Hirsch
Why is there a chaplain standing over his wallet?
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
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This particular write-up is long overdue, but being slow also gives me a chance to write about long-term effects. This review isn’t based on a week, or even a month, but rather about six months of using this cable as my primary cable in my main system. I’m including some things I’ve said before, for the sake of completeness.
The two main interconnects I had been trying previous to the Master Series were the Virtual Dynamics Nite series, and the Cardas Golden reference series. The system is a simple one: Creek CD53 connected by one pair of interconnects to the Singlepower Supra, driving a Sony MDR-R10 headphone. I use a Monster HTS-2000 power conditioner (I’ve got power issues here, so direct into the wall is not an option). With the R10, both the Cardas and the Nites exhibited significant virtues, but also significant flaws. The Nites were the most dynamic cables I’ve heard. They allow the R10 a full range of dynamic response, which is critical for that headphone. However, the image was slightly soft. The R10 is capable of finer focus than the Nites allowed. The Cardas allowed the R10 to maximize its ability to reproduce fine detail. However, the Cardas also seemed to restrict the dynamic range of the system. Those were my choices: dynamics or focus. IMO focus is much less important than the proper dynamics in the music, so the Nites were my choice, but I also knew that I was making a trade-off. While both cables were better than any others I had at the time, I heard something in each that the other could not provide. How to get it all?
Prior to the Master Series cables, I had tried a balanced version of the Virtual Dynamics Nites, for use with the EAR HP4 amp. This was not an improvement, IMO, and I had returned it for a single-ended cable. However, Rick had a prototype of a new cable that he wanted me to try. I put it in my system, and, after burn-in, started to hear a fusion of the dynamics I had heard from the Nite Series, and the focus I had heard out of the Golden Reference. I was hooked, and when Rick offered me a trial of the final version of the Master Series, I jumped at the chance.
Physically, the Virtual Dynamics Master Series interconnects and power cords look similar to the Nites. However, instead of a silvery jacket, the jacket is a dark, almost black, color. The other visible difference is the connector. The Master Series interconnect uses a Cardas silver RCA connector. The power cords use Hubbell and Marinco connectors. Cables are cryo-treated both before and after assembly. The cables are based around 9.5 gauge solid core copper wire. The hot and return of the interconnects are in a single jacket, but the power cord has the three conductors: hot, neutral and ground, each in its own separate jacket. These are stiff and heavy cables. You don’t want to use them with a pcdp (although I’ve got to admit I’ve tried it. Once. They look…err…interesting…with an RCA to mini adapter attached.) The good news is that once bent they hold their shape. So, to install, you need to look at the area where you want the cable to run, bend to the appropriate shape, and simply slip into place. If they’re not bent properly, they can exert enough force to lift light components, such as CD players. Once you learn how to bend them properly, it all becomes easy. And the next time some clown twists a balloon into weird shapes for you, think of what you can do with three conductors of stiff copper and smile
One thing that I did notice with the Master Series Power Cord, and that has been present in all Virtual Dynamics power cords I’ve used, is a slightly loose fit of the IEC connector. In some ways, this is good. This is stiff cable. If there’s torque, I’d rather have the connector come out than drag a CD player with it. Still, I definitely prefer a secure connection that’s going to stay in place. I don’t get that feel with the Virtual Dynamics Power Cords.
The technology of the cables in the Virtual Dynamics line is based on the premise that mechanical vibration is a major cause of the distortion many cables cause in the sonics of a system. I will not pretend that I understand it. Rick Schultz, of Virtual Dynamics, doesn’t claim to understand it completely either. He’s a very devout man, who attributes the sound he is able to get from a cable to his faith. I think that he may be understating his own contributions.
“Dynamic Filtering” is the term used to describe the reduction of vibration in the cable. In the case of the Master Series cable, there is a material between the jacket and the conductor that acts to reduce any vibration. I’m told that the material used is a powered metal that acts as though it were a liquid. However, I’m not about to cut these cables open to find out.
Another technology used is termed “Speed of Light”. If you recall my review of the Nite Series, I noted that there were some rather powerful magnets in the cable terminations. This isn’t an accident. A signal flowing through the cable creates an electromagnetic field, or flux. Rather than allow the signal to create its own fields, the magnets are designed to create flux fields to guide the current flow.
Other technologies used are better known. ProtecX is a chemical treatment done to reduce oxidation at the connector. Cryogenic treatment alters the structure of the cable. This has been discussed previously, but the short version is that the actual molecular structure of the metals are altered, and those changes remain after the cable has been brought back to room temperature. The cables are also burnt it using a cable cooker prior to treatment. This is a good thing, as burn-in take a bit even after cooking the cable.
