Cable review: No punches pulled

Oz_Audio · « **Reply #20 on:** 25 Apr 2003, 11:48 pm »

I would be able to take in all this mega $ stuff in if the reviews are done to a base line.

Can anyone with the inclination review these cables against the good DIY one out there, John R's etc.

IMHO there is no way a mega $ cable is worth the money from RCA to RCA if the internal cable at both ends is not changed as well. The only exeption is if the equipment utilises surface mount technology.

Mark

Tyson · « **Reply #21 on:** 26 Apr 2003, 12:12 am »

The old Bolder Type 1 and Type 2 IC's were simply John Risch designs. I've compared the Nitro and M80 IC's to them many times, and the newer designs were definite steps up. Whether it is "worth it" or not is going to be up to the individual. But I will say, IMO, that the Bybee'd Nitro's are worth every bit I paid for them, and the M80's are better than they have any right to be at their price point, and that's compared to both DIY and ESPECIALLY retail/B&M sold cables.

Pez · « **Reply #22 on:** 26 Apr 2003, 12:32 am »

Oz,
As I have told countless sceptics, try it yourself. As for comparing to cheaper stuff, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! Why do you think I buy the more expensive stuff? I value my money as much as the next guy. Think about it.

DSK · « **Reply #23 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 01:19 am »

Are you still using the Bolder Bybee Nitros a year later?

Has anyone compared them to the Audience AU24 or HMS Grand Finale?

satfrat · « **Reply #24 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 08:04 am »

Great review Pez,

it's good to see you out of your domain with such a good read.

Hopefully you'll give Ridge Street a listen, maybe if the audition package that currently in Cal. finds it's way to Colorado, you'll have the opportunity. If I may ask a question that's off topic, I see that you had your Marantz modded with the LClock. Was it the XO2 or the newly released XO3? Could you give a comment on the improvements achieved from this clock upgrade? Regards, Robin

Carlman · « **Reply #25 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 02:02 pm »

Quote from: DSK

Are you still using the Bolder Bybee Nitros a year later?

Has anyone compared them to the Audience AU24 or HMS Grand Finale?

I compared the BBN to my Audience Conductor and didn't like them. However, this was brief and unscientific. Immediately I noticed more air and a wider sense of space. It sounded like someone had pushed the 'stereo enhanced' button on a receiver. I didn't care for this effect personally but, I could see how it would sound great in the right system and room. Plus, I was used to the personality of my own cables.

I can attest that the entire line of Audience cables have a certain 'rightness' to them that makes them sound less like cable and more like music. However, if you want a little more 'sparkle' or 'air' or other effects, they don't have it.

-C

JoshK · « **Reply #26 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 02:48 pm »

Oddly enough, Carlman, I had quite the opposite impression. I listened to the Audience for an extended period of time in my system. Each and every time I put them in my system it sounded like a bad EQ. Everything was tilted too far up in spectrum, dynamics were non existant and bass was severely rolled off.

In my experience the BBN was far more neutral while being extended well in both ends. There were some things that I did like about the audience but not given all the drawbacks.

Carlman · « **Reply #27 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 04:18 pm »

Maybe the bigger room you have has something to do with the differences. Otherwise, it's got to be more to do with lack of burn-in or other factors in my unscientific and brief observations. The Audience cable provides an overall neutral sound with excellent dynamics. With all the gear I've been comparing, the differences are readily apparent.
-C

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #28 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 04:52 pm »

I've been testing the Audience AU 24 interconnects and Power Chord in my system this week. Obviously, my system is not as full range as Josh's, but I don't hear any roll off in the bass with these cables. The imaging, refinement, and overall musicality of these cables is astounding to me. I think the power chord is particularly neutral. I can hear a very slight midrange emphasis with the interconnects, but the power chord is dead neutral IMS. Again, my De Capo I's are two ways, so maybe I'm just missing out on the rolloff Josh is talking about. However, I am impressed with the Audience stuff, though I had Wayne's M-80's in here a week ago and those were nice as well, but I'd give the nod to the AU24's. YMMV.

Michael

The Best of Sade- CD

Danny Richie · « **Reply #29 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 05:31 pm »

Great review Pez. I enjoyed reading it.

I have tried a lot of different cables myself but have yet to do any really good A/B comparing of my favorites.

Wayne did make me a data link that so far has beat out all others I have tried. I really like it and highly recommend Bolder Cables.

At some point I will have to try some of Wayne's other offerings.

I also firmly believe that system synergy is really important and what works best in one system may clash in others.

There have been times that I preferred Silver and times that I preferred Copper.

I have always liked the Geortz cable too. That one has yet to be mentioned here. Not to expensive either.

Being a Bybee distributor I have tried the Bybee filters quite a bit as well. I don't always like them in every application. They certainly have their place and I really like them in the data link. In my system they have little to no effect when used in the RCA's.

I look forward to making more comparisons in the future. Good thread.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #30 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 06:43 pm »

Quote

I have always liked the Geortz cable too. That one has yet to be mentioned here. Not to expensive either.

Danny, I heard the same good buzz with the Goertz Alpha-Core stuff, so I bought a 0.5 mtr. pair of TQ2's ($125.00, so fair price as cables go) after favorable Stereophile write up a year ago or so.

I have tried them between pre and amps, TT lead outs and DAC outs and I have not been able to get them to sound right and real in my system. They sound hollow, weird with have improper bass impact in all locations.

