“Pez is a big jerk and has an unlikable disposition.” - Tyson :wink:
Please sign me up for the east tour. GO EAST!
Fingers crossed I make it in!
I really struggled to not say anything, but this is definitely a case of 'if you snooze you lose' As the only 2 people to sign up to the Instagram contest.... CONGRATS to TomS and Matt (not on AC) for winning the instagram contest. :bounce: :rock: :guitar: :drums: :violin: :beer: :banana piano: :hyper:Woot!
Excellent review. Your observations on the sonic strengths of the Breathe C match to a tee what I experienced with the Breathe S. Images just seem to float in a more expansive ambient sound stage. This in turn opens the door to a presentation that simply sounds more natural and real. The clues you mention like "resonance", "body" and "decay" are all there in spades. FWIW, I bought a second Breath S last week. Life is too short to miss out on a little treasure like this :thumb:
Hey AC folks, Just a reminder we still have the 'I'm in' giveaway. Just post anything at all to this thread and you could win one of two pairs of Breathe C 1 meter cables. :thumb:
Wig,
What a great review to start things off with. That is one sexy system you have there! I'm loving the Liberty speakers. :o Really honored that my cables made their way into your system! 8)
I’m in!!
Great feedback from guys whose ears I trust.
I liked the Breathe Ss and wouldn't mind a set of Cs. Any plans for XLR cables?
The world's 3 greatest inventions so far 1)The wheel. 2)Sliced Bread. 3)Hapa Audo Breathe C interconnects. Alright , that may be a little over the top, but the Breathe C cable is truly amazing.
My name is Bob and I started the East side of the Breathe C tour. I was perfectly happy with my present interconnects. Neutral, full sounding, fairly detailed and balanced. But you know this hobby(addiction)-
I am always curious to try something new. I've reading about the great reviews Pez's(Jason's) interconnects were getting. Then he launched his copper cable. I figured- what do I have to lose. The geometry and the material looked very intriguing. At heart, I'm as copper guy. I just think voices and certain instruments sound more natural through copper. I prefer a full bodied sound that copper provides probably
better than silver. Of course the drawback is that sometimes copper seems "slower" and you lose detail as opposed to silver. And the cable was very reasonably priced in case I liked it.
Anyway, I simply was not expecting what I heard. I was blown away. The beautiful rich tone was there but so was the detail and speed. These cables are in no way slow. I know Wig a little bit and always
respected his opinion of anything audio. He has a great ear. I texted him and asked him if he heard what I was hearing. He started the West part of the tour. He agreed. We both agreed that audiophiles
are going to LOVE these interconnects. The price point is ridiculously low. It is very hard to get this kind of sound for anywhere near this price point(if at all). They make your system sound Beautiful.
Now, I don't work for Hapa Audio. I just know a good thing when I hear it and want to pass it along to the audiophile community. That's what I like about this hobby- a lot of people are
willing to share. I've tried a fair amount of cables but not as many as a lot of you. I haven't tried Pez's other cables yet that get great reviews. They may be better than the Breathe C's or may fit
your system better. I know if he made it- it's worth a listen. I know for a fact these Breathe C's are certainly something you should experience.
Great review JM!
I can vouch for Bob's enthusiasm as we are good friends and listen to each other's systems often. Never has Bob been this excited over a particular improvement in his system as he has been for the Hapa copper ICs--he has called me at least 3 times and I checked back with him a couple times. Everytime he would wax with excitement at what these cables were doing for his system! For those who don't know, Bob is a tone whore as to his most important characteristic part of sound. He's actually converting me some in that direction. I will be hearing the Breathe S cables very soon in his system--looking forward to it and I will make some personal impressions on what I'm hearing at that point.
Those are really interesting user reviews! Hope that the "I'm in!" is not over...
Regards,
The Priest
Folks,Can I upgrade my grand prize if I don't even have them yet :lol:?
Due to popular demand, I am now including the option to upgrade to the KLE Absolute Harmony connectors with Breathe C. I am combining the best KLE connector with Mundorf Supreme gold/silver content solder. The improvements are tremendous. Cleaner top to bottom performance, added dimensionality and a robustness that is really nice.
Krustykat, thanks again for taking the time to review the Breathe C cables. I'm looking forward to sending you theTOP SECRETcable I'm working on for you. :wink: When it's complete and you have it, I think folks here would love to see what we've cooked up. :green:
Can I upgrade my grand prize if I don't even have them yet :lol:?
Absolutely (pun intended) When the tour is over I'll have the cables back here and I can go ahead and make that happen! :thumb:Any plans for a Breathe C XLR version?
