[rosconey]

system-
cd-toshiba 3950
yamaha rxv1 as a pre (still waiting for my tempest)
rick craig 3.5 ways
vmps large sub
odyssey extreme monos for mains
odyssey monos for sub(stereo)
groneburg speaker cable


they made the biggest difference when installed from pre to amp-
i was going to wait a few more days before writing this so i could get another pair from agon before you found out about these -yup i'm selfish.
i have been more than happy with the current sound of my system since i added the 3950-but for shits and giggles i decided to try some gold wire -

i dont have a proper explanation for why but they sound like a tubed amp & turntable-
mids and vocals just smother you with joy
top end is delightfull-
added oomph with the mid bass
stage came closer to me and wider and clear as day
it was a major upgrade-made the zu oxyfuels i had before look  worthless-

its the first time i ever noticed such a drastic and great improvement from wires.

[Jon L]

I just won their "Force Active" gold alloy IC on Agon

I already know what a good active cable can do from my Omega Mikro cord, so I hope they implemented it properly.  This kind of silence can be deafening.

I already have some great DIY gold alloy IC's, but without active shield, so it'll be fun to compare these.

[Agrippa]

Ohhh, first post and all that....  

There's probably not that many of these around, so the silence isn't THAT odd, is it?  I've just bought two myself and I'm looking forward to swapping them into the system when they arrive.

Thinking of Zu Cable's Wax too, in bi-wire configuration.  Have a feeling the speaker cable ought to be upgraded too, when the AT's arrive.

Agrippa

[Jon L]

Ohhh, first post and all that....  

There's probably not that many of these around, so the silence isn't THAT odd, is it?  I've just bought two myself and I'm looking forward to swapping them into the system when they arrive.

Thinking of Zu Cable's Wax too, in bi-wire configuration.  Have a feeling the speaker cable ought to be upgraded too, when the AT's arrive.

Agrippa

Hey, WElcome.  When I said "Silence is deafening," I was referring to the background noise (or lack thereof) of a good active cable.  The difference is easy to hear by disconnecting the active circuit on my Omega Mikro.  Buttery smooth, pitch-black silence from which little details emerge.  At least I hope the Aural Thrills Audio delivers the goods.  We'll see.

[Agrippa]

Oh well, it was late at night/early morning over here - blame it on that.  

What I find quite interesting is AT's assertion that the cable's sonic signature can be changed from "light" to "dark" by adjusting the shielding's voltage.  To me this suggests (rather strongly) that the shielding actually interferes with the sound quality and it's certainly not something I've seen other manufacturers mention.  Not being a purist by any means this doesn't bother me at all, but I can see a lot of people being turned away by such a claim.  Any thoughts on this?

Agrippa

[rosconey]

i hope you guys enjoy yours as much as i do-
another reason i didnt get another set is in my head the change was so drastic that you could get too much of a good thing adding another pair  in the system-(just my way to justify being cheap )

[Agrippa]

Cheers - I hope so too!  I got one gold and one silver, both with active shielding since that's the in thing these days.  At the price I paid, I'm quite happy as long as they're just good IC's - anything over and above that is a bonus.

Are yours active btw?  If so, any sound changes when the voltage is changed?

John M.

[Jon L]

Oh well, it was late at night/early morning over here - blame it on that.  

What I find quite interesting is AT's assertion that the cable's sonic signature can be changed from "light" to "dark" by adjusting the shielding's voltage.  To me this suggests (rather strongly) that the shielding actually interferes with the sound quality and it's certainly not something I've seen other manufacturers mention.  Not being a purist by any means this doesn't bother me at all, but I can see a lot of people being turned away by such a claim.  Any thoughts on this?

Agrippa

This adjustability is a GOOD thing.  When I make my DIY cables, I can change the sound by many methods, one of which is amount of shielding.  In general, more shielding you add, less bright the sound.  You can overdo it and get too much of it, especially if the shield is too close to signal wire.  If you have just the right amount of shielding, good distance away from signal wire, you can get very good sounds.  I prefer no shielding if IC is short for more "open" sound.  However, no matter how much shielding I use, I can't replicate the buttery ink jet blackness that active shielding gives you.  