I use LAT International IC-200's all around and, I have no idea whether they are best, etc, etc, but they are machine made, reasonably priced, copper/silver fused (not plated to avoid diode effect)and have some solid construction and engineering behind them.....and sound right to my ears. I have a lot of pices of LAT's in my system, so it may all be chalked up to synergy thing.

They claim to have the clarity of silver and the bass impact and warmth of copper and they use solid 90%copper/10% zinc locking rca's. They really sound great to me...they are $249.00 a pair for 1.0 mtr.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #31 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 06:43 pm »

Quote

I have always liked the Geortz cable too. That one has yet to be mentioned here. Not to expensive either.

Danny, I heard the same good buzz with the Goertz Alpha-Core stuff, so I bought a 0.5 mtr. pair of TQ2's ($125.00, so fair price as cables go) after favorable Stereophile write up a year ago or so.

I have tried them between pre and amps, TT lead outs and DAC outs and I have not been able to get them to sound right and real in my system. They sound hollow, weird with have improper bass impact in all locations.

I use LAT International IC-200's all around and, I have no idea whether they are best, etc, etc, but they are machine made, reasonably priced, copper/silver fused (not plated to avoid diode effect)and have some solid construction and engineering behind them.....and sound right to my ears. I have a lot of pices of LAT's in my system, so it may all be chalked up to synergy thing.

They claim to have the clarity of silver and the bass impact and warmth of copper and they use solid 90%copper/10% zinc locking rca's. They really sound great to me...they are $249.00 a pair for 1.0 mtr.

JoshK · « **Reply #32 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 06:56 pm »

Quote from: Carlman

Maybe the bigger room you have has something to do with the differences. Otherwise, it's got to be more to do with lack of burn-in or other factors in my unscientific and brief observations. The Audience cable provides an overall neutral sound with excellent dynamics. With all the gear I've been comparing, the differences are readily apparent.
-C

I can assure you that they were very well broken in. That definitely wasn't it. The tonal balance was pretty bad when I tried it out and being a tonal balance freak I couldn't stand it.

My point in giving my opinion is just to qualify all the raves I have heard about this cables. Many read the raves and then go out and blindly buy them. I just wanted to note that I didn't find this to be the case for myself. They really just messed up the synergy of MY system. I did like some of what they did as I mentioned before but they were too flawed in my estimation to live with.

As always YMMV,

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #33 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 07:11 pm »

Like Josh said, I can't empasize the importance of trying things out in your system. I may be the only person on the planet who didn't like the Scott Nixon Tube Dac + when I heard it in my system. Based on raves everywhere else and hearing it sound good in Tito's system, I figured it would mesh well in mine. It just wouldn't work IMS.

BTW, Josh, did you have your speakers tuned flat when you listened to the audience? I'm wondering if speaker tuning had anything to do with what you heard.

Eagles Hell Freezes Over CD

Tyson · « **Reply #34 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 07:17 pm »

mcrespo71,
You are not the only one that didn't like the tubedac, I didn't like it either in my system, no one who heard it in my system liked it very much.

And to answer the question above, I am in fact still using bybee'd nitro IC's in my system.

JoshK · « **Reply #35 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 07:27 pm »

Quote from: mcrespo71

BTW, Josh, did you have your speakers tuned flat when you listened to the audience? I'm wondering if speaker tuning had anything to do with what you heard.

Well without trying to open a can of worms, I will say this. I have had quite a few different cables in my system and never did one make me want to retune my system so dramactically as did the audience ICs. To put it another way, I would have had to dramactically retune my system for these ICs. What I heard wasn't compelling enough to do so.

Carlman · « **Reply #36 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 10:10 pm »

Quote from: JoshK

I can assure you that they were very well broken in. That definitely wasn't it. The tonal balance was pretty bad when I tried it out and being a tonal balance freak I couldn't stand it....

I was referring to the Bolder's in my system not the Audience in yours when I said: " lack of burn-in or other factors in my unscientific and brief observations "

In any case, the brief comparison was probably not worth mentioning. Some things work for a lot of people others don't... For me it was the Onix Ref1's... I read a lot of rave reviews and bought them only to find they were not for me at all.

I've heard the tubedac and it's a take it or leave it sound... it's got its own pro's and con's. I'd like to mix some of its elements with my DAC and I'd have it all!

Your idea of tonal balance is probably not the same as mine. That's what this hobby is all about, though... finding what suits YOU.

JoshK · « **Reply #37 on:** 5 Feb 2004, 10:37 pm »

agreed!

melville · « **Reply #38 on:** 6 Mar 2004, 01:26 am »

I bought a pair of AU24 so I could hook up some good quality 'small' cable between my Gaincard and Abbys. I was using Analysis Plus Oval 8 at the time which pulled on the little amp quite a bit. I gave the Audience cable a couple of days, then reinserted the AP. The AP was better in this application. Keep in mind, this was a used pair of AU24 that was well burned-in. Considering the press I read, I was really surprised. The upside is that the Audience is quite sought after on the used market, so it was very easy to sell. This is in no way intended to bash the AU24. Better ears than mine have declared it superlative, but context is everything.

Cool Breeze · « **Reply #39 on:** 6 May 2004, 05:46 pm »

Quote from: Joker

Pez,
Thanks for the advice, I'm on my way to Bolder's site right after I finish typing this! I just found this forum and have never heard of Bolder but from what I've already read here, seems they make some great cables. Once again, thanks for the help.

ps-love pez candy!!

Holy crap!! There's my old screen name!! I knew I had signed up here a while ago but could not for the life of me remember my screen name, now to see if I can remember my password!!