jcarlberg1
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2006
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Revelation Audio Lab Cryo Silver Headphone Cable for Sennheiser. I have to get the word out.
I’m no expert when it comes to evaluating various audio products, but I’ve been an audiophile for at least 20 years and have gone through a lot of equipment, cables, tubes, etc. This year, I have been on the upgrade path again, having replaced interconnects, power cables, headphones (HD650), headphone amp, tubes, and power filter. Walker Audio Extreme SST contact enhancer and Auric Illuminator cd treatment have also been added to my upgrade process. All of these upgrades made an impressive difference to me, making the music more involving and enjoyable. I even use a 9” square powered subwoofer in my lap, turned up so very slightly, to compliment the headphones. Sure does make it all more real!
At certain points along the upgrade path, I had ask myself if I was some sort of addict, buying first this and then that to satisfy my cravings for some imaginable sound that I wondered if even existed. After buying all the above, I still felt unsatisfied. That sense of space, preciseness, detail, and overall pleasantness just wasn’t quite there. One thing I hadn’t replaced this year was my headphone cable. I had been using the copper Cardas for about 4 years and consider it to be a good cable, at least for copper. Experience with silver speaker cables and interconnects convinced me though that silver is clearly a superior sound conductor. And I’m also familiar with the sonic benefits of cryogenic treatment. I had read the reviews and stats on available headphone cables but none of them impressed me enough to take the plunge and buy one. The Stephan Audio Art cable gets good reviews but since it is copper, I knew it had limits that I didn’t want to pay for. Plus, it’s not cryo treated, you must wait 3 to 4 months to get one, and I’m not the most patient audiophile.
I look at Audiogon most every day (the headphone section) to see what’s being offered. Then one day about 6 weeks ago I saw the ad for the Revelation headphone cable. What immediately impressed me was that it is cryogenically treated (deeply frozen for a time) and that it is silver. I had visited the Revelation Audio Lab website before and drooled over the wonderful silver interconnects and power cables they make, all cryo treated. I immediately ordered the cable and had it in hand in about 2 weeks. Brad hooks the cables to the Cable Cooker to get them on the road to burn-in but I hooked mine up in a spare bedroom for 50 hours before critical listening. When I finally sat down and put on the first cd, I felt as though I was treading on ground that I shouldn’t be on. The sound was so jaw-dropping good that I felt guilty for hearing it. Well, I got over that quickly. I have read that silver needs 100 hours or more break-in time and I think Brad at Revelation suggests even more. With that said, the sound at 50 hours was astounding. Of course, I must give some of the credit to my equipment, but the Revelation is a cable that gets out of the way, rather than adding or subtracting anything. It lets the vibrancy and the feeling of the music come through more. In my system, it excels in spaciousness, detail, a sense of drama, bass, imaging, and every aspect of the audio experience. It seems to me that a good system will help deliver the sound intended by the musicians and recording engineers. That’s what the Revelation Audio Lab cable does for me and I no longer feel that something is missing. If you’re thinking about buying it, I suggest you take the plunge. Afterall, it comes with a 30 day return privilege. How can you beat that!
Jay Carlberg, Audiophile in Modesto, CA USA 9/6/06
I’m no expert when it comes to evaluating various audio products, but I’ve been an audiophile for at least 20 years and have gone through a lot of equipment, cables, tubes, etc. This year, I have been on the upgrade path again, having replaced interconnects, power cables, headphones (HD650), headphone amp, tubes, and power filter. Walker Audio Extreme SST contact enhancer and Auric Illuminator cd treatment have also been added to my upgrade process. All of these upgrades made an impressive difference to me, making the music more involving and enjoyable. I even use a 9” square powered subwoofer in my lap, turned up so very slightly, to compliment the headphones. Sure does make it all more real!
At certain points along the upgrade path, I had ask myself if I was some sort of addict, buying first this and then that to satisfy my cravings for some imaginable sound that I wondered if even existed. After buying all the above, I still felt unsatisfied. That sense of space, preciseness, detail, and overall pleasantness just wasn’t quite there. One thing I hadn’t replaced this year was my headphone cable. I had been using the copper Cardas for about 4 years and consider it to be a good cable, at least for copper. Experience with silver speaker cables and interconnects convinced me though that silver is clearly a superior sound conductor. And I’m also familiar with the sonic benefits of cryogenic treatment. I had read the reviews and stats on available headphone cables but none of them impressed me enough to take the plunge and buy one. The Stephan Audio Art cable gets good reviews but since it is copper, I knew it had limits that I didn’t want to pay for. Plus, it’s not cryo treated, you must wait 3 to 4 months to get one, and I’m not the most patient audiophile.
I look at Audiogon most every day (the headphone section) to see what’s being offered. Then one day about 6 weeks ago I saw the ad for the Revelation headphone cable. What immediately impressed me was that it is cryogenically treated (deeply frozen for a time) and that it is silver. I had visited the Revelation Audio Lab website before and drooled over the wonderful silver interconnects and power cables they make, all cryo treated. I immediately ordered the cable and had it in hand in about 2 weeks. Brad hooks the cables to the Cable Cooker to get them on the road to burn-in but I hooked mine up in a spare bedroom for 50 hours before critical listening. When I finally sat down and put on the first cd, I felt as though I was treading on ground that I shouldn’t be on. The sound was so jaw-dropping good that I felt guilty for hearing it. Well, I got over that quickly. I have read that silver needs 100 hours or more break-in time and I think Brad at Revelation suggests even more. With that said, the sound at 50 hours was astounding. Of course, I must give some of the credit to my equipment, but the Revelation is a cable that gets out of the way, rather than adding or subtracting anything. It lets the vibrancy and the feeling of the music come through more. In my system, it excels in spaciousness, detail, a sense of drama, bass, imaging, and every aspect of the audio experience. It seems to me that a good system will help deliver the sound intended by the musicians and recording engineers. That’s what the Revelation Audio Lab cable does for me and I no longer feel that something is missing. If you’re thinking about buying it, I suggest you take the plunge. Afterall, it comes with a 30 day return privilege. How can you beat that!
Jay Carlberg, Audiophile in Modesto, CA USA 9/6/06
