[Marbles]

I have had an opportunity to compare the RSA's vs Nitro's.

The cliff notes are:
IC's (including digital), Nitro's are more anylitical, the RSA's more musical.
RSA's seem to emphasis the mids and lower frequencies, the Bolders the mids and highs.  The Nitro's are very focused, the RSA's slightly less so.
The RSA's slightly warmer, the Nitro's are a bit more cold sounding.

Keep in mind both are great cables and this comparison is regarding the other IC cable and might not be representative vs all cables.

My preference right now is the Bolder IC's.

I tried different combo's of IC's, but kept coming back to all Bolder.

Speaker cables: Both are ruthless to upstream components.  RSA's allow more bass to come through.

I can find no weakness to the RSA Poiema speaker cable (except maybe the price).

Nitro is a little bass shy compared to the RSA.  Never noticed it before, in fact I liked it's bass before hearing the RSA's.  

These findings are preliminary as I have only had the RSA's for about 30 hours, but they are my thoughts after careful A/Bing tonight.

I hope to add to this comparison as some time goes by, but wanted to get my thoughts down while they were fresh.

The RSA speaker cable (currently on sale) is around 50% more than the same length Bolder speaker cable.

One minor mention, the Nitro's go into the bass section of my RM40's and are jumpered with Nitro Bybee's to the midrange, the RSA's are brought into the midrange and are jumpered with Poeima jumpers (non bybee'd) to the bass section.

The RSA's appear to be slightly (emphasis on slight) more revealing and slightly edgier (noticed on one song, Jennifer Warnes - Somebody Somewhere).  This might be because of the Bybees on the Nitro jumpers.

[BikeWNC]

Hey Rob,

Your comparing the Ridge Street Poima cables to the Bolder bybeed Nitros, right?  

Can you comment on perspective, specifically whether one is more forward than the other and depth/width of soundstage?

Thanks, Andy

[Marbles]

Hey Rob,

Your comparing the Ridge Street Poima cables to the Bolder bybeed Nitros, right?  

Can you comment on perspective, specifically whether one is more forward than the other and depth/width of soundstage?

Thanks, Andy

The Nitro's vs the Poiema's except the digital IC is a MSE II.

The depth has stayed about the same.

The width has changed some depending on digital IC (wider with the Nitro), and speaker cable.  It's slightly better with the RSA.  This could be attributed to the left Nitro speaker cable being coiled like a hose and the RSA being spread out.  I will have to put the Nitro's back in to test that.  Otherwise very similar.

The biggest thing is the RSA IC's are warmer and have more bass and the highs don't appear to be as detailed.  They also have a slightly more diffuse sound.  This all makes for a more musical presentation.

Some might like it more, some might like it less, and some might like a combination of the two.

Right now, I'm really digging the RSA speaker cable with the Nitro IC's.
The mids and highs sound VERY similar to the Nitro speaker cable, and there is just a slight kick up in bass.

[satfrat]

Marbles, have you tried using the Poiena speaker cables with the Bybee jumpers? Just a thought. Regards, Robin

[Marbles]

Not yet, that will be next on my list.

[Robert C. Schult]

Hello Rob and AC’ers.

Want to thank Rob for a much needed day of R&R on Tuesday the 8th. Didn’t realize how much I needed some time off until I found myself just kickin’ back with some pretty good music ( or was that just one song over and over and over and…), good conversation (read Steve and Rob got to listen to me talk too much) and good beer. I don’t drink beer. The only time I do is on occasion when Steve and I are together. Now it seems Rob can be added to that short list. I was disappointed in the pretzels though. Steve lifted a pocket full from Rob’s house and upon closer inspection, I noticed they were counterfeit…stamped, not twisted! We left them at the Bob Evan’s we had supper at on the way home.

I followed up with Rob on Wednesday. Here’s what I posted to him;

“Hi Rob

I'm not familiar enough with your system's capabilities to know for sure but I will guess the cables will settle more and give even better performance. So far as I was able to discern yesterday, I felt your system was portraying better attack in the bass, better delineation between instruments with a truer character of the instruments being revealed. I felt too that there was more recording venue info where it was in the recording and vocals wound up having a bit more tangible presence. At first I thought the highs were a bit splashy but that went away after a pretty short period of time and at that, pretty abruptly.”

And again on Thursday;

“Hi Rob.

