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| jude said: cables in your profile....can you comment on some of them (and others you may have auditioned in the process)? |
sure, but that'd be one hell of a long list
here's a little synopsis of the interconnects that i've spent at least a full month (most of them much longer than that) with them wired throughout the system. of course, keep in mind that it was in the context of my system and that they're just opinions.
dh labs bl-1 - one of the most disapointing cables i've ever tried. not exactly bright, but treble controll isn't neutral. heavy smearing on upper midrange and mid bass... but it's also cheap and easily available.
kimber pbj w/ wbt0147 - doesn't draw any real attention to itself, but doesn't wow either... requires decent components since it's not going to mush over the sound too much, and any claims of siblance or etched highs are probably due to ultraplate (stock) termination or associated equipment. closer to a lean sound than a balanced one.
audioquest ruby - now discontinued, but this was my first "real" cable. a lot like the tara ref g2 but a lot more rolled off on top. not a bad cable for a cheap cd player.
kimber hero - full bodied cable (compared to pbj) that once again doesn't draw a heck of a lot of attention to itself, in the typical kimber fassion. in my experience, one of the benchmarks in it's price range (although i personally still prefer the pbj-0147).
tara reference generation 2 - i used this cable faithfully a few years ago when i first got serious with the hobby... smooth and unoffensive. after further auditioning, i realised it smeared image focus and upper frequency detail. like the ruby, it'll help mask what a bad cd player's doing.
nordost blue heaven - if you like an in your face sound with globs of psuedo detail these are the cables for you. to my ears, it made everything sound too "cd and solid state"-like if you know what i mean.
dh labs air matrix - good bottom end controll, upper frequencies sound relaxed without any sense of rolling off. vocals have a nice tone. soundstage collapsed a bit in my system, but nothing major.
tara labs air 3 - big things this cable gets right are soundstage and detail, with a slight touch of bloom on vocals. upper and lower frequency controll not stellar, but it isn't a slouch either.
nordost red dawn (new version)- a lot better across the frequency range than the blue heaven, but not my cup of tea. i've heard other systems that sing with it though.
audioquest emerald 2 - okay detail, okay soundstage, slight smearing. about the only audioquest cable i've ever really liked.
tara labs master generation - while it may not have the huge soundstage the air series does, it also disappears to the point where analyzation becomes arbitrary. no real discernable weaknesses, except that it really doesn't mask any deficiencies of source components. i've wondered at times if i'm losing detail because they're so smooth and relaxed, but over time i've understood that it really just doesn't favor any part of the frequency range. excellent PRaT.
tara labs air 1 - the master generation with a wider and deeper soundstage. bass may not be as tight though, but doesn't offend. requires top-notch equipment due to it's unassuming nature... is it worth the cost increase from the air 3? i personally don't think so.
audience au24 - megabuck cable that excells with PRaT and detail, but had a slightly electronic feel to the sound. possible that my electronics weren't up to the task.
hope this helps a bit... there's been quite a few cables that have passed thorugh here on little one or two week auditions, but the memories of their sound have faded away. i'm also sure i'm forgetting a couple, but oh well. obviously though, i didn't think enough of them to keep 'em. there's a couple of companies i'd like to try if i ever get around to it (top of that list is homegrown audio as well as jon risch's belden diy), but i'm more than satisfied with the cabling i have now.
tara labs has been my reference for a long time now... to my ears they're the best cables in my price range. for what it's worth.
sorry for the incredibly long post,
carlo
But I do believe in using good I/Cs, so I'm not a complete non-believer.
