Audiophilepure

I’ve heard less variation in these headphones changing amplifiers actually, so the Lazuli Vocalise really were doing something that I’ve never heard on an aftermarket cable upgrade. This cable helped Norah’s voice shine through like I’ve never experienced with the AB1266 Phi TC headphones. Bass was also very clear, taught, and punchy, and all without bleeding into the midrange. This cable seemed to offer a concrete fence between the bass and mid-range like no other. With cheaper cables, this area could be smeared a smidge, that the Lazuli Vocalise controlled the speaker-like bass of these headphones with such precision had me truly impressed. Finally, the sense of air and space with this cable was also a cut above both the stock cable and other after-market cables I have tried (all costing significantly less). The sound staging was literally the best I’ve ever experienced. So while not cheap, if you are looking for the “final piece to your Phi TC puzzle”, this cable might be exactly what you’re looking for!

The frontRow cables excelled at their reproduction of the frequency extremes. The frontRows played back high-frequency instruments with consummate air, extension, and clarity, and without any accompanying grain, grit or brightness. Elvin Jones’ cymbal work on “Outlaws” from his Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones CD (Nonesuch 79624-2) had a condign mix of bite and burnish, and was played back with seemingly endless air and extension. And Dave Holland’s bass playing was supple and rhythmic, with propulsive drive. The frontRows’ bass was chameleonic in nature, adding no innate editorializing to the musical message.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0724/Siltech_Master_Crown_Cables_Review_Launch_Event.htm

They also include an advance on Siltech’s Balanced Ground Principle, a unique cable winding geometry that significantly contributes to its exceptionally low noise floor. Their analysis of the design shows that this allows the cables to reveal signals down to an astonishing eight trillionths of a watt (0.000000000000008 watt)!

The Master Crown’s conductor and insulator construction employs both their Current Shield Distortion and Magnetic Field Distortion Reduction technologies, said to substantially reduce the effects of magnetic field distortion, allowing them to achieve incredible clarity in the critical vocal range.

Looking over the VIABLUE^™ cable product catalog, the cable options aren’t so much defined into clearly separate lines as opposed to wire gauge and design differences. This makes for a multitude of choices and a large degree of customization to be available to the end-user. Speaker cables are categorized by the number of conductors employed and if the products use VIABLUE^™ Air Pipe topology. Power cables are differentiated mostly by conductor gauge. Analog cable varies by using either pure OFC copper or Silver-plated OFC copper conductors, and whether they employ Air Pipes or are configured in a twisted pair under an outer sheath. VIABLUE’s digital cable offerings are the most straightforward, essentially constituting a single tier. All digital cables (except for Toslink Optical) use Silver-plated OFC wire. VIABLUE^™ also plans to release an HDMI cable later this year.

Although chunky, meaty, well-paced, and foot-tappingly rhythmic, the cable sounds steadier and more relaxed than the Jorma Unity or my affordable favorite, the Driade Flow Link Reference 808. Both are leaner but also nimbler and subjectively faster, and both are airier and more refined. But while the Jorma is more impactful and timbrally convincing than the Driade, neither has the “live”-like robustness, stance, tonal saturation, “meat on the bones”, and overall weight that exemplifies the Mad Scientist cable.

As a final test, I connected the Black Magic Gold interlink with a dCS stack that happened to be on visit at this time: the Paganini Clock/USB interface and Puccini CD player/DAC. This turned out to be a particularly well-working combination, the Black Magic Gold’s body and tonal saturation marrying beautifully with the dCS combo’s slightly lean and highly detailed nature. The dCS combo’s inherent purity and cleanness were expressed well without leaning toward clinicality. But it must be said that, here, too, the treble did not quite have the level of nuance, air, and ultra-high resolution that the combo can produce with the Driade or the Jorma. Nevertheless, the combination sounds articulate yet energetic and, again, timbrally very natural, harmonically rich, and overall very convincing.

https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/nordost_blue_heaven.htm

If you want to build a Nordost Blue Heaven loom but do so in installments, start with the QBASE and Blue Heaven power cords. I am firmly convinced that electronic devices cannot work to their full potential until power cords and power distribution/noise reduction are addressed. While power cords may not be as thrilling as purchasing a new electronic component or speaker, my experiences suggest that mixing and matching power components can result in poor performance. It’s also notable that the Blue Heaven power cords and QBASE were used on the listening tour, replacing cords and distribution pieces costing far, far more, yet the sound retained the same level of bass slam and the low noise floor I associate with good, clean power management. This was fairly remarkable for one of Nordost’s “budget” cable lines.

