OK... I have
finally completed my listening with Dave's cables. (As I said in a prior post, sorry for the unforeseen delay on this review.)
First off, since I'm relatively new to RCA cables (coming from 25+ years of Naim & DIN connectors) the cables I have throughout my current system (see what's listed in my tagline below) are really inexpensive Signal Cable I/C's. Better than "throw in" cables that you'd find in a mid-fi component box, but hardly "state of the art" by any means.
I tried all of Dave's I/C's between my DAC and Pre-amp because I thought that my system would reveal more of their character there. Overall looks and build quality on everything is really, really nice.
All of Dave's cables "bested" my Signal Cable I/C's easily, which I expected.After some experimenting with several sets of
other (read: not Dave's) loaner I/C's that I have in the house, I settled on two sets of Harmonic Technology I/C's that a buddy and fellow Audio Syndrome member gave me to try. To date, these seemed to be the best combination of I/C's in my system. I put a pair of H.T. Pro Silway 2's between my amp and pre and a pair of H.T. Magic Link 1's between my pre and DAC. This became my new "baseline" (reference) sound.
To reiterate, my comparisons were now done by swapping out the H.T. Magic Link 1's with each of Dave's I/C's between my DAC and Pre-amp.
D1 - The "starter cable" of the line. Nice cables. Pretty well balanced, but soundstage was somewhat tight and the front to back depth was a bit shallow. Clean and clear sound with good detail.
D2 - The next step up the line. It was easy to hear that these were better than the D1's. Overall, the D2's had a bigger sound, yet weren't "shouty". Well balanced like the D1's, but more dynamic. Soundstage & depth were also better here.
DD's - The top of the line. Great detail with lots of air and separation between instruments, voices etc. The DD's had a bigger bottom end, yet allowed little subtleties to come through. In most regards these were better than the D2's, but the top end seemed to be a bit forward in my system. One of two ways to think here on this... either extended listening time would break them in further to help this or they would become fatiguing after a while. Tough to say.
I think the Harmonic Technology Magic Link 1 cables (between Pre and DAC) are better in my system because they give me everything the D2's give me, plus a fuller, richer sound. But, to be absolutely fair to Dave and his cables, the H.T.'s are a more expensive set of cables by a good amount of $$$.
If I had to pick one of the three sets of Dave's cables, I think the D2's are the best value and most "comfortable" sound overall. I vote Dave's D2's as one of the best "bang for the buck" I/C's I've heard. A must audition for anyone shopping for I/C's.
Lastly, Dave's speaker cables.Extremely nice looking cables. I absolutely LOVE the "twist-lock" bananas on the one end. I only could compare these to my QED Silver Spiral's because a certain buddy of mine (who will go un-named) has yet to get me a pair of
his speaker cables to audition!
Dave's speaker cables are unbelievably clean, clear and detailed. The air and space around everything is tremendous! Their presentation can be a little bit "forward" (especially on vocals) but talk about "focus", they've got it. On more involved recordings, with larger groups and instrumentation, they opened everything up in a big way. Where I especially felt they were too far "over the top" was on minimalist, close-miked recordings. (e.g.: Mark Knopfler's "Ragpicker's Dream".)
Compared to my QED Silver Spirals, Dave's SC's were too detailed and didn't give as much weight and layering to the music. Yes, Dave's SC's give you a lot of space in between everything, but I don't feel there's enough music in between those spaces. If your system sounds a bit dull or congested, maybe these would be worth a try. For now, I'm keeping my QED's.
I hope this review helps everybody get an idea of what Dave's cables are all about. Of course, YMMV. I always say it and will say it again... the one single word that sums up this hobby is
insanity, no I mean
synergy!
Just because Dave's stuff isn't better to me and my ears than some of the other cables I own or have tried in my system, doesn't make them a bad product.
Far from it.
I think Dave can consider his mission accomplished: great products and great value!Thanks for the opportunity to audition your stuff, Dave!
SN
P.S. to Sleepyguy24: PM me so we can make arrangements to get these cables to you next.
