Audio envy - dang!

Lak, that is not the case with my set.  There are two wires coming out of the speaker cable, one for each side.  There is a separate wire that is not attached to anything that goes to the outlet ground connector.  I will give Captain a call

@kclone, when I received my SP-14s in April 2024 all wiring was connected and all I had to do was plug in the one ground connector. I would describe my listening experience as clean, extended, and the cables simply get out of the way of the music. 

@kclone In my experience speaker grounds go on the (-) or black side of speakers.  I have ground boxes wired on the (-) on one pair and ground purifiers on the (-) on another pair.  

Lak, thanks, I get that part, but there are two other wires, one for each speaker cable side, that I assume go on the terminals of the amp. If so which output terminal? I already have Rel Subwoofer wire on some of the output terminals.

I took a listen after 14 hours. System is more relaxed overall and the bass is more extended, detailed, and cut out in it’s own space. Very nice!  I should also add I put the Audio Envy USB cable in between the Evo 432 Server and Laiv Harmony DAC.  

@kclone, to hook up the ground simply plug it into an unused AC outlet opening made for the ground plug.

Jetter, I have the SP-14s.  I just hooked them up, not sure how to hook up the ground wire so I have to call Cap to figure that out.  But just the speaker cables alone, there was a noticeable difference between the SP-14s and the Canare.  The SP-14s sound thick, big, weighty, instruments have a lot of meat on the bones.   The Canare sound kind of thin in comparison.  I would have not thought of that of the Carare, but next to the SP-14s, that is indeed that case.  This is a right out of the bag comparison, so if the SP-14s improve over time, like I said of the Prestige IC, it's just gravy.  

Will do Jetter. I know the Canare are cheap, but my goodness they seem pretty darn good to me. I haven’t found anything worth replacing them with yet. I haven’t tried extremely expensive stuff as cables go. The most expensive was some $2400 Audience Speaker cables. I have had several pairs below that price point. Clear Day, Supra Sword, Duelund, Western Electric, JSP Labs, Nordust, to name a few.

@kclone 

After you have lived with them awhile I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the SP-14 speaker cables.  I am using the same Canare cables and have been kicking around purchasing the SP-14s.

I like the IC so much I ordered the SP-14 speaker cables.  I currently have the Canare 4s11, which I really really like.  I also ordered the USB cable to give it a try. 

Yes, but keep in mind at the time of this posting I only have about 22 hours on them. The AEs have more coherence, detail, and extension. Instruments have more spacing and definition within the stage. Guitars specifically have more crunch. The Duelunds have a little more dryer sound, which I never noticed before until the AEs were in. Where the Duelunds are better is a more expansive stage. But it is early, maybe with more time the AEs will improve in this area? The 8402s are currently another system with the Wharedale Linton speakers. I probably won’t take the time to do a comparison.

Kclone, can you share how AE sounds different from 8402’s or Duelund? Thanks!

I put the Studio Prestige in the system about two hours ago. Sounds great out of the bag, very balanced, well extended and  plenty of detail. I was expecting them to sound hard and bright and then settle in over time. They are not bright in the least. Gosh, if there is truly improvement over the next couple of hundred hours it is just gravy.

Glad you made contact!  Mine took about 200 hours. 

N

Update, they responded and let me know my order will be shipping out. I bought the Studio Prestige RCA. I will be comparing it to the Beldon 8402 and the Duelund 16 GA ICs.  How long is burn in typically with these?

Does anyone know if there is something going on at Audio Envy?  I placed on order over 2 weeks ago.  I have sent 3 emails and called a few times to check my order status..  They do not answer the phone and have yet to respond to my emails.  

@megabyte, I sent you a PM. 

N

Nutty, do you happen to have a pic. Just wanted to see them. And the price?

@megabyte, I’d encourage you to contact Captain directly for more information. They are available as I have them in my system.

info@audioenvy.com

970- 672-9511 

N

So why isn’t their website up to date? There’s no sp14 far as I can tell. 🤷🏻‍♂️

So why isn’t their website up to date? There’s no sp14 far as I can tell. 🤷🏻‍♂️

pokey77 good luck with the SP14’s! Performing the ground wire termination and installation is a breeze.

N

@nutty 

Your comments make me want to try the SP14s. The SP12s were better than Heimdall 2s, so I can only imagine what the SP14s can do.

nutty

Nice update.  Keep up the excellent work.

Happy Listening!

cd45123 I completly agree with your findings.

rlb61 In my system, the new SP14’s are markedly better and different than the 12’s and worth the investment.  I Would encourage you to consult with Cap for more details and your systems needs.

N

@nutty I had been asking Cap to make a pair of Model 34 SC, but was able to get SP14s and the prototype ICs. With the new Okta and PCs, this is the best I’ve heard from AE

@nutty I have the SP12s and really dig them.What would you say the improvement is between the two cables on a percentage basis?

The SP14's top end is much sweeter than the 12's.  Apparently the ground wire dissipates energy.  In my system it's a much better cable than the SP12's.  

N

Has anyone else upgraded from the SP12 Speaker Cables to the SP14’s? Definitely worth the effort. They are fitted with a ground wire that dissipates energy. The wire slides over the ground pin of your power cord. As always the cables sound fantastic.

Call captain for the details!!

