Any Boulder pre/power amp users here?


Soon I'll get a Boulder pre/power combo and wonder what the Boulder owners use for the IC's. My dealer said Boulder specifically recommends to use its own cables, which are somehow very cheap compared to their amps. I have no idea what these cables are and wonder if these cables are as good as other high-end cables which we know.

So, I'd like to know if anybody tried any Boulder IC's from CD/DAC to the preamp and pre to power and compared them to other cables.

Also what would you use as speaker cable from Boulder poweramp to Wilson Audio Maxx2?

Thanks
muratc
rich: thanks for the info. I just bought a pair of 865 monos to replace my Ayre V-1xe and I must say: I´m pretty amazed (a very good match with my Avalon speakers and my Audio Aero cd-player). Well done!
B'older' & B'oUlder'....Cables... Boulder the electronics are spelled with a 'U', Bolder Cables does exist.. Bolders Digital Cable is excellent and a giant killer, however I have not tried the interconnects or speaker cables.
Hi Frank -

The 865 will be debuting at the CEDIA Expo on September 13th if all goes well. We've been working our tails off trying to get it finished and ready, and the last details of metalwork have pretty much been finalized. The internal circuit boards are almost finished, and we expect to be able to listen to one shortly....
Rick. Looking foreward to your forthcoming 865 integrated and hopefully a matching series 800 CD/DVD-player.
rmaez@boulderamp.com

is this the same Rick Maez who used to work at Jeff Rowland Design Group?
Okay, this is all fascinating. Ummm...kinda strange, but fascinating.

We occasionally make cables at Boulder Amplifiers. We are not the same company as Boulder Cables. We actually haven't the faintest idea who they are.

Our amps, preamps, DACs, etc, were all designed with benign inputs and outputs and were specifically engineered to negate the electrical charactersitics of cables, line conditioners, tiptoes, etc., as much as possible. This is to try to maintain neutrality throughout the audio chain as much as possible. A good high-end system that's engineered and designed towards neutrality should make as much effort as possible to limit the effects of the outside world and tweaks. If you pay that much for a system, the engineers should be taking everything into account for you.

That being said, by all means evaluate every cable you can get your hands on. If you hear a difference and something works better than another for you, go for it. If you don't, then do what's comfy.
Boulder doesnt´manufacture cables. On most occasions (ehibitions) Boulder uses TaraLabs top-of-the-line cables (Omega and Zero) together with Avalon speakers and I think DCS CD/SACD-Transport.

A friend of mine has got a full Boulder, TaraLabs set up but uses ACapella Sphäron Excalibur speakers and a no longer manufactured Barclay X-1 CD-Transport.
Hope this helps.
Yes, this is also what I'm getting for my Boulders. Indra IC's and Stealth Dream speaker cables.
have the 1060 and recently went from harmonic tech speaker cables up to purist venustas which mates well with the 1060 and was a significant improvement, in fact i am considering changing my kimber select interconnects to purist
Hi,
I've had a Boulder 2060 for the past 2 years with which I use their power cables and it is outstanding. I currently use Nordost Valhalla cables elsewhere in my system and it seems to be a very good match.

David Shapiro
Nope, I've not tried Boulder Cables, and have no impression of how they compare with the ones I've tried.

However, as far as I'm aware, Boulder, the electronics vendor, does not make cables. In fact, Boulder delivers their Amps with Canare power cables (which work just fine by the way).

If I'm not mistaken, "Boulder" and "Boulder Cables" have no relations to one another other than the Boulder in their names ;)

Or am I wrong?
Having owned the 1012+1050 combination, and now the 2060, IMHO, Boulders are designed to such standards that cable differences are not as significant as perhaps with other gear (Probably has to do with high input impedances and low output impedances).

That said, I've had best results (most neutral and transparent "sounding") with Kharma cable (both the Grand Reference and the Enigma range).

I've had Nordost Quattro, Valhallas, Siltech G5 & G6, and Transparent Audio cables in comparison. Have not tried any others in comparison with the Kharmas though I'm curious to try Stealth Indras at some point ;)

Hope this helps.