Do I really know why these technologies work? No. Do they work? Yes.
In talking about the sonics, I’ll repeat something I said in my initial impressions. The Master Series represents a huge increase in performance over the Nites. The difference is much more pronounced for the interconnects rather than the power cords. Taken together, switching from the Nites to the Master Series was the equivalent of a major amplifier upgrade. It’s that dramatic. My main system, which is wired with Master Series power cords and interconnects is where I go when I want to hear all of the music. In moving out to my other setups, I just don’t have the resolution that the Master Series gives me.
Right out of the box, the interconnects were bright. This lasted about 8-12 hours, and the brightness receded. I’m convinced that it only happened that quickly due to the cable cooking, as I’m more used to cables taking up to 200 hours before reaching their sound. The Masters got there much faster.
However, there was a glitch in the early going. I noticed that after I turned my system on, I heard an increasing brightness. This was different from the sound of the cables out of the box, as it took time to develop. While it was fine at the start, after about four hours the sound had increased in brightness, to the point that the frequency response was obviously being distorted. When I first heard this, I called Rick, to let him know that the cable was nice, but probably not for me. However, he had an answer for me: the brightness wasn’t the cable at all, but rather my source, the Creek CD53. The likely culprit goes back to vibration. What I was hearing was apparently a static buildup caused by vibration of the transformers in the Creek. The cure was to take off the Sorbothane feet I had been using, and switch to brass cones instead. Huh? It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I had a set of Mapleshade Surefeet at hand, and did the experiment. While the player was mounted on cones, I never heard the brightness again. I’m still not sure about why this happened. However, I am sure that it did happen. When somebody provides an explanation, then proposes a solution based on that explanation, and that solution works, his credibility goes way up with me. I’m starting to think that Rick is right, and that one of the flaws in a lot of equipment is simply failure to account for effects of mechanical vibration.
So what do these cables sound like? After six months, I’m still not sure. That is about the highest complement I can pay to a cable. They may transmit colorations produced by other parts of my system, but seem to add none of their own. Rather, they allow the rest of my system to do what it’s supposed to do, without producing a subtractive effect on sound quality. That’s not always good. In listening to the Master Series, I’ve become aware of a euphonic effect of some of the other cables I had used. They simply weren’t passing all of the information. So, system limitations that affected the sound were not as noticeable. The increased resolution of the Master Series won’t let a system get away with that. If you’ve got a weak link anywhere, you’re going to hear it. Where there is a weak link, you may think it’s the cable until you identify the real culprit. These cables will not cover up a flawed system.
In switching from other cables to the Master Series, the effects can be very pronounced. This cable is as dynamic as the music driving the amp. This is utterly critical using the Sony R10. The importance of the cable with this headphone simply cannot be overstated. The R10 has a relatively lean bass response compared to many headphones. For it to have proper impact, and for bass to sound realistic, the source must be able to produce it, and the cabling must allow it to pass through fully. The Nites were the first cable I had heard that would allow the R10 to produce the dynamics of which it is capable. The Master Series retained the dynamics, but added a sense of focus and precision that I had previously only heard with the Cardas. For the Sony R10, this is heaven. I had actually done via cabling what I had been trying to do via different amps and rolling tubes. I finally feel that I’m on the road to hearing what the R10 can do. I won’t pretend I’m all the way there yet. A major source upgrade may be needed (although I should do a write-up on the Creek CD53 at some point. It’s going to take a lot of money to get a major improvement over that player, particularly now that I’ve got it set up properly). But with the Master Series cables, I’m a lot closer to where I want to be.
IC or PC? IMO, the major contributor to the change in sound over the Nites is the interconnect. The difference here is not subtle. I’ve heard smaller changes replacing an amp. The whole image seems to come into focus with the Master interconnect in place. That focus allows an entirely new level of detail to open up. The Master IC is great at allowing the simultaneous presentation of quiet and loud sounds. Everything gets through, and nothing is confused. Pick what you want to listen to. If the rest of the system can handle it, the Master will pass it on. Of all the cables I’ve heard so far, this one will not become a limiting factor on a system. I use the Bogdan Silver Spirit Reference in my second system. In comparison to the Master Series, the BSSR is a relatively thin sounding cable. I happen to like the BSSR, and it’s unfair to compare it to one costing about five or six times the price. MIT MI-330 Series 2+ aren’t even comparable (although they come into their own in different setups). DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1 is far too grainy to compare to the Master Series. I’ve tried some other good cables, but nothing has come close to what I’m hearing with the Master Series.
