[PhillipC]

Let me give you some background first.  Originally I had a home theater system and just recently decided to focus more on the 2 channel side.  I started off with a Wadia 170i transport.  Wow...that really opened my eyes to what digitized music could really do.  From there I made the decision to get a Mac Mini as my source and a CI Audio VDA2 dac.  I started off going optical to the DAC but found the music lifeless.  I then got a Bel Canto USB converter and that really opened things up.  I just had the generic USB cable and decided to get a Belkin Gold USB cable.  That opened up the sound but I still felt like I was missing something.

I decided to try the Ridge Street Audio Poiema!!! rv.3 USB digital cable after hearing good things about it.  I had some e-mails with Robert and also a good chat with him.  The first thing that struck me about Robert is that he cares about his customers and the music. 

Robert cooks his cables for 48 hours before sending them out and recommends another 48 hours before critical listening.  I received the USB cable Mon. night and had it hooked up and running shortly afterwards.  Then I did a no-no.  I couldn't help but listen to some music.  As I was listening, I was disappointed with what I was hearing.  I couldn't hear any improvement and it sounded like the Belkin cable.  No difference really.  I decided to head off to bed and left the cable burning in throughout the night.  I woke up in the morning and tried to listen again after about 12 hours burn in time.  Still didn't sound that great.  Hmm...I thought...had I made a mistake???    Fortunately with Ridge Street's cables, there is a 45 day audition period so it really doesn't hurt to try them out.

I had a listen again after 24 hours had passed.  What happened???  It was like a veil had been lifted from the music.  I didn't realize there was a veil but there it was.  The grit I had heard in the highs were now smoothed out and everything was more natural sounding.  Less digital.  The imaging which seemed to be narrow and tough to focus on was now more spread out.  Not only was it more spread out, it was more lifelike.  By that I mean that the music instead of sounding 2d was now like 3d.     I know what it means now when you can imagine the singer in front of you.  I could even turn down the volume a couple of notches as the soundstage was now front and center instead of being recessed in the background.

I still have another 24 hours of burn in before the cable finally settles down.  All I can say is before I was nitpicking about the imaging and the soundstage and how things just didn't sound right.  Now I am relaxing and just enjoying listening to the music.  Kudos to Robert at Ridge Street Audio for helping me in my musical quest.   

[DavidS]

thanks for writing this - I have been eyeing this cable myself for my cambridge dacmagic but somehow spending the price of the dac on a cable has me hesitating.  I am just using a short stock cable so need a new cable that has some length but debating between $30 on the belkin or hundreds on a custom cable like the ridge street or the well reviewed locus design.

David

[PhillipC]

Hi David,

I understand the dilemma myself.  The 45 day audition period convinced me to try it and to see if it was worth it for me.  For sure it was worth it

Phil

[mnel34]

I own the Ridge Street Poiema!!!  rv3 USB cable no question that it is simply in a completely different class than the cheap one I picked up at the Apple store. I use Robert's cable in all positions in My system and will never look at anything else having tried many others over the last 20 + years. The cables just let the music flow with such ease I forget about the eq. and cables and just get lost in the music. The other piece of eq. that lets me forget the eq. and focus on the music is a new Musicstream DAC built by Larry Moore of UltraFI Systems a NOS DAC . This with my Mac Mini music server is the best digital music I have ever had the pleasure of listening to . I love my analog system but the music server is getting a lot of playing time as of late. I would say if music and not Hi Fi is what you want than Robert's cables and Larry Moore's Musicstream will bring you a lot closer than anything I have had in my system over 40 + years in this hobby. ---- Basis turntable /Graham arm / Dynavector cartridge / Audible Illusions Preamp / VTL mono amps / North Creek Manifest speakers / UltraFi Musicstream DAC / Mac Mini / Western Digital HD / dedicated listening room / dedicated AC lines and on and on ...............   Marc