AudioCircle

Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Critic's Circle (Equipment Reviews) => Cable Reviews => Topic started by: twitch54 on 1 Feb 2008, 11:40 pm

Title: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: twitch54 on 1 Feb 2008, 11:40 pm
I've been chating with Tuan aka "sonny" over the last few weeks regarding IC's to use between my TT and phono pre. He informed me that he makes his version of the "Anti-Cable" IC that is shielded via running a third lead left 'open' at one end. While he utilizes an enamel covered 'magnet wire' he does cover his assembled cable with synthetic jacket.

Tuan set me a pair last week to tryout in a little shoot-out of sorts that I had last weekend. On hand I had AQ king cobra, Kimbre Hero, Signal cable-copper, and an old pair of MIT (don't know the model). Tuan's creation wins hands down, it had more of what I wanted.....open, air, transparency and a neutral presentation. One attribute worth noting was that it opened up the 'bandwidth extremes' and thus revealed more info with all the atributes mentioned earlier.

Tuan puts this package together utlizing quality Neutrik RCA's at avery attractive price of $100 for up to a 1.5 meter pair. He let it be known that this is a hobby for him and has no ability for "mass production", well that's ok by me, because I just ordered another pair to run from my phono-pre to my preamp. Those interested will have to get in line behind me !!

Thanks Tuan !!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 2 Feb 2008, 05:14 pm
Dave,

Thanks for the feedback...
yes, these i/c are DIY all the way...
Just a simple recipe and application of some good materials and you'll have it an extended, fast, and open cable!

If anyone is interested, I'll send them a pair to try out...
PM Me! :thumb: or email me at gotoma8@yahoo.com

Who knows..you may end up having money left over after you replace your current cables with these to buy MUSIC!

Here's a picture of the XLR version!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=13064)


Happy Listening!!!

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brj on 3 Feb 2008, 09:47 pm
Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=45439.0).  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=17.0) or Industry Talk (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=122.0) circles.

Thanks, and have fun!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 4 Feb 2008, 06:56 pm
Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=45439.0).  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=17.0) or Industry Talk (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=122.0) circles.

Thanks, and have fun!

Thanks...

Well, here's my system:
Source:  Marantz SA11S2
Preamp:  Consonance Cyber 222 Preamp
Amp:  EVS 500M monoblocks
TT: VIP Scout
Cartrdige:  Shelter 501 MKii
Phono Pre:  Diva Audio Virtuoso with Step Up
Cables:  All i/c and speaker cables, DIY...

Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 6 Feb 2008, 06:12 pm
Got a couple more people interested in trying these out...
Anyone else interested???

Just ping (PM) me...
Thanks
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: saisunil on 6 Feb 2008, 08:20 pm
PM sent
Thanks
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 8 Feb 2008, 05:38 pm
Wanted to ask those of you I sent the "Recipe" out to to please post their comments on the cable and how they sound in your systems...
Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 10 Feb 2008, 01:46 am
I finally got around to making some interconnects using the magnet wire.  I couldn't easily find 20 awg, so I picked up this magnet wire package that Radio Shack sells for $4.99, which has a spool of 22 awg.  I made them today, twisting 2 - 22 awg together for each leg of the signal and then twisted each group of 2 - 22's together per the recipe for 20 awg.  I ran the wire in opposing directions when terminating it.  I connected to some old locking rca's I had laying around, so there was solder already on the positive connection, though I tried to use a new area of the rca for the ground.  Still....crappy connections on rca's that ain't nothing special.  I did use silver solder...but the connections are crappy, nontheless.

My system consists of a Musical Fidelity A3.5 integrated, A3.5 CD player (both of which are isolated fairly well on 5 different layers of vibration absorbing stuff), JMLab Eclipse 926 speakers, ERA Sub 10.  Cables are a Black Sand Violet ZII (yes II :-)...reviewing coming soon after it's fully broken in) on the CD player, Zu Audio Bok on the intergrated and Audioquest power cable on the sub.  Speaker wire is 6 awg on the low feed of the JM's and Zu Wax on the mids/highs (the system's weakest link).  The comparison interconnects are Zu Varials (and a set of Audioquest Sky's briefly compared).  The room is well treated and the system is pretty resolving.

Currently they have about an hour on them, and I did reverse direction to see if I heard a difference...just a tad.  You might ask why I would write a review after only one hour of break in time...I'd be surprised if they actually sounded worse after extended use, though I guess they could get too bright or something.  If so, I'll update later.

Thanks Sonny...these things (at least with the wire and construction I used) are "sumpin, sumpin".  Compared to the Varials, which bettered the AQ Sky's easily, they might even be better.  Detailed, dynamic (a Varial strength), layered and well focused.  Surprising for any interconnect with so little time on it.  Tonal balance seems at this point to be right on.  Bass is strong and well defined.  The highs have body and not just "tizz tizz".  Overall presentation is pretty damn smooth at higher volumes.

Now, I've got to decide on which highend rca's I need to get to re-terminate these cables.  Even if I spend alot of money, the total cost will be insanely low for the resolution offered.  I'm thinking of leaving them "naked", so anyone interested can see how little "technology" there is in the construction of these interconnects.




ps (listening experience is 30+ years in the audio biz)

reflex
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 10 Feb 2008, 05:27 am
Open and revealing is a very good way to put it with these interconnects.  After an additional 3 hrs of listening, I have to say these things reveal noticably more information than I've heard through this system before.  They did get brighter...but not "bright"...just "right".  Live music always seems so much brighter to me than most audio systems I hear.  A bright cable to me lessens the low end and body of the music as well, and these interconnects do not do that.  They have life.  I'm anxious to re-terminate them with good connectors/connections and hear what they will sound like when that issue is solved.

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 10 Feb 2008, 04:08 pm
Thanks Reflex, for the feedback...
I am glad it is working for you...
Yes, connection/connectors are important, however, I use the Neutrik Professional RCA's jacks, you can get from Parts Express for like $35 for the set....It's good, and makes a very tight/secure connection to the source/premap, etc....

Your results and description of the cables are exactly what I experience...
Extended
Fast
Airy
Detailed
Full


Happy Listening!!!
Tuan!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: twitch54 on 10 Feb 2008, 10:51 pm
Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=45439.0).  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=17.0) or Industry Talk (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=122.0) circles.

Thanks, and have fun!



Sorry for the incomplete post, and while I do endorse Tuan's efforts, I was not acting as an ad for him.

My intentions with respect to cabling are quite simple........convey what enters at point "A" and transmit it in 'whole' to point "B" while maintaing the intigrety of the signal throughout. Doing this at a reasonable and affordable price.

FWIW, regarding my system , please see the following link:

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1338


Thanks, Dave aka "Twitch"
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 Feb 2008, 04:38 pm
Reflex...
What's your sense of the cable now that you've got a couple of days on them???

Thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 11 Feb 2008, 11:43 pm
Hey Sonny:

They have maybe 25 hrs on 'em now and they have changed somewhat in balance.  At first they gained added brightness and at times I thought it was bordering on too bright.  But after changing the cheap rca's to a better terminated set of Eichmann Silver Bullets, the tonal balance leveled out .  This is easily the most open, detailed interconnect I've heard.  I've heard everything from Audioquest (save the Bill Low Signature stuff) because we sell it where I work.  I've heard Transparent (sold it), DH Labs, Harmonic Technology (early cables), Signal Cable Silver, the Zu Audio Varials that I currently have, all the Jon Risch diy's, including some made with other wire he recommended, Acoustic Zen's top of the line, Nordost up thru Red Dawn II and others I'm not remembering right now.  Nothing I've heard comes close at this point, though there are plenty of examples I've not had a chance to listen to. 

The substitution of the Eichmann's really brought the cables into focus.  Frequency balance seems to be right on.  Bass slam is good and well extended.  And the highs are what all cables should be revealing.  As I said in my initial comments, so many systems seem to be so lifeless in the upper end.  Not with these interconnects.  And yet they are not too bright.  Cymbals sound like brass and the decay is so much more realistic now.  Way more air and ambience.  Layering is very good, with image specificity and separation truely top-notch.  It's a joy to be able to isolate on a specific instrument's contribution to the musical piece and easily focus on it, without other things getting in the way at times.

Such a simple solution with results that seem to so easily better more hightech designs.  Go figure...

Here's a pic of how they look now:

(http://i.pbase.com/o6/56/14756/1/92842357.OM3xr5cj.01.jpg)

reflex
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 11 Feb 2008, 11:45 pm
not sure why the pic's not showing up...it did in the preview
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 Feb 2008, 11:48 pm
Hm...well, did you copy and paste the picture's IP address in the link?

Right click on the picture, go to properties and copy the ip address of the picture, then paste it into the middle after you hit the add picture icon.

Tuan

not sure why the pic's not showing up...it did in the preview
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 11 Feb 2008, 11:50 pm
Yep...done this many times on other forums too. 

dunno

(http://i.pbase.com/o6/56/14756/1/92842357.OM3xr5cj.01.jpg)
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 11 Feb 2008, 11:51 pm
go here:  http://www.pbase.com/reflectedlight/image/92842357

and you can see it
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 Feb 2008, 11:53 pm
Looks great!!!

Nice!!! will you be making more???
(http://www.audiocircle.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/92842357_OM3xr5cj_01.jpg)
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 12 Feb 2008, 12:06 am
Looks great!!!

Nice!!! will you be making more???
(http://www.audiocircle.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/92842357_OM3xr5cj_01.jpg)

Definitely thinking about it.  I only need one interconnect for my present system, though I'm gonna make a longer run for my sub.  But there may be others out there who would like a set of these and I'm real tempted to start making them for people, with the terminations of their choice.  I'm not sure if using 2/22 awg to get to 20 awg made any different, for the better or worse, but these cables are exciting.  My system is pretty resolving, and was so before these entered the picture.  I've heard alot of great audio systems over the years, including a few at Transparent's place when I lived in Maine...and they all exceeded 6 figures easily.  But my system now falls into the "OMG" category.

reflex
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 12 Feb 2008, 04:48 am
Thanks reflex and Dave...for the feedback...

Now, I've sent a few more i/c out today and still have a couple more to do this week...
Let's see how these perform...

But so far, I think the comments from Reflex and Dave were "right on" with mine...that's why I am currently using nothing but my DIY "Recipe" cables on all my gear, from Scout to Diva Audio Viruoso Phono Pre, to the Pre and from the Marantz SA11S2 to the Pre.  Finally from the Pre to EVS 500M switching amps...and of course the same thing in speaker cables from Amp to DIY GeerS eVe II speakers (Thanks to Tony Gee and Edgar Beers).

bliss....ful...ness...

PS...the Bullet Plugs looks nice with that silver techflex REFLEX!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 15 Feb 2008, 10:29 pm
Can you guys believe this???
An i/c from Virtual Dynamics...
Cost?  $22K new and now asking for $6.5K...
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?cablintr&1208297794 (http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?cablintr&1208297794) :duh:
Can't believe "we" audiophile could spend that kind of money connecting two pieces of equipment...
Hopefully this person was connecting it to some ultra expensive gear!!!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: miklorsmith on 15 Feb 2008, 10:33 pm
How'd you like to drop $22k on one pair of interconnects, only to lose $15k of it because of a system reconfiguration requiring shorter length?   :roll:

Or, maybe the question is "has anybody ever paid retail for something like this?"
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: reflex on 15 Feb 2008, 10:49 pm
Overblown prices are not unusual in world of highend audio cabling.  Ever try to squeeze oil out of a snake?  Think how hard it must be to find that elusive pixie dust?  And it takes really skilled people to brew up magic potions.  And those things cost big dollars, people.  Hence, big dollar prices on cables that use such things.

As an aside...we did a comparison of a .5m balanced Audioquest Sky vs this magnet wire cable using two different cdp's one a Cambridge Audio and the other an Ayre.  The AQ was coming from the balanced out and the 1m magnet wire interconnect from the unbalanced output into a preamp.  Four people did the comparison and only myself knew which was which, when switching inputs.  The first listener said the magnet wire "smoked" the Sky, the other two both said it was definitely the better.  Then today we compared the latest version of the Sky in unbalanced form to the balanced version, which is the previous version of the Sky cable, and there was a very slight improvement with the new version.  Nowhere near the difference between Sky and magnet wire.  And even with the Eichmann's, I have less than $110 in the magnet wire cables and a 1m Sky goes for $2150 retail.

The magnet wire is louder.  Noticably so.  I thought maybe it was some output difference between the balanced and unbalanced outs of the cdp's but it was consistent with both players and when the two Sky's were compared today, there was no volume difference.  The magnet wire is more open and way more dynamic.  I have to assume that the geometry/construction methods of the Sky cable is limiting current flow from source to preamp, and thereby limiting dynamics too.

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 16 Feb 2008, 07:39 pm

The magnet wire is louder.  Noticably so.  I thought maybe it was some output difference between the balanced and unbalanced outs of the cdp's but it was consistent with both players and when the two Sky's were compared today, there was no volume difference.  The magnet wire is more open and way more dynamic.  I have to assume that the geometry/construction methods of the Sky cable is limiting current flow from source to preamp, and thereby limiting dynamics too.


Reflex, your observation that the Magnet wire is a tad louder is consistent with my experience, however.  This also renders to my "recipe" because of the minimalist approach, there are no fancy skin effect or any thing of the like, besides that techflex to make it easier on the eyes and to manuever....

That's the whole concept and the reasons why the "recipe" cable is so much more open, extended and airy...there's nothing or very little R,C and I, that is interfering with the signal...just enough shielding to keep the unwanted interference out and to keep the signal in!

got a few here wanting samples...so, gonna busy this weekend.

T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brj on 17 Feb 2008, 06:19 pm
Guys, co-facilitator of the circle checking in here.  I'm on vacation at the moment and checking the internet very irregularly, so my responses may be a bit more abrupt than usual - my apologies in advance for that.

I've already come close to moving this thread to the Industry Talk circle as is, based on how it has progressed, but held off so far.  If a cable bashing / subjective value / snake oil accusation theme develops any further, then the thread will surely get pruned.  I know of no faster way to completely destroy an otherwise useful thread.  Please try and focus on the original topic and minimize any unproductive offshoots.