Next, purchase interconnects and then the speaker cables for their clarity and drive. With these two in place, you have the Nordost signature sound. Adding the speaker cables will bring the speed of attack and clarity I’ve discussed, while the RCA interconnects are more neutral, having less effect on the sound of my system.

Provided your DAC needs a USB cable, the Blue Heaven is a fine choice at a budget-friendly price. In my system, the USB cable gave excellent results and was an easy recommendation. Substituting an expensive, well-reviewed USB cable from a competing brand lessened my interest in listening. Timing was confused and the soundstage shrunk. A bit of dullness crept in. The USB swap was definitely more dramatic and clear-cut than swapping RCA interconnects. Even if you have opted to use various brands of cabling in your system, I encourage you to give the Blue Heaven USB a try.

Finally, for those vinyl users needing a DIN-terminated phono cable, the clever engineering Nordost included in their design is easily appreciated. While I’m not plagued with audible hum in the phono stage, the ability to add extra paths for grounding is a nice touch and could be a lifesaver in many systems.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1202-crystal-cable-art-series-monet-speaker-cables

Down low, the Monets sounded great. Good, tight, tuneful bass. That said, both my Audience and Nordost cables excel in the bottom octaves, and the Monets were more alike than different in this regard. This is still high praise, as I’ve been digging some of the best bass of my experience with both of these cables, and having the Monets keep up is a triumph.

More alike than different. That doesn’t mean identical. I just listened right through to the 1995 reissue of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme remastered by Michael Cuscuna (LP, Impulse! GR-155), and despite years of familiarity with this recording, it’s still as fresh to me as ever—triumphant and soaring, crisp and snappy. As with most olde-tyme jazz recordings, the bass suffers most, but there’s still that thick, twangy intro to “Acknowledgement,” which feels like it’s coming out of a deep hole in the ground. It’s an easily hummable anchor that carries through the piece, and the Monets kept all of the weight (any loss of grounding here would be fatal to the integrity of this track) while adding just a small amount of detail to the sense of Jimmy Garrison’s fingers on the strings themselves.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1202-crystal-cable-art-series-monet-speaker-cables

Circling back to Rich’s BIL, in this system the twenty large would definitely be better spent on speakers, amp, or source, but the reviewing lifestyle makes for strange bedfellows. That said, my basement is a dark dungeon compared to Rob’s living room, so it took until now, the last minute, to really get the full effect of just how elegant these cables are.

I guess at this point it goes without saying that there’s value here in the admittedly intimidating retail price of these cables, but it’s not just in sound quality. If you were to purchase the Monets for use in your system, you’d also be buying elegance and exclusivity. These cables aren’t for everyone, but man, oh man, do they stand out in a crowd.

Before the AudioQuest Thunderbird and Firebird XLR interconnect cables arrived, the Wind was my go-to for AQ XLR connection. Aside from the Mythical Creatures cables, the Wind was the only AQ interconnect I had with the DBS technology. I’ve been using them a lot over the last few years.

The Wind, along with the other AQ XLR interconnect cables I have on hand, all belong to the Rivers & Elements series. It uses AQ’s Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) conductors.

While the Thunderbird and Firebird were downright triumphant when it came to disappearing within my system, the Wind wasn’t far behind. (In fact, I’ll venture to say that the Wind and the Thunderbird were fairly close in this respect, but still distant from the Firebird.) I also found that the Wind could approach the quiet, revealing nature of the Mythical Creatures cables when used with other grounding and noise-reduction products–such as those GroundGoody grounding wires. The Firebird and the Thunderbird, however, easily accomplished those goals with little or no assistance.