MasterBuilt Audio Cables

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leif8660

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #40 on: 13 Feb 2016, 05:06 pm »
Damon and I took a little rest from our normal day to day routine to listen to some music yesterday in our remodeled sound room.  We started with the same tracks neither one of us can stand anymore simply because we both know them so well.  We listened to the music with the Signature power cord on the Constellation Centaur amplifier and the sound was just fantastic.  After about 15 minutes, we switcher to the new Ultra pc.  Let the disbelief begin.

 I was cracking up because Damon couldn't let the song play all the way through.  He kept skipping back to section of the song to hear over and over again and just couldn't believe what the Ultra PC was delivering.  Reverbs became so much larger and deeper not to mention we could actually here a delay echo on here voice which neither one of us have ever heard before.  Goose bumps ran up and down my arms as we listen to what was like an entirely new song heard for the very first time. The sound stage grew even larger and the sense of that more information than ever has become audible.  Super transparency throughout the frequency response without losing any of it's musicality.  This is just with 1 Ultra PC on the power amp, all the other PC cables in the system are our Reference and Signature lines.  I'm scared to see what is going to happen when we run 3 Ultra PC's lol

es347

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #41 on: 13 Feb 2016, 11:04 pm »
I've found that the PC on the source...not if it's a TT obviously...has the greatest impact.  What was your source, a CD player or music server?  Did you try the Ultra PC on the source?

leif8660

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #42 on: 14 Feb 2016, 06:16 am »
I've found that the PC on the source...not if it's a TT obviously...has the greatest impact.  What was your source, a CD player or music server?  Did you try the Ultra PC on the source?
We tried the Ultra PC on the amp.  Haven't tried it on the source yet.  It may very with equipment but the amps are the heavy draw.  I still have Signatures on the source.

gammajo

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #43 on: 14 Feb 2016, 08:49 am »
Lief - Are you running the amp direct and the rest of the equipment through a power conditioner such as the Quintet? If so in your industrial setting the power is likely dirty and the Ultra direct connect to amp might give the best results because of the conditioning qualities of Masterbuilt, compared to placing in on source, DAC or preamp if they are running through a conditioner. Please experiment for us with your one Ultra PC in all positions with and without power conditioner. It is important because many of us might want to start with one Ultra instead of replacing all power cords, due to cost. And you get to listen to music as part of your job, how cool is that?  :D

leif8660

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #44 on: 14 Feb 2016, 05:17 pm »
Lief - Are you running the amp direct and the rest of the equipment through a power conditioner such as the Quintet? If so in your industrial setting the power is likely dirty and the Ultra direct connect to amp might give the best results because of the conditioning qualities of Masterbuilt, compared to placing in on source, DAC or preamp if they are running through a conditioner. Please experiment for us with your one Ultra PC in all positions with and without power conditioner. It is important because many of us might want to start with one Ultra instead of replacing all power cords, due to cost. And you get to listen to music as part of your job, how cool is that?  :D
Hey gammajo,

I'm actually running the amp off the Quintet.  I will experiment of course but the engineers feel that the amp is the the best place.  But I will swap and compare the results.  With that being said, every time we have added Ultra to the system(when we started with the first interconnects) I couldn't imagine how the sound could get any better.  But it does.  After what Damon and I were hearing just from one Ultra PC on the amp,  I can't even imagine what multiple Ultra PC's is going to do.  I will know shortly though:) And yes, this job does have it's moments....

gammajo

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #45 on: 14 Feb 2016, 06:56 pm »
That is good to know that even with running off a conditioner, the Ultra does its thing strongly

who?me?

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #46 on: 6 May 2018, 05:34 pm »
So where does one buy Masterbuilt cables?
I did several searches online, there seem to be no store fronts for them, only
“Call this phone number for sellers”, eg via Vonschweikert website.

