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Off Air Audio
Topic: I Hate to Say It,

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Posted by Romy the Cat on 04-15-2009
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If you read my site or talk to me then you know that I am very much not a proponent to dummy idea of balancing specific problems of playback system by using specific complimentary cables. I always tend to use individually neutral components with individually-neutral cables getting all together a neutral result instead of use crapy component with contra- crapy cables and then to sing the song about the idiotic “synergy”.  I hate the word synergy…

However, with time goes by I detected that there is an area where my position might experience some infidelity. I am taking about FM world.  With FM the upper region is restricted at 15kHz -16kHz, and restricted with very sharp brick-wall filter. It is arguable how much more is necessary. No one who heard good FM (not a lot of them out there) complained that MF is HF challenged. The funny parts that subjectively and objectively FM is undoubtedly FH challenged but not one bothers by this, including me. Furthermore, as many people visit me I always ask them what of my source (LP, CD, Tape, FM) they found more “interesting” and all of them commented that FM was the most “exciting”. Ok, it is rolled off, it is compressed and it have zillion other problems but… for whatever reason it did not impact the excitement judgment in anyone, including myself.

All my recordable FM is wired with POD cables and listenable with other cables. Sansui to Pacific uses Proteus Rev B, Rohde & Schwarz to Lavry uses Proteus Rev A, DAW from A/D and to D/A  is custom-made for me cable, Lavry D/A to Preamp is Dominus Rev B. The cables that I run from Sansui and Schwarz to preamps are Colossus. So, as you can see the critical path is laid with older Proteus that has own feel of neutrality.  However, I also detect some inclination in me…

There are some cables out there that are zippy, that are made to impress the audio idiots with HF schmaltz and therefore they have medals from morons-reviewers and ignite the instant love from people who “compare cables”.  I have some of those cables in storage (Harmonic Technologies) and I made a few attempts to introduce those cables to my FM path. You know, with all my luck of appreciation of this approach I have to say that I liked the impact that the “hyper impressive” cables did to my FM HF. The Harmonic Technologies cables were failing in other region where Proteus unchallengeably rules but all together it proved the concept.

So, I wondering, is someone would be to a task to design or to adopt a cable that would be specifically targeted to use with FM track. It shell be a neutrals all together cable with very strong harmonic fidelity under 500Hz (users of old PAD would know what I mean) but at the same time to have a bit of artificial sparkle atop, some very accurately purposely made HF shimmer. I presume that IF IT IS DONE PROPERLY than it might be interesting to try.  I was wondering it is make sense to run next to Proteus a parallel some kind of “HF brightening” line… If I have in my deposal a company that do cables then I would experiment with something like that.

If any of cables manufacturers have interest to experiment with it and to develop a new perspective line of FM cable then contact me and I will help you with assessment and interpretation of results.

Rgs, Romy the Cat

Posted by Paul S on 04-15-2009
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but it sounds like you just described the Nordost Valhalla cables, just after they break in, just before the HF shimmer short circuits.  Or, maybe Nordost has fixed the part where they age badly with the Mk II, SE, the same way PAD fixed the old fluid Dominus with the Ferrox?

Anyway, I'm not kidding about the optimal-state Nordost Valhalla as a candidate for your FM, and I guess you are past sticker shock by now.



Best regards,
Paul S

Posted by Romy the Cat on 04-15-2009
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 Paul S wrote:
but it sounds like you just described the Nordost Valhalla cables, just after they break in, just before the HF shimmer short circuits. Or, maybe Nordost has fixed the part where they age badly with the Mk II, SE, the same way PAD fixed the old fluid Dominus with the Ferrox? Anyway, I'm not kidding about the optimal-state Nordost Valhalla as a candidate for your FM, and I guess you are past sticker shock by now.
Perhaps, I never had Valhalla.

I had a few Red Downs in past and the rest revision or Reference. It was in 1998 I believe. The Reference was expensive cable but I had sources that made form a fraction of price. Then out relation when down after I posted somewhere on- line a catchy phrase about Nordost that was much picked by people with ears. I said that Nordost Reference sounds like it has 3 wires: silver for HF, copper for MF and wood for bass. The guys got pissed as do not feed me with Nordost anymore. Anyhow, if a cable cost more than 20%-30% of retail prices then it not worth to try. The cables have huge markup up and pretty much cost of any cable shall be divided by 8. The Valhalla looks like very expensive and if I need a “crappy zippy cable” then I think it shell be ultra chips cable not the ultra expensive cable. The old HT cables, the “Bill Gates” versions, I think would be a good candidate. I need to fish a pair of them…. the HT were not bright but bity and schmaltzy. I think Nordost shall be just hipper-extended but not schmaltzy…

The Cat

Posted by Amir on 12-09-2018
between the cables i have tested the only cable had correct tone without un-natural high frequency was purist neptune.I have checked many cables like Acoustic Revive , Fadel ART, Transparent, shynuta research, cardas ,... none of them were good.
purist neptune is not single core (old dominus is single core) and it does not have purity of single cores (neptune has a-little distortion) but it's tone is right.i guess purist should improve cu quality of neptune range. i know cables should not move and if we move them the distortion increase and after one day they will sound stable. i have tested neptune not after move.
between cables i should say i hate single core cables like acoustic revive. i mean i think not properly designed single core is very very bad .if you think the single core is better than multi-strand then you should choose properly designed single core. i do not believe all single core cables are better all the time.

i have contacted purist audio , they could produce old dominus (single core with liquid) by order but it is very expensive because of custom ordering has more cost. 

Posted by Paul S on 12-09-2018
Looks like this cable thread is about cables for FM (a particular FM set-up, actually...).  And why not, since a given cable will certainly affect the sound we get from our systems according to how we use it? Even the "professional reviewers" understand this, and they've sold it to the point where the subject has become rather tiresome. Something worth remembering when shopping for cables is that the "manufacturers" are always changing them, so it's a coin toss whether you'll get "the same" cable twice. Not to mention, there's more to construction than just the number of conductors and the purity of the metals; just the length can affect the sound.  So, you might try to buy another pair "just like" the pair you currently fancy, or you might try to use your favorite cable in another link, only to wind up with different sound from "the same" cable. Also, while some sellers offer a trial period, some cables have fairly long break-in periods that might exceed a seller's charity.  Otherwise buying cables is like buying phono cartridges; you pay your money and you take your chance.


Paul S

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