NC cable tour Kaplan Kords

[mdconnelly]

Carl, that would be interesting.   If you can't hear differences on your system in your new room, well, then there are no differences.  That is one incredibly resolving setup you have.    Name the date and I'm there.   I'll bring my Running Springs Jaco w/Mongoose PC again for the comparison.

[zybar]

Carl, that would be interesting.   If you can't hear differences on your system in your new room, well, then there are no differences.  That is one incredibly resolving setup you have.    Name the date and I'm there.   I'll bring my Running Springs Jaco w/Mongoose PC again for the comparison.

I had a Mongoose with my Duke and wasn't too thrilled with it.

I am pretty confident that the Black Sand Silver Ref or Statement One, Kaplan Cords, VH Audio AirSine or Flavor 4, will all be an improvement.

George

[mdconnelly]

George, thanks for the detailed insight on the Kaplan cords.  In truth, my system is sounding  better than it ever has so my earlier inquiry was simply out of curiosity since I had heard that the Mongoose on the Jaco may be a bit constricting.  Not my experience except when my amp (DNA-500) was plugged into the Jaco.

But the nervosa side of this hobby never ends and it will be a fascinating comparison of PCs in Carl's new room... I've never heard such a resolving system/room as he now has. 

[richidoo]

Balkan Beat Box track previews
 

[lonewolfny42]

Balkan Beat Box track previews
 

Careful Rich if you try that plum brandy that Paul mentioned...
.....a few shots will knock you on your a$$...
..............it's strong stuff...but it tasted so good...

[zybar]

George, thanks for the detailed insight on the Kaplan cords.  In truth, my system is sounding  better than it ever has so my earlier inquiry was simply out of curiosity since I had heard that the Mongoose on the Jaco may be a bit constricting.  Not my experience except when my amp (DNA-500) was plugged into the Jaco.

But the nervosa side of this hobby never ends and it will be a fascinating comparison of PCs in Carl's new room... I've never heard such a resolving system/room as he now has. 

I hear ya Mike.

I didn't think my system could get much better, but by adding a pair of RFZ panels, it again took a nice step forward (not that I am equating a power cord change with room treatments).

George

[Carlman]

Carl, that would be interesting.   If you can't hear differences on your system in your new room, well, then there are no differences.  That is one incredibly resolving setup you have.    Name the date and I'm there.   I'll bring my Running Springs Jaco w/Mongoose PC again for the comparison.

I did a couple of small comparisons with some the cords I had on hand after the big meet.. There is definitely a difference to be heard with each swap.. It's a matter of what you like.  To me the Kaplan's were a little forward for my preferences but they did other things that I liked a lot... the imaging/lack of grain in the upper mids/highs and bass punch were all very nice.  I can replicate the cord swap I did for the meet.. it was kind of funny.. very much like Goldilocks.. there was one that was juuuust right.  

Good thing is it won't take too long to swap each.  I have all my gear in a nice big cabinet now though that will make it a little tougher... but not too tough.

Should be a fun meet..

-C

[zybar]

Carl, that would be interesting.   If you can't hear differences on your system in your new room, well, then there are no differences.  That is one incredibly resolving setup you have.    Name the date and I'm there.   I'll bring my Running Springs Jaco w/Mongoose PC again for the comparison.

I did a couple of small comparisons with some the cords I had on hand after the big meet.. There is definitely a difference to be heard with each swap.. It's a matter of what you like.  To me the Kaplan's were a little forward for my preferences but they did other things that I liked a lot... the imaging/lack of grain in the upper mids/highs and bass punch were all very nice.  I can replicate the cord swap I did for the meet.. it was kind of funny.. very much like Goldilocks.. there was one that was juuuust right.  

Good thing is it won't take too long to swap each.  I have all my gear in a nice big cabinet now though that will make it a little tougher... but not too tough.

Should be a fun meet..

-C

Carl,

Nice post.

