[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid edit: are you sure oritek offers a trial period? i dont see it listed anywhere on the website

Yeah that web site isn't very good is it.

His head is more full of music and math, than marketing and money I guess? Gotta keep those customers away!

I'm positive about the return policy. When the speaker cables arrived, I was sending them back as the spades didn't fit and frankly their appearance didn't impress. I asked if I could solder off the spades and still be able to return them if I didn't like them and get my money back. I was told "yes".
So now I have the drop dead gorgeous blue, gold, silver python thick PS Audio Statement cables sonically surpassed by the half the price, scrawny, plain as could be looking Oritek S-1. They really were going back (I was quite annoyed!), but now after listening, I have no choice but to keep them.

Ask the guy, he'll even let you audition a pair for free. That's another unstated policy.

EDIT: You know what euclid, I think I have a sense of when the very gentlemanly and uber civilized markl may begin to silently emit steam and further enquiries should be in my Oritek X-1 review thread.

 

[euclid]

enough said

 

[Jeff Wong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid my pulsars are going back to vh-audio tomorrow, i listened to them again tonight after not hearing them for a couple weeks and im now 100% sure im not keeping them around, the ur4 and u4 are better for my system.

Not to confuse matters, but it seems to me if you haven't listened to your Pulsars in several weeks, you may not have had a signal going through them during that time - the implication being that you might need to burn them in again to compare your cables fairly. The benefits of break in have to do with the dielectric insulation and it charging... leaving cables dormant for lengthy periods of time means starting from scratch.

 

[euclid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Wong Not to confuse matters, but it seems to me if you haven't listened to your Pulsars in several weeks, you may not have had a signal going through them during that time - the implication being that you might need to burn them in again to compare your cables fairly. The benefits of break in have to do with the dielectric insulation and it charging... leaving cables dormant for lengthy periods of time means starting from scratch.

before, i let both the ur4 and pulsars (simlutaniously) continuously burn-in for over 100 hours, when i put them back into my main system the difference in characteristics between the two were still the same.

they still sound the same now, alone and relative to each other, theyve both been dormant this last week. what can i say, ive given the pulsars alot of listening in total(at different times) and they just havnt impressed me in comparison to either grover, the first ur4 is still my preference.

edit: even the dormant ur4 vs. a u4 active for over a week in my main system.

 

[Hirsch]

3 pairs of UR 5 are now in-house. I've got to figure out exactly where I want them, and do some listening. Impressions forthcoming.

 

[DarkAngel]

Like to hear comments from Hirsch since we own a few common cables, I have given the UR5 a listen and posted a couple comments at Hoffman:

Quote:

I have also heard a few versions of the UR4 as they were being developed like Seagoat above. The UR4 was a large step up for me from the older UR1, UR2, UR3 designs. I would not call the UR4 analytical or ruthlessly revealing of average CDs flaws, quite the contrary for me I play all kinds of alt rock Cds with Grovers and they never sounded better or more detailed, layer of noise has been lifted revealing better sound for the masses. The recent steps in UR4 continued to further refine and naturally enhance and expand the sound, giving a full bodied highly dynamic presentation, but capable of subtle fine detail retrieval far beyond its price. I just find them very natural and organic sounding, allows music to flow beautifully. The UR5 continues this line of refinement, the improvements are ones of subtle nuances and even more realistic holographic sound stage for me. It has all the detail and dynamic attack as before, but somehow music flows even smoother with more coherent image, again achieving the difficult paradox in audio of sounding smoother more relaxed yet more detailed, really a universal cable at home with audiophile CDs or basic rock. This is the type of sound I really like, makes listening to any music fun....... I will post more at Head-Fi as I get more used to UR5, I ran them on FryKleaner conditioner for 3 days before listening a bit today

So the UR5 is a continued refinement of direction various UR4 cables explored, everything just slightly better with natural very refined detailed rich sound.......I predict ET will not be impressed with UR5 but everyone has different tastes and each system has own colorations.

Thinking back to the older Grover SR series, they had a more lively sound with more treble energy giving a leaner more exciting overall sound. The UR5 sounds much different now with more balanced natural tonal spectrum, the music is fuller with more weight and dynamic range, a more relaxed listening experience that can play any kind of music beautifully with great insight to the artist. The Grover line has very sucessfully advanced over last few years to an incredible level of refined musical performance at amazingly low price.

