[jasonc]

Anyone pair Odyssey Lorelies with Van Alstine gear.  I have the Loreleis and am thinking about giving Franks Integrated Amp a go.  I've always been interested in his amps but have not been unable to accommodate one due to limited rack dimensions.
Thanks.

[jasonc]

Brian, not only do we share a like sense of humor and creative moniker we also have the same IC's and speaker cables.   Crazy!

[ajzepp]

What do you guys think of the anticables?

[jasonc]

What do you guys think of the anticables?

Only cables that have really worked for me.  I prefer them over many other cables I have tried including Gregg Straley Reality Cables.  No character of there own, they just allow my system to do it's thing.

[ajzepp]

Cool, I've heard a lot of people say they had good results with them. Cables will be my last upgrade, but I'd like to get something of decent quality. I'm not into dropping hundreds of dollars on them, but I'd like something a bit more than radio shack stuff, too. I'm trying to put together a very transparent system, so it sounds like the anticables might be a good match for me.

[martyo]

My opinion of the anticables is that they're overpriced!  But only if you're not too lazy to fashion DIY cables, as I am.  I certainly have nothing against Paul Speltz profiting from something so relatively simple.

As for the sound, they don't seem to sound like much at all.  They're more clean and uncolored sounding than my previous cables (Belden, still good, but which sounded slightly artifact-y by unscientific comparison).  They don't deliver "more thumping bass" or "more extended highs" and they didn't "open the soundstage up from wall to wall" (Frank's preamp does that).  They just sounded like someone had maybe flicked a few specks off the picture.  Am I sure I could tell in a blind test, no.  I think playing with different wire can make small & subtle differences but that it's nothing to get hyper about.  If you buy into the argument that all the shielding dielectric may not be helping matters, or necessary, and that solid-core wire is a simpler solution than super fancy winding techniques, then I would guess you could dispense with nine tenths of the fancy wire out there, since most of the price involves R&D for such things.  But whatever.  The other advantage is supposed to be break-in time, but I'm convinced that no one, but no one, has any real idea about when a cable is or isn't "broken in" even if such a thing exists.  If ya think you can begin to hear subtle differences (let alone night-and-day differences) once a cable rolls over 200 hours, or 400 hours, you're frankly delusional.  Nobody's that good.

I should add that before the Beldens I had very expensive cables, which to my ears sounded virtually indistinguishable from the Beldens but looked much cooler.

That's a commentary on cabling I totally buy into, thanks BrianM.

[ajzepp]

I agree...I haven't spent much time at all messing with cables, but I assume I'll end up feeling as Brian does.

Thanks for the info, guys.

[jasonc]

I now this might be off topic to the cables discussion but any comments to my post?

[bhobba]

Anyone pair Odyssey Lorelies with Van Alstine gear.  I have the Loreleis and am thinking about giving Franks Integrated Amp a go.  I've always been interested in his amps but have not been unable to accommodate one due to limited rack dimensions.

Frank offers a money back guarantee.  Get an amp, audition it, and post your impressions to help others.  What have you to loose?

Thanks
Bill

[bhobba]

That's a commentary on cabling I totally buy into, thanks BrianM.

Same here.  I wish more commentry was as down to earth, not 'gushy', and, horror of horrors, actually included some blind listening tests.

Thanks
Bill

[martyo]

I now this might be off topic to the cables discussion but any comments to my post?

I have never heard your speakers but this was my comment to someones post asking about the integrated at RMAF:

Oooohhhh! In my own "we're getting new speakers" excitement I completely forgot about the integrated.
On my first trip to the room someone asked to hear it. Frank swapped it out. I was still settling in to the environment, sitting with a bunch of people you don't know ( I'm pretty introverted, more of a "one on one" type person) in a packed hotel.........It wasn't real critical listening on my part, but going from the top of the line AVA gear to the integrated the only thing that jumped out at me was a little less depth, a little more up front with the sound, someone else commented on the obvious change in dynamics going to 1/3 the power from the 550. It still had the overall characteristic "musicality" that is AVA. I was impressed. Alot of sound for the money, very rich, IMHO.

I would say the more revealing your speakers are the more you'll appreciate the musical presentation of the AVA integrated. I think it is a bargain.

[denjo]

Matyro
Like others here, I generally use Beldens and find they are neutral and honest. I have recently found that there is one exception where using a more expensive "designer" cable would offer better results, that is, the digital cable between my SB3 and DAC. I have used Belden 1694A ("Brilliance") for quite some time now and find that it gets most of the music right, providing a "sweet" midrange. Initially the Stereovox XV2 sounded a bit sterile and cold (others have found that too) but when I tried one track from Inger Marie Gundersen (By Myself), I found that the Belden tended to soften the highs which became indistinct. The Stereovox XV2, on the other hand, presented the highs in a more natural way. This tendency to bring out the high frequency might give some the impression that the Stereovox sounded a little bright. I guess it is also system dependent. So if your system lacks a bit of the highs, the Stereovox XV2 might bring this out. Otherwise, the Belden 1694A makes a fine all-rounded digital cable with a nice midrange to it.