You are so right about what each person likes or dislikes.  Equally important is what the rest of their system is like.  To my ears, the Kaplan Cords aren't forward sounding, but that could be due to the nature of my amp/speaker combo (Atma-Sphere MA-1's/Vandy 5A's) or simply my personal preferences.  The other aspects you touched on with the Kaplan cord are things I do hear in my setup.

What does sound forward to me (but only a little bit, not a lot) is the TelWire PC I have on loan from a friend.  Yet in his system, he would describe the TelWire as being slightly laid back.

Gotta love this hobby.

George

[rollo]

Interesting what you guys are saying about what the different cords are doing in your systems. Could it be that the cords LIFT VEILS not previously noticed and that the difference one describes is what the system REALLY sounds like when the power is cleaner. I wonder. Or is it that the cords change the system. This always has had me wondering. Any opinions ? What are we really hearing ? A result of cleaner power or exposing the character of the component WITH cleaner power ? Whatever we are hearing, there CERTAINLY is a difference. Good or bad.

charles

[Carlman]

Charles, you bring up some good points.. And I agree with George.. it's your system, your room, your ear, etc.. There are so many variables that it's tough to isolate why the change happens...

My philosophy has been that the room plays such a big role that when you insert various gear/cables/etc. to compare, you're really hearing how your room interacts with the subtle changes in frequency response.. or nodes or delays.. or changes in comb filtering.. all kinds of things that could make what you're hearing 'seem' like it was the component change but in reality was the way your room dealt with it.

To that end, I did my best to build a dedicated room to reduce the room's contribution.  I also needed it to be comfortable and enjoyable, so it's not a lab... but it's as close I can come. 

All that said, the room does still play a part in hearing differences.  It's more apparent now than it was in any other room.  Why there is a change is another story..  Is it because I'm hearing the true nature of Sylvania 12AU7's in my pre now?  or.. the caps.. the interaction of the IC's.. etc.  You can go on forever guessing because there's no way to truly isolate it.  So, I do my best.  The ONLY thing I changed is the PC so I know that changing that caused a certain effect, it is audible and repeatable.  Does it apply to your system, I don't know.

One thing I noticed is that I can 'stack the deck' if I wanted to.. by tuning one component for another, I can trick myself (or others) into thinking that a sounds better than b.  So, Kaplan's cables sound better if I use Mullard's in the pre... and Black Sand's sound better with RCA cleartops.. I know which cable will win when I do the swap.  Also, the IC's make a difference as to which PC sounds best. So, I'm carefully aware of this and let people know what I've found before doing the swaps.

What happens is I decide x sounds best today but then I change something else, thinking 'well, a power cord shouldn't affect speaker cables..' But as things get changed, synergy-matching has started all over again.. and I've lost where it all went wrong... because the interaction within the system impacts all of it.. it is indeed a 'whole system'.

I'm trying to be very careful with the synergy thing.  That's part of why I'm not touching the speaker cables.  They're really good and I like what they do.. same with the amp, speakers, DAC.. etc.  They're 'good enough' and I'd rather fine tune at this point.. which takes a lot of careful attention to what's really being compared... and how it impacts everything else.

-C

[BobM]

I hate it when that happens ... using this cord in that configuration with those tubes. It's enough to drive you crazy with the options. That kind of listening is OK if I'm really bored and have some crazy idea that I feel like I have to check out. But it's so nice to get through that and then sit back and just enjoy the music and the improvements from all that hard work.

The funny part about that is that it's usually some miniscule nuance that is being improved upon or changing. Certainly nothing that any normal human being would hear or care about. But not so for us super audiophiles. That's what it's all about for us Audio Nervosa Neurotics. 

We're a sad lot sometimes.

I do have Paul's cords throughout my system, and they did lift a veil, add transparency, extend the soundstage, increase dynamics, tighten up the bottom end, etc. All those things we hope for. I only wish I could plug my wife into one! 

Bob