[Sonny]

Thanks Terry...

I am glad that in the end, the SSR's worked for you...  As I said before, there's no "ONE" cable that is for everyone, and cables do make a difference as they sound different, system to system and most of all, person to person!

Thanks again...and to reinstate...anyone wanting to give these a try...just look at all the "actual user" comments here!

Tuan

[Charles Calkins]

I recently had to rearrange my audio rack. Doing so involved relocating my SB3. The Brand X digital cable I had been using for a few years was to short. So I went scrounging in my boxes of unused cables and other stuff. I found three bluejeanscable digital audio cables. One was to short. One was to long. The four footer was just the right length. After hooking it up I heard an improvement over the Brand X digital audio cable. Brand X digital audio cable costs four times the bjc cable. So now I'm thinking what if I got a stereo pair of the latest bjc audio cables. They came yesterday I hooked them up and again they are better sounding than the brand X audio cables I had been using. Brand X stereo cables cost twice as much as the bjc cables.

 Now from what I'm reading TJHUB on his post  is sure that Sonny's cables are better than the bjc's I guess I'll have to contact Sonny and get a pair of his cables to try out. GEEZEE!! Where does it end??? I'm thinking us audioholic's are GOOOFY!!

                                      Cheers

                                    Charlie

[TJHUB]

I recently had to rearrange my audio rack. Doing so involved relocating my SB3. The Brand X digital cable I had been using for a few years was to short. So I went scrounging in my boxes of unused cables and other stuff. I found three bluejeanscable digital audio cables. One was to short. One was to long. The four footer was just the right length. After hooking it up I heard an improvement over the Brand X digital audio cable. Brand X digital audio cable costs four times the bjc cable. So now I'm thinking what if I got a stereo pair of the latest bjc audio cables. They came yesterday I hooked them up and again they are better sounding than the brand X audio cables I had been using. Brand X stereo cables cost twice as much as the bjc cables.

 Now from what I'm reading TJHUB on his post  is sure that Sonny's cables are better than the bjc's I guess I'll have to contact Sonny and get a pair of his cables to try out. GEEZEE!! Where does it end??? I'm thinking us audioholic's are GOOOFY!!

                                      Cheers

                                    Charlie

Charlie,

To be clear, there is no "better" cable for every setup.  You have to listen to YOUR setup and decide what you think is missing or is too much.  For me, I wanted to try something more "open" and "revealing".  Tuan's IC's are really those two things.  That may be too much in some setups.  I considered getting another set of Tuan's IC's, but I honestly think it would be too much for my gear.  However, where Tuan's IC's are "better" is that they really sharpened the imaging and separation giving me more transparency. 

One thing is for certain, Tuan's IC's would have been terrible with my previous Parasound NewClassic preamp/amp (2100/2250) as that setup was much brighter sounding than my current setup. 

An example of this is with a previous setup I had, I tried Belden 10awg speaker wire from BJC.  It was so bright sounding, I couldn't stand it.  I gave the cables four days thinking my ears could adjust to the sound.  NOPE!  I switched to some Calabrine Quadio cables and things sounded great.  About a month ago, I purchased my Odyssey mono's and they sounded rolled off and lifeless.  I considered selling them, but luckily prior to selling them I remembered the more revealing/brighter sound of the Belden's.  So before selling my amps, I purchased another length of Belden 10awg from BJC and it has worked out perfectly.  The moral of my story is that the Belden speaker wire was terrible for one mix of gear I had and is perfect for another. 

So what does "better" really mean?  Will Tuan's IC's be "better" for you setup?  It completely depends on what gear you have and what you think your setup needs. 

[gerald porzio]

"what you think your setup needs"

Mind triumphs over "nonmatter."

[Charles Calkins]

Well I don't think my set up needs a real big kick in the ass but maybe a tweak or two. Tuan and I live near each other so just to satisfy my curiosity about his cables I think I'll contact him and we'll go from there.

                                Cheers

                            Charlie
                       

[Sonny]

Well I don't think my set up needs a real big kick in the ass but maybe a tweak or two. Tuan and I live near each other so just to satisfy my curiosity about his cables I think I'll contact him and we'll go from there.

                                Cheers

                            Charlie
                     

Charlie, let's talk when I get back from France...
Tuan

[audioboy02]

Is there a website for Sweet Spot Cables or a contact phone num.  Thanks Ross

[Sonny]

Is there a website for Sweet Spot Cables or a contact phone num.  Thanks Ross

Audioboy02, PM Sent!

[Sonny]

Hi All,

Since there have been lots of talk / review about cables these days, I'd like to also offer a cable tour if any one is interested...  I can send out two 1 meter pairs to tour...

Please let me know if there are any interests...

Thanks
Tuan

[nunhgrader]

Hi Sonny - sent you a pm!

Sorry not a pm - email!

[Sonny]

Hi Sonny - sent you a pm!

