[DsLFoolisH]

are you guys serious when you say the nakeds sound better than the ultras? i was about to pick up a pair of ultras with bullet plugs!

 

[vrao81]

I won't say they 'sound better', they do sound different - it really depends what sound you want. If your system sounds lean/bright and you want to add warmth or body to the sound then the Ultras are the best option. The Magwires guy said they are a good match for most solid state systems, and I agree, some solid state gear sounds thin and the Ultras help to alleviate this. They are a great value and well built and are among the best you'll get under $100. If your system is too warm, however, or not transparent enough and you want something lean to even out the sound the Nakeds are the better value. The Nakeds are a great match to my system since most of my gear is warm (headphones, amp, source). Oh and I would put the Kimber PBJ halfway between the Ultras and Nakeds - a good, well balanced interconnect with the right amount of transparency and detail without sacrificing warmth. All three are great values.

 

[Gopher]

I second the magwire ultra recomendation. If they don't work out for you, I believe Jim Hess is offering a full refund anyway. I've tried some of his lower line cables, and was going to have him build me some of his nicer stuff, but found my copper cable contentness with acoustic zen.

Also, if this is getting implemented into a tube system, I highly recomend checking out some of the Silver 'Grover' Interconnects available on the stevehofman forum. Theres a couple of write ups on this site by more competent reviews than myself, but in a nutshell between my philips and rkv (equinox/k-1000s) they really lead to a great balance. Very nice cables for the price.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Thanks for all the info, I've decided to go with the heartlands, since those bullet plugs interest me, and they're a real steal as far as I can tell. Also the magwires sounded good, but the guy is MIA right now, and I wanted the cables very soon, and I also need shielded cables, I believe.

 

[STSinNYC]

We have Signal Cable Analog 2s on both of our systems, they sound good to me. Construction is based on a well-known method using quality Belden calble (89259?).

 

[DsLFoolisH]

Quote:

Originally posted by Iron_Dreamer Thanks for all the info, I've decided to go with the heartlands, since those bullet plugs interest me, and they're a real steal as far as I can tell. Also the magwires sounded good, but the guy is MIA right now, and I wanted the cables very soon, and I also need shielded cables, I believe.

i also ended up getting heartland cables with the bullet plugs and belden cables. sound awesome to me!!!much better than stock cables.

i was skeptical and this is by no means psychological. its not like a HUGE oh my god difference, but its definately noticable. you dont have to listen very intensely to notice it.

 

[Czilla9000]

Axiom Audio is selling interconnects for about $50 now.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally posted by DsLFoolisH i also ended up getting heartland cables with the bullet plugs and belden cables. sound awesome to me!!!much better than stock cables. i was skeptical and this is by no means psychological. its not like a HUGE oh my god difference, but its definately noticable. you dont have to listen very intensely to notice it.

Yes, these are definitely some butt-kicking IC's for a very good bargain. Gotta love those bullet plugs!

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally posted by Iron_Dreamer Yes, these are definitely some butt-kicking IC's for a very good bargain. Gotta love those bullet plugs!

Bullet plugs make my "snake oil" alarm go off, but since that's the only end Heartland offers on his Belden 89259 and it's cheaper than other sources either way, might as well get 'em.

The 89259, on the other hand, is a very good quality cable. Most of the hyper-marketed, over-priced stuff out there is based on the same cable or similar.

--Chris