Thought you might be interested in my impressions.
Source, Digital: Windows PC with SOtM tX-USBexp USB Audio Card + SOtM mBP Battery Power Supply; JRiver V20; Lampizator DSD-only DAC; Luxman DA-06 DAC
Preamp: Jolida Fusion with Upgrades 1,2,3
Integrated Amp: ModWright KWI 200; Pathos Classic One MKlll
Power Amp: Jolida Envoy MonoBlocks – NOS GE 211 Tubes
Speakers: Von Schweikert VR-44k Aktive (still in burn-in mode); VR-35 Export; Magneplanar 1.6
Cables Reviewed
Signature Bi-wire Speaker Cable: 8 -foot pair $7500.00
Signature Interconnect: $3,500 for one meter pair with RCA, and $4,250 for balanced XLR 3-conductor version
Review
What makes a great stereo system? For me, that means how musical the system performs and how the system is able to reproduce the emotions of the artists. I want to be able to ‘feel’ the music and believe that I am part of the venue whether it’s a symphony hall or small jazz club. When I close my eyes I want to be able to see the performers and their location on stage; the soundstage should have height, width and depth. The sound should be open and spacious and the instruments should feel like they are in the room. I don’t think a system can replace the actual experience of a live performance but with the proper components that have good synergy and the proper acoustics it can be close.
There are so many great electronic components in production so there are a great number of choices out there so people are able to buy according to their budget and needs. But I believe that most people will agree that the weakest parts of any system are the cables. In order to have all the components work optimally the cables between them should have certain characteristics. They should be able to transfer the analog signal with minimal loss with no changes and no added color to the music. The detail of the music should be presented as intended by the artist and producer; the strengths (and weaknesses) of the components should not be altered. This brings me to the Master Built Signature Cables.
I have been upgrading my system for the last 2 years and since each system is built around the fabulous Von Schweikert speaker systems, VR-35 Export and VR-44 Aktive, I purchased the Signature Master Built cables. Most of the review revolves around the VR-35s; I am still in the break-in process for the VR-44s.
While I was breaking in the VR-35s, I had not received the MB cables. My system included the Luxman DAC, the Jolida electronic and Consonance cables. The sound was amazing to me; I never had a system like this before and I was enjoying music more than ever. Once I received the MB cables, I immediately replaced the speaker and interconnect cables. After replacing the cables, the transformation was immediate. It was like a veil was lifted and the music became more real. I remember having a ‘WOW’ moment. The sound was more open and the soundstage was more 3-D, especially in the depth. The ambiance was dramatic. I was able to really start feeling the music. I had no idea I was missing so much until I replaced the cables.
As I went through the break-in period, there were a number of changes to the sound. This included brightness and excessive bass. This fluctuation continued for many days; the break-in period is very long with these cables, maybe 600 hours, and a person needs some patience. I believe I started noticing a stable sound around the 400 hour mark. Once broken in, I began listening to some of my favorites that I had played many times to see what differences I could detect.
I really enjoy some of the music from the 50’s and 60’s specifically Elvis Presley and Nat King Cole.
These albums are in DSD format and were mastered from the original Analog tapes. Previous to the MB cables, the voices were strong and very full. However, with the MB cables they became more real, more authoritative; I really felt they were singing in front of me. I could sense the emotions of Elvis while singing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ and the accompanying music seemed very lush. The same thing with ‘Love Me Tender’ especially with the guitar; there was more detail and more presence than before the MB cables.
Moving on to female singers, I listened to Eva Cassidy, Diana Krall and Emilie-Claire Barlow; these are my favorites.
Eva Cassidy’s ‘Live at Blues Alley’ had the added feature of being a live recording. I must say that her emotional performance on this album is fantastic. With the MB cables, I could really hear and feel the lingering/decay of her voice; it gives me goose bumps throughout my body every time I listen. This is especially so with her rendition of ‘Fields of Gold’ and ‘Autumn Leaves’. What a voice. It’s so sad that she was taken so soon in life; she had so much more to give. As far as the musical presentation, the instruments were spacious/airy and the ambiance was that of a small club. I never get tired of listening to this album.
Diana Krall has one of the sexiest voices I’ve ever heard. Listening to her albums is definitely an emotional experience. ‘The Girl in the Other Room’ album is a great example of this emotion. With the MB cables, I could hear all the nuances in her rich/deep, throaty voice. The detail, timbre and realism of the piano, bass and drums make this album the complete package. Most of this was there before the MB cables but now it was definitely airier and the low level detail was more pronounced; there was just more of everything.
