Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects

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eclein

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Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« on: 28 Jun 2010, 01:39 pm »
Tuan(Sonny) sent me a Sweet Spot Reveal to check out as part of his cable tour. Let me start by saying this little cable is Excellent!! :thumb:
The build quality is wonderful and the sound quality is excellent. I started with the cable in my system as an IC between my DAC and my Virtue TWO.2 integrated and the sound was good all around except I kept hearing a small loss or recession in the mid-range, not in anyway a deal breaker it was just that the low end and high end were absolutely present and accounted for but the midrange was a hair pulled back.
 So..I'm liking the cable and decide where is a good spot for the Sweet Spot. I enjoy listening to my SB Duets analog outputs going to my tube DAC for a bit of tube flavor and thats where the Sweet Spot hit the "Sweet Spot". Everything is here, all frequency ranges sound smooth and musical...If I was in the market for an IC in this position I would probably kidnap this cable and send Tuan a check!!!
 In my relatively short time experience with cables I find them like tubes in that each cable brings a little different tonal qualities etc..
The Sweet Spot Reveal in my system is perfect right where it found a home...I've been listening to it virtually non-stop since Sunday afternoon and plan on listening to it all week with no-fatigue but lots of head bobbin to the music!!!
 Thanks for opportunity to hear these Tuan-a real treat!!! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #1 on: 28 Jun 2010, 04:21 pm »
Thanks Ed for the honest comments/remarks on the Reveal Silver.  As I expected...I think you'll find that these cables are extended, transparent and taunt.  They do well at conveying what's "There" not to color or add any frequency spectrum, especially the midrange or also known as "midrange" bloom or warmth.

Again, these things are quite good, I've now changed out, in my system, some of my copper versions to these.  Again, it's a matter of matching and knowing what the system needs to fulfill what you want from it.  Like all cables, these will make your system sound "Different", but it's up to you to decide if that "difference" is what you like and need or not...

I love honest comments!
Tuan

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #2 on: 30 Jun 2010, 04:54 pm »
Ed, any new comments to speak of regarding the Reveal Silver???
T

eclein

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #3 on: 30 Jun 2010, 05:03 pm »
My neck is getting sore from my head bobbing back and fourth to the music..!!! :thumb: :thumb:
 I'm pretty sure thats the idea..right!! LOL :eyebrows:

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #4 on: 30 Jun 2010, 05:21 pm »
My neck is getting sore from my head bobbing back and fourth to the music..!!! :thumb: :thumb:
 I'm pretty sure thats the idea..right!! LOL :eyebrows:

I guess that means you are really enjoying it!  Musicality is making you bob!!!  I may need to disclose a disclaimer saying something like "May cause excessive head movement and possible neck strain as a result of 'grooving'"[/b][/i]

If anyone else is interested in the cable demo, please go here:  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82662.0 and sign up...
Thanks
T

eclein

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #5 on: 2 Jul 2010, 12:17 pm »
Tuan- I sent the cables on to the next gentlemen this morning...I enjoyed listening to them...very nice indeed!!!
 Thanks
 Ed L. :thumb: :thumb:

konut

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #6 on: 8 Jul 2010, 12:36 am »
I've had the SSRSI for 24 hours now. Initial report is that I ordered a 26" pair. Previous cable was a Signal Cable Silver Reference which I've had between a Bryston BDA-1 DAC and a Creek OBH-12 passive attenuator. The main difference was a smoothing of frequency response throughout the range, with a noticeable improvement in the mid-range, which made the Signal Silver sound recessed by comparison. Lows were also rendered more solid. The extreme highs, which I expected to be most affected, remained as good as the Signal Cable, which is to say, excellent. Micro and macro dynamics are also better, with a corresponding improvement in perception of intonation. Tuan has been extremely responsive and I should have my new ICs next week. I'm keeping these the full week and will be sending them to the next participant at that time. Thanks Tuan!

