DD vs D3

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 2969 times.

doggie

DD vs D3
« on: 25 Sep 2014, 01:15 pm »
Originally I set out to replace my "place holder" Blue Jeans Cable speaker cables which I use with my Omega single driver speakers. I had been trying to refine my speaker based  system since moving into a space where I could finally do that. For years I had been confined to headphone listening.
My present system is/was composed of:

"CAPS-like" PC with Paul Pang USB card and HDPlex LPS running Windows Server 2012R2 plus Audiophile Optimizer: the best thing I ever did to improve my musical enjoyment

Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSD SE : makes a great digital preamp

One of several interconnects …to be discussed later.

Pass Labs First Watt J2 – 20 watts: (wonderful SET-like sound without the fear of leaving the room and having a 70 year old tube detonate and burn your house down.)

Blue Jeans Cable speaker cables: ("placeholders")

Omega Super 6 Alnico floor standers: crossover-less goodness

SVS Sub: does the heavy lifting.

After posting a speaker cable question on the Omega forum I decided to replace my interconnects instead. I was using one of: DH Labs Silver Sonic or Signal Cable copper or some Morrow Audio level 2 (which I believe are silver covered copper). The DH Labs sounded the best to me in my system. I was happy with them at the time but they always seemed just a tad "tilted up". The Signal Cable IC's were smooth and removed a lot of digital fatigue by putting everything in a bit of pleasant haze. The Morrow's were just plain odd. They did offer apparent detail but definitely made music seem a bit off tonally and had a little "edge".

In the Omega forum Dave's Cables(ZenWave) come up a lot and Dave is a prolific poster. At first I was a bit skeptical because I often question someone's motives if they have something to sell and then post a lot around that topic. Dave's posts are different however as they are well thought out, offer a lot of good information, and also seemed in line with what I look for in musical presentation.

I decided to contact Dave and he kindly sent me two IC's to compare: a pair of DD's and a pair of D3's. Both were demos and so were already broken in. They did need a few hours to settle back down after shipping but they then became consistent.  I had liked the way Dave described them on his new ZenWave web site and it seemed that they might be a significant upgrade to what I had. I thought that it was interesting that although one cost more than the other he basically did not describe one as necessarily being "better" than the other. I found this to be for the most part true. I could have lived with either cable but chose the D3's for reasons I will elaborate. Both were much better than any others I had tried in my system, especially for tone.

The DD's have nice focus and detail, excellent depth, good dynamics, and get tone really right. I found myself listening to the music as if I were watching a film. The music was on a stage before me and there was convincing movement. I thought to myself that I should just keep them and send the others back. Why even take them out? How could the D3's be better? Luckily I did not do that.

I then tried the D3's. For the first couple of hours they seemed too forward for my taste and a bit confused. I left music playing into my powered off amp for a day. They now better the DD's in pretty much every way…which is saying a lot. What I first experienced as forwardness I now "see" as layering of the sound stage. Some instruments are closer to me while others appear to be quite deep in the stage. The tone is absolutely wonderful. The D3's just…nail…that.

I sent back the DD's to Dave and now have a demo pair of his SL speaker cables coming.

Someone stop me before I spend again!

…actually, no, don't. This is fun.

Best,

Paul

Tomy2Tone

Re: DD vs D3
« Reply #1 on: 25 Sep 2014, 02:43 pm »
Here, here for Dave's cables! Or is it hear, hear. :)

As great as his interconnects and speaker cables are his power cables are just as good. Not only do they perform at a high level but they have to be the most flexible power cable i'v ever used. They can bend in just about every direction without resistance. Highly recommended!

Enjoy the ride!

jonbee

Re: DD vs D3
« Reply #2 on: 25 Sep 2014, 03:59 pm »
Much the same reaction as I had. I'm using D3 in my main system, and DD in my office, where they tone down the aggressive system qualities a bit, important for near field listening.
I guess I'll be trying D4s soon,but in truth I've very happy with the D3.
Enjoy!

DaveC113

  • Facilitator
  • Posts: 4341
  • ZenWaveAudio.com
Re: DD vs D3
« Reply #3 on: 25 Sep 2014, 11:12 pm »
Hi Paul, Thanks for writing the review, I really appreciate it.  :thumb:

I think your review is spot on, and I agree the D3 is technically a better cable... but the DD makes the least compromise to achieve a smooth, laid-back sound I have found. In some systems it's the right fit. Some folks like using one DD and one D3 if it's a system where 2 sets of ICs are needed.