Emilie-Claire Barlow is new to me and she also has a very sexy voice. Her album ‘The Beat Goes On’ is amazing. Again, with the MB cables, her emotional performance was magnified many fold. ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’ is a great example of this. I could really hear the whispering quality of her voice and the breaths she takes between some measures just made this song an experience to be listened to over and over again. The other great feature of this album is the musical accompaniment. The timbre of the instruments and the imaging make this album very real and musical. Again this realism was magnified when using the MB cables.
My favorite instrument is the piano, especially jazz. When a piano performance is recorded properly it can be a realistic experience second to none. One of my favorite albums is Gary Peacock – Live In Lucerne/2009. Before the MB cables the live performance of the piano, drums and bass was very pleasing and enjoyable. But after installing the MB cables, the performances reached another level. It became so much more. The timbre of the piano reached a level of realism I never heard before. I could almost see the hands striking the keys and moving up and down the keyboard. The drums, especially the cymbals, became more detailed and open. The bass became tighter and more detailed. The imaging of the group was obvious; there was greater depth to the presentation of the music. Before MB cable the sound was very good but the soundstage seemed flat; I could not really tell where the individual instruments were located. With the MB cables, the entire performance became spacious and I felt I was part of the audience. There was an airiness that I have a difficult time to describe properly; it became a true musical enjoyment.
Another jazz album I enjoy is the live recording ‘Jazz at the Pawnshop’. Here again the timbre, spaciousness and holographic sound with the MB cables was extraordinary. The most striking instrument to me was the vibraphone. There are a few solos of the instrument and the realism and presence were outstanding. When I first ‘really’ heard the solo I immediately said out loud, ‘what was that? WOW’. I listen to the album just waiting for the vibraphone.
The last album I’m going to briefly describe is ‘Folk Singer’ by Muddy Waters. His blues guitar is such an emotional experience. The most striking difference between the pre and post MB cables is the detail of the guitar. Some parts were hard to hear but I did not have that problem with the MB cables. The guitar had a greater presence. In a number of tracks I could hear and feel the decay of not only the guitar but the voice and this decay (maybe not the correct description) was left to right. There was an ambience that I did not really hear before the MB cables.
In order to test the ability of the cables to transfer the characteristics of an electronic component, I replaced 2 components one at a time. I used the Lampizator DSD DAC and the ModWright KWI 200 for these tests. In theory, when replacing components the system sound should change to reflect the characteristics of the component. With the MB cables, these changes were apparent and were transferred to the speaker system providing what has been described by reviewers of these components.
The Lampizator DSD DAC, with Duelund capacitors, is said to be one of the most analog sounding DACs in production. It is also said that the timbre of instruments becomes more realistic and that the bass response becomes faster and tighter. After replacing the DAC, these characteristics where easily heard in the music. Instruments were sweet and detailed even more than the Luxman. The bass was fast and tight and the entire presentation became more musical. This change was exemplified when listening to symphonies. The imaging of this type of classical music was always an issue with me. But with the Lampizator, the sound was spacious and the imaging spectacular; I could tell where everything was located and actually started listening to more of this genre.
With this example, I truly believe that the MB cable did their job; they preserved the characteristics of the electronics.
I then replaced the Jolida components with the ModWright KWI 200 integrated amp. This amp is said to sound like a great tube amp with a warm rich midrange, highs that are sweet with no brightness and detailed especially at low volume levels. After listening to many different albums, I can honestly say that these characteristics were present. The detail at low volume is extremely important to me since I moved the VR-35s to a smaller room to make room for my new VR-44s.
Again, the MB cables performed as advertised.
Conclusion
With the Master Built cables my quest for a complete musical system is complete. These cables performed as intended; they provide a media for music with no coloration and maintained the characteristics of the electronics. They allowed the musical presentation to be presented as intended by the artist with all the emotion and musicality of the recording. In my system, the cables are no longer the weakest link; they are an integral part of the system.
They are expensive but when compared to the prices of cables like Kubala Sosna, Kimber and MIT they are a bargain. They have made my system complete and now I am able to sit back and enjoy the music. I can now perform minor adjustments to the sound with tubes or room acoustics and be assured that I am getting the best possible system performance.
Highly Recommended!!!!
Vince