Can I just get a price list?

oem-wheels

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #47 on: 6 May 2018, 08:30 pm »
they never say the price... its a crazy crazy price.. if you don't have $100,000 speakers then forget about these..

jbr

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #48 on: 6 May 2018, 08:43 pm »
Try Masterbuilt Audio's website at masterbuiltaudio.com. It has complete information on the different types and grades of cables they manufacture, as well as pricing.

JerryM

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #49 on: 6 May 2018, 08:55 pm »
Try Masterbuilt Audio's website at masterbuiltaudio.com. It has complete information on the different types and grades of cables they manufacture, as well as pricing.

Yep, that works. https://www.masterbuiltaudio.com/

Yowwy :o

Tubeburner

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #50 on: 20 May 2018, 11:53 pm »
Quote
This product is the pinnacle of U.S. Aerospace signal transmission technology created by the world leading engineers in this industry using the resources and knowledge available to them.  This cable is manufactured using proprietary technology from rare and precious alloys only produced by this industry here in the U.S.

Since I work in the industry, I find this statement quite interesting. Proprietary technology would be owned by the industry, for example NASA or another, so no engineer could use this technology outside of the company without being prosecuted. They may know what materials are used and who the manufacturer are, so they may be able to buy the cable outside of the company if they can be released, but if they are making new cable using proprietary technology as stated, I wouldn't want to be them. IMO.


Russell Dawkins

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #51 on: 21 May 2018, 08:12 am »
In your explanatory blurb for the Ultra digital interconnects, you say " In the world’s finest systems, even the smallest amount of signal degradation will result in inferior performance and the digital signal from your source is highly critical.  Any loss in this signal results in over sampling and excessive error correction which drastically degrades the overall performance resulting in a "digital" sound." Could you explain this? How does signal loss result in oversampling?
https://www.masterbuiltaudio.com/ultra-line-audio-cables

Also, I have to say I find it disturbing to see cheap looking shrink wrap used in the termination of $17,000 1.5 metre cables, but maybe I'm out of touch with the high end cable world.

Letitroll98

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #52 on: 21 May 2018, 03:06 pm »
I agree Russell, I completely understand custom alloy metals, dielectric, and connectors cost money.  And expensive R&D might be involved.  But there is simply no way on God's green earth that any cable, no matter what the construction, could possibly justify a $17k retail.  This is the kind of thing that fosters the claims of snake oil and obscures the work of honest manufacturers producing high quality products at reasonable prices.

Sandrock

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #53 on: 14 Jun 2018, 11:09 pm »
Well they arrived yesterday afternoon late.  What an exciting surprise to finally receive the box after an almost an 11 week wait! 

My order was placed through Eigen Audio/Joe Hakim here in the extended S.F. Bay Area for a pair of Reference "Bi-Wire" Speaker cables 2.5 Meter long.  Joe strikes me to be very knowledgeable person who has a deep passion for high-end audio.
He is a very nice and comfortable person to deal with.  I am pleased that I was able to do business with Joe, especially as he is the MasterBuilt dealer for my area.

It would seem that MasterBuilt might-be having some supply issues due in part because of the growing demand which Damon mentioned that they were addressing.  Hence the extended delivery time frame for which I spoke about. I understand that AVS wants to lower that down to a much more manageable time frame in the not to distant future.  A big part of the timeframe issue is that each cable is made to order here in the USA and when you include all the different wire end combinations it can cause times to stretch out.

I was told by Leif at AVS that they wanted to hook the cables up to their cable 'cooker' and run them over the weekend so they would be broken-in at least form AVS's stand point before I received them. Which no doubt added to the longer shipping time.

So lets cut to the chase! 

Was it worth the money I spent for the speaker cables? 
First my wife thinks I am crazy but that is another story for another time! 
Deep down, I know she still love me even with my current Audio peccadillos.
 
Anyway I could not wait to hook them up and get started in the final 'break-in' procedure.  After opening the box, (it felt just like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one) and what with my somewhat understanding wife handing me an adult beverage, it was off to the races......

I unhooked my current wires and then addressed the MB's with an electronic cleaner and conditioner designed for use in the Audio arena.
My ends were all Banana Plugs. 
I also did the same procedure to the amp and speaker terminals as well.