Sonny, to be clear, are you selling your cable recipe, or giving it away to interested parties?

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 17 Feb 2008, 06:52 pm

Sonny, to be clear, are you selling your cable recipe, or giving it away to interested parties?

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sorry if we crossed lines...if so, please do what you feel is appropriate according to the rules.

In regards to the "recipe", I give it away to interested parties...  I've given it to about five individuals and Reflex is one of them.

Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: twitch54 on 4 Mar 2008, 01:27 am
As a continued follow up to this thread I thought I would let those interested know that I have completed my changes over in the analog section of my setup to Sonny's I/C cabling......TT - phono-pre - preamp.

Clear, open, and neutral combined with the convayance that a wide bandwidth conductor should exhibit are the characteristics that come to mind !
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 4 Mar 2008, 06:02 pm
Thanks Dave!

FYI
Seems like the feedback I've been getting is that these cables really do a great job with owners of less forward / "in your face" systems....  They seem to match well with soft dome tweeters and electrostatic / ribbons...

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Regalma on 4 Mar 2008, 08:23 pm
These IC's sound like something I would like to try. There are several mentions of the recipe. Is there somewhere that I can get it? I'd like to try to build some.
Thanks,
Mark
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: walkern on 4 Mar 2008, 10:38 pm
I too would love to try out this recipe.  Will someone share here on the thread, or do we need to PM someone?

Neil
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kyrill on 16 Apr 2008, 11:35 am
Sonny
do you sell the recipe and he source of the wire?
or do you sell recipe and provide the kit
or do you sell as well complete cables?
:)
Kyrill
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 16 Apr 2008, 03:47 pm
Sonny
do you sell the recipe and he source of the wire?
or do you sell recipe and provide the kit
or do you sell as well complete cables?
:)
Kyrill

Kryill,

I was giving out the recipe but find that people deviated from it because they couldn't get the right materials or wanted to try something different...and it was too much work talking and explaining to them...So, I still do send out cables to try, therefore, if you're interested, let me know, send me a PM.
Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: spacedghost on 16 Apr 2008, 03:47 pm

I now have 3 sets of T’s cables in my system, and I couldn’t be happier.  I am coming from a mixture of cables so I don’t have a good cable vs. cable comparison.    The music just seems more real, dynamic with T’s cables in place.
I have noticed the greatest gain when I replaced the cable run between my TT and the phono, and SAS pre.  All the detail from the LP’s is there without harshness. Oh and the Mids…. :drool:

Tuan is a great guy to deal with and I will definitely recommend him to the other addicts I know.  aa

My system:
Odyssey Khartago Monos
SAS 10A Pre
SB3 (Boulder Analog Mod) with Ult PS
MMF7 TT
Moon LP3
Strata Minis (Ninja Modded)
MAC HC PC(s)

Shaun
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: mcallister on 16 Apr 2008, 10:08 pm
another customer of T's here. I must say the cables have added more dimension to my system. Bass seems tighter with more low mid slam, with a certain airiness now lending to the top end. Things just seem to be much better integrated than my previous DIY cables. Will be buying more!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: bacobits1 on 17 Apr 2008, 12:54 am
Sonny,
PM sent.

Thanks!

Den
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 18 Apr 2008, 01:50 am
At Sonny's urging, I am putting down my 2 cents.  I must begin with a caveat.  What I'm writing here is my "own" impression, not meaning to be an expert opinion since I'm far from being knowledgeable.

I got Sonny's I/C from one of our local group of enthusiasts when I heard wind of it.  That was about a week ago.  So I threw them into the system I'm using at the moment, between the Shek DAC (sourced from Hong Kong, non-oversampling) and Modwright SWL 9 preamp. 

My immediate reaction to the sound pouring off the system was - tight bass, sharp definition and placement of instruments.  At the first hearing, I would say I wanted to utter "Wow!"  The soundstage also appeared deeper. 

In recent years I have become a tube-amplification convert.  I favor at least a tubed preamp, and that's what I have, the tubed Modweight and the solid state Rowland 112.  Upon listening more, I began to realize that somehow the sound wasn't as rich in the mid section.  So I began A-B switching between the Tuan I/C and my Harmonic Technology Pro Silway III, everything else the same.  My analysis is that the reason that the Tuan I/Cs are sharper in defining the instruments and the soundstage is perhaps due to its leaner presentation.  Somehow, don't know if it's what I'm used to or not, I believe the Harm Tech wires give me a richer sound, harmonically speaking.  And, perhaps for this reason along, the Harm Tech sounded lusher.  It suites my taste more.

The Tuan I/Cs have tighter, better-defined bass, think I've said that.  The next I noticed is that the upper frequencies with the Tuan I/Cs are also sharper.  The attacks are just slightly too sharp for my ears.  I just feel it can use some roundness at the top, especially when I play violin music.  I happen to have a JVC XRCD of sample tracks, and the very first track is very fine violin playing.  Through the Tuans the upper frequencies came out just sharper to my ears.  Then, in another system, the sound may be just fine.

I also compared the Tuan I/Cs against a Nordost Blue Heaven I/Cs, same setup.  The Nordost wires seemed to be less solid.  I mean the timber of music coming off the system with the Blue Heavens didn't come across as intense or tight as the sound with the Tuan I/Cs.  The Blue Heaven sound, like the Harm Tech, also seemed rounder at the top.  Here, I would perfer the Tuan to the Blue Heaven.

Tuan is asking I think around $120 for his I/C.  My Blue Heavens cost me I think about $200, while the Pro Silway III like $300.  The bargain perhaps is with the Tuan I/Cs.

Good job, Tuan.  I liked the wire! :drool: :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 18 Apr 2008, 03:19 am
Shek, thanks for your review...
I know I was urging for a quick comment and I am appreciative of it...
I want experiences of my I/C to be shared, GOOD or BAD...
Since I am a DIY guy just trying to get some of us a more affordable option...that's all.
I am glad to hear that it wasn't your number one, that's ok...I would stress to everyone that based on my experience and the people that tried, bought and returned my I/C, it seems that if you're system is in the more laid back side and you want a more transparent, open, revealing, fast and for lack of a better work, more forward sound, then I think my I/C is for you, however, if you have a horn loaded system which is already transparent and revealing, my I/C may not be for you...

Anyways, I'd be happy to talk to anyone about this...
If you want to try, let me know....

Happy Listening!!!
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 18 Apr 2008, 10:16 am
Thanks again, Sonny.  In the end, I would say it's just a matter of personal taste.  The I/Cs definitely are very revealing.  That's its strength, nailing the instruments on the spot.  Because I'm used to the tube sound, typically sweet and warm mids (not that I don't like highs, in fact I started out with solid state, and love those bone-chilling high-Hz passages), I just decided not to keep the I/Cs.  The Harmonic Technology Pro Silway III's I am using are slightly warmer in the mid section, thus less resolving (perceptionally speaking) than your I/Cs.  But, in the end I just decided it's not time to throw out the HTs yet.  I know that once I bought a new toy, something's gotta give, thus ending up in the closet.  I may change my mind and come back to you, however, but only for a 1-meter length, regardless that the price differential is small.  I also don't like extra lengths of wires hanging out from my rack too much.

Shek
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kyrill on 18 Apr 2008, 10:33 am
hi Shek

how many hrs "bun in" have tuan's ic's?
are the pro silways shielded?
do yo know what metal the silway's core is and Tuan's?

thx
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 18 Apr 2008, 12:14 pm
Thanks again, Sonny.  In the end, I would say it's just a matter of personal taste.  The I/Cs definitely are very revealing.  That's its strength, nailing the instruments on the spot.  -------
 I may change my mind and come back to you, however, but only for a 1-meter length, regardless that the price differential is small.  I also don't like extra lengths of wires hanging out from my rack too much.

Shek

Shek,
Again, thanks...
Well, the length is not a matter here, as the cable you got was a trial cable I made, about 5ft if I remember for one of the guys that needed that length... That's why it was that long, but I could have made you any length necessary...

Kryill, the cables I use are Magnet wires, solid core, not stranded....
Your's will be sent out Monday! Thanks!
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 18 Apr 2008, 03:36 pm
hi Shek

how many hrs "bun in" have tuan's ic's?
are the pro silways shielded?
do yo know what metal the silway's core is and Tuan's?

thx

I believe the Harmonic Tech I/Cs are shielded.  The core of HT's wires is copper, that I know.  The shielding is copper and silver, etc.  You may want to check their web site, www.harmonictech.com, I think.  As far as Tuan's I/Cs, I don't know.  Trade secret!? :drool:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 18 Apr 2008, 03:58 pm

Tuan is asking I think around $120 for his I/C.  My Blue Heavens cost me I think about $200, while the Pro Silway III like $300.  The bargain perhaps is with the Tuan I/Cs.

Good job, Tuan.  I liked the wire! :drool: :thumb:

\
Again, Shek, thanks...Actually, the HT ProSidways III is $569 for 1 meter RCA and the Blue Heaven's are $200...

So, my cables are, again, no trade secrets here as I have gave many the recipe to create their own affordable cables... are made from Magnet Wire, sold core...Also, the design is shielded and directional. 
 
Shaun, thanks to you as well for the great write up...I am glad that the cables are serving you well and bringing you the qualities and characteristics that you were looking for...

For more info, please contact me.
Thanks
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 18 Apr 2008, 04:31 pm

Tuan is asking I think around $120 for his I/C.  My Blue Heavens cost me I think about $200, while the Pro Silway III like $300.  The bargain perhaps is with the Tuan I/Cs.

Good job, Tuan.  I liked the wire! :drool: :thumb:

\
Again, Shek, thanks...Actually, the HT ProSidways III is $569 for 1 meter RCA and the Blue Heaven's are $200...

So, my cables are, again, no trade secrets here as I have gave many the recipe to create their own affordable cables... are made from Magnet Wire, sold core...Also, the desire is shielded and directional. 

Shaun, thanks to you as well for the great write up...I am glad that the cables are serving you well and bringing you the qualities and characteristics that you were looking for...

For more info, please contact me.
Thanks

Yeap, the PS III + is now $569 a meter.  Mine is not the III+ but rather than the III.  They just keep raising the prices.  So, Sonny's is a bargain comparatively.

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 20 Apr 2008, 12:41 am
I had another discovery.  I took the Modwright preamp off and hooked back my usual preamp, the Cary AE3 DJH DIY version.  I should have remembered in my earlier posting, but I didn't, so I must apologize for the omission.  When I played contents with more higher frequencies, say violins, the violins came out as on the sharp side.  I suspected it was the Modwright, and indeed it was.  Not that anything is wrong with the Modwright.  Perhaps the Modwright and the I/Cs are not a good match, due to the fact that the I/Cs are on the lean side (don't how how to put it better, as I don't want to label it as white), and the Modwright is very open.  When both pieces image well, the result is not as desirable?  After switching back my preamp into the loop, the upper frequencies became rounder, more pleasant to "my" ears (with "my" emphasized).  So, I concluded that it was the Modwright (somewhat a surprise to me!) causing it to some extent, or both in tandem.  So, I must make this revision.  The other aspects, that the I/Cs are a bit on the dry side for my taste, remains (I used them in conjunction with my preamp also).  So, it's a tradeoff I suppose.  The Tuan I/Cs give you better imaging, and the Harm Tech wires give me warmer/sweeter sounds, but a little less precise preception in terms of imaging, at a higher cost.  So, it's one's preference that matters in the end, IMO. :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 20 Apr 2008, 04:47 pm
Shek, thanks for the clarification...
I am glad that your conclusion is that my DIY I/C was not bright or harsh...but in combo with the MW, it did sound that way...
Again, I think these cables are very very revealing, therefore, what i said earlier in the thread is that matching them with Horns and extremely transparent system may depend on tastes and preferences...
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: goldlizsts on 20 Apr 2008, 08:32 pm
Shek, thanks for the clarification...
I am glad that your conclusion is that my DIY I/C was not bright or harsh...but in combo with the MW, it did sound that way...
Again, I think these cables are very very revealing, therefore, what i said earlier in the thread is that matching them with Horns and extremely transparent system may depend on tastes and preferences...
Tuan

Absolutely.  In the end, it's always taste that drives a purchase decision when it comes to sound judgement. 

Just to note, the wires are at the Post Office as of this morning.  Thanks.  It's been a rewarding experience.  I have yet to hear a more revealing wire (except those demo sessions at the hi-fi shows; but those sessions are usually hardly convincing purely they're not in your system), tho at the end I didn't decide to keep it.  It doesn't mean that I will not come back tomorrow to order a pair.   :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 21 Apr 2008, 10:20 pm
Shek...
I am here and if you miss the imaging and transparancy, then all you got to do is shoot me a PM and I'll make you a pair...
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: paul canady on 30 Apr 2008, 09:23 pm
Vintage Audio Labs on ebay. Pure silver solid core ic's which are now at $70. Very clean and clear. I like them better than the special edition Reality Cables I had. More extended an airy. Anti Cables, signal cable, blue jeans, Audio Mettalurgy GA-0's dont even bother. Purist Audio Musaeus are pretty good but Reality Cables are better and those Taiwan made IC's I feel are even better. I did not personally compare the Jade Audio Vermeil but was told by a realiable source that the Vintage Audio IC's were not as good but not in another world either. Considering the price it left the person shaking there head. It should not have been close.
  However, shipping is expensive but still worth every penny. It is better to combine with other product. Right now I am using all there cable except power cords which are no slouch either.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kyrill on 15 May 2008, 02:43 pm
i have bought TUan's IC to try out and i am very very  impressed. But my cables are so changing (I now listen to Gregg Straley's wonderful LS cables) and i await the finishing of my "real Speakers" ( OB) and in the mean time ordered a pair of Silverline Minuets. SO i wait for my posting. Received the Minuets today but i need to upgrade its X-over
to bring it on par with the rest of the system.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 12 Aug 2008, 04:33 pm
i have bought TUan's IC to try out and i am very very  impressed. But my cables are so changing (I now listen to Gregg Straley's wonderful LS cables) and i await the finishing of my "real Speakers" ( OB) and in the mean time ordered a pair of Silverline Minuets. SO i wait for my posting. Received the Minuets today but i need to upgrade its X-over
to bring it on par with the rest of the system.


