|   Interconnect shootout................. | Dennis
Jun 15, 2002 5:53 AM | | My system
Paradigm Active 40s
Osiris Stands
Rogue 99 Magnum LS W/ Sylvania GTAs
CAL-CL-10
JPS Digital AC on CAL
JPS Analog AC on Rogue
JPS Superconductor + from 40s to Rogue
HT Pro 11 PCs on 40s
Muse 3 (reviewer owned)
Plinius CD-LAD (Dealer Demo)
All ICs are 1m.RCAs used from source to pre. All ICs are reviewer owned and all have at least 200 hrs of play time.
Music used during review.
Songbird......Eva Cassidy
The Hunter..... Jennifer Warnes
Eagles..... Hell Freezes Over
Shelby Lynne.....Love, shelby
Blue Rodeo.... Nowhere To Here
Center Stage..... Wilson Audio
Massenet.....Ballet Music
Laurie Anderson..... Life On a string
The Well..... Jennifer Warnes
Bruce Cockburn..... Breakfast In New Orleans
Wylie&the Wild West..... Paradise
Diana Krall..... Love Scenes
Sam McClain..... Sweet Dreams
Holly Cole.....Don't Smoke In Bed
Famous Blue Raincoat.... Jennifer Warnes
Kenny G......Live
Rob Wasserman..... Duets
Willie Nelson.....Teatro
Rodney Crowell.....Diamonds and Dirt
Many more including light Jazz, Classical, Soft Rock etc...............
Round 1 Solid State
Luminous Synchestra Signature (469.00) Light and fragile looking, build quality looks good, very tight fitting RCAs. I received the newer model with a black covering.
Smooth sounding IC with excellent bass. I would call it warm sounding and on the dark side. The LSS actually made all CDs sound good, no etching, brightness or added sparkle. After a couple of days I placed this IC back in origional plastic container. To lifeless for my taste especially on the Plinius.
Harmonic Technology Pro Silkway MK 11(399.00) Supurb build quality and great looks. I had both the locking and new NASA non-locking version. Non locking RCAs have a nice snug fit. Locking RCAs were a pain to take on and off, did not like.
AH.... This is more like it, air, sparkle, detail and no brightness. After a few days in system I started noticing what i did not like about the HTs, weak bass, what low bass is present became boomy, midrange started to sound etched and somewhat thin sounding. Back in bag it went.
JPS Superconductor 2 (699.00) Very stiff and hard to route. WBT locking RCAs were a pleasure to use, no problems encountered.
I knew this IC was going to be the winner. Great dynamics, quiet, great detail, bass to die for, this IC has it all. It was easy to hear into a recording with the 2, microdynamics shined, inner detail was all there. After a couple of weeks of extended listening and swapping in and out HTs and LSS I became aware of a few thing I did not like. At times the 2 sounded sterile and somewhat cold sounding. Bass was powerfull and on some recordings shook my chair, mids and highs were full, clear and pristine. Soundstage appeared wider and deeper compared to the HT and LSS. Images were very detailed and three-dimensional. I guess more money does buy better sound, the clear winner here, the sometimes cold sound did bother me though.
Round 2 Tubes
JPS Superconductor 2
As above with quite a loss in the bass department. Other than the bass, everything else was better sounding. Soundstage became HUGE and scary. Highs and mids had more air and transparency. Images were now even more detailed. The sterile sound I was hearing now became more on the drier side rather than a cold sound. Midrange resolution was supurb. The 2 coupled with the 99 had a huge powerful sound that was most pleasing for me. I listened to the 2 exclusively for the next couple of weeks, it never disappointed.
HT Pro Silkway MK11
After two hours I said, this might give the 2 a run for the money. Wow, air, speed, detail and a big soundstage to boot. After a few more days and swapping out with the 2 I realized the bass was almost on par with the 2. This cannot be I thought??? Most CDs sounded simply gloryious. In the end the 2 was still the champ, the weak and boomy bass was still presen |
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