@arafiq,
I hear you, AE cables are made to order. I am waiting on my new DIN > RCA as well. But they are worth the wait :-)
I hear you, AE cables are made to order. I am waiting on my new DIN > RCA as well. But they are worth the wait :-)
Audio envy - dang!
I usually post on AG when I have an issue or concern, so I’m happy for once it’s to praise a new product, in this case Audio Envy’s IC.
I use an ARC Classic 60 amp with a Herron 1A preamp. The AE cable went between these two.
I run an ARC Phono pre PH3se from my VPI prime as source.
My speakers are Thiel CS2.4’s
Out of the box a bit bright, But after a few hours that just went to strait up transparent - I mean freaking crystal clear. No tonal aberrations. Smooth, with no etched highs. Voices sound right, Natural. Soundstage opened up, as you might expect when things get clearer.
The best part was how inexpensive they were. They made my Cardas Clear Light interconnects I was using sound clouded by contrast. The Cardas was about x3 the cost of the AE’s.
BTW, this wasn’t “I think I hear differences”, this was “I’ll never use those Cardas in this system again, and where is my IPad, I need to order my next set!”
And that’s just what I did.
I use an ARC Classic 60 amp with a Herron 1A preamp. The AE cable went between these two.
I run an ARC Phono pre PH3se from my VPI prime as source.
My speakers are Thiel CS2.4’s
Out of the box a bit bright, But after a few hours that just went to strait up transparent - I mean freaking crystal clear. No tonal aberrations. Smooth, with no etched highs. Voices sound right, Natural. Soundstage opened up, as you might expect when things get clearer.
The best part was how inexpensive they were. They made my Cardas Clear Light interconnects I was using sound clouded by contrast. The Cardas was about x3 the cost of the AE’s.
BTW, this wasn’t “I think I hear differences”, this was “I’ll never use those Cardas in this system again, and where is my IPad, I need to order my next set!”
And that’s just what I did.
Showing 41 responses by lalitk
“I use Cardas GR Speaker Cable and Cardas Clear PC’s. Thinking about replacing those with AE as well.” @rlb61, You won’t regret it. I have recently switched to AE’s SP9 speaker and P2 power cables for my source components. As others have reported, these cables conveys music with superb clarity and transparency. No frills cables! |
jayctoy2,176 posts 10-11-2020 10:19am "....when I first inquire to Captain who I think design this Cables , He won’t tell me if they are strand or solid core...." I believe AE’s SP9 speaker cables uses OCC stranded copper wire. I wouldn’t get too hung up on the wire gauge. I would encourage @turnbowm to try out AE cables. Audio Envy offers a 45 day return policy less the shipping fees. |
“this wasn’t “I think I hear differences” @last_lemming, Nope, you’re not alone in experiencing superb transparency of AE’s cables. I have been using them since 2018. I started out with a IC trial and now using full loom of AE’s cables. I highly recommend that you also try his new SP9 speaker cables. I have recommended their cables few times here and some decided to take a leap of faith and others shook their shoulders thinking they are too cheap to be taken seriously. In fact as I recall, one guy said here that they look like someone building them in their garage and went with a $1k interconnects...lol!!! AE’s cables are real deal and a steal at their asking price. The proprietor (Captain) is very knowledgeable and has pro audio background. |
@pokey77, Thanks for the compliment. I am going to send you a PM (I prefer not to shame other brands in a open forum). What I do want to express is this, Audio Envy’s cables simply gets out of the way and let’s me enjoy music to the full potential of my system. Their ability to bring out the absolutely best truly belies their asking price! |
“A lot of speakers have low impedance in the bass region and it’s been my experience that small gauge speaker wire has a detrimental effect on bass performance.” @turnbowm, Generalizations are often indicative of ignorance. If you’re serious about ascertaining if AE speaker cable would be a good match for your speakers then why not pick up the phone and speak to the designer? I’ve had several conversations with the designer (Captain) and he has been spot on with his advise :-) |
@tom2015, Appreciate your feedback. In regards to sound being leaner and center image is less pronounced....IME, the AE cords don’t exaggerate any frequencies in the signal. The AE cable sound is relaxed, transparent and very faithful to the original recordings. I would give about 30-50 hours before you make any decisions. If you don’t like what you hear after 30 hours, send them back 😊 Enjoy! |
@jayctoy, Like yourself, I did my due diligence in checking out the competition. Tellurium Q Ultra Black, Chord Sig. Tuned Array and Furutech. They all are quite pricey compare to our reference Audio Envy cables. So I called Captain to make me a DIN > RCA with exact same spec as stock van den Hul phono supplied with SME tonearm. You can also look into replacement cable from van den Hul (D 501 Hybrid) for a very reasonable price of $278. But my money is on AE phono cable. Once I get my AE phono cable, I will compare it with stock van den Hul phono cable and Furutech Silver Arrows II. I hear it’s a very natural sounding cable. |
