Now, this is not a advertisement, just a posting sharing my experience on some well made great sounding cables at a very reasonable price. Besides, I don't think Cerious Technologies is set up for a big influx of cable orders.
But, if you get the chance to try these cables, please do.
I have been interested in the newer cables coming out that are using Graphene as a conductor. SR cables seemed interesting, but I always hated the way there cables had all those extra wires (with the active shields and such). I then noticed an ad early in I think November or December from Cerious Technologies for Graphene cables. I investigated how the cables were assembled and it seemed like quite a laborious process.
I ordered (with a 30 day money back guarantee) the balanced Graphene interconnects, and boy did they impress me. Such depth, soundstage, realism, frequency smoothness, effortless sound. I was truly impressed! I now have a complete loom of the Cerious Technologies Graphene cables. That is; interconnects, speaker cables, digital cables and power cords.
I ended up selling all of my other cables and to those of you who have read my postings know that cables have always been my curiosity.
So, as I began this post, let me again iterate, I have no alliance to the company, my posting is for those of you looking for an great alternate high quality Graphene made cable without spending a fortune.
After 100 hours on the cable burner I put the Cerious Technologies Graphene Speaker Cables into my system. Wow! I'm extremely impressed so far. With more hours in the system I'm thinking they can only sound better then the Wow I currently hear.
jazz..thanks for the kind words. The CPT pc is a great pc on my Lumin. The demo unit I have..until mine arrives...is getting better by the day..It is better...in my system..than the CT-1 was on my Lumin.My guess is that it would very well on your DAC. I am not surprised that the CT-1U ...which I have also..I/C ..is better than the CT GE...Dave
Commendable effort by calloway & team, thank you! This review will likely serve as a guideline for many. I wonder you would repeat the process for the interconnects. IME there is a pretty good difference between the HFC CT1-U and CT GE (I wished there wasn't any). For my 2nd system, I am heading to a full loom CT GE, incredible value/money provided here. This "downcabling" process enabled me to redistribute resources elsewhere in the chain.
Interesting to learn about the CPT-300 which seems to be a good candidate for my DAC.
+1 re regular cable conditioning, one could add playing rejuvenation CD and cleaning contacts with Gold DeoxIT.
I hope those reading this thread will consider using a Cable conditioner such as the AudioDharma Cable Cooker or a Hagerman FryBaby to allow these excellent cables to reach their maximum potential.
I recondition my cables every six months and I continue to be impressed with the improvement afterwards.
audiolabyrinth...thanks for the kind words...the CPT-300 I was using was/is a demo with very little time on it so I will be sending it back. I have ordered a new one, .however.i will update the review after an appropriate length of time to allow it to mature.
Very good review Calloway, excellent job, are you keeping the power cord's?, have you considered an update review when power cord's are fully burned-in?, enjoy the music.
Hi Calloway, Well your guys did a very fine job with this time consuming and tedious triple power cable comparison. Based on your findings and factoring cost the Cerious Graphene cable is an astonishing value given that it competes with two excellent and more expensive cables on their level, impressive. I really appreciate your time and effort Calloway. Charles,
A couple of friends of mine, last Sunday, sat down to compare 3 power cords. One of these was my High Fidelity" CT–1". The second was a CT GE, from Cerious Technologies. The third is a CPT-300, balanced power cord, from Core Power Technologies. My power cord is fully burned in having greater than 500 hours on it. The other 2 are newer cables having less than 50 hours on them. Obviously this will, to some degree, skew the findings but did give us an idea of how they compare. 2 of my audio friends joined me, as mentioned, and all of us came to similar conclusions although differing slightly occasionally. The idea of the comparison was to choose 5 tracks from different albums, all HD/SACD, and look at a number of different sound parameters. We chose 7. #1–Airy-defined as pertaining to tremble which sounds like, delicate, open, and seemingly unrestricted in upper extension. #2–articulation–defined as clarity and intelligibility, usually of voice reproduction. #3–attack transient–defined as the initial energy pulse of a percussive sound, such as from a piano string, triangle, or drum head. #4–Depth–defined as the illusion of acoustical distance receding behind the loudspeaker plain, giving the impression of listening through the loudspeakers into the original performing space. #5–detail–defined as the subtlist, most delicate parts of the original sound, which are usually the first things lost by imperfect components. #6–impact–defined as a quality of concussive force ,as from a deep, strong base attack, which produces a brief sensation of visceral pressure. #7–involvement–defined as the degree to which a reproduction draws the listener into the musical performance and evokes an emotional response to it. It was not always easy to stick to the agenda throughout. We did, however, come do fairly common conclusions regarding most of these. The music used, during the shoot out, included #1–\Neighborhood-Manu Katche, tract #1, November 99... #2- Modern Cool-Patricia Barber,Constantinople.... #3–Diana Krall-Wall Flower- tract 