You gold IC will likely better at the digital source, your silver bet. pre and amp.  Let us know how they compare, but I would imagine the silver one has more apparent detail, apparent speed, and a bit brighter and leaner in bass.  Gold cable has just as much resolution, but it takes a while to realize it...

[Marbles]

Well I bought a Nextgen digital IC from them last night

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?cablintr&1079148304&item&auc

They use WBT Nextgen Silver connectors and a gold/silver/copper alloy wire.  

I'm curious how it will compare to my Bolder Nitro Eichman digital IC

I should have it in 2-3 weeks.

[Agrippa]

Thanks for that illumination Jon L!  Surely then, max shielding/voltage will always be "best" in terms of allowing less interference and by choosing to use less voltage you are also choosing to have more interference?

Incidentally, I have ordered my IC's to fit exactly as you suggest - silver RCA's for pre>power and gold XLR's for CD>pre.  Glad I was right!     If they're as good as I hope, I may get hold of a shielded cable for my Spacedeck too and have the internal cabling in my Syrinx tonearm re-done to fit.

Agrippa

[John Casler]

When I said "Silence is deafening," I was referring to the background noise (or lack thereof) of a good active cable. The difference is easy to hear by disconnecting the active circuit on my Omega Mikro. Buttery smooth, pitch-black silence from which little details emerge. At least I hope the Aural Thrills Audio delivers the goods. We'll see.

Hi Jon,

I have been using the AudioQuest "DBS" (active) cables for some time.  Early on, I wasn't sure, I could hear a big difference.  As it turned out, somehow my batteries were dead.

I think a curious friend had taken them out and put them in "backwards" and since I don't check them I never suspected that they were not 100%.

In fact I did several comparisons with rather "high quality" cables and IC's without the batteries operating.

Since replacing them, the qualities you mention are (were) very present.

I say were, because I have moved my system around and now have to get different lengths to accomadate the move.  So presently I have to use non-actives and have to say I prefer the active cables overall.

In my replacement, I will be going from AQ Jaguars to AQ Cheetahs.  The Cheetahs are PSS (perfect surface silver) vs PSC (perfect surface copper) so I anticipate they may even sound better.

Also just to keep you "uptodate" I anticipate the new MLS RM40s should arrive sometime after April 15, so give me a couple weeks to burn them in, and you'll have to come by and bring your cables to compare.

Maybe we could get MAd Dog to bring the Eichmans for a three way cable session.

[Jon L]

Hi Jon,

I have been using the AudioQuest "DBS" (active) cables for some time.  Early on, I wasn't sure, I could hear a big difference.  As it turned out, somehow my batteries were dead.

I think a curious friend had taken them out and put them in "backwards" and since I don't check them I never suspected that they were not 100%.

In fact I did several comparisons with rather "high quality" cables and IC's without the batteries operating.

Since replacing them, the qualities you mention are (were) v ...

Keep us posted when the RM40's are ready.  I got so intrigued by Mad Dog's review of Eichmann power cord, I almost bought one off Agon.  I stopped myself since I have way too many cables, including cords.  Too bad someone else snatched the cord before Mad Dog could

I had to spend my money on this Active IC, and I don't know why I keep piling up cables upon cables.  I gotta sell some of my cables later this year.  Looks like we are a go for serious cable comparisons in a month or two though.  Fun stuff.

[Marbles]

BE CAREFUL with TOM at Aural Thrills.

After winning this auction he claims he made a mistake and it was supposed to be for the copper Nexgen connectors and he wants me to pay $50 more to get the the silver ones!

Looks like the auction didn't go as high as he hoped and he wants to welch on his end of the deal.

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?cablintr&1079148304&item&auc

He just refunded my money after I asked that he honor his deal.

He has little ethics (if he had NO ethics he would have kept my money).

[rosconey]

thats total bull shit on his part(aural thrills)
he should read his add-i will never recomened his product after this crap-
sorry he pulled that crap -the good press would have more than made up the price differance-now he has bad talk too deal with-PRICK

[Marbles]

Thanks, I just left him negative feedback at Agon and complained about his business practices on their "help email"

Rosconey, he knows the advert is for silver ones, but he says that was a mistake, it should have been for copper ones.

