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!”
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 😊
My p3 powercords I have 20hrs on them, the improvement is they are more quieter, and cleaner, a bit more open, I will admit they did match well on my system too.Will see after 50 hrs...I have a borrowed cable cooker, but decided to find out their sound transformation every 20hrs, I can honestly say this are excellent cables.
My system is solid state and on the analytical side, no tubes. Overall same tonal structure after another 50 hours. I prefer the Cerious Matrix, same level of detail, but more warmth in the mids providing a nice balance.
Nevertheless for the cost of the AE compared to 6x as expensive Matrix the performance is certainly a good value and not a apples to apples comparison.
I haven’t checked in here at Audiogon for a few months and what a pleasant surprise to find a thread on one of my favorite products. Like others here I went from well known cables costing much more than the AE’s and I couldn’t be happier. I started out with a full loom of their previous line and moved up to their latest offerings in the spring. AE cables just get out of the way allowing more music to come forth, which is the highest compliment one can give to cables IMO. Great product, great service, great price, great sound......what more can one ask for?
I’m sure there are even more transparent cables out there but not at prices I can afford!
I received my phono Cable today, Iam using it with my vpi scout Jr Denon cart mc, to Sutherland LPS 2020, Iam using Audioquest diamond ic from Sutherland to my integrated VIva 300B , Iam using Nordost heimdall 2, Speaker Cable, Speaker tekton perfect set 12, this is my second system, this phono Cable is very natural clean sounding, fast, with slam, micro and macro is very good, layering , transient and black background is one of the strength of this phono Cable, it’s a keeper will order more ic.very quiet Cable as well.
I forgot the bass is superb as well, Iam not sure if captain can make me a phono Cable for my SME 10, I want one phono Cable for my SME where my main system is.
I have recently ordered phono cable for my SME 309 tonearm from AE. He uses a very high quality straight DIN plug instead of angled DIN plug which in my opinion is a much better orientation.
Lalitk before I discover AE , my plan is to get the Tellurium q, phono Cable, it’s $700 price is stiff for my wallet , second is audiosensibilty phono Cable , since I like the sonic signature of AE, and I have no problem on matching, I will stick on AE, please let me know how it sounds on your system. Captain is very cool to deal with...
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.
AE cables and reviews sound intriguing. What is also intriguing is that after 2 pages of positive feedback here no one has been able to answer a simple question posted back in August: what are the differences between the O'nestian 4:3 and the O'nestian G:L XLR? On a separate note, AE speaker spades look...interesting.
@dmk_hifi I asked Cap and this was what he replied:
"The G:L is a very excellent choice and most likely you will have no problems. However if you have any concerns with RF and Wi-Fi noise. The 4:3 has greater shielding."
Not sure if that was the answer you were looking for.
Anyways, I placed an order for his coaxial cable, speaker cables and xlr interconnects. Looking forward to seeing how they fare against Cerious Tech and TWL offerings.
Hey doc, that’s a good info! In my case interconnects will have to run alongside power cables and other interconnects so I imagine I want cables with greater RF shielding. Let us know how you find them,
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.
@lalitk I recently purchased a used pair of Sonus Faber Olympica II and have looking for new speaker cables. I was considering AE speaker cables but wasn’t sure how they compare to more expensive ones. I looked at your system (wow!!!) and it’s quite reassuring to see AE being used in such an expensive and well-thought out system. I’m currently using Clear Day cables which use silver. I’m trying to tame the highs and wondering if copper might be a better route. Just wondering if you have compared AE to other bang-for-the-buck type of cables like Acoustic Zen Satori, Cerious, etc. Thanks.
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).
Thanks for passing on the Captain’s somewhat cryptic reply re. G:L vs. 4:3. If the 4:3 had identical sonic signature to G:L *and* offered superior shielding, why would he offer the G:L at all? Please report on which XLR's you bought.
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.
Looks to be a piece of solid core wire that's bent in the shape of a 'U' with the cable conductor soldered on the end. Minimal contact area and NOT something I would consider.
Turnbowm I think AE are not for you, move on, there are many choices out there, Choose a cable that will satisfy you design wise.But you will pay high premium.If you have the money honestly there are many well design cables but also might not sound good, Remember matching is the key.
Absolutely love mine. I took a chance on the power cable since it was so cheap. On first listening, it was obvious that the cable was a step up from anything I had tried before. I then ordered the Studio Prestige RCA ICs and a pair of NV-SP9 speaker cables. They just make everything sound natural, clear, and they don't do anything wrong. They call no attention to themselves. I have stopped even considering other cables.
After only 40 hrs of my AE powercables, P3 I notice they are more open , naturally smooth, the biggest improvement at this time is layering and instruments placement are space, no trace of compression anymore, better tone as well.My AE phono Cable is excellent out of the box.
I have some AE stuff shipping out tomorrow and took a chance to order a 3P power cord. Hope it is as good as everyone says it is! I have the TWL Obsession, and a Cerious Matrix pc also on the way. Looking forward to seeing how they compare.
I ordered my speaker cables ten days ago, still no word from AE. I wish they would keep some in stock for a quicker turnaround. I know ... first world problems :)
Just ordered my 3rd pair of IC’s. Ordered them about a week ago, and was notified yesterday that they have shipped. My first two pairs took much longer. Guess I got lucky on this order, as I was prepared to wait another couple weeks+ before shipping.
My SP-9 speaker cables came in last night. I replaced the PAD cables I had and the immediate difference appears to be more clarity and not as dark. They appear to add or take away nothing, at least compared to the PAD cables. My only complaint is the spade design, it’s nothing like I’ve seen before. I’ll try to describe it: so for one wire, say the + lead, imagine it runs down to a plastic “V” with the two legs each about 1/8” inch wide by about 1/16” thick and about 1/2” long. The wire comes through a barrel of plastic and the end of the “V” where the wire splits into a “V” shape and follows down each leg of the “V”. Then what appears to be a copper tape binds the wire to the leg and acts as the conductor for the signal. So you slip it over the binding post and when you tighten down the post the copper tape is pressed down forming the connection. In practice I don’t know if this is the best approach, but you have to be a bit careful since the splayed nature of the “V” geometry means the outer most edges of the “V” could potentially hit the adjacent “V” on the adjacent binding post and cause a short.
Bkeske it seems like you end up liking AE Cables, they are truly amazing Cables, Iam on my way to order 2 more pc, and one more phono Cable for my SME tt.
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.
After maybe 15 hrs of play and using cardas sweep burn in , my phono Cable it sounds more quiet, one thing I notice is the natural sound of voice and instruments, I use to get crosstalk hum from my Denafrips Dac Ares, now it’s gone , including radio station frequency pick up.This is truly an amazing phono Cable.
Not guessing, I also own SP9’s and the terminations with copper sleeves slides perfectly into the banana barrel of ETI. All you do then is gently tighten the two screws to hold the wire inside the barrel.
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