2-Desperato. #4–Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6-Reference Recording First movement.................. We played each track 3 times, with each of us sitting in the sweet spot to allow the best chance of evaluating each of the chosen parameters. This was a little time-consuming, but we decided to do it this way so we would have a better chance of remembering what we were listening to. We started each track with the CT–1, proceeding to the CPT–300, and finally to the CT GE power cord. The cost of these cords is different, with the CT 1, retail and $2300, at the 1.5 m length, the CPT–300, at approximately $850, and the CT GE at approximately $300. All cables were constructed very well. The workmanship on each is excellent. At each change of cables, my SET amps were turned off and allowed 15 minutes to warm backup. With regard to the first parameter, all 3 cables performed superbly. The edge here was judged to a tie between the CT–1 and the CT GE. The CPT was certainly not far behind and would be very acceptable to all but the most discriminating. #2–articulation, was a virtual tie between all 3 cables. All of them produced a beautiful, natural vocal realness. The CT GE cable produced a slightly forward vocal presentation compared to the other 2. With all of them it was easy to hear the breathing and lips of Diana Krall. They all presented a life like image. #3–attack transient–the winner here was the CPT–300 which consistently presented tight,quick, delicate sounding tonality to cymbals,wood blocks,and tympany.The weigh of the music presented was also better than the other 2. #4- depth–all 3 cables presented an equally real presentation of three-dimensional space. The CT GE produced a slightly less high sound stage. This was also slightly less wide. The CT 1 and CPT–300 were sound stage champions. #5 detail–all 3 cables were equally capable of reproducing the most delicate sounds within the soundstage. The weight of the music, however of the CPT–300 did give it a slight edge. #6–impact–the CPT–300 was the champ here. It was definitely able to produce a more visceral impact with drums, and other percussive instruments. #7–involvement–all 3 of the cables were superb and drawn you into the music. There was never a moment of fatigue, to my mind, as I had the ability to listen to each of these cables for many hours at a time. The CPT–300, because of the increased weight of the music, was a slightly more enjkoyable ...... all 3 of these cables are superb cables, with the CT GE being amazing at its price point. Obviously, these are just our opinions using my system. The other side of this is that the CT GE and CPT 300 were not fully burned then. The conclusions that we came to were fairly unanimous across the board. All of us agreed that each cable has its own strengths and given the right system, would perform admirably.
System: Chaliss Audio–'Grail'SET monoblocks Tidal Audio-'Contriva Diacera-SE' speakers Lumin A1 Network Music Player HF CT-1 pcs x 3 HF CT-1U interconnect HF CT-1U speaker cables
I have also had the opportunity to communicate with the 3 designers of these cables, all of whom are gentleman and professionals.
"
At Cerious we have a background in Reactive ballistic armor which reacts
to bullet strikes to "cancel" them out. Each GE power cord has a
reactive jacket.If you REALLY want to have fun (I cannot believe I just
said that...) I would love some customers that have GE power cords in
their systems.........
" Ok who else was sure Bob's next words were going to be "Grab a shotgun..." :p
Lak, Wow! You have accumulated a stellar arsenal of power cables in your system. We certainly appreciate you sharing listening impressions with the rest of us. Same is true of Calloway and his contributions. This has been most helpful and informative to many of us here. Charles,
Thanks guys for your responses and support. LOL; I just received a CPT 300 today that I'll burn in and give it a comparison to some of the other power cords when I have time. I agree with what Ozzy said big and heavy. At least these products are affordable.
Bob from Cerious (AGAIN!). First thanks for all the hard work. Comparing cords is not for the timid. It gets even stranger when cords have devices (such as magnets) that take time to settle. This complicates things dramatically. At Cerious we have a background in Reactive ballistic armor which reacts to bullet strikes to "cancel" them out. Each GE power cord has a reactive jacket.If you REALLY want to have fun (I cannot believe I just said that...) I would love some customers that have GE power cords in their systems that are settled in (not been moved for a week) to listen to their system, pull them out (bend them around and even shake them to reset them) and stick them back in their system and listen again. I think you may be shocked at what you hear. It was an honor to be included in a listen off with such fine products as those included and I hope we have made your life more fun and interesting...and musically engaging. Oh...and don't let your wife see you taking the power cords out and shaking them...you do not want to have to explain that one...Peace...
Hi Jmgrogan2, Yep, even used the HFC power cords are still relatively expensive so I am grateful for the much lower cost yet highly recommend SR and Cerious choices.
Calloway, the CPT cords have an integral balanced AC transformer which I don’t require. In my system I use a BPT 3.5 Signature plus unit that is a 75 pound 2400va balanced transformer with 10 AC outlets. 7 years of utter joy with it. I'm a strong proponent of balanced AC power for an audio system. Charles,
Very nice and informative post. Three well designed cables from three excellent designers. It really is a great time to be an audiophile and music lover.