Hey, in a fixed price ad, I would be understanding, but in an auction....I don't think so.

[nature boy]

Hmm,

Disappointing, especially since I won a pair of 1M gold alloy interconnects & sent him payment via PayPal last evening.  I have not received confirmation of payment receipt and information on shipping as of yet.    

Tom did receive negative comments from Audio Asylum member last year who asked him to construct a speciality tonearm cable - too stiff to use in his buyers set up.  Tom would not refund a specialty item - called the guy an idiot & things got a little heated.  

NB

[Marbles]

These are three of the emails I got from him:

Rob, you are right. I went back and looked at the add and it is indeed the one you emailed me. This is an honest mistake on my part. I had made a new add but the computer gods got the wrong one in there. Mybad! I am fixin to go out for the evening and will get back with you tomorrow if that is alright. I am sorry for the confusion.
 
Tom

--------------------------------------------------

Hey Rob, I really am sorry for the mistake. I am afraid that I would lose money if I would sell you the silver version at the auction price. I can offer you the following options:
 
gold digital with silver Nextgen connectors                                $150
active gold digital, copper Nextgen connectors                          $165
active gold digital, silver Nextgen connectors                             $195
refund your payment
 
I have a silver digital made up and broken in that I could ship immediately. Let me know.
 
Tom

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Rob, I understand your position but I am sure that you have seen many times that there was a misprint in the advertising. These misprints are never honored. I think the best thing to do at this point would to give you a refund which I will do immediately. I appreciate you bid and hope that you will consider bids on my items in the future. I am sorry for any inconvenience.
 
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Marbles here:

Good luck Nature Boy, he seems like an OK guy, but one who won't live up to his obligations at least in my case.  At least he refunded my money.

If I were you I would make damn sure you had a return period.

[nature boy]

This from Aural Thrills web-site 3/14/04, in case it shuts down.

Aural Thrills Audio

the company that listens

 
* Shipping Time *

Please note:  In order to save on expenses, so that we may offer you the lowest price possible, we do not keep stock of our products. All products are hand made to order with care and are thoroughly tested before shipment. This takes a certain amount of time. Occasionally we are out of a part to make a product. Your product will be made as soon as the part arrives. As in most things, when it rains it pours. We appreciate your patience and want you to know that all products are shipped out in the same order that payment was received. Your patience is really appreciated!

Many of our products carry a thirty day return period. We will return the full original purchase price of the product minus shipping and Paypal fees if that is how payment was made. A refund check will be mailed out  after product is returned. Please allow 8-10 days. Custom orders are not returnable. If you want to try one of our products, order the standard product first and you can always return it and order a custom one. The customer will be responsible for the shipping cost both ways.

NB

[Marbles]

NB, I read that, but I would make sure that for some reason your cable was not somehow a custom one.  I would email Tom and make sure you have a 30 day return period after you receive it.

He wouldn't honor my auction ($50 mistake he claims), what makes you think he would honor your refund?

[Jon L]

The Silver NextGen RCA retails for $48 EACH.  That's $96 just for the 2 connectors in an IC.  His gold alloy is reported to be 50% gold (unlike a few% of most other "gold alloy" on Agon), which has to be expensive.  Add some shielding, mesh jacket, etc.  I have to agree he will lose money if he sold the digital IC with silver nextgen at $100.  

In other words, I do believe his ad was a mistake.  He would have had a higher starting bid otherwise.  

So what kind of responsibility does a seller have when a mistaken ad goes out?  Legally, he is not required to sell the item at the mistaken price.  You see things like a car ad for $20 (20K) here and there.  

Ethically, what is he responsible for?  Opinions will vary, but I believe a "good faith" effort trying to make things right is in order.  His offer of $150 for silver nextgen digital IC, I believe, was a fair offer, one that I personally would have taken, knowing the costs involved as a DIY cable maker myself.  In fact, I would have gone for the active one.  

With the high gold-content gold alloy, true 75Ohm silver Nextgen, true active shielding (a la Omega Mikro, whose active digital cable is reported to be on another world), I think Aural Thrills may have a real winning digital IC on their hands.  

This is how I see it.  I suppose if I were in your shoes, I would be mad also.  Nobody's perfect.