Interconnects: sc vs. sc.

[shep]

I had a good long listen last night (couldn't help myself!) I am impressed. This is not just an incremental step but quite a major change. Please remember that unlike most of you, I have no opportunity to mix and match, and no changes in my system except these cables (and the previous x-over tweak), so I know the sound. In spite of it not being run in, it was obvious something special has been done. This up-grade is a must for those who are hesitating and for those who are considering buying for the first time, re-morgage your morgage 
and just do it. I'm coming from someone who has never had super expensive interconnects (of the 500+$ class) so you may find me being naive. Non the less, this is a delightful surprise. The improvements are across the board, immediately audible and perfectly describable. Thanks Grover and thanks AN.

[Carlman]

I agree... In the under 500 range, Grover's 'sc.' IC's are a serious contender and made and immediate and remarkable improvement over the last iteration at our last G2G.  It's rare that 5 people unanimously hear not just a change but an improvement.

Glad the results were as good for you as they were for us, Shep.

[mboldda1]

this is what i had to say to grover after i got my sc. interconnects back.

hello Grover, received the cables yesterday and all i can say is...
you didn't have to send the other pair yet, i am scared to put them in in place of my reference windigo interconnects.  i have been using your cables between the preamp and power amp with the windigo on the source.
the windigo (from 6sonsaudio in Canada) retail for $950 (i paid $550) here's some info on them:
Windigo RCA interconnects:

Four strands of our very best 24 ga silver/gold/copper alloy wire to positive pole
Four strands of 22 ga silver/gold/copper alloy wire to the return;
Each strand fed into it's own Teflon for best dielectrics;
Shielded jacket for best RF/EMI protection;
Terminated with WBT silver 0110 ag RCA’s or WBT 0108 RCA’s (your choice);
Treated with Furutech nano liquid for superior contact.
www.6sonsaudio.ca
with just the one pair in i realize the old sc's were holding my system back, better tunefull bass, quieter background, more upper midrange detail, better tonality, more air around individual instruments, no harshness in the highs, better dynamics.  you have hit a home run.

[shep]

Who ever said "ear sex" was absolutely brilliant. That describes in a nutshell what this obsession has been all about (all 40 years of it). To ne honest, I haven't had a good aural orgasm since the 80's and the hey-day of vinyl (when I had the cash to splurge), but I'm still trying. Back to Grover's cables. With all do respect to Grover's efforts, no one is going to pretend these are going to take away the blue ribbon from the uber-expensive ones, but they share a very similar trademark: musicality. For the life of me I don't understand why it's necissary to spend thousands of dollars of great connections. Well yes I do appreciate some of the very expensive and esoteric research into things like liquid mediums and exotic metals and the like, but maybe it should be possible to get much closer for much less and maybe Grover is the man. I really don't want to hear "Great" cables because that's just going to make me crazy with audio lust that I can't afford. I am puzzled how, despite all the efforts and expense lavished on this, even the most expensive cables can sound radically different. I guess we don't yet know what we are hearing or expecting to hear or where the limits are (there seem yet to be none). Theoritcally the perfect conducter should exist but I guess have the fun is in the search. Sorry for this aside. Now I have to sit thru endless hours of idiot sounds (Isotek) until I get to hear what Grover has really wrought.

[shep]

Just some words: more sensuous, tactile, silky, meaty, articulate. Better soundstaging due I think to more emphasis on decay rather than leading edge. More engaging and musical, less mechanical (due to a great sense of harmonics and spacial clues.) 30 hours of Isotek mindlessness with occasional forays into music to releave the tedium. Surely I'm not the only one to have more precise description than just "better"!?

[grover]

Guys I take exception to concept that there are great cables because they cost so horribly much. Really price is irrelevant in the cable business. Copper is $2 a pound how much copper do you think is in the really expensive cables. Even if the cable's pure silver, silver is $13 a troy ounce. I'd like to know the $500 cable that out performs mine? I've compared my cables to cables costing $1000's some of them were not even good let alone excellent. It's easy to really be mislead in this hobby, the cost of a product in this field doesn't necessarily indicate it's performance. My desire in this wonderful recreation is to provide extraordinary cables for everyone, not just the capital rich guys. I've always admired Dynaco and use them as my marketing standard. They were called the poor mans Marantz and they were. They sold more amps and preamps than any other by far, and their stuff is excellent to this day (with a bit of modern upgrades). Their transformers are amazing, my first preamp and amp was a Dynaco Pas 3x, and Stereo 70 that I built in 1967. I still have it, and I consider it a wonderful performer to this day. My point is; really expensive prices in this field rarely translates to excellence, and to make assumption's based on price is erroneous. IMHO

[shep]

Grover: I think I can speak for us all in wishing you to become the Henry Ford of the Audio world, or more specificaly, to turn water into wine and pig's ears into silk purses! Your latest IC proves your point, up to a point, and none of us want to spend thousands on pseudo science and hype and fancy packaging. However the fact remains that some of those super cables do in fact sound just that...super (ear sex!). There's no getting around that reality and those here who have had the opportunity to carefully listen to various ones are not making up their conclusions based on wishful thinking but have both the ears and the equiptment to make a sober, solid judgement. We are rooting for you and support you as best we can, but having thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak,  it is up to you to prove your argument by providing cables that can play in that league and do so at a price point that emphatically demonstrates that a 500 $ loudspeaker cable can hold its own against a 5000$ one. Personally I am dying for you to succeed since I will never be able to afford the latter.