The contribution of the power cords is less clear. In fact, I was hoping to save myself a lot of money by not being able to hear a difference between the Nite and Master PC’s. And, to tell the truth, at first I didn’t. Phew. Money saved. Not. The differences turn up long-term. Either of these cables cannot be simply placed into a system and sound its best. Remember those magnets? It takes a while for the flux fields to settle down, apparently. Once they do, the Master Series PC’s show up as a fuller midrange, and slightly more articulate bass. There is a greater sense of depth, even in a headphone setup (these things have got to be scary in a speaker setup. I’m going to have to try that sometime). Ultimately, I had to decide whether that last bit of fullness in the mids was worth the cost of the upgrades. In the end, once I heard what my system could do, I simply couldn’t walk away from that last bit of midrange goodness. If I had simply heard the Master interconnects with the Nite Power Cords, I would have been very happy with that combination (and can highly recommend it for someone who can’t swing the cost of the full Master Series. Used Nite power cords are going for a fraction of their worth these days). However, once I heard the Master IC and PC’s together, there was no going back. I’d always be conscious of missing that last bit of body.
By their nature, a good cable should not care what kind of music is being played. For that matter, neither should a good system, IMO. Anything from a cappella vocals to driving blues to massive feedback should simply be reported. I could reel off a list of albums I’ve played and how they sound, but why? It doesn’t matter. Want to rock? Want to be seduced? Want to be overpowered? Pick your music and have fun. These cables don’t constrain your choices. At least so far, any limitations I’ve run across have been traceable to other components in my system, and so far correctable.
A major limitation to this review is that I simply haven’t heard enough of the competition at this price range. I’d love to say this is the greatest cable ever, but without hearing more of the other cables out there, I’d be wildly overstating things. But maybe not. I can definitely say that to my ears, in my system, I’m having a hard time imagining a better cable. In the interconnects particularly, I could hear the limitations of both the Nites and the Golden Reference. Those limitations are now gone. I can say that this is the best cabling that I have heard in my system. I wound up voting with my wallet. It would have been wrong to let my system go backwards after hearing these.
IMO, these cables should be on the short list of anyone looking for the best cabling possible for their system, cost no object.
The two main interconnects I had been trying previous to the Master Series were the Virtual Dynamics Nite series, and the Cardas Golden reference series. The system is a simple one: Creek CD53 connected by one pair of interconnects to the Singlepower Supra, driving a Sony MDR-R10 headphone. I use a Monster HTS-2000 power conditioner (I’ve got power issues here, so direct into the wall is not an option). With the R10, both the Cardas and the Nites exhibited significant virtues, but also significant flaws. The Nites were the most dynamic cables I’ve heard. They allow the R10 a full range of dynamic response, which is critical for that headphone. However, the image was slightly soft. The R10 is capable of finer focus than the Nites allowed. The Cardas allowed the R10 to maximize its ability to reproduce fine detail. However, the Cardas also seemed to restrict the dynamic range of the system. Those were my choices: dynamics or focus. IMO focus is much less important than the proper dynamics in the music, so the Nites were my choice, but I also knew that I was making a trade-off. While both cables were better than any others I had at the time, I heard something in each that the other could not provide. How to get it all?
Prior to the Master Series cables, I had tried a balanced version of the Virtual Dynamics Nites, for use with the EAR HP4 amp. This was not an improvement, IMO, and I had returned it for a single-ended cable. However, Rick had a prototype of a new cable that he wanted me to try. I put it in my system, and, after burn-in, started to hear a fusion of the dynamics I had heard from the Nite Series, and the focus I had heard out of the Golden Reference. I was hooked, and when Rick offered me a trial of the final version of the Master Series, I jumped at the chance.
