Don’t know where the Big Silver Ovals fit, in the current AP food chain, but- mine aren’t going anywhere(unless I win the Lotto). I like them too much.
Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8...OMG!!
I seriously can’t believe what these cables are doing to the sound in my rig. I had them awhile ago and couldn’t justify the price (used) so I pulled back and returned them. I grabbed them again yesterday since my local stereo shop still had them hanging there.
Well let me say that I’ve always been a believer in cables making changes to the sound because I can hear it but I’ve never had speaker cables that changed the sound as dramatically as this. The way it’s untangling the music, the way its making everything sound real, the way it’s full top to bottom without any harshness is pretty crazy.
This is on a system that isn’t highly resolving yet all of these differences are completely noticeable. I’m not talking about a little more resolution here, a little more top end sparkle there, fuller bass here... I’m talking about did I just get a different amp, this can’t be the same dac, these can’t be the same speakers, kind of changes.
I’ve had this sound in my systems before but that was with higher end gear for sure... it makes me wonder how much I was leaving on the table without these cables in my rig at that time.
Have any of you had similar experiences with the Solo Crystal 8’s as well? I’m thinking that these are end game cables for me.
Well let me say that I’ve always been a believer in cables making changes to the sound because I can hear it but I’ve never had speaker cables that changed the sound as dramatically as this. The way it’s untangling the music, the way its making everything sound real, the way it’s full top to bottom without any harshness is pretty crazy.
This is on a system that isn’t highly resolving yet all of these differences are completely noticeable. I’m not talking about a little more resolution here, a little more top end sparkle there, fuller bass here... I’m talking about did I just get a different amp, this can’t be the same dac, these can’t be the same speakers, kind of changes.
I’ve had this sound in my systems before but that was with higher end gear for sure... it makes me wonder how much I was leaving on the table without these cables in my rig at that time.
Have any of you had similar experiences with the Solo Crystal 8’s as well? I’m thinking that these are end game cables for me.
Showing 12 responses by rodman99999
@decooney - Regarding that purported, ".... harshness sometimes found in silver cables"; I believe silver(especially monocrystalline), being the best conducting metal extant, reveals more of what it’s presented, good or bad. iow: It(the conductor/interconnect/cable) gets blamed for what it’s fed(construction/dielectric are important, of course). The Big Silver Oval is the first conductor I’ve owned, in the past few decades, that isn’t 100% silver. I’ve always enjoyed pristine & extended freq response(because of) and never had any glare/harshness, over those decades(despite) all that silver. If your sources and gain stages are smooth, so will be your presentation. For the price of admission; I don’t believe the performance of the AP BSO can be exceeded. Sounds as though you have ears(and a local dealer), that can be trusted. Happy listening! |
@decooney - "Now the good cables allow one to hear what was always there, just had to let it come through :)" Absolutely! Sounds as though we both value good sound staging. It’s surprising, that even in comparing some of those, "good cables", things can be left behind. ie: After some reading on the Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 7 interconnects, I thought I’d try a pair, to upgrade from Silver Audio Hyacinths(a few years back) . I’d enjoyed those(feeding my main amps), for almost a decade, by then. More defined(I could listen further into the mix), but- my sound stage narrowed, by about 5-6’. Before sending the audition pair back to The Cable Company(to allow further comparison), I ordered Synergistic’s Tesla Apex interconnects(their best, below bank-breaking, then). The same beautiful rendition as the Eclipse pair, BUT- my sound stage was back, in all it’s spaciousness. Ambient information seems some of the easiest, to be misplaced/distorted/destroyed, in any stage of our systems. ps: YEP- gotta love those tubes! |
Anyone that’s paid an iota of attention to Physics or Cosmology, from modern Astronomy or Astrophysics to Quantum Mechanics, knows: there are much harder to explain/more bazaar things, going on all around us, than the phenomena we observe, regarding our sound systems. A plethora of theorems and theories, but- so few categorically proven facts. The more we’ve measured/discovered/uncovered/learned, the more we’ve realized how little we understand. I’m still waiting, for one of these, "Science" spouting, nay-saying posers, to provide something besides Newtonian-based blather, to disprove what those of us that have been experimenting, listening and experiencing, know to be true. End of rant. |
@decooney- If what you have in your preamp, doesn’t include a pair of the following(50’s, Sylvania VT-231, T-plate, two hole, bottom-gettered, green label), try some. They have excellent clarity/air, strong bottom end(without coloring the mids) and they’re monsters at sound staging(solid, in all three dimensions): https://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-NOS-Sylvania-JAN-CHS-6SN7GT-VT-231-Two-Hole-Tube-STRONG-115-/183966921859 I can’t swear to that particular eBay seller’s ethos, just good pics of the specific tubes. Ever tried any bottom-gettered Ken-Rads or Tung-Sols(especially Round Plates), in your preamp? They make beautiful music, mated with Sylvanias. Nice pre, btw(I use Cary monoblocks). |
@decooney- You mentioned having a quad of the early Sylvania VT-231. Do you install all four(cathode follower and line, both channels) or- blend just one, with another brand or 6SN7 iteration, in each channel? I suppose that question would apply, with any tubes in your stash. ie: Mix pairs or all one brand and version, in your four octal positions? |