@arafiq, Congratulations on your purchase, gorgeous speakers. If you’re trying to tame high’s, I would recommend trying AE NV-SP9 speaker cables. They use OCC copper, their cables are very transparent, fast and detailed. Truly an ‘end game’ component in my system. I have had Purist, Audience, Signal and Verastarr (silver foils) cables in the past. While they all are great cables albeit at a much higher cost, AE in contrast offers very high performance at a unbelievable cost. They offer 45 days in-home trial so you got nothing to loose (except shipping cost). Also sent you a PM! |
@dmk_hifi, In case you didn’t know, you can use cable separators between your PC and IC’s. I use Cardas Multi-Blocks on floor and Shunyata’s Minis off ground to separate the PC and IC’s. You can stack Cardas vertically and horizontally, very versatile. You can see them in my system page. https://www.musicdirect.com/vibration-control/cardas-multi-blocks-set-of-6 https://www.musicdirect.com/vibration-control/shunyata-dark-field-minis-12pk |
@twoleftears, The description on two types of XLR’s is posted on AE website, hope this helps! 4:3 is recommended when interconnecting non-grounded gear. (Such as, 2P Ocean cord.) Use the 4:3 model for Phono stages. 4:3 is compatible with microphone phantom power. Excellent for longer length cables adjacent to EMI/RF. G:L’s noise block; allows your system to work with multiple 3P Ocean power chords, and be void of ground noise signal loops. For Phono stages please use our O’nestian 4:3 model. |
@last_lemming, It appears you’ve ordered the SP9’s with ‘bare’ copper sleeves terminations (same as I did). No doubt, they require bit of care while making connection with binding posts. If you’re concerned with possible short which shouldn’t be the case if they are tightly secured. But in any case for your piece of mind, you may use something like ETI bullet plugs (I just uploaded a pic on my system page for your reference). It’s the last pic, the ETI Link banana plugs are the best I’ve found and they seems to be tailor made for AE wires with copper sleeves. They hold the wire very securely. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8046 https://www.vhaudio.com/eti-link-banana.html |
I have recently added AE Phono Deluxe cable to my analog rig. The DIN connector (straight) is of decent quality and it fits snugly in my SME arm output socket. The shielding is spot on. The cable is very transparent and the sound is extended evenly across the spectrum. Nothing over the top, just right! No matter what I am listening to, the sense of ‘realism’ through this cable is simply unmistakable. All in all, a remarkable phono cable for the money! |
@gochurchgo, Not knowing your system, It would be hard to say if AE will give you the warmth you’re seeking....what you get with AE cables is better transients, timbre and openness in the music. The cables are very fast and transparent and they convey exactly what your components are capable of, no coloration whatsoever. My system has plenty of warmth because of my choice of electronics. I couldn’t be any happier with my decision to go with AE cables. If you’re still interested, I can only suggest you to contact AE for one on one consultation. |
@cd45123, I do not think the two cords are sonically different, they both possess exceptional tonality and transparency. Explaining ‘what would happen’ is like taking a shot in the dark since I am not familiar with your audio system. Using a ungrounded power cord on a integrated is like using a cheater plug. Typically you do that to reduce hum from ground loops of connected equipment. Using a ungrounded PC on a integrated which draws the most current may become susceptible to RFI interference not to mention potential safety hazard (electric shock or fire). I would consult with Captain at Audio Envy before you use 2p on a integrated. Sorry, I have not compared the sp6 vs sp9. His cables are so affordable, I would just get the latest SP9. |
“people who try a product and post an opinion that differs from audio forum users who report positive opinions are often criticized and/or accused of having inferior systems or listening skills. It creates an environment where dissenting opinion is discouraged, and it happens with more than a few products across categories.” @tvad, I completely agree and for the reason stated above I don’t post here anymore as much I used to. I have owned cable looms well into $40K range and much to my surprise, AE cables have bettered those supposedly high on performance top dollars cables in my system. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8046 |
@kimurastanley, Have you tried AE’s Power Cords? I am in the process of upgrading to his latest Mega ‘3’ PC’s. After trying one of his ‘3’ in front of power distributor (Nordost QB8), there was a noticeable improvement in mid bass and low end extension. The ‘3’ PC uses twice the conductors (6) vs. last generation Mega 3. The second ‘3’ is being added to my Accuphase Integrated. I am quite ecstatic to hear how ‘3’ strikes a beautiful balance in upper, mid and lower frequencies and complementing rest of AE cables in my system. |
@charliee..just replied. |
@charliee ….You need minimum 9-10 inches of clearance. The male AC plug is 5 inches long. |