Physically, the Virtual Dynamics Master Series interconnects and power cords look similar to the Nites. However, instead of a silvery jacket, the jacket is a dark, almost black, color. The other visible difference is the connector. The Master Series interconnect uses a Cardas silver RCA connector. The power cords use Hubbell and Marinco connectors. Cables are cryo-treated both before and after assembly. The cables are based around 9.5 gauge solid core copper wire. The hot and return of the interconnects are in a single jacket, but the power cord has the three conductors: hot, neutral and ground, each in its own separate jacket. These are stiff and heavy cables. You don’t want to use them with a pcdp (although I’ve got to admit I’ve tried it. Once. They look…err…interesting…with an RCA to mini adapter attached.) The good news is that once bent they hold their shape. So, to install, you need to look at the area where you want the cable to run, bend to the appropriate shape, and simply slip into place. If they’re not bent properly, they can exert enough force to lift light components, such as CD players. Once you learn how to bend them properly, it all becomes easy. And the next time some clown twists a balloon into weird shapes for you, think of what you can do with three conductors of stiff copper and smile
One thing that I did notice with the Master Series Power Cord, and that has been present in all Virtual Dynamics power cords I’ve used, is a slightly loose fit of the IEC connector. In some ways, this is good. This is stiff cable. If there’s torque, I’d rather have the connector come out than drag a CD player with it. Still, I definitely prefer a secure connection that’s going to stay in place. I don’t get that feel with the Virtual Dynamics Power Cords.
The technology of the cables in the Virtual Dynamics line is based on the premise that mechanical vibration is a major cause of the distortion many cables cause in the sonics of a system. I will not pretend that I understand it. Rick Schultz, of Virtual Dynamics, doesn’t claim to understand it completely either. He’s a very devout man, who attributes the sound he is able to get from a cable to his faith. I think that he may be understating his own contributions.
“Dynamic Filtering” is the term used to describe the reduction of vibration in the cable. In the case of the Master Series cable, there is a material between the jacket and the conductor that acts to reduce any vibration. I’m told that the material used is a powered metal that acts as though it were a liquid. However, I’m not about to cut these cables open to find out.
Another technology used is termed “Speed of Light”. If you recall my review of the Nite Series, I noted that there were some rather powerful magnets in the cable terminations. This isn’t an accident. A signal flowing through the cable creates an electromagnetic field, or flux. Rather than allow the signal to create its own fields, the magnets are designed to create flux fields to guide the current flow.
Other technologies used are better known. ProtecX is a chemical treatment done to reduce oxidation at the connector. Cryogenic treatment alters the structure of the cable. This has been discussed previously, but the short version is that the actual molecular structure of the metals are altered, and those changes remain after the cable has been brought back to room temperature. The cables are also burnt it using a cable cooker prior to treatment. This is a good thing, as burn-in take a bit even after cooking the cable.
Do I really know why these technologies work? No. Do they work? Yes.
In talking about the sonics, I’ll repeat something I said in my initial impressions. The Master Series represents a huge increase in performance over the Nites. The difference is much more pronounced for the interconnects rather than the power cords. Taken together, switching from the Nites to the Master Series was the equivalent of a major amplifier upgrade. It’s that dramatic. My main system, which is wired with Master Series power cords and interconnects is where I go when I want to hear all of the music. In moving out to my other setups, I just don’t have the resolution that the Master Series gives me.
Right out of the box, the interconnects were bright. This lasted about 8-12 hours, and the brightness receded. I’m convinced that it only happened that quickly due to the cable cooking, as I’m more used to cables taking up to 200 hours before reaching their sound. The Masters got there much faster.
However, there was a glitch in the early going. I noticed that after I turned my system on, I heard an increasing brightness. This was different from the sound of the cables out of the box, as it took time to develop. While it was fine at the start, after about four hours the sound had increased in brightness, to the point that the frequency response was obviously being distorted. When I first heard this, I called Rick, to let him know that the cable was nice, but probably not for me. However, he had an answer for me: the brightness wasn’t the cable at all, but rather my source, the Creek CD53. The likely culprit goes back to vibration. What I was hearing was apparently a static buildup caused by vibration of the transformers in the Creek. The cure was to take off the Sorbothane feet I had been using, and switch to brass cones instead. Huh? It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I had a set of Mapleshade Surefeet at hand, and did the experiment. While the player was mounted on cones, I never heard the brightness again. I’m still not sure about why this happened. However, I am sure that it did happen. When somebody provides an explanation, then proposes a solution based on that explanation, and that solution works, his credibility goes way up with me. I’m starting to think that Rick is right, and that one of the flaws in a lot of equipment is simply failure to account for effects of mechanical vibration.
So what do these cables sound like? After six months, I’m still not sure. That is about the highest complement I can pay to a cable. They may transmit colorations produced by other parts of my system, but seem to add none of their own. Rather, they allow the rest of my system to do what it’s supposed to do, without producing a subtractive effect on sound quality. That’s not always good. In listening to the Master Series, I’ve become aware of a euphonic effect of some of the other cables I had used. They simply weren’t passing all of the information. So, system limitations that affected the sound were not as noticeable. The increased resolution of the Master Series won’t let a system get away with that. If you’ve got a weak link anywhere, you’re going to hear it. Where there is a weak link, you may think it’s the cable until you identify the real culprit. These cables will not cover up a flawed system.