Ozzy:
I have no idea how Graphene works in my Synergistic Research fuses, wall outlets and now power cable and speaker cable, but the sonic improvements are clearly there. I have found no details of in what way Magico is using it in a speaker but I hope to find out in two weeks at the Newport Beach Show.
So far the SR products that have the Graphene all have a sound as described in the fuse thread. For me there is a real sense of more music with less noise. There is not a sense of damping or filtering. The final effect is more emotion from the music and I find I am drawn further into the performance.
charles1dad...without giving away what I/we found out yesterday in comparing the CT-1..CT GE and the CPT....I would see if i could evaluate the CPT also..i will be posting my findings probably Tuesday or Wednesday night ...whenever I get Dragon fixed at my clinic..
Hello Larry, I sincerely thank you for your time and effort to review these four power cables, it isn’t a simple task. The HFC CT-Ultimate is too expensive for me to consider. It seems clear that the SR Black and Cerious Graphene cords are exceptional values and top tier performers. I will ultimately choose between them. It appears unlikely I could go wrong with either one. The Yamamoto DAC is a very good source for this type of comparison. It has very little editorializing effect and is quite natural. Thanks Larry, Charles,
@charles1dad, As you know comparing HFC products to other products is very difficult and frustrating because of the lingering effects of magnetic conduction, and the slow restart up of magnetic conduction. This forces the listener to rely upon their memory verses a direct comparison A vs B vs C etc. With that said, here is my personal finding, testing my (standard) Synergistic Research Black power cord to the Cerious Technologies (high current) Graphene Extreme power cord, HF-CT-1 power cord and HF-CT-1Ultimate power cord in the Yamamoto Dac.: To my ears, I could not distinguish a difference between the SR Black power cord and the GE power cord. They both sounded very good. The SR Black power cord and the GE power cord sounded as good as the HF CT-1. Maybe the SR Black power cord and the GE power cord sounded a bit more organic. This is where you would have to listen for yourself. The HF-CT-1Ultimate power cord definitely sounded the better. The music was more refined and had a magical magnetic conduction sound, that to my ears just sounds right and very pleasing. Based upon monetary expense each of us must decide what our pocket books can afford ;-) Larry
I have the SR Atmosphere speaker cables and an Atmosphere digital Level 3 power cord. They are very nice. I think graphene is going to become widely used in audio. The Atmosphere cables and Cerious Technology both use them. Magico's latest speakers use graphene in the drivers.
If you want to get an idea of what graphene can do for a system, I suggest trying the Synergistic Research Black fuses and their Black wall outlet.
I have found these two simple upgrades to make a significant improvement in my music enjoyment.
OK Ozzy, thanks. Actually I am quite happy with the SR Elements. So am going to wait any way for a while before any changes. Was just curious actually.
Maybe I didn't look thoroughly but I could not see a conclusion from anyone here about the Cerious Graphene cables relative to SR Element cables. I'm quite curious. Thanks.
Audiolabyrinth; I would also like to thank you for your kind words.
Jond; I agree with your post located directly above. I think Bob is a perfectionist and he also thinks outside of the box. He has always had a rock solid design that he has built upon.
@ infection: "
So would Cerious mains cables better a well designed pure silver?"
Bob doesn't claim his cables are cure-all or are better than pure silver, and I have not seen any contributor here claiming such. Bob operates a small business bringing excellent and affordable products to those who appreciate what he does. Patience is a virtue, so exercise some patience and you will be able to acquire some of his cables to try out in your system 9and compare to some silver cables). Bob and I have had several email exchanges, and the man has patience to respond to every question I've had despite his busy schedule. One thing of note: No one has claimed here that Bob took their money and didn't deliver.
Jonathan, great perspective, however, taralab's was the first in the industry to make speaker cable's with smaller ends after the cable to be flexible for retrofitting components and speaker's, that was a long time ago, but I believe your statement, copper with silver is unique, now the question is, how many nines pure is the copper and silver, is it of mono crystal design?
Something I wanted to throw out there, seems like this thread has attracted a lot of attention for the use of Graphene in the cables, but I think that sort of misses the point. Yes materiel's are important and better and better stuff is available through advances in technology. But what makes Bob's cables so good is not the Graphene, it's the overall design, graphene playing a supporting role in this. It seems like I keep seeing posts just about graphene and to a certain extent I could care less about graphene per se, just give me a well designed product from a good designer. And Bob and his cables certainly fit the bill. Not trying to start an argument or fight of any kind it's just my perspective.
Hi lak, I respect you, you are one of the reason’s this product has my interest, takes alot of balls to be part of an audio club like the high fidelity thread and be honest about your impression’s here, thankyou, very cool.
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