Kryill,

So, how are the cables sounding now, if you're using it???
Thanks

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kyrill on 12 Aug 2008, 06:25 pm
I am still using yr cable between preamp and o so important tweeter amp ( single ended pentode) . it is in the chain and the whole chain is soo transparent that i start to dislike the enormous amount of artificial "echo" reverbation most producers add to the human sound. I hear the human voice "natural" with this electronic reverb around it like a strange halo. It is like a "cloud" around the voice and you hear its decay at the moment the voice stops. Very few cd's found the right balance. most overdo it. Before this setup i never noticed it for the majority of recordings.

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 12 Aug 2008, 06:32 pm
I am still using yr cable between preamp and o so important tweeter amp ( single ended pentode) . it is in the chain and the whole chain is soo transparent that i start to dislike the enormous amount of artificial "echo" reverbation most producers add to the human sound. I hear the human voice "natural" with this electronic reverb around it like a strange halo. It is like a "cloud" around the voice and you hear its decay at the moment the voice stops. Very few cd's found the right balance. most overdo it. Before this setup i never noticed it for the majority of recordings.



Thanks Kryill, I am glad you are still using it...seems like the concensus is what you're hearing in my cable...extended and transparent, and of course, open and revealing!!!  Glad that you noticed things you never did before my cables...  Tell me, what amp are you using on the tweeter and what is the speaker/preamp too?

Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kyrill on 12 Aug 2008, 06:56 pm
digital preamp is a modded III DEQX ( modded by DEQX itself  deqx.com) it takes away the inbox filter of the speaker and replaces it with a digital filter before the DAC section. phase and frequency is corrected and the end result is incredible openness and transparency
unless  a mediocre chain or cables supersedes it.
My tweeter is the HDS Peerless with very low distortion and very good reviews. I am very very happy with this tweeter. It is all revealing and the tweeter amp i bought is a 5 watts TABOO Decware SEP tube amp, because Srajan Ebaen reviewed it with such an enthusiasm  http://6moons.com/audioreviews/decware/taboo.html

My whole setup is spooky transparent I use silver ribbon IC for mid and bass  ( silver will have a hard time to show its "negative" effects outside the tweeter's range ) as they can use the fast effects of silver but i want musicality and transparency combined for the tweeter. So i stay there with best copper and low dielectrics.

I probably can better your cables fore a much more expensive approach but the sound is already so good, i dont feel any motivation  to explore that further (yet) ;). I have tried the copper cable of KCI the soundbolts. but in my setup i like yr cables better in this context

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: butkevics on 8 Sep 2008, 06:47 pm
I bought Anticable interconnects from Tuan a month before, let the warm for ~80 hours. Even during this period I noticed substantial improvement in overall performance of my mid-level system (Myryad MX series CD and amplifier, DALI Ikon 6 speakers). I found following advantages comparing to Audioquest king cobra and jaguar i/c I had before:
1) sound is louder
2) bass is more articulated;
3) heights are more vivid,
4) mids extended, but not overstressed.

There are more details, more air... I should say- magnet wire Anticable is a real bargain for price asked. And best of all-  somebody doing his own way can create stuff better than those well funded prime brand manufacturers!
What's next? I am looking to improve "roundness" of the sound by installing some acoustic panels in order to minimize effect of my hard surfaces in the room. Yesterday ordered Lossless power cords from our southern neighbours in Lithuania, and put AQ Jaguar on ebay sale- don't need it anymore.
Ervins
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 8 Sep 2008, 08:00 pm
I bought Anticable interconnects from Tuan a month before, let the warm for ~80 hours. Even during this period I noticed substantial improvement in overall performance of my mid-level system (Myryad MX series CD and amplifier, DALI Ikon 6 speakers). I found following advantages comparing to Audioquest king cobra and jaguar i/c I had before:
1) sound is louder
2) bass is more articulated;
3) heights are more vivid,
4) mids extended, but not overstressed.

There are more details, more air... I should say- magnet wire Anticable is a real bargain for price asked. And best of all-  somebody doing his own way can create stuff better than those well funded prime brand manufacturers!
What's next? I am looking to improve "roundness" of the sound by installing some acoustic panels in order to minimize effect of my hard surfaces in the room. Yesterday ordered Lossless power cords from our southern neighbours in Lithuania, and put AQ Jaguar on ebay sale- don't need it anymore.
Ervins


Ervins,

Thanks for the comments and feedback regarding my DIY cables.  Just to clarify, these are NOT the ANTI-Cables...yes, I use Magnet Wires, but I apply them in a different application than Anti-Cables....

If anyone would like some more information, please PM me or email me at gotoma8@yahoo.com
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 21 Dec 2008, 12:37 am
well,i i get to meet Tuan in person today to pick 3 pairs of RCA IC.all i could said is WOW .i can't believe what i heard the first 2 hours.everything sound so much better ,the High is just right,Image is right up front.detail detail detail.bass is nice and tight.Thanks again   here is my system ,Arcam 74t >>>>Modwright transport>>>>AVA T8 >>>>>Spectron mkII SE>>>Sp tech revalation . aa




lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 21 Dec 2008, 04:25 pm
well,i i get to meet Tuan in person today to pick 3 pairs of RCA IC.all i could said is WOW .i can't believe what i heard the first 2 hours.everything sound so much better ,the High is just right,Image is right up front.detail detail detail.bass is nice and tight.Thanks again   here is my system ,Arcam 74t >>>>Modwright transport>>>>AVA T8 >>>>>Spectron mkII SE>>>Sp tech revalation . aa




lapsan

Thanks Lapsan,

I am glad that the cables work for you and the SP Tech speakers...good to know.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to come have a listen to those SP TECH Revalations....I am sure they sounded marvelous...

If you need anything else, do let me know.

Thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 23 Dec 2008, 04:36 pm
Lapsan,
Anymore take on how the RCA's are sounding?
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 24 Dec 2008, 05:44 am
after about 22 hours of listening since Saturday,it's get better all the time.the separation of instruments is more clear ,the bass is tight not boom.i like it alot.this IC is will stay in my system .no need for me to upgrade any more :)Thanks again


oh BTW,i loan one of my IC to my friend,i let him try it out in his system.i will get feed back from in a couple day. :thumb:


lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: BlkNotes on 26 Dec 2008, 11:29 pm
Hello;

   PM for Sonny;

Thanks;
BN
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 14 Jan 2009, 01:01 am
after about 22 hours of listening since Saturday,it's get better all the time.the separation of instruments is more clear ,the bass is tight not boom.i like it alot.this IC is will stay in my system .no need for me to upgrade any more :)Thanks again


oh BTW,i loan one of my IC to my friend,i let him try it out in his system.i will get feed back from in a couple day. :thumb:


lapsan

Lapsan,
did you ever get feedback from your friend you mentioned above?
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 15 Jan 2009, 06:00 am
Yes,i did.He's love it. :thumb:Not many cables out there that came close with this price range.This will be the only cable i will using in my system.Thanks again :) :thumb:


lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 15 Jan 2009, 09:31 pm
Thanks Lapsan...

FYI, all I just got news of my lay off, so, any orders for my cables are greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: SFDude on 19 Jan 2009, 04:57 am
I just received one of Sonny's ICs with Neutrik XLR connectors. This is a very preliminary feedback on them but let me say first off that they are VERY well made, with a level of professionalism that makes some of the other cable makers look amateurish. And he does this as a hobby in spare time on the side!

After inserting into the system, initially everything sounded really open (I guess that's what this thread title is all about) and seemed to let me hear a LOT of details in things. It did come with a little getting use to a slight harshness in the upper end but I do need to spend more time with the cable. After about 4 hours of casual listening (background music & a movie through them, since my rig doubles as a 2-ch HT system as well), I went back to the system today and started to notice that things sounded a little closed off! Odd and I thought I was imagining things. But some of the same albums I played yesterday sounded different today, there was no mistaking it.

My point of comparison was against a Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling X2 Active ICs, with a single Mini Power Coupler providing the power to both cables. The Synergistic cable actually sounded more "round" in the midrange but I definitely attribute that to being a cable that rolls off the highs and the lows, more than anything else. A cable should be fairly neutral in nature and that means everything from top to bottom end should come right through.

There'll be some burn-in time required for these cables, after which I'll give a more complete report. No conclusions right now but just wanted to give some initial feedback to keep this thread alive and see what others have experienced with these, whether balanced or unbalanced.

Thanks Sonny and lovely system you had at your place!  :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 19 Jan 2009, 07:11 pm
Thanks SFDude...

Hm...I wonder if you had the exact setting when you got back from playing it on HT mode for 4 hours....
Perhaps what happened was when you listened to it for that extended period, you might have be desensitized. 
Hopefully the next time you sit down, the open / airiness and detail / imaging will return. It should.
Also, could you tell me which end of the cable is at the source? Is it the female end?

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: bluemike on 22 Jan 2009, 08:42 pm
Hi Sonny
Are you still building Interconnects
I need a price on a 4 foot lead using them between my phono stage and pre amp

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 22 Jan 2009, 09:24 pm
Hi Sonny
Are you still building Interconnects
I need a price on a 4 foot lead using them between my phono stage and pre amp



PM sent!
Thanks
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 24 Feb 2009, 04:17 pm
Here's what they look like

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=18453)
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 25 Feb 2009, 02:49 am
SOLD! :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brj on 22 Apr 2009, 01:13 pm
Tuan, please start a thread in the proper for-sale circle, as ads are not appropriate in the Critic's Circle.

I will move or delete, per your choice, the corresponding posts once this is done.  Thank you.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 May 2009, 02:53 pm
SFDude,

Any new news to talk about regarding your experience with my cables vs others?
Thanks
T

I just received one of Sonny's ICs with Neutrik XLR connectors. This is a very preliminary feedback on them but let me say first off that they are VERY well made, with a level of professionalism that makes some of the other cable makers look amateurish. And he does this as a hobby in spare time on the side!

After inserting into the system, initially everything sounded really open (I guess that's what this thread title is all about) and seemed to let me hear a LOT of details in things. It did come with a little getting use to a slight harshness in the upper end but I do need to spend more time with the cable. After about 4 hours of casual listening (background music & a movie through them, since my rig doubles as a 2-ch HT system as well), I went back to the system today and started to notice that things sounded a little closed off! Odd and I thought I was imagining things. But some of the same albums I played yesterday sounded different today, there was no mistaking it.

My point of comparison was against a Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling X2 Active ICs, with a single Mini Power Coupler providing the power to both cables. The Synergistic cable actually sounded more "round" in the midrange but I definitely attribute that to being a cable that rolls off the highs and the lows, more than anything else. A cable should be fairly neutral in nature and that means everything from top to bottom end should come right through.

There'll be some burn-in time required for these cables, after which I'll give a more complete report. No conclusions right now but just wanted to give some initial feedback to keep this thread alive and see what others have experienced with these, whether balanced or unbalanced.

Thanks Sonny and lovely system you had at your place!  :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: watercourse on 19 May 2009, 03:42 am
I traded Tuan some of his DIY interconnect cables for my Audio Alchemy DAC and jitter box.  I met Tuan at his crib, and checked out his cables on his very revealing, highly accurate system (DIY speakers, cabling, and phono pre - which were killer).  Tuan shared his magnet wire IC recipe with me when I heard how good they sounded. He also did me a huge favor by fixing my tonearm cable, which had been damaged at the RCA jacks, at the same time providing me a short tutorial on soldering.  What a guy! :thumb:

I ended up asking Tuan to make up a few pairs of cables for me.  Tuan lent me some cables to check out in my system while he fabricated the new ones.  In my system, which consists of:
Bel Canto PL2 > Bel Canto DAC3 > Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 > Devore Fidelity 9s and Rel Strata III
Digital cable is Audience AU24 AES/EBU, speaker cables are Auditorium 23, using Rel speakon.  I like my system to sound musical.  Sound staging is very good, imaging is good, but accuracy of tone and dynamics are far more important to me.

My preamp is currently out of commission, and so I have been running a minimal setup to assess Tuan's cables, digital source only.  My living room is 20x15x9, with hardwood floors and no treatment except rugs and curtains. Because my living room is open on one short wall, I have to augment the bass to get a better balance. Typical circa-1930s San Francisco architecture, but the living room is above a garage, and my flat is on the L-train, so ambient noise is high and vibrations transmit through the sand pretty well. Nothing I can do about those things except move. But at least the room is not reflective of high frequencies too, and my system sounds great no matter where in the flat you are. 8)

Immediately putting the cables in my system, they were very musical and enjoyable.  I agree with everything that has been said previously about the cable's fast, detailed, and open character.  In my system, the cables had a coherent and balanced character as well, with very accurate tone from high to very low frequencies.  There are no emphasized frequencies.  The cables are very lively and upfront, and definitely livened up my system without being too much of a good thing.  They are very quiet and allow all details to come through.  Prior to Tuan's cables, I only had silver over copper cables throughout my system, thinking that the addition of silver allowed detail retrieval and speed not possible with copper alone; Tuan's cables changed my mind about that.

I always check out how badly recorded music sounds at some point in my assessment of cables.  Notably, this is the first cable that made the recent Van Halen reissues listenable and not too bright.  Sound staging was massive and dynamics were very wide on Van Halen 1, the best I've heard this album on my system.  However, badly engineered recordings don't always sound better, i.e. U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was still very bright and bass volume still varied with each track.

The following are my brief notes from my critical listening with Tuan's cables in the system:

Rostropovich: Bach cello suites
Cello tone is full and accurate, excellent detail and ambience retrieval even at low volumes.

Massive Attack: Angel
Bass complexity and texture are clear down to the lowest frequencies, sound staging very wide.

Meat Puppets: Up on the Sun
I meant to only put on a few tracks, but ended up playing the whole album.  My wife and I were singing and dancing by the time Buckethead came on.

