[twitch54]

I've been chating with Tuan aka "sonny" over the last few weeks regarding IC's to use between my TT and phono pre. He informed me that he makes his version of the "Anti-Cable" IC that is shielded via running a third lead left 'open' at one end. While he utilizes an enamel covered 'magnet wire' he does cover his assembled cable with synthetic jacket.

Tuan set me a pair last week to tryout in a little shoot-out of sorts that I had last weekend. On hand I had AQ king cobra, Kimbre Hero, Signal cable-copper, and an old pair of MIT (don't know the model). Tuan's creation wins hands down, it had more of what I wanted.....open, air, transparency and a neutral presentation. One attribute worth noting was that it opened up the 'bandwidth extremes' and thus revealed more info with all the atributes mentioned earlier.

Tuan puts this package together utlizing quality Neutrik RCA's at avery attractive price of $100 for up to a 1.5 meter pair. He let it be known that this is a hobby for him and has no ability for "mass production", well that's ok by me, because I just ordered another pair to run from my phono-pre to my preamp. Those interested will have to get in line behind me !!

Thanks Tuan !!

[Sonny]

Dave,

Thanks for the feedback...
yes, these i/c are DIY all the way...
Just a simple recipe and application of some good materials and you'll have it an extended, fast, and open cable!

If anyone is interested, I'll send them a pair to try out...
PM Me! or email me at gotoma8@yahoo.com

Who knows..you may end up having money left over after you replace your current cables with these to buy MUSIC!

Here's a picture of the XLR version!



Happy Listening!!!

[brj]

Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines.  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads or Industry Talk circles.

Thanks, and have fun!

[Sonny]

Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines.  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads or Industry Talk circles.

Thanks, and have fun!

Thanks...

Well, here's my system:
Source:  Marantz SA11S2
Preamp:  Consonance Cyber 222 Preamp
Amp:  EVS 500M monoblocks
TT: VIP Scout
Cartrdige:  Shelter 501 MKii
Phono Pre:  Diva Audio Virtuoso with Step Up
Cables:  All i/c and speaker cables, DIY...

Thanks
T

[Sonny]

Got a couple more people interested in trying these out...
Anyone else interested???

Just ping (PM) me...
Thanks

[saisunil]

PM sent
Thanks

[Sonny]

Wanted to ask those of you I sent the "Recipe" out to to please post their comments on the cable and how they sound in your systems...
Thanks
T

[reflex]

I finally got around to making some interconnects using the magnet wire.  I couldn't easily find 20 awg, so I picked up this magnet wire package that Radio Shack sells for $4.99, which has a spool of 22 awg.  I made them today, twisting 2 - 22 awg together for each leg of the signal and then twisted each group of 2 - 22's together per the recipe for 20 awg.  I ran the wire in opposing directions when terminating it.  I connected to some old locking rca's I had laying around, so there was solder already on the positive connection, though I tried to use a new area of the rca for the ground.  Still....crappy connections on rca's that ain't nothing special.  I did use silver solder...but the connections are crappy, nontheless.

My system consists of a Musical Fidelity A3.5 integrated, A3.5 CD player (both of which are isolated fairly well on 5 different layers of vibration absorbing stuff), JMLab Eclipse 926 speakers, ERA Sub 10.  Cables are a Black Sand Violet ZII (yes II ...reviewing coming soon after it's fully broken in) on the CD player, Zu Audio Bok on the intergrated and Audioquest power cable on the sub.  Speaker wire is 6 awg on the low feed of the JM's and Zu Wax on the mids/highs (the system's weakest link).  The comparison interconnects are Zu Varials (and a set of Audioquest Sky's briefly compared).  The room is well treated and the system is pretty resolving.

Currently they have about an hour on them, and I did reverse direction to see if I heard a difference...just a tad.  You might ask why I would write a review after only one hour of break in time...I'd be surprised if they actually sounded worse after extended use, though I guess they could get too bright or something.  If so, I'll update later.

Thanks Sonny...these things (at least with the wire and construction I used) are "sumpin, sumpin".  Compared to the Varials, which bettered the AQ Sky's easily, they might even be better.  Detailed, dynamic (a Varial strength), layered and well focused.  Surprising for any interconnect with so little time on it.  Tonal balance seems at this point to be right on.  Bass is strong and well defined.  The highs have body and not just "tizz tizz".  Overall presentation is pretty damn smooth at higher volumes.

Now, I've got to decide on which highend rca's I need to get to re-terminate these cables.  Even if I spend alot of money, the total cost will be insanely low for the resolution offered.  I'm thinking of leaving them "naked", so anyone interested can see how little "technology" there is in the construction of these interconnects.




ps (listening experience is 30+ years in the audio biz)

reflex

[reflex]

Open and revealing is a very good way to put it with these interconnects.  After an additional 3 hrs of listening, I have to say these things reveal noticably more information than I've heard through this system before.  They did get brighter...but not "bright"...just "right".  Live music always seems so much brighter to me than most audio systems I hear.  A bright cable to me lessens the low end and body of the music as well, and these interconnects do not do that.  They have life.  I'm anxious to re-terminate them with good connectors/connections and hear what they will sound like when that issue is solved.

