can only hope to get an MPD-8 one day!

hey have heard lot of good things about this DAC...could you tell us about your experience with this DAC. Size is small enough to fit on desk

 

[Solasuke]

Just thought I'd share, I think I've become addicted to buying ultimate cables, they're absolutely phenominal (at least upgrading from basic kettle leads). I've enjoyed them most on my Holo May and especially my Holo Red. The black backround is incredible and everything is far more holographic, approaching tube levels almost. Putting them (brand new cables) on my Bliss and Euforia I found overly bright in the treble and too fatiguing but you could certainly hear a lot more clarity. I'm hoping that the stories of burn in are true and that they will be great for my amps in the longrun.

I'm currently on a standard classic going from the wall to my PSM156, and I have an ultimate inbound for that arriving soon; I'm very curious to see whether the improvement will be even greater for across everything after that. That'll make three in total, with "opportunity" for two more.

 

[stevegpt]

hey have heard lot of good things about this DAC...could you tell us about your experience with this DAC. Size is small enough to fit on desk

I find the NewOntech DAC07 to be a great match for my system. I don’t speak the audiophile “lingo” but it sounds fantastic. This DAC has also been reviewed by a well know user on this forum. Granted, the review is based on headphone use - I decided to give it a try. One comment the reviewer specifically made was - “If someone were to offer me an even exchange for May or Lina or Dave, I would not make that trade personally.” So, for $2,500 I figured it was worth a try and for me it’s a keeper.

Here's a picture of the size - it's sitting on my streamer.

 

[iCoy]

Really excited to hear other people's impressions of these cables and PSMs as they burn in (but no rush, don't be me XD).

I took a couple of days off, as per @rsbrsvp 's suggestion (thank you, I will admit I don't know if I have the discipline for a whole week, but a couple of days has done wonders).

I decided I needed to tackle the elephant in the room for me which is that I changed my Computer PSU the same time I changed the cables and never liked my system as much after that. No matter how much burn in happened. I decided, yolo, I'll change my computer PSU back (OG: Seasonic Focus Gold 850, New: Be Quiet Dark Power 13 1000W) and recable everything. The difference was not subtle. The seasonic is Dark, with a recessed treble and less dynamics. However, it also has a lot of "color" like the darkness is nice. I think it may be something I prefer. Perhaps it's something I've gotten used to over the many years I've had it, or perhaps it's actually better tonally but watching youtube videos and my favorite creators just sounded more... like I thought they should. And with the recessed treble I felt like I could feel more body and soul. Like my ears weren't afraid to look around the sound stage as much because things were smooth. The Be Quiet, in contrast, was very much focused on the higher register. There was more detail, articulation and air, but I felt like everything just sounded "hot" as in "hot mic" louder, sharper. And from a color perspective, it was "brighter" and I didn't like it.

So this has led me to reevaluate things. Slow down, and assess again. Challenge some assumptions.

I will say, the Be Quiet, plus all the ultimate cables. Is the clearest I've ever heard anything in my life. The articulation feels like you can hear every syllable of every word anyone says. It's astonishing. It's like they don't have a microphone. Maybe that would be considered natural? It was almost unnerving to me.

Because, there is this sound, though, that I've become intimately familiar with that's just like the sound of someone's mic that YouTubers and streamers have that you get used to. It's like a honk that sits in front of every word. I can tell immediately which mic they are using (is it a Sure SM7b standard? Or are they using a more Radio Style Rode Procaster? A condenser getting a lot more of their room?). And I felt like with that removed I wasn't sure what to think.

Good luck everyone. I'll keep plugging over here. Take care of yourselves and wish me luck.