Cyrus Chestnut: Lord, Lord, Lord
Bass micro and macro dynamics were excellent.  Bass on this track has sounded boomy with other cables in my system, but was tight and balanced through Tuan's cables.  The piano sound was realistic, with the ringing, bell-like quality of Steinway and Cyrus's touch.

Anyway, I have listened to much more music with Tuan's cables, less critically, and the characteristics listed above are consistent.  These are very nice cables and have kicked my other cables to the curb, which cost at least twice as much.  More later when my Dodd battery preamp shows up in two weeks, and after I've had a chance to check out my new cables! aa

Tuan has inspired me to pick up the soldering iron again - give Tuan a holler and check out his cables - they rock! Thanks Tuan!

Wilson
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 19 May 2009, 02:42 pm


I ended up asking Tuan to make up a few pairs of cables for me.  Tuan lent me some cables to check out in my system while he fabricated the new ones.  In my system, which consists of:
Bel Canto PL2 > Bel Canto DAC3 > Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 > Devore Fidelity 9s and Rel Strata III
Digital cable is Audience AU24 AES/EBU, speaker cables are Auditorium 23, using Rel speakon.  I like my system to sound musical.  Sound staging is very good, imaging is good, but accuracy of tone and dynamics are far more important to me.

Tuan has inspired me to pick up the soldering iron again - give Tuan a holler and check out his cables ? they rock! Thanks Tuan!

Wilson

Wilson, thanks for the comments!  I am glad the cables worked well in your set up!  Also, glad that the headphone cable worked out as well!
I look forward to coming over for a listen and doing the compare of the Dodd and the Bent TAP!
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 29 May 2009, 07:40 pm
The posting below is from a DIYer that used my recipe:


1000a
Registered+

Posts: 517



View Profile WWW Offline
   
Re: mag ICs
? Sent to: Sonny on: Today at 11:43:32 AM ?
   Reply with quoteQuote ReplyReply Remove this messageRemove
Sorry Sonny,

been swamped, (feel free to copy and post)

I really like the ICs though I can not detect any specific sound changes from the ones I made a few yrs. back.  I will have to switch back to those again in a while to ck again.

But the drain wire is fantastic and I had been needing to re due my org very poorly constructed mag ICs.  Love the braided design very nice.  Keep up the good work.

As per sound they sound fantastic as I found out awhile back, any body wanting an exceptional IC should either make your design or simply get a set from you.  When I had my first experience with mag wires I knew I would never purchase ICs from a company again.  My guess is there is very little competion until one spends 800+ on ICs.

these are smooth, very detailed, tight well defined bass, natural and airey, big stage- no complaints :drool:

I even use mag wire for PCs across the board in my system the qualities achieved are more of the same. -

1000a
Welborne PS/SB3----GW Labs DSP----Monarchy NM24 Tube DAC----Promitheus Ref 2 TVC----Jolida 1000a amp----Odyssey Nightingales & HSU sub 

(DIY; Room Lens/bass traps/absorption panels/ICs/SCs/PCs) mmf5 TT--Gram Amp2
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 6 Jun 2009, 05:17 am
well,i finally broke down and cross over to analog.The reason it take me so long to cross over is ,the cost of analog system.since i got a good digital front end already.i try to keep my analog system under 2k,add a use minimax phono pre $700 ,Heybrook turnatable with dynvector 20xl $800.pioneer pl560 with benz mc20e $300.i thought my system sound pretty good as it is with a cheap radio shack 25feet cable..i ask Tuan to make me a special 12 feet long rca to rca cable for my phono to my modwrigt pre amp.The sound different is night and day.i also ask tuan to make me a RCA to XLR cable also since my DAC amp only take XLR .the high and mid sound more expanded and the bass sound deeper then before.Now i can said my Analog beat my digital front end in sonic but i still prefer my digital convienency.Thanks again


lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 6 Jun 2009, 03:51 pm
Lapsan,

Thanks for the comments...I am glad you are happy with the cables...
Thanks also for inviting me over to you place and hear you system.  I got to say the SP Tech Speakers, the DAC amps and the Modded Transporter was amazing!  Didn't know digital can sound that good!

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TheChairGuy on 17 Jun 2009, 02:30 pm
Allright, as co-Mod of this circle (with Brian/brj) I have casually read this topic for the past year it's run to make sure there are no shenanigans :nono: :wink:....but I haven't really kept up with it, per se.

I'm a cable agnostic - by choice.  Yes, I have heard differences, but they tend to be slight next to component changes and other matters...so I have blissfully sworn off the merry-go-round of wire for years now.  Best Buy is near me, so when I need a length of IC, I normally buy the $49/4' cable they have - which I think is called Interlink 600 (?)

I sold a lot of my boutique cables (Kimber, LAT International, Revelation Audio Labs, Alpha-Core, etc) a while back.....not that I didn't perceive some betterment with the higher end cables, I just didn't feel my cash outlay for them was equivalent to their sonic merits.  So, I've semi-happily used Monster Cable, cheap free stuff that comes with components primarily.

Sonny/Tuan is a San Fran local and we've met 3x in the past year.  Tho I've heard his rig at his place, we didn't pull his wires and subbed in Monster Cable to hear the effect of different IC's in his system.....so I just enjoyed tunes there :drums:

We were at local Bill Berndt's place yesterday for a (vinyl) GTG.  I brought my VPI with a length of Monster Cable (I think their top of the line this time, the 1000i).  At some point or another Sonny/Tuan subbed his cable for the Monster Cable and I thought, overall, it sounded a bit better.  You know how these things go tho....I'm not in my own domain, I'm getting phone calls and messages on my Blackberry so I'm half-an-ear to the music, we're talking amongst ourselves and or eating pizza.  I figured what I heard to be half-illusion and the other half delusion :wink:

At Tuan's urging, I went home with a 35" length of the TuanCable(tm) (ha), Eichmann bullet plugs and listened to my VPI turntable with it.  Now, I am not a golden-eared lad, but I have music on 6-8' from my ear every day I'm in the office so small changes are noticeable to me immediately merely due to repetition.  As well, the Linaeum tweeters on my speakers are really special and changes in treble are noticed very quickly relative to most other speakers I have heard.

Well, damned if I didn't enjoy my TT just a wee bit more late yesterday after the GTG.  So, I ordered up a full 1 mtr. length ($125.00) with Switchcraft rca's on them (he had these in stock and I the Bullets need 4" space between component and wall and I have more like 3" total to play with...so Switchcrafts for me :) )

I can't cite specifics...I just think something in the presentation is more enjoyable now than with the Monster Cables previously.  Nothing more or less than that for me.

I'm not a DIY guy, nor have time to tinker anymore, so I bought mine.  Tuan may still be giving his simple recipe away - you need to ask him.  Since the topic first ran, Tuan's economic circumstances have changed (like many of us in this deep recession), so he has more time and definitely more inclination to make them now rather than give them away :icon_lol:

So, I hope I have adequately conveyed my thoughts on the TuanCable(tm), wire in general and all else. If you have limited funds, save it up for a component upgrade.  If you already have a system that sounds good to you - you may find a TuanCable(tm) delicious frosting on an already yummy cake :thumb:

Regards, John
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 17 Jun 2009, 10:21 pm
Thanks for the kind words John...
Of course the best thing about it is, it's totally customized...I can definitely use any connectors that you or anyone wants, as it'll be your cable.  I too never believed in cables until I tried it and well, went from all these exotic cables to just using my own throughout, from TT to Phono / CD sources to Pre  to amps. 

Just a note for passive preamp users, my cables actually works really well as it works great in my system with the Bent Tap-X. 

I've also made a 12ft single ended cable from phono stage (tube) to Modwright preamp and well, we didn't hear any hums or noises...even for a 12 footer from phono stage to preamp. 

Thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: guest1632 on 8 Aug 2009, 08:46 am
Thanks for the kind words John...
Of course the best thing about it is, it's totally customized...I can definitely use any connectors that you or anyone wants, as it'll be your cable.  I too never believed in cables until I tried it and well, went from all these exotic cables to just using my own throughout, from TT to Phono / CD sources to Pre  to amps. 

Just a note for passive preamp users, my cables actually works really well as it works great in my system with the Bent Tap-X. 

I've also made a 12ft single ended cable from phono stage (tube) to Modwright preamp and well, we didn't hear any hums or noises...even for a 12 footer from phono stage to preamp. 

Thanks
Tuan

Hi Tuan,

Could you send me your receipe? How tight a twist do you make each cable? I suppose your receipe will give those details.? Yep, those bullets do make a surprising difference. You ought to hear those Soundbolts of John's with Silver bullets. The main thing I noted between the Silvers and the regular copper Ikemans is the compression is gone, more dynamics, better delineation of everything, as well as better top to bottom resolution. in my particular system, it made a surprising difference almost night and day. Now, this is no exaggeration. YMMV This is in my opinion.

amp is a SKA150D, control Center is a TVC, speakers a pair of 400 dollars from a Company from John Saucoletos. Sorry I know the spelling is wrong. He is known for his speaker designs. Anywho, the DVD player is a Philips bought at of all places, I think Target.

Right now, don't have anything set up, because, my wife and I are staying with relatives til we can get back on our feet.

Might just try my hand at building a pair. Now, being a blind person, you will have to get a bit more descriptive than normal. You mentioned speaker cabling as well as power cord?

Ray Bronk
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 8 Aug 2009, 10:26 pm
Ray, reply sent!
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TF1216 on 16 Aug 2009, 08:14 pm
Hi Tuan,

I sent you a PM a while back.  Did it make it into your inbox?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 16 Aug 2009, 10:30 pm
Hi Tuan,

I sent you a PM a while back.  Did it make it into your inbox?

PM Sent...
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 29 Oct 2009, 02:22 am


Hi Tuan,

Could you send me your receipe? How tight a twist do you make each cable? I suppose your receipe will give those details.? Yep, those bullets do make a surprising difference. You ought to hear those Soundbolts of John's with Silver bullets. The main thing I noted between the Silvers and the regular copper Ikemans is the compression is gone, more dynamics, better delineation of everything, as well as better top to bottom resolution. in my particular system, it made a surprising difference almost night and day. Now, this is no exaggeration. YMMV This is in my opinion.

amp is a SKA150D, control Center is a TVC, speakers a pair of 400 dollars from a Company from John Saucoletos. Sorry I know the spelling is wrong. He is known for his speaker designs. Anywho, the DVD player is a Philips bought at of all places, I think Target.

Right now, don't have anything set up, because, my wife and I are staying with relatives til we can get back on our feet.

Might just try my hand at building a pair. Now, being a blind person, you will have to get a bit more descriptive than normal. You mentioned speaker cabling as well as power cord?

Ray Bronk
[/quote]

Hi there, how did the i/c work for you?  Did you build it?
if so, what was your result?
thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: guest1632 on 29 Oct 2009, 04:15 am


Hi Tuan,

Could you send me your receipe? How tight a twist do you make each cable? I suppose your receipe will give those details.? Yep, those bullets do make a surprising difference. You ought to hear those Soundbolts of John's with Silver bullets. The main thing I noted between the Silvers and the regular copper Ikemans is the compression is gone, more dynamics, better delineation of everything, as well as better top to bottom resolution. in my particular system, it made a surprising difference almost night and day. Now, this is no exaggeration. YMMV This is in my opinion.

amp is a SKA150D, control Center is a TVC, speakers a pair of 400 dollars from a Company from John Saucoletos. Sorry I know the spelling is wrong. He is known for his speaker designs. Anywho, the DVD player is a Philips bought at of all places, I think Target.

Right now, don't have anything set up, because, my wife and I are staying with relatives til we can get back on our feet.

Might just try my hand at building a pair. Now, being a blind person, you will have to get a bit more descriptive than normal. You mentioned speaker cabling as well as power cord?

Ray Bronk

Hi there, how did the i/c work for you?  Did you build it?
if so, what was your result?
thanks
Tuan
[/quote]

Hi Tuan,

It has been a busy month or two. We had to help my sister-in-waw move because they lost there management job of some aparments. they had only thirty days to do the move. They had about 90 days worth of stuff to move in 30 days. then afther that, my wife and I moved back here to Tucson. So gotta go in to the circle's profile and correct that info.

So to your answer, at the moment no. All my equipment is in storage. So that's the story at the moment. Will try this IC once I get settled.

Ray Bronk
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: rollo on 6 Nov 2009, 02:15 pm
Hey Ray whats up. If you think the Silver Bullets are good try the WBT Nextgens [ silver]. Another leauge. Expensive but IMO worth every penny.



charles
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 6 Nov 2009, 03:50 pm
Hey Ray whats up. If you think the Silver Bullets are good try the WBT Nextgens [ silver]. Another leauge. Expensive but IMO worth every penny.



charles

Charles I am sure the WBT nextgens are amazing...but they are really really expensive...The Bullets are nice, I have some copper ones I use, but all my cables that I make and use for myself are just the Switchcraft RCAs, affordable and, IMHO, does a great job...I don't know if I can tell the difference between them and the bullets...so, really don't know if I can pick them from the Next Gens.

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 25 Nov 2009, 07:21 pm
Hey Ray whats up. If you think the Silver Bullets are good try the WBT Nextgens [ silver]. Another leauge. Expensive but IMO worth every penny.



charles

charles, so, did you go with the Silver Bullets or WBTs?  What was the outcome?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 7 Jan 2010, 12:45 am
Follow Up...

Hi there, I justed wanted to follow up with those of you that have or are using my cables.  Wanted to see if any of you switched and are now using something else or have stead fast and still use my cables.  If so, I'd like to know your experience, either way... :green:
 :thumb:
Thanks!

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 7 Jan 2010, 02:32 am
Also, sorry to announce that I will no longer be giving out the recipe as there have been too much confusion / deviations from it....

Sorry... :duh:

T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 Jan 2010, 09:43 pm
NEWS UPDATE...

Stay Tuned to the February or possibly March issue of Affordable Audio for a review by Jeff Brown...

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: rollo on 1 Feb 2010, 04:25 pm
charles, so, did you go with the Silver Bullets or WBTs?  What was the outcome?