[Sonny]

Thanks Reflex, for the feedback...
I am glad it is working for you...
Yes, connection/connectors are important, however, I use the Neutrik Professional RCA's jacks, you can get from Parts Express for like $35 for the set....It's good, and makes a very tight/secure connection to the source/premap, etc....

Your results and description of the cables are exactly what I experience...
Extended
Fast
Airy
Detailed
Full


Happy Listening!!!
Tuan!

[twitch54]

Thanks for making the post.  In order to better connect with other AC readers looking to learn from your review, I would recommend reading the Critic's Circle Guidelines.  It is helpful, for example, to list the system configuration used for the comparison, room layout and treatment level, audition music used, what type of sound you are trying to achieve, etc..

I would also ask that people limit any advertising oriented posts, although I would absolutely encourage them make such posts in the Industry ads or Industry Talk circles.

Thanks, and have fun!

Sorry for the incomplete post, and while I do endorse Tuan's efforts, I was not acting as an ad for him.

My intentions with respect to cabling are quite simple........convey what enters at point "A" and transmit it in 'whole' to point "B" while maintaing the intigrety of the signal throughout. Doing this at a reasonable and affordable price.

FWIW, regarding my system , please see the following link:

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1338


Thanks, Dave aka "Twitch"

[Sonny]

Reflex...
What's your sense of the cable now that you've got a couple of days on them???

Thanks
Tuan

[reflex]

Hey Sonny:

They have maybe 25 hrs on 'em now and they have changed somewhat in balance.  At first they gained added brightness and at times I thought it was bordering on too bright.  But after changing the cheap rca's to a better terminated set of Eichmann Silver Bullets, the tonal balance leveled out .  This is easily the most open, detailed interconnect I've heard.  I've heard everything from Audioquest (save the Bill Low Signature stuff) because we sell it where I work.  I've heard Transparent (sold it), DH Labs, Harmonic Technology (early cables), Signal Cable Silver, the Zu Audio Varials that I currently have, all the Jon Risch diy's, including some made with other wire he recommended, Acoustic Zen's top of the line, Nordost up thru Red Dawn II and others I'm not remembering right now.  Nothing I've heard comes close at this point, though there are plenty of examples I've not had a chance to listen to. 

The substitution of the Eichmann's really brought the cables into focus.  Frequency balance seems to be right on.  Bass slam is good and well extended.  And the highs are what all cables should be revealing.  As I said in my initial comments, so many systems seem to be so lifeless in the upper end.  Not with these interconnects.  And yet they are not too bright.  Cymbals sound like brass and the decay is so much more realistic now.  Way more air and ambience.  Layering is very good, with image specificity and separation truely top-notch.  It's a joy to be able to isolate on a specific instrument's contribution to the musical piece and easily focus on it, without other things getting in the way at times.

Such a simple solution with results that seem to so easily better more hightech designs.  Go figure...

Here's a pic of how they look now:



reflex

[reflex]

not sure why the pic's not showing up...it did in the preview

[Sonny]

Hm...well, did you copy and paste the picture's IP address in the link?

Right click on the picture, go to properties and copy the ip address of the picture, then paste it into the middle after you hit the add picture icon.

Tuan

not sure why the pic's not showing up...it did in the preview

[reflex]

Yep...done this many times on other forums too. 

dunno

[reflex]

go here:  http://www.pbase.com/reflectedlight/image/92842357

and you can see it

[Sonny]

Looks great!!!

Nice!!! will you be making more???

[reflex]

Looks great!!!

Nice!!! will you be making more???

Definitely thinking about it.  I only need one interconnect for my present system, though I'm gonna make a longer run for my sub.  But there may be others out there who would like a set of these and I'm real tempted to start making them for people, with the terminations of their choice.  I'm not sure if using 2/22 awg to get to 20 awg made any different, for the better or worse, but these cables are exciting.  My system is pretty resolving, and was so before these entered the picture.  I've heard alot of great audio systems over the years, including a few at Transparent's place when I lived in Maine...and they all exceeded 6 figures easily.  But my system now falls into the "OMG" category.

reflex

[Sonny]

Thanks reflex and Dave...for the feedback...

Now, I've sent a few more i/c out today and still have a couple more to do this week...
Let's see how these perform...

But so far, I think the comments from Reflex and Dave were "right on" with mine...that's why I am currently using nothing but my DIY "Recipe" cables on all my gear, from Scout to Diva Audio Viruoso Phono Pre, to the Pre and from the Marantz SA11S2 to the Pre.  Finally from the Pre to EVS 500M switching amps...and of course the same thing in speaker cables from Amp to DIY GeerS eVe II speakers (Thanks to Tony Gee and Edgar Beers).

bliss....ful...ness...

PS...the Bullet Plugs looks nice with that silver techflex REFLEX!