Bullot is definitely onto something with his suggestion that the quality of AC delivery may affect overall sound, including bass, more than ICs. Adding a Synergistic Research Powercell 10SE substantially improved the quantity, tonal quality, and dimensionality of the bass in my system. Additionally, I found that different power cords on my powered REL Stadium III sub produce a significant sonic difference - some produce a lean, tight, tuneful bass and some a fuller bass with more slam. Which one you prefer is a factor or your personal taste. |
Ok, the latest! Over the XMass holidays I tried out a Gabriel Gold Reflection ic, the newest and greatest in the Gabriel Gold line-up! I was swapping it out with my Stealth Indra and GG Rapture on the source to the pre. To make a long story short.....I ended up trying the Reflection to the bass amp, and it's the first time an ic has made a very audible, noticable difference to me, on the bass. It was sharper and tighter, cleaner.....so, that's where it stayed! |
Just to update. I did try a "cheap" Monster cable from pre to "sub" vs a Stealth Indra. The biggest difference was in the output...in other words I had to turn down the volume of the bass with the Stealth cable. In the end this is a good thing, to have the amp working less to produce the same "sound/feeling". There were subtle differences to me, in other places, but really, the volume was the serious one! I just don't feel any other subtle differences that may or may not be there are worth anywhere near the price difference between the Stealth and Monster, with respect to bass anyways....obviously on mid/tweeter that is not the case. I'll keep up my trials and report further if anything interesting comes up!! |
Morrow Audio Sub 3 cables are fast, tight and deep for a reasonable price...60 day return policy makes trying easy! |
Right off the bat the Dmitri is night and day on bass. I know that comment can be subjective or relative, but it's not a descriptive I use lightly, so much tighter and accurate, soooooo right! I have much more listening to do, but everything was a little more detailed.........perhaps there was less bass amp "stealing" power from front end components. (I have everything plugged into it.......bass amp, Levison 33H's and my front end) |
Keep me informed, I'm curious. |
A point of interest: I just replaced my VRay with a Running Springs Dmitri..........big big difference in the bass. Very much tighter and real. I have tried swapping a Stealth Indra with Gabriel Gold Rapture on the ic to the bass, but that does not seem to make any difference. Not surprising as it makes little difference on the top end with those two as well, they are both soooo good. Next time I'll try swapping out with a very cheap cheap cable and see if the huge difference in cable quality had any impact on the bass sound/quality. |
... sub interconnect would be interesting, I use the Sub-3 from Audioquest and can recommend it. |
Yeah I hear you on the "try it out yourself" theory! However if this thread can narrow things down to a a dozen or so contenders and weed out the other hundreds......it might save me some time and expense! Right now I have an expensive cable on this line to the bass, and there are some ideas on here for cables that are much less costly, so I could start there and see if there is ANY difference between the two on the "sub" and if not, I might focus my attention on something else in the system. It's all learning, and these forums help us all share info. I take in all info knowing we all have different tastes and equipment and hearing, opinions are good to hear as it always opens doors to considerations we didn't have before.
So........any feedback on experiences people have had with a good sub interconnect would be interesting, thanks again folks. |
But most importantly Bullot, I/we are not here to disuade you from making a specific decision. You HAVE to try things out for your self. PERIOD. That is how you will help to advise others one day from your own experiences. |
Thanks for all the input folks. I can definately see how an ic on the mid/tweeter would change midbass and our perseption of how the bass sounds. I am actually very happy with my bass, the Genesis bass towers are adjustable on frequency, high and low pass and volume, so I don't have any issues with bass..........just thought that maybe there was an opportunity to fine tune the bass, by getting some holy grail in bass cable. Trying out different ic's on a sub is a good idea.......I think that is essentially what I am asking, what is the best ic for a sub?? I think I am hearing from most of you, that there isn't a big change, like there can be on the top end.....when it comes to changing ic's on a sub. |
Listen & heed 1st response---Vandermeulen---I wish I had all the money I wasted on this kind of pursuit:-( |
Let me add some confusion to this discussion.
Actually, I disagree in general with the first response, but agree with some of his specific points.
Just for shits and giggles I tried different cables from my 2-channel system in my HT system's sub. Specifically I hijacked the Acoustic Zen Matrix II, Acoustic Zen Silver Ref II and Audience AU24 to test with my HT sub. In this test the AZ Silver Ref definitely passed a tighter, firmer bass than the other two copper cables and this was with a signal of 100Hz down.
I did this goofy experiment only out of boredom. Like others here I preferred using Analysis Plus Solo and did all the adjustments with sub placement and crossover slope shaping. I found this to be the best way for me.
I also agree with the initial respondent that if substituted in a full range set up, you may perceive tighter bass with a silver cable because of its overall affect on the full sound spectrum.
I hope this doesn't confuse you, heheh. |
Have also had great results with the Analysis Plus Solo. |
For the money Analysis plus solo, I also use their gold cables expensive but good |
Experiment with different sub tower placement. Room placement will have a greater impact on bass than any IC and the price is right..free! |
My suggestion to you is: XLO sig3 I/C, you can find it used for about $450 to $500,great bass extension and very very tight and tuneful bass, mid range is a little dry for my taste, but if you want bass control,there is no other cable like XLO sig3, mark my words:
good luck:
regards: |
The Discover Signature IC has excellent extended bass and dynamics. Give Joe DePhillips a call. |
The "silver" suggestion is silly. Yes, we have all read comments about silver doing this, copper doing that, gold doing this, and alloys doing this & that. If you suspect that your lows NEED tightening up...dont expect an IC to do this. I am being blunt here. If an IC had the potential to alter the signature that much, people would buy IC' first, then speakers, then the rest. Do you have some IC's to test out? Any will do. See if you hear ANY difference with increased OR decreased focus etc in the bass. NOW BE CAREFUL, I am specifically suggesting the lower frequency response. Higher frequencies can have a subtle change. Interactions between higher frequencies VS. lower frequencies will present a "perceived" difference in the lower frequency. This is not the case. The higher frequencies play a crucial effect on our perceptions of how the lower frequencies sound. The last suggestion I have for you would be to audition some IC's with option to return and see what you hear. I can almost guarantee that any perceived change in lower frequencies will be due to slight alteration in the higher frequency bands. |
