pataburd
Headphoneus Supremus
This all began on a headphones thread discussing the Cardas detachable cable upgrade for the Ultrasone Proline 750/2500 (HFI 2200, too).
Well, to make long story short, I ended up commissioning Brad Vojtech, of Revelation Audio Labs (RAL)--just a super guy to deal with--to build a detachable cable for my Ultrasone Proline 750 and 2500. My experience with Brad's superlative HD650 cable upgrade gave me impetus and confidence to approach him about the Proline cable. I purchased the Proline iPod cable from Ultrasone USA, had them send the cable directly to RAL, then Brad salvaged the frustratingly elusive screw-in mini jack from that cable to terminate one end of his 2 meter Cryo-Silver Reference. For multple Proline owners, like myself, an upgraded, detachable cable offers obvious economic advantages.
The cable arrived on Monday, July 2, 2007, via USPS Priority Mail. I tried it out immediately, screwing it into the Ultrasone Proline 750 on one end and plugging it into the Bada PH-12 on the other. My office source is the Reference Audio Mods (RAM) fully modded Samsung HD-841, with MAC Palladium interconnect. The Bada was tubed with 1x Ken-Rad JAN-CKR VT-231 and 2x Raytheon VT-231. MAC Source and HC power cords complete the connections, with DakiOm Feedback Stabilizers dangling from the back of my HD-841 (R203) and from the front (F203) of the Bada. Two stages of PowerVar conditioning on the HD-841, and one stage on the Bada. Marigo Signature CD Mat, Auric Illuminator disc treatment, Infinity Audio shorting plugs, etc., etc.
(a)
These comments are preliminary, with the RAL cable at the very beginning of its recommended 250 hour break-in period. But right out of the starting blocks, the RAL cable completely bowled me over. WOW!!! Compared to the stock Proline cable--well, there's almost no comparison. The first thing that struck me was how much bigger, no, how much HUGER, everything became along all three dimensions. The brass arrangements on Ray Conniff's "Memories are Made of This" are fat, glowing and splashy: so rich, full, with just the right mixture of spit, bite and mellowness . . . and totally captivating. Instruments and vocals fill up more interior volume (far beyond the brim of the stock cable), and a very natural, airy and almost sublime character pervades the headspace. An organic, utterly believable wholeness jam-packs the soundstage. Sonic portions bloom, blend and integrate without sacrificing a bit of the element-specific distinctness that I have come to really appreciate from the Prolines. Complex passages are sorted out with deftness and aplomb.
Highs are much more smooth, extended, transparent and detailed. Midrange finds new depth and even more clarity and immediacy (it was the "emotionally hardwired" midrange of the Prolines--especially with vocals--that made me an avid Ultrasone proponent in the first place). Bass is deep, weighty, rock solid, controlled--not prone to bloati- or one-notiness, like it can be using the stock cable.
The sense of sonic balance and just-rightness is even more developed while outfitting the 2500--yes, I bought another pair after having sold the first!--with the RAL. The listener can hear exhaustively "through" each sound and not be at a sense of loss anywhere across the frequency spectrum.
There will be, by God's grace, more to follow. I just wanted to get this thread started and encourage anyone wanting to plumb the depths of sonic/musical potential of their Prolines to give the RAL a whirl. The Revelation Audio Labs Cryo-Silver Reference is unbelievable right out of the package, with the promise of only getting better with time. So, if you want to be amazed at what your Proline 750 or 2500 can really do, you must try this cable. : )
(b) Postscript 1, July 5, 2007:
Home system: Panasonic S47/stock, Darkvoice 336i w/1x Sylvania 6AS7G & 1x RCA 6SN7GT, MAC Silver Braided IC and SPC/HC power cords. With only about 30+ hours logged. Vocals on Earl Thomas Conley's (ETC) Greatest Hits Vol.2 (e.g. "Love Don't Care") show immense depth, vibrancy, texture and shading. The sound space seems alive, a breathing, ungulating fabric of music. Bass is deep, tight and percussive, with the most slam I've ever heard from either of the Prolines--real "bottom line" stuff! The RAL cable was so listenable that I put the S47 on "Repeat All" and listened to the ETC disc three times in a row, non-stop last night. : )
I must mention, too, that the strain relief section on Brad's Proline recable was a bit too long and obtrusive against the left shoulder. He has graciously offered to retrofit his cable and shorten this section, and with a quick turnaround promised, too. : )
(c) Postscript 2, July 5, 2007:
Just Priority Mailed the RAL cable back to Brad for retrofitting/shortening the strain relief segment on the screw-in end. I miss that cable already!