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #7 on: 8 Jul 2010, 03:15 am »
Thanks Ted!  I'll email (PM) you the next person's address!  I'll get that cable in the cooker too for you... 

If anyone is interested, please PM me!

Thanks
Tuan

konut

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #8 on: 16 Jul 2010, 01:59 am »
Based on my initial positive experience with the demo pair, I ordered another 4ft pair of SSRSI to go between the Marchand XM46 high pass filter and the W4S SX-500 amps, replacing a pair of Eichmann Express 4s,  as well as the pair I ordered at first to go between the Bryston BDA-1 DAC and Creek passive pre. I received them today and the effect is an additional refinement of the presentation, especially in the upper bass, lower mid-range, and middle range. Additionally, there is absolutely no stridency in the upper mids and treble regions. Utter smoothness is evident on the cuts I have listened to that I am extremely familiar with. Vocals are really delicious with the setup now. I have sent the demo pair to the next recipient on the tour, Thanks Tuan!

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #9 on: 16 Jul 2010, 02:27 pm »
Thanks Ted,
I am glad you got the new cables and like them! 
If anyone else is interested in the demo, please PM me!

Remember, the cables will be pre burned using the cable cooker 2.5 prior to shipping!

T

danvegso

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #10 on: 22 Jul 2010, 05:21 pm »
 Just finishing up my evaluation (thanks to Tuan for the offer).
 
 Due to the short length (22") I wasn't able to try them where I really wanted to (between CDP and pre), but I was able to rearrange equipment enough to try them in place of my own hand made I/Cs between my pre and amp.
 Not engaging in comparisons that would be useless (as only a handful of others have heard or own my I/Cs), I'll describe what I heard.
 They were very musical, very smooth and non-fatiguing. Great detail, yet not at all over-etched or strident. Their only fault (if you would call it that) could be viewed as a "sin of omission" in that the upper mids were ever-so-slightly recessed giving some female voices a slight extra "weight" that isn't otherwise there-and this might abate after further conditioning.
 I was only able to give them about 12-15 hours of use, so they'll probably continue to improve.
 I'd be interested in knowing the price point (as I don't recall that being discussed)-they may well be a real bargain.
 In any case, in my application, they get a  :thumb:

 Dan

Equipment used:

PS Audio 6.0 pre (modified) in both active and passive mode.
B+K ST202+ amplifier (modified)
Magnavox CDB-650 (modified)
AR XB TT w/Merrill Sub Chassis/Grace 707mkII arm/Grado Red Cart
Conrad-Johnson Synthesis Loudspeakers
EPI Model 100W  Loudspeakers
Magnepan MGIIC Loudspeakers
STAX SR-84 Headphones (upgraded wiring)

All speakers have been fully restored and have upgraded crossover components

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #11 on: 22 Jul 2010, 07:23 pm »
Dan, thanks for the comments!  I love honest feedback, and will never ask for anything but!

In regards to pricing, the SSR-S (sweet spot reveal - silver) are price at $175 per meter and $15 for additional foot.  RCA or XLR Terminations.

Thanks and looking forward to some orders???   :thumb:

Tuan

etcarroll

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #12 on: 30 Jul 2010, 02:30 am »
part 1:

Just finishing up my evaluation (thanks to Tuan for the offer).
 
I ran them between CDP and pre, my equipment is in my profile, but I used a Rega Apollo for redbook CDs, and a  Samsung multi-player for SACD. The Samsung was a cheap buy I made off of ebay, it's meant for a diy project in Fall, for now it's stock.

A little about me, 53, lost the top of my high end hearing, and soon to be divorced, so no more WAF to worry about. As a result, have begun to piece together a new 2 channel system after a 15+ year hiatus, though I have been active in HT.

Cheap and cheerful are the watchwords when it comes to my equipment, amp is 30 years old, but just refurbished and re-capped by Bryston, pre is 20 years old, but had been updated/upgraded by Stan Warren a few years back. Money saved on all purchases, you get the picture. All my equipment represents 'value' to me, not a need to show folks I've spent top dollar on gear.