The very first thing I noticed 'cold' just out of the box was that the bass was so much better.  It was richer, fuller, went deeper and there was so much more presence to the bottom end without ever being over blown..... Wow!! 
But the nice thing is that it is not the bloomy, sloppy, tubby kind of bass so many speakers put out. 
Just bass that was not there before with the other speaker wires. 

By contrast, the mid-range took on a much bigger 3 dimensional picture with a much larger center channel image.  I find overall its like that the wires were not there and that I am only listing to the Amp direct without any distortion that other cables produce, its amazing!

Everything seemed to be larger and spaced out between and outside of the speakers. The instruments and the voices had their own space and weren’t blurred into the background. And the big difference is all the inner detail and transparency they give to the sound.  Very tube-like is so many ways.

All I can say is that 'one' just needs to experience this for themselves, to fully grasp what these cables are capable of producing. 
And remember what I am listening to is my first impressions, 'cold' right out of the box.
All it can do is go up from here!

Let me digress for a moment. 
Joe was kind enough to lend me a Reference bi-wire pair from his stock so I could take some personal time to fully listen/evaluate them in my home system.  This I know you will agree is the "acid-bath" test. 
I had them in my system for a little over 2 weeks and even in that time did not want to give them back!!! 

So the next best thing for me not to have withdraw, was to order a pair and go forward from there.

Back to the sound:  At the moment the part that still needs to fully cure is the top end.  As those who have already gone through what I am now going through, will say the same thing.  The top end will start to settle down as I continue to break them in.  By contrast, Joe's pair sounded wonderful from top to bottom with only a couple of days to settle in to my system and relax.  It is the inherent nature of cables and the electron energy coursing through them for them to come in to full compliance.

So after listening to them for a couple of hours I turned down the volume and let the Aurender play all night and it continues to play right now as I type this article.  This morning I increased the volume and even from last night, I have noticed an improvement with the top end.  The overall sound is beginning to relax.

I will follow up as things progress, but I am very pleased with the purchase and kudos to Joe and Eigen Audio for pointing me in the right direction.  You are the best Joe!



« Last Edit: 16 Jun 2018, 01:09 am by Sandrock »

Mountainjoe

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #54 on: 15 Jun 2018, 11:23 pm »
Hi Ian (Sandrock);

Thanks for the kind words and I am glad you are happy with your purchase! I know it was a long wait, especially after having already experienced the Reference speaker cables in your system and then having to go back to your old cables  :duh:

Please keep us updated as they continue to break in - as you say, it will only keep getting better from here  :thumb:

Cheers, Joe

Sandrock

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #55 on: 18 Jun 2018, 01:19 am »
I am at the end of day 4 with 24 hour a day continuous playing with the Aurender/system.

So what has changed since last Wednesday when I got my MasterBuilt bi-wire speaker cables installed in my system and up and running?
As I previously mentioned, the bass was very good, the mid range was also good but the top end needed to settle down a bit!
Well at this moment the bass is still doing its job and remains strong and solid.
The mids are now even clearer and more defined.
The sound stage is more 'definitively' defined.
I can now hear sounds across the stage that I did not hear before. All I can say is that its "incredible"!

In a word its 'clarity!'

Each instrument is now much more defined and positioned along the horizontal stage. 
The top end is settling down in such a nice and very acceptable way. 
I am now waiting for the final phase when the top end literally float-off into space in a mystical way. 

I am continuing to break them in running 24/7.
 
Please don't get me wrong! 
I very much love the way the MasterBuilt speaker cables sound even right now. 
I am excited and looking forward to the cables being completely broken-in so I can hear the the finished product.   
Even now they sound 'fantastic' and much better then my previous cables by a big jump!

I listened critically to them last night and was amazed at how improved they sound, even over cold out of the box. 
Its like the amp is physically attached to the speaker and there is no speaker wire in the chain to defuse or color the sound in any way. 