Well, to make long story short, I ended up commissioning Brad Vojtech, of Revelation Audio Labs (RAL)--just a super guy to deal with--to build a detachable cable for my Ultrasone Proline 750 and 2500. My experience with Brad's superlative HD650 cable upgrade gave me impetus and confidence to approach him about the Proline cable. I purchased the Proline iPod cable from Ultrasone USA, had them send the cable directly to RAL, then Brad salvaged the frustratingly elusive screw-in mini jack from that cable to terminate one end of his 2 meter Cryo-Silver Reference. For multple Proline owners, like myself, an upgraded, detachable cable offers obvious economic advantages.
The cable arrived on Monday, July 2, 2007, via USPS Priority Mail. I tried it out immediately, screwing it into the Ultrasone Proline 750 on one end and plugging it into the Bada PH-12 on the other. My office source is the Reference Audio Mods (RAM) fully modded Samsung HD-841, with MAC Palladium interconnect. The Bada was tubed with 1x Ken-Rad JAN-CKR VT-231 and 2x Raytheon VT-231. MAC Source and HC power cords complete the connections, with DakiOm Feedback Stabilizers dangling from the back of my HD-841 (R203) and from the front (F203) of the Bada. Two stages of PowerVar conditioning on the HD-841, and one stage on the Bada. Marigo Signature CD Mat, Auric Illuminator disc treatment, Infinity Audio shorting plugs, etc., etc.
(a)
These comments are preliminary, with the RAL cable at the very beginning of its recommended 250 hour break-in period. But right out of the starting blocks, the RAL cable completely bowled me over. WOW!!! Compared to the stock Proline cable--well, there's almost no comparison. The first thing that struck me was how much bigger, no, how much HUGER, everything became along all three dimensions. The brass arrangements on Ray Conniff's "Memories are Made of This" are fat, glowing and splashy: so rich, full, with just the right mixture of spit, bite and mellowness . . . and totally captivating. Instruments and vocals fill up more interior volume (far beyond the brim of the stock cable), and a very natural, airy and almost sublime character pervades the headspace. An organic, utterly believable wholeness jam-packs the soundstage. Sonic portions bloom, blend and integrate without sacrificing a bit of the element-specific distinctness that I have come to really appreciate from the Prolines. Complex passages are sorted out with deftness and aplomb.
Highs are much more smooth, extended, transparent and detailed. Midrange finds new depth and even more clarity and immediacy (it was the "emotionally hardwired" midrange of the Prolines--especially with vocals--that made me an avid Ultrasone proponent in the first place). Bass is deep, weighty, rock solid, controlled--not prone to bloati- or one-notiness, like it can be using the stock cable.
The sense of sonic balance and just-rightness is even more developed while outfitting the 2500--yes, I bought another pair after having sold the first!--with the RAL. The listener can hear exhaustively "through" each sound and not be at a sense of loss anywhere across the frequency spectrum.
There will be, by God's grace, more to follow. I just wanted to get this thread started and encourage anyone wanting to plumb the depths of sonic/musical potential of their Prolines to give the RAL a whirl. The Revelation Audio Labs Cryo-Silver Reference is unbelievable right out of the package, with the promise of only getting better with time. So, if you want to be amazed at what your Proline 750 or 2500 can really do, you must try this cable. : )
(b) Postscript 1, July 5, 2007:
Home system: Panasonic S47/stock, Darkvoice 336i w/1x Sylvania 6AS7G & 1x RCA 6SN7GT, MAC Silver Braided IC and SPC/HC power cords. With only about 30+ hours logged. Vocals on Earl Thomas Conley's (ETC) Greatest Hits Vol.2 (e.g. "Love Don't Care") show immense depth, vibrancy, texture and shading. The sound space seems alive, a breathing, ungulating fabric of music. Bass is deep, tight and percussive, with the most slam I've ever heard from either of the Prolines--real "bottom line" stuff! The RAL cable was so listenable that I put the S47 on "Repeat All" and listened to the ETC disc three times in a row, non-stop last night. : )
I must mention, too, that the strain relief section on Brad's Proline recable was a bit too long and obtrusive against the left shoulder. He has graciously offered to retrofit his cable and shorten this section, and with a quick turnaround promised, too. : )
(c) Postscript 2, July 5, 2007:
Just Priority Mailed the RAL cable back to Brad for retrofitting/shortening the strain relief segment on the screw-in end. I miss that cable already!