  Niether actually. Audio Note silver over copper for $16 each. Very happy.


charles
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 1 Feb 2010, 04:27 pm
send us a link to the connector please...intriguingly affordable!
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: rollo on 1 Feb 2010, 04:27 pm
NEWS UPDATE...

Stay Tuned to the February or possibly March issue of Affordable Audio for a review by Jeff Brown...

Tuan


  Cool !  the Parts connection and Highficollective sell them. The price is $17.95 not 16 as I thought, my mistake.  The IC connectors are $34.95 each.

charles
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: drphoto on 23 Feb 2010, 05:57 pm
Sonny sent me his latest design. I don't think it's his magnet wire version. Very nice looking cable and it sounds terrific. Open and revealing, but very 'liquid' sounding. One thing I noticed is audience applause on live recordings tended to sound like white noise, with this cable it sounds like people clapping. I'm running it between my DAC and pre. It just seems to play nice w/ my SS pre. I dunno, maybe it's acting like a 'tone' control and lacking ultimate 'truthiness', but I like it. Good job Tuan!
Title: Review Announcement - Affordable Audio!
Post by: Sonny on 10 Mar 2010, 09:31 pm
Hi All,

I wanted to thank Jeff Brown of Affordable Audio for taking the time and effort to audition a pair of my cables, now called "Sweet Spot Reveal" on the March issue of the Affordable Audio E-Zine.  If you're interested in the review, please click on this link:  http://affordableaudio.org/aa2010-03.pdf (http://affordableaudio.org/aa2010-03.pdf) and go to page 17.

Thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 11 Mar 2010, 05:29 pm
Sonny sent me his latest design. I don't think it's his magnet wire version. Very nice looking cable and it sounds terrific. Open and revealing, but very 'liquid' sounding. One thing I noticed is audience applause on live recordings tended to sound like white noise, with this cable it sounds like people clapping. I'm running it between my DAC and pre. It just seems to play nice w/ my SS pre. I dunno, maybe it's acting like a 'tone' control and lacking ultimate 'truthiness', but I like it. Good job Tuan!

Thanks Joe for the kind words...
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: drphoto on 13 Mar 2010, 01:35 am
BTW: this cable works great for driving good subs. I used to think you could just toss anything in there. I had a hum issues w/ some other cables I had on hand, but none w/ this. Plus the bass seemed much tighter and more articulate.

Tuan is a really classy guy too. I sold him a DOA Adcom amp. I told him he didn't owe me a dime if it didn't work, inc. shipping, but he felt like he needed to send me a cable.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Vulcan00 on 13 Mar 2010, 06:13 am
I have been using a set from my source (Oppo Bd83SE) to my Preamp. A set from the pre-amp to my amp (XLR). They sound great. An additional advantage is in cable management, With all the interconnects I have with multi-channel and stereo, these smaller wires disappear without any loss in SQ. They seem to add more to the extremes top and bottom freq. in my system.
Harrison

PS These replaced Blue Jeans.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 14 Mar 2010, 04:25 pm
Thanks Harrison...I am glad that the cables are giving you what you wanted from your system!  Again, I think the being an simple design with "no" extra covers or protection on the individual wires or cables as a whole, especially without the 95% shielding braid, it really does allow a lower capacitance and give the signal an "easier" path, as you will, of travel...

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TJHUB on 23 Mar 2010, 12:41 am
I recently took a chance on Tuan's "Sweet Spot Reveal" IC's this last week and I am very happy that I did.

About 6 months ago, I thought (big mistake :roll:) that I was finished gear swapping and I purchased all new IC's from Blue Jean Cable (LC-1) in the lengths I needed.  Since then, only my receiver is the same.  However, the good news is that the gear I have now is giving me the best sound I've ever had.

My latest purchase was a pair of Odyssey Stratos Extreme SE monoblocks.  When I added them to my setup, the sound became a little "liquid" and soft on the top end.  I switched speaker cables and everything seemed to fall into place and I was VERY happy.  I thought things were near perfect and changing anything would only send me in the wrong direction and I'd lose my wonderful sound (it has happened before).

Over the last couple of weeks, I started to feel like the treble was just a bit rolled off and I started to wonder what a more "open" sounding IC would do for my setup.  I remembered that when I added the LC-1's to my setup, I thought I heard a slight decrease in treble.  At the time, I was running brighter sounding gear and my ears seemed to quickly adjust and all was well.  All the gear swapping has caused me to revive the issue.

I did a little searching and started to think that I may try silver IC's or maybe Anti-Cables or the like.  Then I found this thread and figured I'd give Tuan's IC's a listen.

I received them last Monday and I was able to connect them that evening.  Upon first listen, they were obviously more revealing.  I liked some things they did, but not others.  In the interest of giving them a chance, I decided to stick with them until this past Saturday and then switch back to the LC-1's.  I've had times where switching to something new isn't as revealing as switching back to what you had.  So this was my plan.

What I initially tried to like was the extended sounding treble.  The treble seemed more audible and extended, but I started to think it sounded fake or digital in some ways.  The midrange was thinner sounding, but I could hear more overtones and ambiance in the music.  I did start to think vocals were cleaner sounding and still very nice overall.  To be honest, I didn't really think I liked the IC's all that much.

So Saturday rolls around and I decide to make a playlist of 5 or 6 tracks I wanted to use for comparison when I switched back to the LC-1's.  I listened to the playlist a couple of times and swapped my LC-1's back in.

It's funny how switching to something isn't as revealing as switching back.  From the first 10 seconds, the LC-1's sounded dull and lifeless.  I was quickly reminded of why I was looking for something more "open" sounding.  What's really funny is how I went from thinking my setup sounded fantastic with the LC-1's and I wanted something slightly different but now the LC-1's sounded terrible!  I ran through my playlist and immediately swapped Tuan's IC's back in. 

To compare the LC-1's to the Sweet Spot Reveals (SSR):

The SSR's are definitely more open sounding.  The treble has very nice extension and cymbals have a nice metallic shimmer.  One thing that really stands out is triangles.  The LC-1's really dull them out while the SSR's ring them out with perfect clarity.  Vocals are cleaner with extra overtones and more overall ambiance.  I can just simply hear more music.  They also did all of this without ever getting in my face or sounding overly bright. 

To my surprise, I also noticed that the imaging and separation are sharper with the SSR's.  There is just more coherence in the stage.  Instruments and vocalists can clearly be positioned on the stage.  This all leads to more transparency as well, making my speakers better disappear in the room.

I still hear what I think is better upper bass/lower midrange clarity in the LC-1's, but that may be because it's easier to hear because so much else is missing.  There also seems to be a bit more bass with the LC-1's, but again that may be due to the midrange and treble seemly less audible.  It could also be that the bass is "fatter" sounding making it seem like there is more when there really isn't.

So in the end, I'm going to say that the SSR's are the clear (pun intended) winner for me.  It honestly did take me switching back to the LC-1's to really hear the differences.  All I can say is that I'm very happy I tried them and they've made a very nice improvement in a my setup that I already thought was near perfect.  If anyone would like to try a more open sounding IC, the Sweet Spot Reveals should be on your short list. 

One note:  My DAC has the ability to switch from non-oversampling to 96k or 192k oversampling.  For me, the higher the oversampling setting, the brighter the sound can be.  With the LC-1's, I had this setting at 192k.  With the 192k setting, the SSR's sounded a bit fake with cymbals.  I switched the DAC to non-oversampling mode and the sound is near perfect.  I can't say anything sounds fake or digital.  So my case may be a little unique and I had to make this last change to get the SSR's to synergize with my gear.

I'll end by thanking Tuan for putting up with me and my comments via PM's.  Tuan was as professional and objective as anyone I've ever run across in this hobby.  So thanks again Tuan!  :wink: :D
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 23 Mar 2010, 08:55 am
Thanks Terry...

I am glad that in the end, the SSR's worked for you...  As I said before, there's no "ONE" cable that is for everyone, and cables do make a difference as they sound different, system to system and most of all, person to person!

Thanks again...and to reinstate...anyone wanting to give these a try...just look at all the "actual user" comments here!

Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Charles Calkins on 23 Mar 2010, 10:38 pm
I recently had to rearrange my audio rack. Doing so involved relocating my SB3. The Brand X digital cable I had been using for a few years was to short. So I went scrounging in my boxes of unused cables and other stuff. I found three bluejeanscable digital audio cables. One was to short. One was to long. The four footer was just the right length. After hooking it up I heard an improvement over the Brand X digital audio cable. Brand X digital audio cable costs four times the bjc cable. So now I'm thinking what if I got a stereo pair of the latest bjc audio cables. They came yesterday I hooked them up and again they are better sounding than the brand X audio cables I had been using. Brand X stereo cables cost twice as much as the bjc cables.

 Now from what I'm reading TJHUB on his post  is sure that Sonny's cables are better than the bjc's I guess I'll have to contact Sonny and get a pair of his cables to try out. GEEZEE!! Where does it end??? I'm thinking us audioholic's are GOOOFY!!

                                      Cheers

                                    Charlie
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TJHUB on 23 Mar 2010, 11:32 pm
I recently had to rearrange my audio rack. Doing so involved relocating my SB3. The Brand X digital cable I had been using for a few years was to short. So I went scrounging in my boxes of unused cables and other stuff. I found three bluejeanscable digital audio cables. One was to short. One was to long. The four footer was just the right length. After hooking it up I heard an improvement over the Brand X digital audio cable. Brand X digital audio cable costs four times the bjc cable. So now I'm thinking what if I got a stereo pair of the latest bjc audio cables. They came yesterday I hooked them up and again they are better sounding than the brand X audio cables I had been using. Brand X stereo cables cost twice as much as the bjc cables.

 Now from what I'm reading TJHUB on his post  is sure that Sonny's cables are better than the bjc's I guess I'll have to contact Sonny and get a pair of his cables to try out. GEEZEE!! Where does it end??? I'm thinking us audioholic's are GOOOFY!!

                                      Cheers

                                    Charlie

Charlie,

To be clear, there is no "better" cable for every setup.  You have to listen to YOUR setup and decide what you think is missing or is too much.  For me, I wanted to try something more "open" and "revealing".  Tuan's IC's are really those two things.  That may be too much in some setups.  I considered getting another set of Tuan's IC's, but I honestly think it would be too much for my gear.  However, where Tuan's IC's are "better" is that they really sharpened the imaging and separation giving me more transparency. 

One thing is for certain, Tuan's IC's would have been terrible with my previous Parasound NewClassic preamp/amp (2100/2250) as that setup was much brighter sounding than my current setup. 

An example of this is with a previous setup I had, I tried Belden 10awg speaker wire from BJC.  It was so bright sounding, I couldn't stand it.  I gave the cables four days thinking my ears could adjust to the sound.  NOPE!  I switched to some Calabrine Quadio cables and things sounded great.  About a month ago, I purchased my Odyssey mono's and they sounded rolled off and lifeless.  I considered selling them, but luckily prior to selling them I remembered the more revealing/brighter sound of the Belden's.  So before selling my amps, I purchased another length of Belden 10awg from BJC and it has worked out perfectly.  The moral of my story is that the Belden speaker wire was terrible for one mix of gear I had and is perfect for another. 

So what does "better" really mean?  Will Tuan's IC's be "better" for you setup?  It completely depends on what gear you have and what you think your setup needs.  :wink:

Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: gerald porzio on 23 Mar 2010, 11:53 pm
"what you think your setup needs"

Mind triumphs over "nonmatter."
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Charles Calkins on 24 Mar 2010, 12:15 am
Well I don't think my set up needs a real big kick in the ass but maybe a tweak or two. Tuan and I live near each other so just to satisfy my curiosity about his cables I think I'll contact him and we'll go from there.

                                Cheers

                            Charlie
                       
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 24 Mar 2010, 09:17 am
Well I don't think my set up needs a real big kick in the ass but maybe a tweak or two. Tuan and I live near each other so just to satisfy my curiosity about his cables I think I'll contact him and we'll go from there.

                                Cheers

                            Charlie
                     
Charlie, let's talk when I get back from France...
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: audioboy02 on 29 Mar 2010, 11:19 pm
Is there a website for Sweet Spot Cables or a contact phone num.  Thanks Ross :eyebrows:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 30 Mar 2010, 05:00 pm
Is there a website for Sweet Spot Cables or a contact phone num.  Thanks Ross :eyebrows:

Audioboy02, PM Sent!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 17 Jun 2010, 02:36 pm
Hi All,

Since there have been lots of talk / review about cables these days, I'd like to also offer a cable tour if any one is interested...  I can send out two 1 meter pairs to tour...

Please let me know if there are any interests...

Thanks
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: nunhgrader on 17 Jun 2010, 03:11 pm
Hi Sonny - sent you a pm!

Sorry not a pm - email!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 17 Jun 2010, 03:19 pm
Hi Sonny - sent you a pm!

Emails replied...
Thanks Donald...and let me know!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: nunhgrader on 17 Jun 2010, 03:46 pm
Thanks Sonny!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 18 Jun 2010, 02:04 am
so far, one taker for the tour...
anymore takers???

I hope to get the tour started in July...

T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TJHUB on 18 Jun 2010, 02:11 am
Seriously, people should try these interconnects.  Thus far, they are the best I've heard.  You get a wider sound stage, a more accurate imaging, better separation, great attack and decay from cymbals, and more defined bass.  I've only grown to appreciate these IC's more and more. 

TRY THEM!!  :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Matt715 on 27 Jan 2011, 01:45 am
Hello everyone, this is my first post here. I was brought to the Audio Circle forum by TJHUB suggesting that I give Tuan's interconnects a try on another forum. I have been around many naysayers saying that wires can't and won't make any difference in sound so I thought I would give a few different ones a try and see (or hear) for myself.

I have a rather entry level setup. It consists of a Harman Kardon 247 AVR, a Emotiva ERC-1 CD player, a Emotiva XPA-5 amp, and a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures. Since I somewhat bought into the "any cable is a good cable" camp, I had primarily been using some Monoprice "premium" interconnects. After trying Tuan's interconnects I can say that I am no longer in the cables don't make a difference crowd. They really opened up my mid and upper range in my setup. The sound is much cleaner and way more defined than what I was hearing with my Monoprice interconnects. I pretty much heard the exact same things that TJHUB heard in his review of the cables.