So imagine my surprise on returning after 15 years to find tone controls gone, and folks spending big bucks to buy cables to 'tune' their system in place of said tone controls. And they ain't cheap often times. Madness I say!

As a result, I've been jumping on various cable tours to see what all the fuss is about how different cables make your gear sound, if any difference at all.

And I've found there is.

I started out with 5 ICs, Tuan's, WyWires, my reference cables by Luminous Audio Technology, diy  clones, and a left over pair of cables from my last system, these were bought at a Tweeter, most likely in 1983. But comparing 5 sets became too time consuming, so I stuck to Tuan's and the WyWires.

Both are excellant, with minor differences.

etcarroll

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #13 on: 30 Jul 2010, 02:33 am »
Part 2:

I never heard cables with 'silver', but had read they could be revealing to the point of stridency, and fatiguing to listen to for long periods. So I was curious what the 'Sweet Spot Silver Reveals' would do for me and my system.

First, they did not sound he least bit stereotypically “silvery,” as I had feared. The Silver Reveals did offer me the ability to change the tonal presentation—not drastically, but enough to show me a different 'interpretation' of my music/system to the one I am used to hearing. I listened to a wide variety of music, and the Silver Reveals were consistently musical and enjoyable, regardless of the music I was listening to. The descriptors that came to mind were: “detailed, “airy,”, “dynamic”, “subtle” and “fast,” with great dynamic swing and pace. All of this came in a natural and musical way that did not sound hard, glassy or bright - some of the negative ways I'd heard silver ICs described.

In other words, I really enjoyed auditioning these, it was a pleasure to have them in my system.

But there were a few quibbles.

As a software designer for electronic medical records, I am familiar with the concept of GIGO, 'garbage in - garbage out', and the Silver Reveals ran afoul of this in a way. The SACD player is a diy candidate because in stock form it's a little weak, sterile and sligthly harsh in upper registers, and with some glare. The Silver Reveals passed these imperfections along in spades. These are not the ICs you want to hide flaws in your system.

Also, while listening to classical, I found the Silver Reveals 'slightly obscure' the "woodiness" of violins and cellos, and mask some of the 'full bodiness' of sound in the lower register of piano music. Trust me, minor quibbles all, but there nonetheless.

Conclusion:

IMHO, this is an IC for someone who prizes a synergy between their components that lead to a 'revealing' nature to music playback, and has the equipment to support such a synergy.

Music Listened to:
SACD: From 2l, (2l.no/) -
MOZART/GRIEG vol II - "Sonata in D for two pianos"
DIVERTIMENTI - "Divertimento for Strings"
Stone Rose - North Country II
MOZART Violin Concertos - Violin Concerto in D major- Allegro

Redbook:
Getz/Gilberto - "The Girl From Ipanema"
Joe Pass, Virtuoso - " Night and Day" & "How High the Moon"

Gene

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #14 on: 30 Jul 2010, 05:14 pm »
Gene,

Thank you for the honest feedback, I love it!

As Gene states...:As a software designer for electronic medical records, I am familiar with the concept of GIGO, 'garbage in - garbage out', and the Silver Reveals ran afoul of this in a way. The SACD player is a diy candidate because in stock form it's a little weak, sterile and sligthly harsh in upper registers, and with some glare. The Silver Reveals passed these imperfections along in spades. These are not the ICs you want to hide flaws in your system."  I didn't call my cables "REVEAL" for no reason...

So, if you are interested, do let me know and I can send a demo pair out to you!!!

Thanks
T

etcarroll

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #15 on: 30 Jul 2010, 06:35 pm »
  I didn't call my cables "REVEAL" for no reason...

T

Amen brother!