Emails replied...
Thanks Donald...and let me know!

[nunhgrader]

Thanks Sonny!

[Sonny]

so far, one taker for the tour...
anymore takers???

I hope to get the tour started in July...

T

[TJHUB]

Seriously, people should try these interconnects.  Thus far, they are the best I've heard.  You get a wider sound stage, a more accurate imaging, better separation, great attack and decay from cymbals, and more defined bass.  I've only grown to appreciate these IC's more and more. 

TRY THEM!! 

[Matt715]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here. I was brought to the Audio Circle forum by TJHUB suggesting that I give Tuan's interconnects a try on another forum. I have been around many naysayers saying that wires can't and won't make any difference in sound so I thought I would give a few different ones a try and see (or hear) for myself.

I have a rather entry level setup. It consists of a Harman Kardon 247 AVR, a Emotiva ERC-1 CD player, a Emotiva XPA-5 amp, and a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures. Since I somewhat bought into the "any cable is a good cable" camp, I had primarily been using some Monoprice "premium" interconnects. After trying Tuan's interconnects I can say that I am no longer in the cables don't make a difference crowd. They really opened up my mid and upper range in my setup. The sound is much cleaner and way more defined than what I was hearing with my Monoprice interconnects. I pretty much heard the exact same things that TJHUB heard in his review of the cables.

Since these are my first pair that I have tried on my quest for new interconnects, I haven't bought some yet but they have made a very good impression on me. They are definitely on my like list and I would recommend that anyone looking for new interconnects give these a try.

[Sonny]

Thanks Matt...
Let me know how your search goes and if you do want to get a pair or two from me, you know how to reach me!
Thanks again!
Tuan

[kip_]

I recently purchased two pairs of interconnects from Tuan, both copper, 1m, RCA. I received them in about a week with a nice hand written note from Tuan. They are replacing generic, much longer rat shack cables. One pair connects my dac and subwoofer, and the other pair connects my subwoofer and integrated amp.

I've heard that this is not the optimal way to connect things, but my integrated doesn't have preamp outputs, and using speaker-level outputs from my amp (running two sets of speaker cables out of the amp) was not satisfactory at all - the bass almost completely disappeared. I have not tried running speaker cables from my amp->sub->speakers.

So far, the differences have been fairly subtle. I've done some A/B comparisons with my old interconnects, and I've noticed a little bit tighter bass, a little more sparkle in the highs (a good thing with a warmish amp and neutral speakers), and a richer/bolder tone. Perhaps a little more detail overall. Soundstage width and height seem largely unchanged. I've only put about 20 hours on them so far, so I reserve the right to come back and edit this post later.

[Sonny]

Kip, thanks for the note!

I am glad that the cables work for and please keep us updated on your findings!

T

[Letitroll98]

Sweet Spot Reveal Interconnect Cable Review

I received a set of Tuan’s (Sonny) Sweet Spot Reveal cables on March 5th and Tuan has been bugging me ever since to post my impressions of them.  It’s a good thing I waited this long because they have changed in character quite a bit since then, with something over 100 hours of break in so far they seem to be settling in to a steady state.  I have not been a proponent of long break in periods affecting anything except your hearing and memory, but I may have to change that opinion, there is a definite difference compared to the reference.  The cables arrived looking very unassuming.  Extremely thin, slightly stiff, with well made but very inexpensive Switchcraft RCA connects.  They are made of magnet wire, shielded very lightly, with a drain wire connected at the signal end thus are directional for a reason.  I ordered a 4’ length to fit my application better and it cost me a pitiful $25 over the $125.00 standard 3’ price.

To describe the SSR’s I’d like to start by asking what can a cable do?  It can’t add anything except distortion and noise, it can smear a signal’s time signature obscuring details and micro/macro dynamics, and it can subtract frequencies thus emphasizing bass, treble or midrange.  The Sweet Spot Reveals do none of these things.  After break in you get a fast (very fast) detailed soundstage that gives up nothing to the competition in depth and breadth.  Images are clearly defined and placed exactly where they should be, Diana Krall upfront and in your face, Sara K (Chesky releases) deep and recessed back in the soundstage.  Dynamics are powerful and direct, leading edges of transients are breathtakingly fast with zero overhang.  There is no residual noise introduced and the sound emerges from a dark black background.  The impression is light and airy, clearly illuminating all of the high frequencies without any harshness or grain.  Bass is tight and tuneful, not tubby or overblown in the least.  This leads to the only caveat I have, which is a slight leanness in the upper-bass and midrange, a function more of the accuracy of the cable than a fault I believe.  The Sweet Spot Reveals are exactly as titled, they are sweet and liquid sounding, and will reveal all of you upstream components for better or worse.