Since these are my first pair that I have tried on my quest for new interconnects, I haven't bought some yet but they have made a very good impression on me. They are definitely on my like list and I would recommend that anyone looking for new interconnects give these a try.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 27 Jan 2011, 06:51 pm
Thanks Matt...
Let me know how your search goes and if you do want to get a pair or two from me, you know how to reach me!
Thanks again!
Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: kip_ on 14 Feb 2011, 01:35 am
I recently purchased two pairs of interconnects from Tuan, both copper, 1m, RCA. I received them in about a week with a nice hand written note from Tuan. They are replacing generic, much longer rat shack cables. One pair connects my dac and subwoofer, and the other pair connects my subwoofer and integrated amp.

I've heard that this is not the optimal way to connect things, but my integrated doesn't have preamp outputs, and using speaker-level outputs from my amp (running two sets of speaker cables out of the amp) was not satisfactory at all - the bass almost completely disappeared. I have not tried running speaker cables from my amp->sub->speakers.

So far, the differences have been fairly subtle. I've done some A/B comparisons with my old interconnects, and I've noticed a little bit tighter bass, a little more sparkle in the highs (a good thing with a warmish amp and neutral speakers), and a richer/bolder tone. Perhaps a little more detail overall. Soundstage width and height seem largely unchanged. I've only put about 20 hours on them so far, so I reserve the right to come back and edit this post later.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 16 Feb 2011, 05:52 pm
Kip, thanks for the note!

I am glad that the cables work for and please keep us updated on your findings!

T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Letitroll98 on 27 Mar 2011, 12:00 am
Sweet Spot Reveal Interconnect Cable Review

I received a set of Tuan’s (Sonny) Sweet Spot Reveal cables on March 5th and Tuan has been bugging me ever since to post my impressions of them.  It’s a good thing I waited this long because they have changed in character quite a bit since then, with something over 100 hours of break in so far they seem to be settling in to a steady state.  I have not been a proponent of long break in periods affecting anything except your hearing and memory, but I may have to change that opinion, there is a definite difference compared to the reference.  The cables arrived looking very unassuming.  Extremely thin, slightly stiff, with well made but very inexpensive Switchcraft RCA connects.  They are made of magnet wire, shielded very lightly, with a drain wire connected at the signal end thus are directional for a reason.  I ordered a 4’ length to fit my application better and it cost me a pitiful $25 over the $125.00 standard 3’ price.

To describe the SSR’s I’d like to start by asking what can a cable do?  It can’t add anything except distortion and noise, it can smear a signal’s time signature obscuring details and micro/macro dynamics, and it can subtract frequencies thus emphasizing bass, treble or midrange.  The Sweet Spot Reveals do none of these things.  After break in you get a fast (very fast) detailed soundstage that gives up nothing to the competition in depth and breadth.  Images are clearly defined and placed exactly where they should be, Diana Krall upfront and in your face, Sara K (Chesky releases) deep and recessed back in the soundstage.  Dynamics are powerful and direct, leading edges of transients are breathtakingly fast with zero overhang.  There is no residual noise introduced and the sound emerges from a dark black background.  The impression is light and airy, clearly illuminating all of the high frequencies without any harshness or grain.  Bass is tight and tuneful, not tubby or overblown in the least.  This leads to the only caveat I have, which is a slight leanness in the upper-bass and midrange, a function more of the accuracy of the cable than a fault I believe.  The Sweet Spot Reveals are exactly as titled, they are sweet and liquid sounding, and will reveal all of you upstream components for better or worse.

But it wasn’t all roses from the get go.  They first replaced the Zu Wylde from DAC to preamp and took only about 30-45 minutes to lose the hard, brittle overtone of new cables and settle down.  I put the system on repeat and did some housework.  Later I listened some more and the cables got worse, just sort of flat sounding.  This is very common when breaking in cables.  By the time guests arrived a few hours later and came in to listen, the cables had settled back to where they were earlier.  I let them cook all night, the next day they just got better and better all day, sort of flowing back and forth, one hour more sweetness, the next hour or so more detail, then added sweetness, then more detail.

Comparing with the Zu was a bit hard, they were so different in character.  The Zu Wylde was very warm and forgiving, the Reveals seem to have a bit of grain on top.  There was no harshness, just a slight graininess when connected to my DAC, which is quite different, but nevertheless not there with the Wyldes.  However throughout the whole process, I had a very difficult time objectively evaluating the SSR’s, I keep getting lost in the music.

I then put the Reveals up against my beloved Magnan Type Vi between pre and power amp.  The Zu's used to be here and it's what I ordered the cables to compare to, but then after the Wywires Cable review I did in February, the Magnans took the Zu's place.  Surely the mighty Magnans would trounce the lowly Reveals, I was almost scared to try it.  Well no worries, I instantly went back to stopping the comparisons and simply listening to music.  The Reveals worked much better in this location (and I liked them before) maybe impedance matching or they were ‘revealing’ my cheap Chinese DAC too much.  Regardless, they sounded even sweeter with that slight graininess disappearing, which must be laid at the feet of my DAC not the cable, the cable just exposed it.  I literally feel asleep in my chair so relaxing was the sound (okay, after a double martini, but only one).  The poor Magnans were left lying somewhere behind the equipment rack, I wasn’t interested in putting them back in for comparison just yet. 

The Type Vi’s are wonderful cables and I still love their sound, but while equaling the Reveals in soundstage and smoothness, and surpassing them in midrange/upper bass fullness, they just obscured the details too much in comparison.  I kept trying to hear more when the Magnans were in the loop.  I really tried to like my Magnans more because they are my go-to sound, more musical than accurate.  But try as I might, I keep going back to the Reveals.  I do a test with the JVC XRCD Jazz Sampler disc where I play a 10-20 second sound bit from the intro of every track in order rapid fire, then switch cables and do the same thing.  With the Reveals I keep getting distracted by the music and let the selection play on for a minute or two on some tracks.

Summing up, Tuan’s ‘Sweet Spot Reveal’ is not the interconnect for you if you are trying to tame an already harsh or bright system.  They will ruthlessly ‘reveal’ any faults you have in your system in that regard.  However if you want a truly illuminating cable that delivers you every detail of your hard work in system building, you may find it here.  And for a price that makes you laugh all the way to the bank.  Note a couple of things as well.  Tuan has a silver wire based interconnect for slightly more, I believe it’s still available.  And I’ve spoken to him about building a “Signature Edition” with high quality connectors and exotic wire.  He’s been open to this, but has stated he tried Eichmann’s etc. and didn’t hear any difference.  Perhaps more to come in the future.

System:
I have a very old, classic system that has changed because of two components dying, my PS Audio 4.6 preamp with it's wonderful phono stage and Cambridge Audio CD6 that was being used as a transport.  So I've substituted with stuff that was lying around and results in the following:

VPI HW-19 Jr Mark III upgrades
Rega RB-300 arm rewired w/ silver litz
Too many cartridges, but presently a classic Empire MM
Cambridge Audio 640P phono pre
Oppo DV970 as a transport
JEC 7510 DAC
B&K CS113 preamp
B&K ST-202 amp
Magneplanar MMG w/ modified bases, DIY BudP ground enhancers, and fuses bypassed
Yamaha YST 100 sub
Dedicated and highly treated room (the most important component)

Music:
(Not exclusively here, but most of the go-back-to selections)

Stereophile Test CD 2&3
Linkwitz Pink Noise and Impulse test
Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, (etc.)
Paul Simon: Graceland
Sara K: Closer Than They Appear
Diana Krall – Girl in the Other Room
Shadowfax: Too Far to Whisper
The Planets, Holst: LSO w/Geoffrey Simon
Her Infinite Variety, Celtic Women in Music and Song
A Womens Heart 2, various
Celtic Voices, Women of Song
Duets: Rob Wasserman
Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth
Indigo Girls: Swamp Ophelia
Liz Story: Solid Colors
JVC XRCD Jazz Sampler
Mark Isham: Self Titled
Shawn Colvin: Cover Girl
REM: Automatic for the People
Everything But The Girl, Acoustic
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 27 Mar 2011, 06:17 pm
Thanks Letitroll98 for your thorough review! 

I think it's always important to have enough time with a product so you can have a thorough understanding resulting in a very informative review. 

I really do believe these are nice cables, are they the best?  No, by no means, but are they good and will they be the best in some systems?  Absolutely!

If anyone wants to give them a go, let me know! 

As far as I know, none of my customers have sold any of the cables they've bought from me...that's a good record, no?   :thumb:

T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 27 Mar 2011, 07:33 pm
I'm NOT selling mine yet :lol:,the wywires cable is on the way.I let you know .:)



lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 27 Mar 2011, 10:46 pm
Yes, let me know...also, when they come, i'll lend you a pair of the silver hybrids I have, the new version to see how you like them!
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 13 Apr 2011, 12:25 pm
Look like I am keeping it  :thumb:.




Lap San
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Letitroll98 on 13 Apr 2011, 02:13 pm
Look like I am keeping it  :thumb:.




Lap San

Matched my conclusions, but could you maybe expand a bit?  I love hearing other peoples impressions of the interconnect.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: orientalexpress on 13 Apr 2011, 02:34 pm
Tuan know i love the wooden bass sound,the image is great especially classical music,soundstage is Huge.i didn t realize what is missing until i try different cable.wywire have great kick bass response,sound darker then reavealing,i prefered the wooden bass sound on Tuan cables .everything sound the same.i could live with either cables.Wywire power cables is freaking awsome compare to some of the more expensive cables i have. :thumb:


lapsan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 13 Apr 2011, 02:46 pm
Thanks Lapsan and Letitroll88,

I too believe that it's a good cable.  Like I said, I have tried many and ended up DIY my own. 

If anyone wants to try a pair...PM me, you won't be disappointed!


Tuan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: JohnR on 13 Apr 2011, 03:15 pm
I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=17.0) or Industry Talk (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=122.0) circles.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: melmeow on 13 Apr 2011, 04:07 pm
hi read thru' the list of good reviews ... can pm me details...i seem to have problem trying to send pm to ur a/c. Thanks
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 13 Apr 2011, 05:49 pm


John, if this is referring to what I wrote then I'll remove it.
Thanks
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: hibuckhobby on 28 Apr 2011, 12:10 pm
I recently won a pair of sonny's interconnects in the auction to benefit Gary Dodd.  In all honesty, I didn't expect much given the low cost.  I was mistaken.  I replaced a pair of MIT terminator 2 interconnects between my my phono stage and my amp.  After less than 24 hours of burn-in, it was obvious that in my system, these were far superior.  Soundstage was about the same, but tone and image specificity were far better with Sonny's interconnects...and these were the least costly model he makes.  The bass impact and clarity is excellent.  I'm impressed.
Hibuck...
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 28 Apr 2011, 05:25 pm
Thanks HiBuck!  I am glad the i/c works out for you in your system!  Please keep us updated as you continue to use them...

Thanks!
T
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Mass. Wine Guy on 14 May 2011, 01:09 am
I just finished one week of listening with Sonny's interconnect cables. Like I told him, I'm inexperienced and haven't evaluated many different cables at all.

I'm not going to say what my own cables are, but they're made by a very well reputed person in California, and they were quite reasonable considering that they're not mass-produced junk. I'm also listening to the WyWires cables and will post my findings in the appropriate thread.

Immediately after installing Sonny's interconnects, the music had a noticably more three dimensional quality. There was simply more of it and it was all more apparent. I suppose some call this detail. Also, an overall upfront sonic quality, which may be good or bad. Soundstage was another dramatic difference. I mean my Quad 12L2 speakers really did disappear most of the time, depending on how each recording was mixed.

The rest of my gear is a Bel Canto eVo2 Gen. 2 integrated amp, an Arcam CD-72 and an Audio by Van Alstine Omega Star DAC. Speakers are biwired.

Tone, dynamics, highs, lows, etc. seemed extremely balanced and just plain "right" to my ears. No part was excessive, all parts were evident. Everything was clean and smooth, whether the passage was powerful or quiet. Cymbals behind Miles Davis were beautiful, as was Bill Evans's piano.

Again, I am an audio gear novice pretty much. But for what Sonny is selling these for I think these cables would safely qualify as one of the great audio bargains I've seen. You really connected with the ball on this one, Sonny. Thank you for letting us all try your cables.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 14 May 2011, 11:58 pm
Thanks Ken, I am glad you liked them.  I'd be interested in hearing what you think of the Wywires!

Again guys, you gotta give my DIY I/Cs a try!  :thumb:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Mass. Wine Guy on 15 May 2011, 02:13 am
DIC?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 15 May 2011, 03:00 am
DIC?
OOPss.... :duh: :oops:
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: JohnR on 15 May 2011, 04:12 am
Aren't these a completed product?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 15 May 2011, 04:24 am
Deleted
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: JohnR on 15 May 2011, 10:05 am
Well, in that case can we please treat these as a commercial product. Critic's Circle is for independent reviews. Thanks ;)
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: genjamon on 16 Jun 2011, 08:07 pm
I have just completed a fairly elaborate comparison between Tuan's silver and copper Reveal versions.  I thought I'd share my impressions.

My system: 2010 Mac Mini, Tranquility SE DAC, The Truth pre-buffer, Dayens Ampino amp, and Tekton Lore speakers.  I have had Signal Cable Silver and Anti-Cable interconnects between source/pre and pre/amp.

Last month I participated in the tour of the pair of Tuan's silver interconnects going around.  I have posted in that thread about my impressions.  After returning from vacation, I contacted Tuan about making me one pair of his silver and one pair of his copper so I could compare the two versions with each other as well as with my other interconnects.

When he sent them, he did not tell me which was which.  Only after I had decided which one I liked better did I ask him to tell me which was which.  So, this has been a bit of a blind taste-test of his cables.

Comparing the two straight between the DAC and Ampino (ampino is actually an integrated), I found it very easy to tell the difference between the two.  One was much more "lit up", energetic, and detailed, but also with a tonal shift toward higher frequencies.  The other had more body and was less "lit up", and less detailed in some subtle ways having to do with micro-harmonics.  The more "lit up" one was almost euphonic, but broaching the level of artificial detail.  Neither of them were grainy in any way whatsoever.