N

I contacted Captain to ask about an XLR to RCA cable to go out from my new API equalizer to my preamp.He said he could make one to my specifications when I was ready. After some experiments with adapters and cables with different wiring configurations the one ordered from BlueJean Audio (Belden wire) worked perfectly but had a slightly grainy texture which actually complemented certain instruments. Vocals not so much though.So I ordered the cable from AE and hoped for the best.

Just received it today and it exceeded my expectations which was simply no more grain.Right out of box it's silky smooth,grainless,and a perfect fit in my system. There is nothing to criticize.I played the same CD that I was just listening to without adjusting the volume or the equalizer.Then chose a few more to try finding something unacceptable.Nope.It's staying.

I didn't think that Iconoclast made a phono cable. I had contacted them about it a few months ago and at that time, they didn't have one and told me that they were not making one.

Has anyone compared the AE phono cable vs Iconoclast phono? 

Darn good cables for not whole lot of money! And Captain (owner) have been very methodical in his approach to fine tune his cables. 

I just received a pair of O'nestian XLRs today to go between a Pontus ll and Lokius EQ. And Dang! is right. Right out of the box I think it is smooth and refined. Very nice indeed.Adding the Lokius meant having to add another cable so I've been trying the few spares of various brands from the "leftovers" box since the particular Voodoos that are used throughout are no longer available..The best (but not quite good enough)result was with an AE RCA pair.So why not give the AE XLRs a chance?

I would ask Cap, he is very responsive and helpful.  Try the expanded when they arrive you might be surprised.  I would think the Mega is a good choice.  Only way to know is try one.  With AE’s 45 day return policy no risk.

I ordered 2x Ocean-Expanded with Upgrade 3- with
OCC Ground & Braid. I'm going to try these upstream

my question is for power amp. I have relatively power hungry speakers that regularly dip below 4ohms. Im using a krell 300xd duo

Is the mega more suitable? or maybe a high current cable from different company?

it seems you guys are happy with ocean expanded on amps?

Thank you J.A.!!

N

An excellent update- nutty

Happy Listening!

Hi Tom - Thank you for the tip on the Ocean-Expanded with the Upgraded Ground.  I'm seriously considering a consultation with Captain. 

N

@nutty I don’t own any regular OE expanded.  I did compare it (on my tube preamp) to an OE elite 3 and the expanded with ground upgrade is much better it all ways.  Cap told me that he highly recommended the ground upgrade and it is well worth it.  Maybe he would take a  trade in and you could try one and compare…enjoy the music.  Cheers, Tom

Greetings.@ tksteingraber

Thanks for the feedback on the Ocean-Expanded Upgraded Ground cords. I’m tempted to audition them. Were you able to compare and contrast the original Ocean-Expanded vs. the Upgraded Ground together in your system?

You’ll need to contact Captain directly for more information, insight and pricing on the OKTA Pro outlets. They are not on the website as of yet.  It's been one of my most economical upgrades I've made yet!  I'm sure he'd love to hear from anyone wanting to take their system to the next level,  especially if they are using Audio Envy power cords.  

N

@nutty don’t see these recepticals on AE’s website to order. Is this an ask Cap special order only?  Price?  Thanks

Also, I have now had my new OE Expanded with ground upgrade power cable for 2 weeks and it is a really nice step up.  Everything is just better.  Quiet, black background, more 3D, hear details I didn’t hear before.  

On 12/21/23 in installed a Audio Envy receptical. It’s the same high quality outlet that Captain uses in the OKTA Pro power distribution system. The unit features a robust build with a thick rigid backing plate that instills confidence with installation. In addition the OKTA Pro has it’s share of high purity copper gold plating. Every element of this overly engineered receptical screams AC signal transmission and  the gold plated Conductors spring system grips like a vice.

Upon installation in my system I immediately began hearing cues and micro details that seemed covered up with my former outlets. (AV Options Deep-Cryo Hubble, Pangea, PS Audio Power Port and the Furutech GTX-D). After reaching two hundred hours the performance is fast, neutral and doing a great job of preserving the musical warmth.

N

nutty

Thank You for the update.   Happy Listening!

The captain responded and helped my situation. Just to help anyone else in the future both his suggestions helped. here they are.

Try the configuration with arrow of the positive wire, facing toward the speaker.  Then position the arrow of the negative wire, facing towards the amplifier. 

(This should be the least forward sound.)

What is the positioning and spacing that you have between the wires leading to the speaker? 

this will also affect the tone. 

Cap

Most of the testing that we did is with the cables stacked on top of each other, 1 to 2 inches apart. 

I would experiment with separating them 3 inches apart, and then gently move them together until you find your desired tone.  It’s possible that having them extremely separated, could work in your situation.  It would likely pull the mid range back. 

But other anomalies can happen with it. 

Cap

@evank Talk or email Cap he is very helpful in explaining his cables in and outs. I had some similar ribbons that were fatiguing and took about 75-100 hours to sound excellent. Of course your cables are different as is your system. Good luck. Love his power cables.

Going on 20 hrs and these cables are difficult to listen to. I find them very fatiguing. 

SP12's arrived and I finally had a chance to hook them up. First, I followed the arrow to the speaker recommendation for a warmer sound and the bass was just too bloated for me. I reversed them and the bass response improved. I'll give them some time to break in and report back with how I like them.