[grover]

Shep my friend, that's my goal. To me the object of all this, is to reproduce the actual recorded event as real as possible. To be there, the cables, and equipment becoming a time machine. Not sure how "super (ear sex) figures here. I gladly pick up this gauntlet. It's funny to me that keeping prices low disqualifies one from the super ear sex category what ever that category might be. I'm not a believer in the higher the price the better the product illusion. I feel that in many ways this illusion has damaged this wonderful hobby. I for one am so grateful for the internet, it free's us of pretenders, helps us get to the real stuff. Makes it possible for someone like me to develop and market a product that people can enjoy and afford. Before the internet cables like mine could not be available. Things are changing for the best, there is now more innovation from dedicated consumed individuals, than ever before. 

[stereofool]

Grover,

I certainly second the wishes for great success, on your part, not only for you to achieve your ideal of closer to 'real' cables, but also financial success based upon bringing a realistically priced product to market that the actual masses can afford, and enjoy.

Also, thank you for your willingness to 'work' with us (group buys, cable loans, etc.) so that we all may further enjoy what (I think) got us into this wonderful hobby...and that is our universal love of music.

[shep]

Nice to know you are lurking/listening  Grover:D  :lol Ok so let's forget the price of silver and copper and gold and exstatium for the moment; that's pretty irrelevant. Anyone can buy tubes of fine oil paint but few can turn that into a Van Gogh. So what's so special about the the high-priced cables (the one's that sound as good as they cost)and how to reproduce that magic/artistry/science for a price mortels can afford? Anyone else want to chime in please? Don't leave me holding the bag

[djbnh]

Nice to know you are lurking/listening  Grover:D  :lol Ok so let's forget the price of silver and copper and gold and exstatium for the moment; that's pretty irrelevant. Anyone can buy tubes of fine oil paint but few can turn that into a Van Gogh. So what's so special about the the high-priced cables (the one's that sound as good as they cost)and how to reproduce that magic/artistry/science for a price mortels can afford? Anyone else want to chime in please? Don't leave me holding the bag

Interesting. While walking before work this morning, the painting / artist analogy came to mind. I'm sure there are others -cooking /  homebrewing / etc. Looking forward to more discussion.

DISCLAIMER: I own Grover ICs and am very pleased with them.

[richidoo]

It's funny to me that keeping prices low disqualifies one from the super ear sex category what ever that category might be.

Your cables were not judged on price. The Straleys beat the Grover SCs for half the price.

Guys I take exception to concept that there are great cables because they cost so horribly much.

They are not great because they cost so much, they cost so much because they are great. It's all about value.

Bash the capital rich guys all you want, but just hope they don't stop spending. Only people with significant disposable income buy high end audio gear.

[Bigfish8]

It's funny to me that keeping prices low disqualifies one from the super ear sex category what ever that category might be.

Your cables were not judged on price. The Straleys beat the Grover SCs for half the price.

Guys I take exception to concept that there are great cables because they cost so horribly much.

They are not great because they cost so much, they cost so much because they are great. It's all about value.

Bash the capital rich guys all you want, but just hope they don't stop spending. Only people with significant disposable income buy high end audio gear.

I attended the G2G and just want to say that I am in total agreement with Rich's comments.  I believe that most of us that attended the meeting did so with a real interest in hearing how the Grover Cables performed versus our currently used cables.  Rich uses JPS Superconductor 3's, Carl uses Straley's, Mike uses a long run of JPS SCs that are less expensive than the Superconductor 3's and I use HT Pro 9's.  All of these cables were compared head to head with the Grover's.  There was no bias other than a hope that the Grover's would deliver performance better than the cables we showed-up with.  Unfortunately this was not the result and I certainly hope the Grovers that are evaluated at Rich's in May really strut their stuff!

Ken

[rollo]

Its refreshing to see a cable Manf. with common sense and a fair priced product. There are many ways to skin a cat as we have seen with all the different cable manfs. There is NO best cable IMO, just different as the system they are implemented into will determine their sound. SYNERGY baby. Your cables are worth a try as I believe in your sincerity to produce a quality product. Best of luck.



charles

[shep]

Can we please NOT confuse the IC's with the speaker cables since the latter may have had something wrong with their construction. The IC's are a steal at the price. Lest Grover think we are being spiteful or begrudging, I believe we all want him not only to succeed business-wise, but to prove that great cables don't have to cost a fortune.