Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC

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nlitworld

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Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #40 on: 2 Sep 2022, 08:31 am »
First off, I wanted to again say thank you to Jason for being generous with his products to allow us to try them out. He truly is a cable maker for the people with the interest of best sound possible as priority #1. As I sit here typing this, I find myself longing for a past love in the form of usb cables.

I'm currently listening to my stereo which up to a week ago I thought sounded pretty damn good but as I can now see is hatefully bland and vague. For reference, my system is a mix of affordable basics and very few nice pieces of gear. My reference point is my Schiit Sol turntable, Benz Micro Zebra L cartridge and Project Tube Box S2 s/ tungsol tubes. On that I have the Quiescence C from table to phono, and Ember rca to receiver. On my digital side it's a gaming PC going to Schiit Modi MB and Breathe C cable to receiver.
My vinyl setup has far surpassed the sound (and price) of digital side but when working from home I'm not about to stop a zoom call to flip a record. Could you imagine the look on my boss' face? Lol. So my comparison for good sound has been how close it comes to sounding like vinyl. I was hopeful in getting to test out the Ember and Aero cables back to back that I might hear some differences and find out some cool things about my system. My current USB cable is a mass market budget friendly option, similar to that of a Ford Taurus. No, we're not talking a new Ford with nice interior; we're talking a 92 Taurus L wagon with manual locks, roll up windows, and bad alignment.



This cable was inexpensive to get into and still functions to move you from point A to B but leaves A LOT to be desired. I thought it was ok and that was fine until now. I will leave the cable names and specifics out of it, cause I now have to talk some trash on it. 

Jason was kind enough to let me test the Ember USB at the same time so he mailed that out while the Aero cables were at the precious tour stop. Right away the Ember calls attention to itself greeting you at the doorway to where all the quality sound has been hidden. Immediately the sound was full and welcoming and only increased in detail the longer it played. It is a smoooooooth criminal. Drums were much more appropriately spaced, separated and tangible. Vocals and guitar were places right at the front of the soundstage telling you to sit down and enjoy the show. Separation was very good and the sound was coherent even through complex passages. This is very similar to the sound of my vinyl rig so I was already impressed. As a couple days rolled on, I couldn't help but giggle how good everything sounded and how much fun I was having. By all accounts, this cable reminded me of a BMW M3 where it has some seriously good engineering and is just flat out fun to drive. It can behave like a luxury car but can get wild on a track day if you let it.




Aaaaaaand then the Aero arrived. This cable is bad news, and I say that in the absolute best way possible. First couple songs really took me a minute to wrap my head around it. The soundstage was a much more even keel presentation; very grown up and sophisticated and gone is that midrange forward sound. About the third song in, I really started to hear all the little nuance I had never PROPERLY heard before. Separation of instruments were unreal. Cymbals had actual sizzle that you could almost feel. Strings had so much buzz on open strums and I couldn't believe all the sliding hands over the strings that had never been there before. Has it been there the whole time? Must investigate further. As I kept listening, the magic everyone talked about really came alive. The attack and immediacy of notes had so much more punch than before and the tone was always 100% spot-on. I had not upgraded any components, but the sound was so vastly different that it absolutely sounded like I had upgraded several. This cable does not tell a lie. I still could not believe how good the drums sounded. My cousin plays drums so growing up listening to him always made me appreciate the sound. Listening to the way a cymbal can clearly be identified being struck on the center or middle or the edge or how the texture of the snare stayed true all the way through the decay ringing was astonishing. When a jazz drummer was using brushes vs sticks or even the sound of different impact from different styles of holding the stick, it was astonishing at the real 3d image that gets painted. In the hands of even my modest system, with better than average recordings could be nothing short of pure magic. I say this last bit with the only caveat on this cable. It cannot tell a lie. When listening to well recorded albums like Opeth Damnation or Steely Dan Groucho, the sound was absolutely superb. With Alice In Chains MTV Unplugged album, you could almost smell the candles that were at the front of the stage. On the other hand, when listening to poorly recorded punk rock in heaven forbid a 192kb mp3, the cable called attention to the shortcomings of the recording. Screaming into a mic can actually hear the distortion caused by the mic, the poorly treated recording studio they were in, and the grain in the guitar distortion. The upside to that is it gives a much more visceral performance where you can feel the intensity and connect with the music much more intimately, and with ANY volume level. The excitement it brings at barely any real volume or at full tilt is the same. No longer do you need to have an ultimate stereo system to see massive improvements, or to crank the volume to be excited and really hear the music. This cable is all about the pinnacle of what is possible, similar to that of the Pagani Huayra, due to the highest quality materials, extreme level of
craftsmanship, and absolutely bonkers level of performance.



This is the absolute pinnacle of engineering I never thought possible. This is not an everyman car for casual driving situations, but the absolute best in performance and luxury in one amazing looking package that is exciting at any speed. This is a truly bucket list, end-game performance cable.