I can now listen higher up on the volume scale and get much more into the music without any ear fatigue setting in.  I have just started to get a bit of ringing in my left ear and I found that even with my previous cables I found that the ringing the next morning had increased in intensity. 

However with the MasterBuilt cables there is no increased ear ringing or fatigue the next morning. 
The cables are that clean and devoid of distortion, that it is now a real joy to hear my music collection as much as I like without suffering the after effects to the ears.

So if you have any 'ringing' in your ears then these cables are definitely for you! 
Why suffer when you do not have too.

I am looking forward to hearing from others who have any of the MasterBuilt line and can share their thoughts and findings on their MB cables......

I will follow up next Wednesday with how things are progressing......


gammajo

Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #56 on: 18 Jun 2018, 02:28 am »
Sandrock
Congratulation on your new purchase. I had the Reference biwire and now the Ultra. Both took me to places of cable satisfaction I had not imagined cable could. They are likley to be rewarding from here on and believe it or not took another jump in wow at about one year into use. What were you using before?

kernelbob

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #57 on: 18 Jun 2018, 08:42 pm »
Hi Sandrock,

I purchased the MB Ultra interconnects and speaker cable a while ago.  I finally got five MB Ultra power cords a few months ago.  That's one for each of my biamping amplifiers and one for my Lampizator Golden Gate DAC.  It took me years to purchase the power cords, but they have a big impact.

Leif put my new power cords on the cable cookers for the time and currrent profile suggested by MB.  Even so, as Leif suggested, they are continuing to improve even after months of use.  I notice as time passes that they'll be subtle improvements which can be summarized as increased naturalness.  One thing, you'll want to avoid moving the cables since that will cause the Ultra cables to need time to reach their performance plateau again.

Enjoy,
Robert

Sandrock

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #58 on: 19 Jun 2018, 12:36 am »
Yep, as you say, things are going to continue to improve each and every day. 
This morning I did a quick bit of critical listening and again, I can notice a big improvement over when I first hooked them up last Wednesday.
The top end is really floating now and both the transparency and clarity have improved. Its like there are no cables attached to either the amp or the speakers.

The MasterBuilt cables are an incredible improvement to one's system.
They are the last link to be able to get to the final horizon of sound!

My previous cables are/were Monster Cable statement cables called 'Monster Cable "M-Sigma" 2' Statement Speaker Cable. 
Noel Lee incorporates science and technology into all his wire, and the MSigma 2 series are no exception.
For many years I have been very pleased with their natural sound but like everything, technology moves on and with all all the "Buzz" going around with regards to the MasterBuilt line and finally getting to audition the Bi-wire "Reference" pair, I just could not resist. 

Thank you Joe Hakim at Eigen Audio  for offering to lend me the cables to audition in my system.
My honest recommendation to everyone who is serious, with sound, is to at least try them......

Its the old story of "once one has heard better, its hard to go back" right?

In life as you know, "one generally gets what one pays for" and in this case its no exception!

Yeah, everyone is correct in that the MB line is super expensive but in my mind it also delivers the goods BIG TIME!

Boy am I pleased with the sound of my system and they re still breaking in.
I have about 168 hours of playing on them and hope to double that number in another week.

They just keep getting better and better, its amazing......

Again, if it were not for Joe at Eigen Audio I would still be in the dark sound-wise.
Thank you again Joe for making it possible. 

My next step is to acquire 2 pair of XLR interconnects to round out the system.
« Last Edit: 19 Jun 2018, 02:59 am by Sandrock »

Sandrock

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Re: MasterBuilt Audio Cables
« Reply #59 on: 19 Jun 2018, 03:07 am »
Robert,

I wish I could afford to purchase the Ultra line.
If the Reference line is any indication, then the Ultra line must be outstanding and God-like in its sonic performance!
I was looking for a balance between cost and performance and thought that the middle area was the way to go in this particular case.
Believe me, I am not disappointed at all.
In fact I think the MasterBuilt product is superior to almost everything out there, but at a higher price unfortunately.

All I can say is so far I am excited and pleased with my purchase.

Cheers,
Ian