Nice reply and offer Dave - although, I wouldn't have expected any less from you.
Not that my opinion matters much, especially as a novice; however, I offer to the Omega Forum members my own experience.
Dave and Randy have treated me with abundant respect and consideration, and are extremely careful not to try and "sell" me on various wares even when I'm in their wonderful-sounding hi-fi rooms. They offer a wealth of knowledge based on their own listening experiences with a select set of "high-value" components and speakers, which further increases the value and validity of their combined experience since they're not playing around with a bunch of different equipment. They also allow me time to sit and listen to their gear for hours on end, and many times I walk out without making a purchase. I go there because the "music" sounds so good and I use it as a reference for my own system and room. Recently I asked Dave about Alpha Core speaker wire and interconnects. Dave responded, "It's good stuff." Nothing else. There was no, "Good stuff, but let me tell you about my speaker wire and interconnects." These guys love "music" first, and make every effort to offer it at a reasonable price.
Now, I know relatively speaking the Vivid Audio accessories prices may not be in line with Omegas and such, but I'm sure that the price reflects nothing more than the cost of the materials, some proprietary customization, hand-made construction labor, and modest mark-up to keep the doors open. And, in my opinion, they're aesthetically pleasing, which probably affects the way they sound as well
. I have yet to audition a pair of cables or interconnects for any meaningful length of time because I'm still trying to sort out my room, which by the way Dave and Randy have helped me with recently. They told be to place my speakers on the longwall of my smallish room above the garage (10' x 14'). Long story short, the music's filled out, not nearly as thin, many less dips in frequency response on the low end with some nice overall low-end boost (not muddy), and the soundstage has just opened up. Imaging is improved as well. The only complaint is that the soundstage depth is slightly compressed, but that's a fair trade in comparison to all the gains. So, for now I'll continue on with my home-brew braided pair of Plenum CAT-5 until I'm confident I can assess cabling differences. However, for the short time I did spend with the interconnects and cables, I noticed immediately and quite perceptibly improved detail and imaging in comparison to my CAT-5 braids and DH Labs T-14 cable.
Dave has had no problem offering me risk-free in-home trials. He'll even let me take home rather expensive ASL amplifiers, but I've never taken him up on his generous offers. Not until my room, the most important component is sorted to its fullest potential. Then, and only then, will I experiment.
So, my review is an assessment of character and integrity. Sorry if you were hoping for an equipment review. And, by the way, Dave is an extremely loyal distributor of Omega Loudspeakers, based on my own experience and discussions with Dave.
If you've got the cash, give 'em a try. If not, like me, continue to spend smaller amounts of money on less expensive cables and DIY projects until you've far exceeded the one-time cost of Dave's, or any other manufacturers accessories.
Sincerely,
Jim