But it wasn’t all roses from the get go.  They first replaced the Zu Wylde from DAC to preamp and took only about 30-45 minutes to lose the hard, brittle overtone of new cables and settle down.  I put the system on repeat and did some housework.  Later I listened some more and the cables got worse, just sort of flat sounding.  This is very common when breaking in cables.  By the time guests arrived a few hours later and came in to listen, the cables had settled back to where they were earlier.  I let them cook all night, the next day they just got better and better all day, sort of flowing back and forth, one hour more sweetness, the next hour or so more detail, then added sweetness, then more detail.

Comparing with the Zu was a bit hard, they were so different in character.  The Zu Wylde was very warm and forgiving, the Reveals seem to have a bit of grain on top.  There was no harshness, just a slight graininess when connected to my DAC, which is quite different, but nevertheless not there with the Wyldes.  However throughout the whole process, I had a very difficult time objectively evaluating the SSR’s, I keep getting lost in the music.

I then put the Reveals up against my beloved Magnan Type Vi between pre and power amp.  The Zu's used to be here and it's what I ordered the cables to compare to, but then after the Wywires Cable review I did in February, the Magnans took the Zu's place.  Surely the mighty Magnans would trounce the lowly Reveals, I was almost scared to try it.  Well no worries, I instantly went back to stopping the comparisons and simply listening to music.  The Reveals worked much better in this location (and I liked them before) maybe impedance matching or they were ‘revealing’ my cheap Chinese DAC too much.  Regardless, they sounded even sweeter with that slight graininess disappearing, which must be laid at the feet of my DAC not the cable, the cable just exposed it.  I literally feel asleep in my chair so relaxing was the sound (okay, after a double martini, but only one).  The poor Magnans were left lying somewhere behind the equipment rack, I wasn’t interested in putting them back in for comparison just yet. 

The Type Vi’s are wonderful cables and I still love their sound, but while equaling the Reveals in soundstage and smoothness, and surpassing them in midrange/upper bass fullness, they just obscured the details too much in comparison.  I kept trying to hear more when the Magnans were in the loop.  I really tried to like my Magnans more because they are my go-to sound, more musical than accurate.  But try as I might, I keep going back to the Reveals.  I do a test with the JVC XRCD Jazz Sampler disc where I play a 10-20 second sound bit from the intro of every track in order rapid fire, then switch cables and do the same thing.  With the Reveals I keep getting distracted by the music and let the selection play on for a minute or two on some tracks.

Summing up, Tuan’s ‘Sweet Spot Reveal’ is not the interconnect for you if you are trying to tame an already harsh or bright system.  They will ruthlessly ‘reveal’ any faults you have in your system in that regard.  However if you want a truly illuminating cable that delivers you every detail of your hard work in system building, you may find it here.  And for a price that makes you laugh all the way to the bank.  Note a couple of things as well.  Tuan has a silver wire based interconnect for slightly more, I believe it’s still available.  And I’ve spoken to him about building a “Signature Edition” with high quality connectors and exotic wire.  He’s been open to this, but has stated he tried Eichmann’s etc. and didn’t hear any difference.  Perhaps more to come in the future.

System:
I have a very old, classic system that has changed because of two components dying, my PS Audio 4.6 preamp with it's wonderful phono stage and Cambridge Audio CD6 that was being used as a transport.  So I've substituted with stuff that was lying around and results in the following:

VPI HW-19 Jr Mark III upgrades
Rega RB-300 arm rewired w/ silver litz
Too many cartridges, but presently a classic Empire MM
Cambridge Audio 640P phono pre
Oppo DV970 as a transport
JEC 7510 DAC
B&K CS113 preamp
B&K ST-202 amp
Magneplanar MMG w/ modified bases, DIY BudP ground enhancers, and fuses bypassed
Yamaha YST 100 sub
Dedicated and highly treated room (the most important component)

Music:
(Not exclusively here, but most of the go-back-to selections)

Stereophile Test CD 2&3
Linkwitz Pink Noise and Impulse test
Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, (etc.)
Paul Simon: Graceland
Sara K: Closer Than They Appear
Diana Krall – Girl in the Other Room
Shadowfax: Too Far to Whisper
The Planets, Holst: LSO w/Geoffrey Simon
Her Infinite Variety, Celtic Women in Music and Song
A Womens Heart 2, various
Celtic Voices, Women of Song
Duets: Rob Wasserman
Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth
Indigo Girls: Swamp Ophelia
Liz Story: Solid Colors
JVC XRCD Jazz Sampler
Mark Isham: Self Titled
Shawn Colvin: Cover Girl
REM: Automatic for the People
Everything But The Girl, Acoustic

[Sonny]

Thanks Letitroll98 for your thorough review! 

I think it's always important to have enough time with a product so you can have a thorough understanding resulting in a very informative review. 

I really do believe these are nice cables, are they the best?  No, by no means, but are they good and will they be the best in some systems?  Absolutely!

If anyone wants to give them a go, let me know! 

As far as I know, none of my customers have sold any of the cables they've bought from me...that's a good record, no?   

T