Going back to the other cables again, my original cable is unlistenable. Just can't do it. What was once acceptable is now very much not. It now sounds grainy, bloated down low, harsh up top, and coated in a thick wooly layer blocking all of the detail I know is in there. Jason has spoiled the party. When I swapped back to the Ember cable, details re-emerge, vocals are clear and have texture again (although Eddie Vedder is still incoherent, lol) and the soundstage once again gets that rich tone that brings out that upper bass and  midrange. This cable does not outright deceive, but it does impart small lie of omission making poor quality files or poor recording quality less noticable. Think of it like a traction control system keeping you from smashing into a wall around a bend. Just enough control to keep everything moving nicely, but not where it interferes with the experience at all. You just have to ask yourself, are you planning to go for a cruise or do you need to drive flat out? There is no wrong answer.

Again I have to say a big thank you for letting me test these cables. We'll be talking soon...

-Lloyd

SFDude

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #41 on: 2 Sep 2022, 03:00 pm »
Wow Lloyd. The Pagini of USB cables??? I'm wondering what the Aero Ag would compare to then? :D

-dave

Tyson

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #42 on: 2 Sep 2022, 03:05 pm »
This is a hilariously awesome review.  Nice work :thumb:

dflee

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #43 on: 2 Sep 2022, 03:33 pm »
Lloyd:
I love analogies and you have some good ones here.
As I've stated before it's the Ember USB that led me to the AerØ.
Found the Areo coax to be outstanding.
The Ember series (tried throughout the system) has a sustain that goes on forever.
The natural decay is something to hear, specially on drums and cymbals. I didn't realize it was there before.
The (nitpick) only thing about Ember is (in my system) was the leading edge didn't have quite the attack. It came in smoother than some other cables. That's one of the differences between Ember and Aero. Aero really has the note coming and going (and everything in between) in detail.
As soon as I found out there was to be a tour of what I was listening to I ordered both USB and Coax Aero.

Don

nlitworld

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Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #44 on: 2 Sep 2022, 04:17 pm »
Don, I completely agree about the difference of Ember to Aero. Sonically they have A LOT in common. I noticed the Aero just has an effortless ability to pull detail from seemingly nowhere to bring out a much more natural, believable sound. The Ember having a slight softening to the leading edge of notes does give it a slightly more forgiving nature. Again, with the choice of these two cables, there is no wrong answer.

Pez

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #45 on: 12 Sep 2022, 05:08 pm »
Tour folks,
I wanted you give you all an update. We managed to get the new Aero Cu USB listed on the website (Aero Coax/BNC to come soon). We are doing a universal discount for anyone interested.

Normal pricing 1 meter - $1299. Discount at 1 meter $1149 for the duration of the tour.  :dance: If anyone has any questions send me a PM.  8)
« Last Edit: 12 Sep 2022, 07:34 pm by Pez »

minatophase3

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Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #46 on: 1 Oct 2022, 10:27 pm »
I have been looking for a high quality coax cable for a while when I came across the Hapa AerØ Cu Coax here on AC.  After reading some of the reviews and reaching out via DM to some of the members here (who have heard the cable and then decided to buy it for their system) I decided to order one to see what all the fuss was about.  I contacted Jason with several questions and he was extremely helpful.  He ended up making me a cable with BNC on one end and and RCA on the other.  The cable arrived much quicker than I was expecting and I was very busy with my work schedule when it arrived so I just added it to the system and let it burn in for several hours before I had time for the initial listen.

When I sat down to listen I was not prepared for what I was about to hear.  I figured the cable would be good, but it wasn't, it was fantastic!  With only a couple hours of burn in, I was hearing a blacker background, better instrument separation, larger sound stage, more 3 dimensional.  And the detail this cable was revealing is nothing short of amazing.  I let it burn in for several more days and it only got better, smoother and more musical.  I can honestly say this was the biggest improvement from changing a cable I have heard in my system, and my system was sounding pretty good (at least I thought it was). 

I am using this cable with the BNC side attached to my Lumin T2 streamer and the RCA side attached to my Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC. 

I had my wife listen to False God by Taylor Swift as she is pretty familiar with that song.  When ever I have her come in and listen I always get the same response, sounded good before, sounds good now.  But this time with the AerØ Cu Coax in the system she commented that she was hearing a lot of things in the song that she had never heard before.

While the cable is not inexpensive, I consider it to be a tremendous value given what it has added to my system.  If you are looking for a Coax cable I would highly recommend giving this one a try, you will not regret it!

Thank you Jason for making such a high quality product at reasonable prices and for the excellent customer service!

Tim


Pez

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #47 on: 3 Oct 2022, 09:48 pm »
Tim,
I really appreciate the excellent write up and praise for Aero Cu Coax/BNC. Yours was a unique build. I was quite pleased with the results on my test system.

It’s always a great sign when your significant other gives the thumbs up on a new piece of equipment. I consider that very high praise.  8)

pconley2

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #48 on: 20 Jan 2023, 07:17 pm »
“Close your eyes and watch the music”

These are the words that come to mind every time I put one of Hapa’s cables into my system.  This time it was the Hapa Aero CU USB cable and I realize that when I make large changes to my system, I usually think of the changes in auditory terms but with Hapa’s cables I tend to think visually or cinematically.

Below are the very first words that I wrote in the first minute when I put the cable into my digital stream.