With the pre-buffer in the system, the buffer did its job of providing additional drive throughout the frequency spectrum.  In this case, I couldn't quite compare them head-to-head, but the exercise became one of playing around with combinations of Tuan's silver, his copper, and the anti-cables for the best combination.  Through swapping one for another in many, many combinations, I found that my preference was for his copper interconnects.  They have the right tonality, the right body, and additional detail on top of the anti-cables.  They do spatial cues and instrument separation nearly as well as the silver ones without the tonal shift.

However, the Ampino is known for being "lit up" already (read the 6moons review for more on that - I find it quite accurate).  In this case, I think the silver cables are too much of a good thing.  If you could use some more energy, perhaps a bit more tilt toward high frequencies, and you have plenty of body in your current system.  I could see the silver ones helping quite a bit. 

As for me, I'm returning the silver pair and ordering a second copper pair.  I think this is going to be just right for me.  If I end up with an amp change that with a different character, you bet I'll reconsider the silver vs. copper versions.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Kinger on 12 Jul 2011, 07:47 pm
Hi all,

Another AC member recommended I try out a set of Sonny's copper IC's and the following is an e-mail I had sent to some of my friends describing what I had heard from them in my system.  Thought I'd share in case anyone else might be interested.

Morning fellas,

Well, I completed my IC comparison last evening before the kids and wife got home and thought I would share my thoughts with you.  As you know, I have kinda been curious what I might be able to gain by adding some higher dollar IC's or speaker cables to my system.  Early last week in talking with another AC member who has Salk speakers and crosses to a sub (TJHUB) we got onto a discussion about cabling and whether or not it made much of a difference in system sound.  TJHUB was in the camp that it does and that I really should try some cable demos as it really wouldn't cost me any money just to experiment.  Anyway, in those conversations he recommended that I contact a guy who goes by the handle Sonny (Tuan is his real name) on the AC and ask for a demo set of his Sweet Spot Reveal IC's in copper.  Apparently Tuan also makes cables in silver (which many have reviewed and commented on via the AC), but TJHUB preferred the coppers in his system and thought it might be a good match for me as well.  So after a few PM's with Tuan, I got a set of 3ft interconnects sent out to me for demo.

Got the Reveals on Thursday of last week and upon first glance I was kinda surprised by how thin in diameter the wires were in comparison to the interconnects I had been using. (Some no name brand.)  This concerned me a bit as I had always read that using shielded IC's were a good way to go and it appeared that the ones I was using previously had some shielding material on them.  Sent a PM to Tuan asking about this and he indicated that the Reveals were not in fact shielded, but had some type of 'drain' wire built into the IC.  He also mentioned that I needed to look on the connectors themselves for arrows to denote the current flow and that I should really try to break the cables in for about two hours before giving any critical listening.  Installed them into the system between the EE Minimax DAC and the AVA T8 pre on Friday morning, but didn't get the chance to break them in until Saturday morning as I was cutting the grass.  Before breaking them in, I gave a real quick listen to a couple of tracks off The Decemberists King is Dead CD.  Granted, this is far from a reference CD, but I was curious if I would notice any immediate change in sound quality over my old cables.  I "thought" I noticed a slight change in the amount of detail retrieval, but it wasn't anything profound.  Left the system play for 3 hours and then came back for more listening later that afternoon and Sunday.  My plan of attack was to listen to the Reality cables all weekend long to get used to the sound of my system and then Monday night put my old cables back in and do some A/B testing.

Listened to the system for quite a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday on a wide variety of material.  Nothing glaring jumped out at me saying that the cables were "great" nor "bad", but what I did start to notice is that the system just sounded a bit "better" than it had before.  It just had a more engaging quality than it had previously and the sound was "sweeter".  (More on that in the A/B comparison to follow.)  In the end, I kinda just chalked it up to I was just more in a music mood those sessions than I've been lately and nothing more.

So last night I finally did some direct A/B to my previous IC's and really tried to listen for changes.  First up was Dido's White Flag using the Reveals.  Thought things sounded really good once again and I was just smitten by the sound of Dido's voice on this track.  Just very smooth and buttery and perfectly in balance to the rest of the instrumentation.  Then I popped in my old IC's and gave that same track a listen.  Whoa......was her voice really projected that far forward compared to the Reveals?  It also sounded a bit more metallic (for lack of a better word) than it did before and had a slight grainy quality.  Thought it must be my ears playing tricks on me so I swapped back in the Reveals for another listen to the same track and sure enough the vocals were a little less forward and the buttery feeling came back again.  At this point I decided to try another track from a different artist to see if I could replicate those feelings.  Went with Vienna Teng's Tower off the Waking Hour CD.  First up, listened with my old IC's.  Things were sounding good as usual.  Easy to pick out percussion in the soundstage and Vienna's voice was sweet and subtle while the track also allows for you to hear breaths between lines.  Swapped back in the Reveals and gave another listen.  Gosh darn it if the vocals did not sound "sweeter" than they had previously and with less grain.  It also sounded like Alex's drum kit was placed a bit further back in the soundstage than the previous listen with my IC's.  Not satisfied and thinking I was just noticing this stuff because of the 2nd run through of the same track, I decided to put my old IC's back into the system for a 3rd listen.  Sure enough, the vocals were forward again, there was more granularity and there wasn't the depth to the soundstage that was there previously.  

Next up was Buddy Guy's Baby Please Don't Leave off the Sweet Tea album using my IC's.  This particular track has some great guitar in there and I tried very hard to just listen for the tone of the instrument.  Once again thought things sounded pretty good and swapped back in the Reveals for another listen.  Once again, Buddy's guitar just had less grain in the sound and the tone could best be described as sweeter and more real. (Now I am understanding using the word sweet in the cable name.)  Swapped the cables back out again and listened once more with my standard set.  This time Buddy's guitar almost took on a painful quality especially in parts where there was feedback present.  Thought I was just delusional so I swapped out the cables yet again and sure enough with the Reveals back in the guitar had that wonderful tone back and I never cringed in hearing the feedback.  Was getting pretty tired of all the cable swapping at this point, but wanted to do one more test track which was Allison Krauss and Union Station singing Ghost In This House off their live album.  This is a track I use quite frequently when auditioning gear because there are particular points in the track where on certain gear Allison's voice just can get a bit uncomfortable for me to listen to especially in the higher registers.  Never have felt that way with my home system, but thought this might be a good test to see if the Reveals could improve what I was hearing.  First up, I listened with my standard IC's.  Things sounded good and I tried very hard to pay particular attention to some cymbal hits I was hearing to the left of the soundstage.  Then I dropped in the Reveals.  Whoa......the cymbal hits really took on a new life.  It was much easier to pick them out and the shimmer and decay was much more real sounding to me than I had heard on the previous listen.  Again I thought I better listen with the old IC's to make sure it wasn't just easier to pick this stuff out in subsequent listens.  Sure enough, upon swapping out the cables the cymbal strikes were there, but their presence was not as noticeable and it was very hard to make out the note decay.  Started the track over again and this time just concentrated on Allison's vocals.  Sounded good.  Swapped in the Reveals once again and gave another listen.  Yep, less forward sounding than before and once again it was as if a metallic grain had been removed from her voice.  Her vocals just drew me in and completely engaged me.  Decided once again to put my IC's back in and listen for vocals.  Dang, I just couldn't believe what I was hearing and for the first time Allison's vocals especially in the upper registers made me wince a little bit and this has never been my experience with her vocals on my main rig.  Is the Reveal allowing the music to be played in the way it was meant to be heard or how it was originally recorded?  That I don't know, but to my ears I certainly preferred the presentation with vocals sounding less grainy and more balanced to the rest of the instruments.  It's hard to describe, but it's like the Reveals allow for more details to be obtained in the recording (like cymbals), but at the same time this additional detail doesn't wear on you or come across as harsh.

In the end, I'm sure I'm going to end up with some Reality cables in my system.  Just trying to decide if I can pull off the expense now ($125) or if I'll wait until a little later in the year after I've done a few other audio purchases like adding a Rymik sub to my Salk ST's.  The hard part here is what I believe Pennington alluded to when he was making some changes in cabling and power cleaning which is that once you hear your system sound better, it's REALLY hard to remove that addition from your system and that's where I'm at.  In fact, I'd like to get another set of Reveal IC's for the connection from my pre to my amp to see what improvements that might offer as well.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: borism on 7 Mar 2015, 09:19 pm
I know this is an old thread, but the subject of my review are the same copper ICs - Sonny's copper sweetspot reveals. This thread is also responsible for my considering Tuan's (Sonny) cables when the need arose.

Briefly, I needed a 1m pair of RCA to XLR interconnects. In the past I have used Kimber's Hero, Mogami and Morrow Audio (MA2 and 4) ICs (still have the Morrow 4 and Hero in part of my system). I briefly considered getting another pair of Morrow ICs but realized that I could try out Sonny's copper cables for less than half the cost.

Tuan was very quick to respond to my inquiry and was accommodating to my needs. I basically had the new RCA-XLR cable within a week. My first impression was of a very well made cable that also looked very thin. The Morrows in comparison seemed much more substantial though this was probably only due to the wider sleeve.
I rushed to put the cable in my system and to my disbelief there was no sound in the right channel. To make it short, the special Bullet-style RCAs connectors - quite well made and stiff - were not completely pushed into the female connector. That was quickly remedied.

After this I noticed everything working and I let the cables burn in for about 5 days before any critical listening. My comments are primarily in comparison to the Morrow MA-4 ICs (with copper Eichman Bullet plugs). One caveat is that I don't have another RCA-XLR cable. Both ICs were plugged on one end into my Tranquility SE DAC (using an AQ RCA splitter plug). The other end - my Atma-Sphere MP3 preamplifier has balanced inputs (for the Sonny XLR) and SE inputs (Morrow RCA) as part of the recording monitor loop. I was reassured by Ralph Karsten there was no penalty in sound quality using the SE inputs. I compared the cables using computer AIFF files through the Tranquility DAC and by switching back and forth between ICs.

I should note that I found in the past that the Morrows were more detailed than the KK Heros. The Heros on the other hand may have had an edge regarding bass. My first impression on comparing Sonny's cables and the Morrows was that differences were subtle. My system is not geared to be hyper analytical but rather musical. In a different system I could see the differences much more pronounced.

I was quickly reassured that Sonny's ICs had plenty of tuneful bass (must have experienced some anxiety after seeing how thin they looked), certainly equal to the Morrows. Upon further listening I felt that Sonny's cables seemed to give a little more body to female vocalists and present them more three dimensionally. The Morrows seemed somewhat flat in comparison. I also could not help but notice more sibilance (sssh) on some recordings with the Morrows. Sonny's cables had all the treble information but it was more organic and less in your face. Overall, Sonny's cables were more musical to my ears.

So, to sum it up, Sonny's cables are an incredible bargain. I would have been happy to have performance equal to the Morrow cables but in my system Sonny's cables seem to out perform them at less than half the cost. With high-end audio prices rising steadily this seems very refreshing.

Hope this was helpful.

Boris     
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: GentleBender on 20 Apr 2015, 07:36 pm
I couldn't help ordering some cables from Tuan (Sonny) at his current prices. Plus helping a fellow AC guy in tough times is the right thing to do. :wink: Can't wait to post my impressions when the cables show up. Sonny is very quick to answer questions and real easy to work with. Good luck Sonny!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 20 Apr 2015, 11:11 pm
Deleted
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Bob2 on 20 Apr 2015, 11:16 pm
Sonny,
where can I get more info and possibly purchase some of your cables?
I would like to try some for my TT.
Thanks,
Bob2
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 20 Apr 2015, 11:42 pm
Deleted
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: GentleBender on 22 Apr 2015, 12:52 pm
GB, just finished them,, Will be on their way to you tomorrow!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=119519)

Those look nice! Can't wait to hook them up in my system. How long does it take to break them in?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: TJHUB on 22 Apr 2015, 12:57 pm
Those look nice! Can't wait to hook them up in my system. How long does it take to break them in?

I've owned a couple of pairs of these IC's.  Give them 2 days to settle in, and all will be good.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: ACHiPo on 22 Apr 2015, 01:26 pm
Any idea of the capacitance? I need xlr interconnects for a long run (25') so low k is preferred.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 22 Apr 2015, 03:58 pm
In pro audio on location recordings, XLR cables of up to 300 feet are often used.  At 300 feet total capacitance isn't a big deal, so at 25 feet it shouldn't be a problem.
But some of the best balanced cable like Belden 1800F has only 13pF/foot capacitance.
Only use bulk balanced cable from the major cable manufactures, because it takes big expensive machines to make good balanced cable.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: RDavidson on 22 Apr 2015, 04:34 pm
Actually, big expensive machines have nothing to do with absolute cable quality. Sure, these big machines can make cables in VERY LARGE quantities and hold a certain spec tolerance the whole time. In that regard, consistency with VERY high production is great with machines. But the idea that only machines can produce high quality cables is absurd. Keep in mind that the big cable manufacturers are married to their machine investment. With machines come limitations that don't apply to the small manufacturer making small batches of specialty cables. With that said, there are some folks building small batches of cables that use VERY well made, super high quality, tight tolerance, individual conductors produced by machines in their products. What these folks are doing is bridging the gap between what can be made into the final product straight out of a machine, while combining better design geometries and material combinations that cannot be done economically in any other way, than by hand.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brj on 22 Apr 2015, 06:42 pm
In pro audio on location recordings, XLR cables of up to 300 feet are often used.  At 300 feet total capacitance isn't a big deal, so at 25 feet it shouldn't be a problem.

Some amps are more sensitive to capacitance than others, so I'd be careful with the above generalization, especially if you aren't using pro amps.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: ACHiPo on 23 Apr 2015, 03:50 am
I'm using a Rowland Consummate pre and AtmaSphere M60 amps.  Not pro gear, yet I suspect pretty robust.  Everything sounds ok with the Mogami Gold I'm using, but I'm thinking I can do better.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 23 Apr 2015, 04:39 am
Deleted...
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: ACHiPo on 23 Apr 2015, 12:16 pm
Thanks for your interest... My xlr cables are about 30pF per foot. Only thing is braiding 25 ft. Of solid core cables is not trivial by hand.