 

[jeffreyj900]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel No arrows but you will notice that shrink tube label is closer to one end with the lettering also pointing to that end........I would just use that as signal output end whenever you move ICs, also you could put your own removeable tag/label to clearly establish direction when cables are moved. The FryKleaner has proven to be extremely effective tweak device and very cost effective, it has become essential item in my cable collection.

I am sure this is going to sound silly, BUT.... I have the UR-2's with the arrows. I had no idea it made a difference. I searched through this thread, but couldn't find out which way they go. Should the arrow be pointed toward the source or amp? Does it even make a difference?

Confused in Atlanta

 

[jeffreyj900]

Never mind!!! Grover sent me a PM

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel .......I predict ET will not be impressed with UR5 but everyone has different tastes and each system has own colorations.

I'm not writing off anything before it's heard. Who knows what marvel could arrive!

As for colourations, I'm not suffering any on the gear end. You want to really hear Dark Side of the Moon as Doug Sax heard it for the remastering to SACD?
Then listen through the same drivers and amplification that he used (or Ludwig, etc).

We're suffering more colouration through our personalities, the colourations of psychology; anticipation, expectation, predjudice, loyalty, investment of time and money, association, identification and pride, etc.

I find I get a clearer look by being impudent and disloyal

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth You want to really hear Dark Side of the Moon as Doug Sax heard it for the remastering to SACD? Then listen through the same drivers and amplification that he used (or Ludwig, etc).

Something wasn't sitting right for me on this and being disloyal to my own memory I double checked. I'm incorrect, engineer James Guthrie used ATC for the 5.1 remix. http://www.atc.gb.net/news/2003/pages/pink_floyd.html

But Sax and Floyd are mixed up in the gear also.
http://www.atc.gb.net/news/2005/dougsax.html

I don't use the stuff for these reasons, I just find it highly musical with tremendous bang for the buck.

 

[greenhorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif [size=medium]Why Aren't These Cables $1000?[/size] [...] what’s inside a Grover cable? I suspect only Grover knows for sure, and at the moment he ain’t talking. No web site, no brochures, no marketing bullet points, no graphics showing cross-sections of his cables, no outrageous claims. Just one model, no big product line with multiple upgrade points to cause anxiety and sleepless nights ("would I be happier *if only* I had ordered the next model up?"). You get the feeling that as far as Grover is concerned, the Ultimate Reference is IT, there is no upgrade path, just one cable that represents his best effort, period, and there’s something both elegant and comforting about that.

Times have changed...

 

[sbulack]

I don't think Grover has changed his way of offering his product since he started. He offers one product - his latest representing his best effort. He does not offer multiple products at different price points and SQ tradeoffs. It would seem from later posts by Markl in this thread that he was well aware that Grover continuously improves his one offering, and offers current customers the option of getting current with his latest at a reduced price. If I am mistaken and Markl is surprised (or disappointed) by the subsequent UR improvements (as though he thought that Grover would stop improving his cables at the original UR), then I would gladly be corrected. I took Markl's statement that there is no "upgrade path" as meaning that you don't have to upgrade between a lower end Grover product to a higher end offering - not that there is no product improvement over time. But again, if I am misunderstanding Markl's statement, I would gladly receive correction on that.

It does not appear to me that times (or Grover's product offering strategy) have changed at all. His product just keeps getting better and better and ... Having been the repeated recipient of Grover's generosity (in his product value/pricing, service, and continuous work to offer an ever-better product - at reduced prices for existing customers), I, for one, am glad that Grover's business model (and his quest for quality/value) has NOT changed.

 

[jpr703]

Personalities are different, tastes are different, systems are different. No matter how you slice it, Grover makes one heck of a cable for the money.

 

[eyeteeth]

What a bump! I feel a little embarrased seeing my own comments. Oh well, times change, priorities change and for the record I now think Oritek, Grover and the rest of them are plain nonsense. I eventually climbed as high as Nordost Frey in my audiophile placebo self deception but have since sold it and use cheap stuff (Blue Jeans, Mogami, Belkin) at no sonic loss.
IMHO Folks are being ripped off with way overpriced cables.

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth /img/forum/go_quote.gif What a bump! I feel a little embarrased seeing my own comments. Oh well, times change, priorities change and for the record I now think Oritek, Grover and the rest of them are plain nonsense. I eventually climbed as high as Nordost Frey in my audiophile placebo self deception but have since sold it and use cheap stuff (Blue Jeans, Mogami, Belkin) at no sonic loss. IMHO Folks are being ripped off with way overpriced cables.

Nice move, theres better places to spend money improving sound