I just re-read Jon L's impressions and I gotta say that my opinions are so similar it's scary...
so in addition to what Jon L has already mentioned, i'm going to add some comments as to how some of these cables synegized w/ other gear i've tried.
depending on the system and personal preferences, i can see how some would prefer one cable over the other.
the
Venhaus Pulsar ICs do everything very well at a price that won't require you to take out a 2nd mortgage in order to outfit an entire system. they have a nice full presentation across the board. neutral leaning towards a bit of warmth in the mids and bass. the different connectors definitely give each Pulsar a slightly different personality. the Silver Eichmanns being a little leaner sounding in the mids and bass vs the copper Nextgens. the Silver Nextgens provide more detail and clarity with less bass overhand than the copper Nextgens. mids aren't as warm either. worked beautifully w/ the Dodson DAC-263 which had fabulous details in the highs and tight, tight bass w/ little overhang. midrange was a little more relaxed w/ the DAC-263 so the more forward nature of the VH cables compliments this DAC well.
the
CryoTweaks Silver Ref MkII has been my reference cable for some time now. while it does have more detail, separation and clarity as well as tighter more extended bass, the midrange does retain the "silver" signature depending on gear. w/ my Esoteric DV-50, the CT IC leaned out the mids a bit too much so the music was less engaging overall. w/ the McCormack UDP-1 and Dodson DA-217MkII, the mids sounded just fine. the CT IC is on the cooler side of neutral. less silver sounding than most any other silver cables i've tried.
the next 4 cables set themselves apart from the rest in how their presentation. all of them allow music to flow effortlessly but do so in such different ways. often folks feel that once you get to a certain level of cables, the differences are minor from there on out. the 3 cables will redefine the limits of what you thought was possible from a mere cable...
the
Audioquest Sky is a SUPER dynamic cable and throws up a grand soundstage. bass is thunderous. mids are bold and full. highs are detailed and sparkly! although the conductors silver, because of the extremely full-bodied presentation, the sound reminds me more of copper except with far more detail and clarity.
the
Silversmith Silver ICs will impress you with their precise imaging, exacting soundstage capabilities, and again unlike any silver cable i've heard, offers one of the most natural presentations. midrange is neutral, yet remains engaging and breathtaking all at the same time. neutral to warm system will love this cable. analytical sounding systems will only sound worse cuz these are extremely revealing and don't add anything euphonic to the sound.
Harmonic Tech Cyberlights were very good. They had a sound that was very different and difficult to categorize cuz I have not heard anything quite like it in the past. I'm anxious to hear them driven off the battery power instead of the wall wart as a few folks have told me the wall wart only gives you 70% of the performance that the battery pack will give you. stay tuned for an update on this...
Silversmith Palladium ICs...as Jon L so aptly put...
Kaboom! in my system, these were simply unbelievably transparent, dynamic, revealing and unfortunately way out of reach price-wise...
i only wish they'd have been too detailed or too analytical or too dry...incredible sounding ICs these are. and they work equally well as digital ICs, too!
I will reiterate that every single one of these cables sounds fabulous in their own right. However as always, you'll have to try them in your system to see which one works best for you!
Until next time, happy listening, everyone! Thanks for reading...