Tuan
Tuan,
Thanks.  The capacitance would be fine, but having braided my old 6' speaker cables and 15' interconnects I can relate.  I definitely wouldn't want to do it for 25'.

Evan
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: GentleBender on 25 Apr 2015, 04:17 pm
GB, just finished them,, Will be on their way to you tomorrow!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=119519)

Tuan, the cables arrived and I hope to get them in the system tonight. I noticed the arrows on the ends. Do I hook them up with the arrows pointing out of the phono stage and pointed toward the amp?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 25 Apr 2015, 04:34 pm
Deleted...
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: JohnR on 25 Apr 2015, 04:36 pm
Sonny, you're not allowed to engage in commercial activity here. This is supposed to be a user review.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 25 Apr 2015, 05:59 pm
Some amps are more sensitive to capacitance than others, so I'd be careful with the above generalization, especially if you aren't using pro amps.
We are dealing with balanced analog interconnects, so a power amplifier's output is not a factor.
With modern low impedance interconnect output stages total capacitance should not be a problem, but some microphones have much higher output impedance's to capacitance can be problematic.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 25 Apr 2015, 06:12 pm
Actually, big expensive machines have nothing to do with absolute cable quality. Sure, these big machines can make cables in VERY LARGE quantities and hold a certain spec tolerance the whole time. In that regard, consistency with VERY high production is great with machines. But the idea that only machines can produce high quality cables is absurd. Keep in mind that the big cable manufacturers are married to their machine investment. With machines come limitations that don't apply to the small manufacturer making small batches of specialty cables. With that said, there are some folks building small batches of cables that use VERY well made, super high quality, tight tolerance, individual conductors produced by machines on their products. What these folks are doing is bridging the gap between what can be made into the final product straight out of a machine, and better design geometries and material combinations that cannot be done economically in any other way, than by hand.
Well no, that's not correct.  Bill Whitlock writes:

“Good” vs “Bad” Balanced Shield Connections
• Commercial cables have capacitances from each signal conductor to
shield are typically mismatched by 4% to 6%
• It’s because the two wires have different colors … honest!
*******************************************************
• Common-mode output impedances of drivers can also have 5% mismatch
Wires of different colors must be made on different machines – the machines that
extrude the liquid insulation onto the wire as it is pulled through a die. Die diameter
has a tolerance on the order of 0.001”, according to Belden. Therefore, two wires of
different color but otherwise identical, can have insulation thickness differences.
Calculations of capacitance, using the dielectric constant of the PVC insulation,
generally confirm capacitance differences (to the shield) in the vicinity of 5%.
Bill Whitlock, 9/4/2012 Overview of Audio System Grounding & Interfacing page88
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brj on 27 Apr 2015, 04:12 am
This thread is wandering a bit far afield.  Context, comparisons and background material are fine, but let's still try to keep focused on reviewing the product at hand.  Thank you.

Sonny, responding to direct questions from users is fine as long as the focus is on providing information on your product, such as listing the tech specs per foot, for example.  It's when vendors start making subjective statements relative to competing products or talking sales/pricing that things get a bit sticky.


Quote from: Speedskater
We are dealing with balanced analog interconnects, so a power amplifier's output is not a factor.  With modern low impedance interconnect output stages total capacitance should not be a problem, but some microphones have much higher output impedance's to capacitance can be problematic.

Not everyone uses amps with "modern low impedance interconnect output stages".  Vintage gear is popular with many people, for example.  In short, there are amps in active use that may still have stability challenges when facing sufficiently capacitive loads.

(Plenty of people reading these threads could design an amp from the ground up, but others may not have the background necessary to appreciate the limits of a generalization.)
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 27 Apr 2015, 02:38 pm
Thanks for the clarification brj, I don't think I did any advertising or talked about comparison to the other cable makersw, but I will remember the rules in the future.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: RDavidson on 27 Apr 2015, 03:47 pm
Well no, that's not correct.  Bill Whitlock writes:

“Good” vs “Bad” Balanced Shield Connections
• Commercial cables have capacitances from each signal conductor to
shield are typically mismatched by 4% to 6%
• It’s because the two wires have different colors … honest!
*******************************************************
• Common-mode output impedances of drivers can also have 5% mismatch
Wires of different colors must be made on different machines – the machines that
extrude the liquid insulation onto the wire as it is pulled through a die. Die diameter
has a tolerance on the order of 0.001”, according to Belden. Therefore, two wires of
different color but otherwise identical, can have insulation thickness differences.
Calculations of capacitance, using the dielectric constant of the PVC insulation,
generally confirm capacitance differences (to the shield) in the vicinity of 5%.
Bill Whitlock, 9/4/2012 Overview of Audio System Grounding & Interfacing page88

You're pretty much entirely missing what I'm saying. I'm not arguing that the construction of the cables (the individual conductors and insulators) from machines isn't best. I'm arguing that the finished product (from the big supplier ie Belden or Canare or whoever has the big machines) isn't necessarily the best. Finished product = terminated cables (or bulk product, ready for termination). Look at Kimber for example. While they're not a small manufacturer, I think they are the best / most well-known example of what I'm saying. They are taking machine made conductors (the individual cables : conductor and insulator) and building the finished product (cable geometry and termination) on their own specialized equipment, if not partially by hand. So, when talking about finished product, I don't believe the supplier (the guy with the big machines) makes the best one can get.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 27 Apr 2015, 08:43 pm
Mr. Davidson, that's not what you wrote in replay #149.

Once again:

It takes big expensive machines to make good (bulk) balanced interconnect (and microphone) cables.

A balanced interconnect is not about individual conductors, it's a total manufactured (bulk) cable.

Connectors and correct terminations are always open to discussion.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 27 Apr 2015, 08:56 pm
This thread is wandering a bit far afield.  Context, comparisons and background material are fine, but let's still try to keep focused on reviewing the product at hand.  Thank you.
Sonny, responding to direct questions from users is fine as long as the focus is on providing information on your product, such as listing the tech specs per foot, for example.  It's when vendors start making subjective statements relative to competing products or talking sales/pricing that things get a bit sticky.
Not everyone uses amps with "modern low impedance interconnect output stages".  Vintage gear is popular with many people, for example.  In short, there are amps in active use that may still have stability challenges when facing sufficiently capacitive loads.
(Plenty of people reading these threads could design an amp from the ground up, but others may not have the background necessary to appreciate the limits of a generalization.)
You are commingling amplifiers with pre-amps. As amplifier outputs are not attached to balanced interconnect cables. There are very few vintage tube pre-amps around with balanced outputs. But vintage pro tube equipment had no problems with with long high total capacitance cables.  But in any case most audiophile interconnect cables are very short (under 10 meters) so total capacitance won't be a problem.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: RDavidson on 27 Apr 2015, 09:40 pm
Mr. Davidson, that's not what you wrote in replay #149.

Once again:

It takes big expensive machines to make good (bulk) balanced interconnect (and microphone) cables.

A balanced interconnect is not about individual conductors, it's a total manufactured (bulk) cable.

Connectors and correct terminations are always open to discussion.

We can agree to disagree. If you misinterpreted what I was trying to say or if I wasn't 100% clear, that's fine, though I CLEARLY stated "With that said, there are some folks building small batches of cables that use VERY well made, super high quality, tight tolerance, individual conductors produced by machines in their products." Even Kimber Kable is a tiny fish compared to the amount of bulk cable produced by the big machine guys.

You are incorrect. Balanced cables have 3 individual conductors (+, -, and ground). One can make a balanced cable using 3 (machine made or not) individual cables. Balanced cables DO NOT have to come from a machine with a preconfigured geometry. One can buy the bulk individual cables (ie single insulated conductors) and build whatever they want. One can make balanced cables from bulk hookup wire wire if they want to......but, it is easier to use the stuff premade by a machine. Is this premade / preconfigured (bulk) cable the best? I say no ; Not at all, irrespective of termination or connector quality.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Speedskater on 30 Apr 2015, 02:20 pm
Well once again we disagree.

First:
The three conductors in a balanced cable are (+,-, and shield) there is no 'ground' conductor in a balanced cable.

Second:
A cable made that way will have poor SCIN:

"Shield-Current-Induced Noise - Part 1"
 Current flowing on the shield of balanced audio cables will be converted to differential mode voltage on the signal pair by imperfections in cable construction.
http://www.audiosystemsgroup.com/Shield_Current_Induced_Noise.pdf
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: RDavidson on 30 Apr 2015, 04:31 pm
Not a disagreement here, so much as me using the incorrect terminology.....though you clearly understood what I meant.
Yes, you're correct : +,-, and shield

Regardless, people can build balanced IC's, which you argued only machines can. We can continue to disagree on this, but the proof is in the fact that people (even some here on AC) are building balanced cables.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: borism on 30 Apr 2015, 05:37 pm
We can continue to disagree on this, but the proof is in the fact that people (even some here on AC) are building balanced cables.

And to bring the topic back to Sonny, he builds a very nice balanced cable or to be more correct, in my case a SE to balanced cable. :D
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: GentleBender on 1 May 2015, 12:23 pm
I've been too tied up to do any critical listening yet, but hope to get some in tomorrow after work. I have used them for an entire week now to break them in a bit and plan on doing some more tonight. Sonny's RCA interconnects will be compared to my Blue Jean Cables LC-1 Stereo Audio Cables.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Johnny2Bad on 11 Jun 2015, 01:36 am
I finally got around to making some interconnects using the magnet wire.  I couldn't easily find 20 awg, so I picked up this magnet wire package that Radio Shack sells for $4.99, which has a spool of 22 awg.  I made them today, twisting 2 - 22 awg together for each leg of the signal and then twisted each group of 2 - 22's together per the recipe for 20 awg.  I ran the wire in opposing directions when terminating it.  I connected to some old locking rca's I had laying around, so there was solder already on the positive connection, though I tried to use a new area of the rca for the ground.  Still....crappy connections on rca's that ain't nothing special.  I did use silver solder...but the connections are crappy, nontheless.

My system consists of a Musical Fidelity A3.5 integrated, A3.5 CD player (both of which are isolated fairly well on 5 different layers of vibration absorbing stuff), JMLab Eclipse 926 speakers, ERA Sub 10.  Cables are a Black Sand Violet ZII (yes II :-)...reviewing coming soon after it's fully broken in) on the CD player, Zu Audio Bok on the intergrated and Audioquest power cable on the sub.  Speaker wire is 6 awg on the low feed of the JM's and Zu Wax on the mids/highs (the system's weakest link).  The comparison interconnects are Zu Varials (and a set of Audioquest Sky's briefly compared).  The room is well treated and the system is pretty resolving.

Currently they have about an hour on them, and I did reverse direction to see if I heard a difference...just a tad.  You might ask why I would write a review after only one hour of break in time...I'd be surprised if they actually sounded worse after extended use, though I guess they could get too bright or something.  If so, I'll update later.

Thanks Sonny...these things (at least with the wire and construction I used) are "sumpin, sumpin".  Compared to the Varials, which bettered the AQ Sky's easily, they might even be better.  Detailed, dynamic (a Varial strength), layered and well focused.  Surprising for any interconnect with so little time on it.  Tonal balance seems at this point to be right on.  Bass is strong and well defined.  The highs have body and not just "tizz tizz".  Overall presentation is pretty damn smooth at higher volumes.

Now, I've got to decide on which highend rca's I need to get to re-terminate these cables.  Even if I spend alot of money, the total cost will be insanely low for the resolution offered.  I'm thinking of leaving them "naked", so anyone interested can see how little "technology" there is in the construction of these interconnects.




ps (listening experience is 30+ years in the audio biz)

reflex

When you double same size AWG the resultant AWG equivalent is -3, or in your example 2x 22 AWG = 19 AWG
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Rich48 on 3 Jul 2016, 12:51 am
I recently purchased a set of Tuan's cooper reveal IC's.  I bought them to replace a set of Audioquest King Cobra IC's. 

The system consists of a Bluesound Vault music server connected to a Schitt Bifrost Multibit Dac,
via an Audioquest Toslink cable. Tuan's IC's connect the Dac to a Decware SE84UFO2 amp.  My speakers are DIY OB's connected via Audioquest Type 4 cable.

Tuan's IC's have given me a huge improvment in the sound of my system.  The soundstage is deeper and wider.  The base is tighter and more musical.  I'm hearing much more detail.   Piano sounds much more realistic.  t's like a vail was lifted off the speakers.  IMHO these IC's are a great bargin. 
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 10 Jul 2016, 02:52 pm
I recently purchased a set of Tuan's cooper reveal IC's.  I bought them to replace a set of Audioquest King Cobra IC's. 

The system consists of a Bluesound Vault music server connected to a Schitt Bifrost Multibit Dac,
via an Audioquest Toslink cable. Tuan's IC's connect the Dac to a Decware SE84UFO2 amp.  My speakers are DIY OB's connected via Audioquest Type 4 cable.

Tuan's IC's have given me a huge improvment in the sound of my system.  The soundstage is deeper and wider.  The base is tighter and more musical.  I'm hearing much more detail.   Piano sounds much more realistic.  t's like a vail was lifted off the speakers.  IMHO these IC's are a great bargin.

Thanks Rich for the kind words!  I am glad the cables are working out for you!
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: brs2c on 22 Aug 2019, 08:28 pm
Sonny,

Are you still making cables?
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: jmc207 on 23 Aug 2019, 04:36 pm
Sonny, I'm curious as well.

Thx, John
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: bacobits1 on 23 Aug 2019, 07:22 pm
There are 3 pairs for sale in the trading post.
Title: Re: Open and revealing - I/C's that transfer what the source produces !
Post by: Sonny on 23 Aug 2019, 09:48 pm
Hi John and Brsc2,

Sorry for the late response.  Yes i do still make them and of course can always send you a pair to try.

PM Me and we can go from there!

Thank you!
Tuan