Over the past 5 years I have owned and evaluated a conga line of cables ranging from foils, commercial helix designs, liquid metal, stranded and solid OCC Copper and Silver conductors retailing in excess of $5K and they all had positive attributes.
As an avid DIYer/tweaker and the builder of 5 variations of the Helix Design, mines are configured with KLE Absolute Plugs, 1 run of Neotech OCC Solid Silver/1% Gold and 1 run of Neotech OCC Solid Silver as the signal and a double run of Mil-Spec Silverplated Copper as the neutral which is known as the Schroeder Method “SM” and in my opinion has been the best sounding cables I have ever heard in my system regardless of cost…
My audio (signal) senses went up another level when I saw the launch of Hapa Audio and I immediately delved into the technology of his DCSG - Dual Chirality Star Geometry which went much further in reducing crosstalk and inductance but would I be able to discern any difference over my already phenomenal sounding DIY Helix cables?
The Hapa Audio Breathe C Tour Cables arrived in excellent condition and presented in a very professional manner with the Hapa Logo on the internal box and 3 sets of cables individually secured with Velcro straps and protected in nice cloth-type draw string bag; very classy. The cables build quality are outstanding and are very flexible and almost weightless.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=221145)
After 4 days of continuous burn-in, I was eager to hear the DCSG typology in my system with my own ears and with the music I typically listen to; Classical Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Cello and some Jazz.
Cued up 5-7 CDs of my favorite string instruments (play so often, the kids hum the notes : ) and was AMAZED! Tonality was the first thing I noticed with the Breathe C, Acoustic Guitar’s/Cello’s sounded fuller with more body, resonances, decay and “REALISM” … The instruments themselves were more life-like in size/scale and had an intricate and delicate sound that was not present with my previous cables.
After many A/B comparison between my DIY Silver/Gold Helix and Hapa Audio, the Breathe C just has more transparency and clarity without any brightness, forwardness or harshness. What you hear is a much wider/deeper and expansive soundstage, tighter image focus, better layering and the “chameleon illusion” as if your speakers are not even there…The level of detail and fluidity you hear between and beyond the boundaries of your loudspeakers with the Breathe C is quite astonishing and with the Beauty of Copper…
Being that the DCSG typology is similar to my DIY Helix Coax, I decided to try the Breathe C as a digital cable. My DIY Helix Coax has the same cabling as mentioned above but the coatings have been stripped off (naked) and placed inside 2 separate Teflon tubes and lightly twisted together. This “Air” Version yields better separation, better detail retrieval, more air and better image focus. The moment I inserted the Breathe C into the mix, I noticed the same attributes of textural body, resonances and a beautiful organic naturalness that exuded from wood-based instruments that the analog cables provided…
The supplies to build a DIY Helix Cable will cost you north of $230+ depending on your choice of conductors and that does not take into account all of the labor necessary to build a quality sounding cable. Hapa Audio Breathe C is more than worth the price of admission and at a price to performance ratio, the Breathe C wins hands down…
As with all cables, it comes down to system “synergy” and listener preferences but I can say without hesitation that the Breathe C is the best sounding cable I have heard in my system and I have owned and evaluated over 25+ brands…
If you are looking for a reference quality cable utilizing the latest techniques with proven noise/crosstalk rejecting, the finest Angel Litz Copper with vibration damping properties, I would highly recommend that you give Hapa Audio Breathe C or their other versions a try; As for me, my system will be outfitted with Hapa Audio Breathe C… :D
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=221146)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=221147)
System Components:
Purity Audio Harmonia V2 2A3 DHT Tube Pre-Amp
Luxman Mq Uc KT88 Triode Tube Amp
SW1X Std III+ DHT Tube Dac
Jay’s Audio CD2 MK3 CD Transport
Puritan PSM 156 Conditioner with Ground Master
Liberty Audio X-VOX Loudspeakers (PBN Audio Company)
Power Cables:
5 X DIY Helix with Neotech OCC Solid Copper wiring/Furutech/Parts Connexion CF Plugs
Interconnects & Digital Cables:
3 X DIY Helix with 1 run of Neotech OCC Solid Silver/1% Gold and 1 run of OCC Solid Silver
Speaker Cables:
Kirmuss Audio Adrenaline 7 AWG Litz Array Cabling
Accessories:
Audio Rack sitting on Symposium Roller Blocks
4 X 2” Solid Maple Shelves for each component
IsoAcoustics Isolation devices installed on all components and under Loudspeakers
Wig :thumb:
Any plans for a Breathe C XLR version?
Hearing all these good things about the cables makes me all the more excited and anxious to give them a go when it's my turn in a few weeks. **insert small child's voice saying "hurry up already"** It's going to be good fun!
Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts! I really appreciate it. :thumb:
Yaaaay!!!