“WOW!!
I won’t do “critical” listening yet, but changes seem so obvious.  There is so much more of everything.  Separation/stage/image all are shocking.  Bass is extensive.”



The image expanded exponentially.  In my comments on the Quiescence interconnects that I had last summer, I felt as though I had been moved several rows closer to the stage.  With the Aero, I felt as though the image had gone from regular movie screen to Cinemascope.  Wider, deeper, more vivid and more grounded.

The first night I just turned on Roon and hit Random play, which I do on occasion, but what surprised me was that I left it on, for days, playing any of my ripped songs that it wanted to, I was amazed.  Not just by the songs, some of which I hadn’t heard in a long time, some of which I had never heard, but by the immediacy of the sound and how for the first time my image not only had side to side, front to back space but astonishingly it had a floor!!! Music was grounded, it was solid and very, very much in three dimensional space.

After a few days, I moved on to some of my test songs, which include a song called “Bass and Drums” from “Nils Lofgrin’s Band Live” album (not to be confused with the “Kieth, don’t go” acoustic album).  This song starts off with just the bass player riffing, using lots of overtones and harmonics.  I use this section to test for the purity of the harmonics as well as the speed of the plucking.  Eventually, the bassist starts looping 4 note bass riffs, stacking them one on top of the other and then he moves into hard core funk thumb plucking.  Slowly, cymbals start to appear behind him as the drummer starts to join in.  Eventually the drummer is doing fills that roll from left to right and then back again.  As a (not very good) drummer, I am amazed at the ability to sustain a fill, first left to right, and then right to left without ever missing a beat.  I have heard this track many, many times and it never ceases to amaze me.

This time I heard things I had never heard before, there was what seemed like an extra octave beneath what the bass player was playing, as though a sub woofer had been added to my system. The drums spread across the audio stage with a size and coherency that I had never had before.

I moved on to “Short Tales from the Black Forest” from  “Friday Night in San Francisco” where it was easy to tell John McClaughlin’s guitar (left) from Al di Miola’s (right).  The sound was sharp, precise and very weighted.  As I mentioned before, this brings up a critical aspect of what the Aero USB cable brought to my system.  Previously, music floated but didn’t seem to be fixed to the ground.  Instruments had space and texture but they didn’t have weight, they didn’t seem to be tethered to the floor.  I didn’t understand the lack of this until I put the Aero into my system. 

I was so pleased with the sound of the Hope Aero that I played digital non stop for five days, which given that I have a significant LP collection really surprised me.

All I can say is that this is a cable that has to be heard, in ones own system, to truly appreciated how much a difference an excellent Digital/USB cable can make.  I was amazed.


whydontumarryit

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Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #49 on: 20 Jan 2023, 07:47 pm »
Tour folks,
I wanted you give you all an update. We managed to get the new Aero Cu USB listed on the website (Aero Coax/BNC to come soon). We are doing a universal discount for anyone interested.

Normal pricing 1 meter - $1299. Discount at 1 meter $1149 for the duration of the tour.  :dance: If anyone has any questions send me a PM.  8)

How much do these cost to make?

nlitworld

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Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #50 on: 20 Jan 2023, 10:27 pm »
How much do these cost to make?

Something tells me the profit $ per hour of labor is painfully low and these are really only made as a fun side hobby more than anything else. Factor in the years of R&D plus patent applications and he'll be in the hole for quite some time, but happily enjoying a hobby he loves.

Pez

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #51 on: 24 Jan 2023, 02:29 am »
 Phil,
Once again, you have written a beautiful review. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put in. every time I see your speakers I’m reminded of RMAF and the first time I heard them. I’m a bit jealous that you get to listen to them day in and day out. What a fantastic setup you’ve put together! I’m really happy that my cables have graced your setup!

Regarding question of pricing, I never know how to quantify that when asked.  :scratch: As nlitworld has pointed out, R&D is insanely expensive and time consuming. I wouldn’t even have a product if it weren’t for countless frustrating and INFURIATING hours making things that didn’t work then learning from that and forcing inanimate objects to my will. When I first started years ago I literally blew up my own equipment accidentally, Then there’s the cost of the equipment I require to build these pieces. Some would drool over the gear I use, professional JBC soldering equipment, jeweler grade polishing gear, science lab level microscope optics, and a ton of purpose built (by me!) looms and machinery. And the patent/patent attorney/time spent is beyond astronomical. 

At the end of the day, I do this because I want to create the best products in the world regardless of price. This isn’t just a J.O.B. for me. This is the absolute highest expression of engineering and artistry I am capable of. I wake up and work on Hapa Audio, I go to sleep thinking about Hapa Audio. I plan on constantly making better and better gear which means more and more R&D.

So to answer the question “how much does it cost to make?”: at this point, more than the price paid. Maybe someday that’ll shift.  :green: I appreciate all the folks here on AC keeping the dream alive!

Tyson

Re: Introducing the new AerØ Cu USB, AerØ Cu Coax and BNC
« Reply #52 on: 24 Jan 2023, 02:34 am »
Jason really should double the prices on his cables to adequately cover the costs involved.  I’ve told him this, many times.