In switching from other cables to the Master Series, the effects can be very pronounced. This cable is as dynamic as the music driving the amp. This is utterly critical using the Sony R10. The importance of the cable with this headphone simply cannot be overstated. The R10 has a relatively lean bass response compared to many headphones. For it to have proper impact, and for bass to sound realistic, the source must be able to produce it, and the cabling must allow it to pass through fully. The Nites were the first cable I had heard that would allow the R10 to produce the dynamics of which it is capable. The Master Series retained the dynamics, but added a sense of focus and precision that I had previously only heard with the Cardas. For the Sony R10, this is heaven. I had actually done via cabling what I had been trying to do via different amps and rolling tubes. I finally feel that I’m on the road to hearing what the R10 can do. I won’t pretend I’m all the way there yet. A major source upgrade may be needed (although I should do a write-up on the Creek CD53 at some point. It’s going to take a lot of money to get a major improvement over that player, particularly now that I’ve got it set up properly). But with the Master Series cables, I’m a lot closer to where I want to be.
IC or PC? IMO, the major contributor to the change in sound over the Nites is the interconnect. The difference here is not subtle. I’ve heard smaller changes replacing an amp. The whole image seems to come into focus with the Master interconnect in place. That focus allows an entirely new level of detail to open up. The Master IC is great at allowing the simultaneous presentation of quiet and loud sounds. Everything gets through, and nothing is confused. Pick what you want to listen to. If the rest of the system can handle it, the Master will pass it on. Of all the cables I’ve heard so far, this one will not become a limiting factor on a system. I use the Bogdan Silver Spirit Reference in my second system. In comparison to the Master Series, the BSSR is a relatively thin sounding cable. I happen to like the BSSR, and it’s unfair to compare it to one costing about five or six times the price. MIT MI-330 Series 2+ aren’t even comparable (although they come into their own in different setups). DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1 is far too grainy to compare to the Master Series. I’ve tried some other good cables, but nothing has come close to what I’m hearing with the Master Series.
The contribution of the power cords is less clear. In fact, I was hoping to save myself a lot of money by not being able to hear a difference between the Nite and Master PC’s. And, to tell the truth, at first I didn’t. Phew. Money saved. Not. The differences turn up long-term. Either of these cables cannot be simply placed into a system and sound its best. Remember those magnets? It takes a while for the flux fields to settle down, apparently. Once they do, the Master Series PC’s show up as a fuller midrange, and slightly more articulate bass. There is a greater sense of depth, even in a headphone setup (these things have got to be scary in a speaker setup. I’m going to have to try that sometime). Ultimately, I had to decide whether that last bit of fullness in the mids was worth the cost of the upgrades. In the end, once I heard what my system could do, I simply couldn’t walk away from that last bit of midrange goodness. If I had simply heard the Master interconnects with the Nite Power Cords, I would have been very happy with that combination (and can highly recommend it for someone who can’t swing the cost of the full Master Series. Used Nite power cords are going for a fraction of their worth these days). However, once I heard the Master IC and PC’s together, there was no going back. I’d always be conscious of missing that last bit of body.
By their nature, a good cable should not care what kind of music is being played. For that matter, neither should a good system, IMO. Anything from a cappella vocals to driving blues to massive feedback should simply be reported. I could reel off a list of albums I’ve played and how they sound, but why? It doesn’t matter. Want to rock? Want to be seduced? Want to be overpowered? Pick your music and have fun. These cables don’t constrain your choices. At least so far, any limitations I’ve run across have been traceable to other components in my system, and so far correctable.
A major limitation to this review is that I simply haven’t heard enough of the competition at this price range. I’d love to say this is the greatest cable ever, but without hearing more of the other cables out there, I’d be wildly overstating things. But maybe not. I can definitely say that to my ears, in my system, I’m having a hard time imagining a better cable. In the interconnects particularly, I could hear the limitations of both the Nites and the Golden Reference. Those limitations are now gone. I can say that this is the best cabling that I have heard in my system. I wound up voting with my wallet. It would have been wrong to let my system go backwards after hearing these.
IMO, these cables should be on the short list of anyone looking for the best cabling possible for their system, cost no object.