What conclusions have the cables impressed you with? Well, I just saw your comments at AC. Any additional thoughts? Comparing my impressions to yours is quite different. I'm reminded of something that Steve taught me a long time ago and, Ha!, now that I think about it, it's something my kids do fairly often and my wife says I do...We hear more clearly what's important to us. Put another way, if something is not very important to us, we're less stimulated or sensitive to it.”
 

The last part of the above has some very good merit and I think would be a good topic to delve further into for discussion. So let’s do that HERE

 

Meantime, Thanks again Rob for a great time Tuesday. I told Steve the time enjoyed at your home will be one of those defining times of another memorable summer when I look back in a year from now.

[zybar]

Rob,

Congrats on your new purchase.

From the time I heard the Midnight Gen II, I have always thought the Poiema would have a good chance of delivering the goods and being an excellent product.

At some point I would like to listen it and see it how sounds to my current ic's (VH Audio Balanced Pulsars).  

George

[Marbles]

After more time with the Poiema IC's, it is clear that they have a wider and deeper soundstage with more air around the instruments than the Nitro.

Those are some of the really nice things it does.

I can only have one pair in my system because of the one main thing I don't like about the Poiema IC.  It sounds like there is a sheet over my speakers.  Well, not really that, but at all frequencies the sound is like it is being slightly muffled.  The blacks are blacker, so cymbals appear to have some zing, but it is like the music is not free somehow to come out.
This is a slight thing, but still bothersome to me.  In a less revealing system, I would think the advantages of these cables, the awesome 3D imaging and sound staging as well as the slight increase in emotion would work very very well.

If Robert could get rid of this slight (and slight means slight) muffled effect, then these would be my "Dream" IC's.

As always YMMV.

[Robert C. Schult]

Hi Marbles and AC'ers with interest.

Thanks for the kind words regarding the ICs. I'm glad you were able to appreciate the 3D imaging the ICs are capable of allowing. I was able to also. I think that says some nice things about your rig. Like I mentioned, I enjoyed music on your system whether it was with the Bolder or the Ridge Street cables but I enjoyed the music more with the Ridge Streets in place. I know I've said this before but I absolutely do not like listening to speakers, amplifiers, pre-amps, CDPs or...cables. Drives me up a wall. For just enjoying the music, I would have had to listen pretty hard to get distracted by the gear at your place.

You say "muffle", I say "miffle". I think I understand what you're saying about the slight "muffle". Compared to your reference cables, I felt the Poiema!s were "quieter" while the reference cabling was a bit "zippier" or "splashy" or "noisier". I could see how one might interpret the portrayal as slightly "muffled" and another as "quieter".

As to what's responsible for either, I could point here and you could point there I suppose. And I suppose whoever has the most points could be the self proclaimed "winner" for the crown of "right" and still...so what! LOL! Will I change the design of our cables so somebody likes them more in their system or will somebody go out and buy a new system so they can use our  cables?

Anyway, I'm glad we got a chance to enjoy and appreciate each other's efforts; you with your system and us with our cable offerings.

[Marbles]

Anyway, I'm glad we got a chance to enjoy and appreciate each other's efforts; you with your system and us with our cable offerings.
...

The difference is I'm buying your speaker cables and jumpers.

You want to buy any of my system?  

[Robert C. Schult]

The difference is I'm buying your speaker cables and jumpers.

You want to buy any of my system?  

        ! That was good!

Actually, while I don't need another table, I've got my eye out for a full blown Teres table with maybe a WT Ref. arm or Schroder Ref. arm at some point. We'll see.

[Marbles]

Actually, while I don't need another table, I've got my eye out for a full blown Teres table with maybe a WT Ref. arm or Schroder Ref. arm at some point. We'll see.

The first time I heard the Teres, it was Chris Brady's with a very nice Schroder arm and Benz Ruby II (IIRC).  Very Very nice combo.

Anyway, I would not want you to change the current IC's, but maybe you could come up with another iteration of it that would make the angels sing for me  


You know, make it a bit "zippier" or "splashy" or "noisier", but with great 3D charecteristics.  

[Robert C. Schult]

...but maybe you could come up with another iteration of it that would make the angels sing for me  

Funny you would bring that up. It's not on my "Short List" but I did put it on my list and would like to talk with you about it. I have basically three ideas bouncing around in my head. I'll talk to you soon about. Would that be good?

BTW, so you do have an MP3 of angels singing stashed somewhere! Hopefully I'll get to hear it sometime.

[Marbles]

Sounds great,

Thanks