Gene

S Clark

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #16 on: 30 Jun 2011, 02:00 am »
I've been listening to the Sweet Spot Reveal for several days, long enough to give an intial review.
I decided to initially try them in my small room system with a pair of GR-Research Neo2X speakers, a Virtue Piano cdp, a pair of Dodd/Eico EL84/6922 integrated mono amps, and Straley speaker cables.  This system has excellent imaging and a wide soundstage. The system has only one pair of interconnects, so the test pair has no other IC's to mitigate their effect. They are being first compared to Electracables ICs.

Much like other reviewers, one immediately hears the extra detail, primarily in vocals, percussive instruments, and guitar.  At first, the differences led me to wonder if the Sweet Spots may be fatiguing.  In this system, I am tempted to use "bright" to describe them, but as I put hours on them, the extras were not sibilant but more in the vein of spaciousness, echoes that gave clues to the original venue, and greater delineation to backup vocals, attack of woodblocks, attack on drumheads, percussive plucking of guitar strings, etc.   Depending on your system, these could be exactly what you are looking for. 

Next, I compared them to a pair of the original KCI Silkworms.  They still have a bit more detail, but the silkworms have more lushness in the midrange that I liked better. 

Considering the price, if you are looking for more detail, Tuan may just have the answer for you. 

I still have one more system to put these in, in my big room with my LS9s, a Moscode amp, a Dodd modded Buffalo dac (if I can find the bug in it :evil:), and a Dodd battery pre.  I'll report on that next week.  If the results compare to my findings so far, I'll be placing an order. 

Scott

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #17 on: 30 Jun 2011, 06:03 pm »
Thanks Scott for taking the time to audition the cables and write your comments on it.
Please let me know if I can be of services.

Others interested, please let me know to demo!
T

S Clark

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Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #18 on: 6 Jul 2011, 12:52 am »
Review Part Two

System II
Amp- Moscode 401HR with Mundorf upgrades w/Wywire PC
Preamp- Dodd Battery Pre
Source- Cambridge 640c w/Pangea AC9 PC; with Monica II dac battery powered
Speakers- GR-Research LS9s with upgraded Xover
Speaker cable- Electra cable B6
The pre was connected to the amp with Electracables IC, the Sweet Spot Reveals connected the dac to the pre.

In this listening session, the Sweet Spot Reveal replaced a pair of KCI Silkworms.

Lyle Lovette's Joshua Judges Ruth-  Immediately the percussion jump out. The strikes were crisper and sense of realism increased.  Piano sparkled in the treble presentation, like it should.
Lyle's voice had seemed better defined with more separation from the band.  Soundstage seemed a bit narrow, but deepened.
Indigo girls-  Percussion! Stuff I hadn't heard before. Woodblocks were placed on stage clearly.
Paco de Lucia Concierto de Aranjeuz- Based on the first two albums, I expected the guitar placement to change.  Here was the least difference....until the second movement, when the oboe clearly floats above the guitar with such beauty that I forgot I was evaluating.  I had to play it again to hear the trailing edge of the notes that made it more real. 

After thinking about it, the Sweet Spot Reveals emphasize the percussive strike more than the KCI Silkworm.  Amount of detail from the Sweet Spot is not so much increased as it is different.  With the Sweet Spot, it is as if the listener is closer to the singer, hearing every word clearly.  With the Silkworm, it is as if the singer is more recessed on stage, but enunciating every consonant and vowel with such clarity that nothing is missed.  The Sweet Spot seemed to place the singers in a physical space forward.  With orchestral music, the Sweet Spot places you on the third row (a bit close for many) but with the impact that comes from being so close to the music.  The Silkworm has the classic best seat in the house (in my opinion), around row 20.

I don't know if the Sweet Spot will replace the KCI Silkworm, but I am thinking about.  They certainly are an excellent buy.  For sure in other places in my system, the Sweet Spots have earned a home. 
Scott

Sonny

Re: Sweet Spot Reveal "Silver" Interconnects
« Reply #19 on: 6 Jul 2011, 06:18 pm »
Scott, thanks for the detailed review...
I look forward to making you a couple of sets!
Tuan