Ceriously, it all started with a power cable


A couple of years ago, I was in the market for a power cord, and I read a thread on Audiogon about Cerious Technologies cables and how the different types of cables improved the sound quality of audio systems used by others. The more I read about Cerious cables and how Robert Grost, the owner and designer of the cables, used silver as a conductor—with silver lattice wrapped around both the positive and negative conductors—the more intrigued I became. The website states, “Each conductor behaves as a single solid core conductor, but with greater conductivity in the center of the conductor than on the outside of the conductor.” As a result, greater connectivity on the inside of the conductor reduces impedance. I reached out to Bob, and he took the time to answer all of my questions. I decided to order the Cerious Matrix V2 power cord (actually, it was around Christmas time, so I told him my wife would order it as a gift).

I opened it on Christmas Day, and it was a Christmas miracle because Bob sent me the Lumiscate instead of the Matrix V2. That night, I replaced my Cardas Clear power cord with the Lumiscate, and after the break-in period, the difference was like night and day. I believe the biggest difference was the darker background it provided. It just seemed to clean everything up, and I could hear more music.

A year later, while browsing Audiogon, I saw a Cerious Technologies ad for a sale on trade-in cables (all Volume II cables were out, and Bob had a ton of trade-ins). I was thinking about replacing my Cardas Cygnus speaker cables, so I emailed Bob for more information on the Matrix Volume 1 cables. He told me he had a set of Matrix V2s that he could sell me at a reduced price. Once again, it was Christmas time, and my wife bought them for me as a present (she’s a good wife—not because she buys me audio gear, but because she’s been living with me for the past 25 years). These cables sounded so much better than the Cygnus. The soundstage opened up, the background became even darker, and my speakers started to disappear. I have been so impressed with these cables, and I believe there is no set of speaker cables that comes close to them at this price point. I haven’t heard all speaker cables in this price range, but if you’re in the market for speaker cables near this price point, I highly recommend giving the Matrix V2 or Lumiscate a try.

Finally, I was looking to replace my Cardas Cygnus XLRs, so I reached out to Bob once again. He sent me the Lumiscate, and I have to say, out of all three cables I’ve purchased, these have made the biggest difference. Everything sounds better. First, the noise floor dropped to a level that allowed me to hear so much more detail than with the Cygnus. Now, the music sounds almost liquid-like, with much more punch and clarity. I’m listening to music I’m very familiar with and am hearing sounds and instruments I’ve never heard before. These XLRs have taken my setup to a whole new level.

My question is: for those who are familiar with Cerious cables and have used them, has your experience with Bob’s cables been similar to mine? Have you kept them, or if not, what did you replace them with? I believe Cerious cables are the best on the market at their price point. I would love to hear your feedback.

stevebohnii

They are good cables from a really good guy. I have had most all of his levels in power, IC and speaker cables over the last 9 years. I stopped before going to Lumiscate because I experimented with enough others to know I wanted more. So the question was whether to go to his top level and try it or move to other brands based on what I had experienced thus far. I moved on to see new horizons.

See my TN systems page for an almost up to date cable journey. Cables like Synergistic, Siltech, Snake River, and now Wywires gave me more air, soundstaging, and even quieter backgrounds. Unfortunately this all takes time, outlays of cash, and patience as you buy and sell your way along the journey. I don't recommend it. argh

There are sooooo many nice sounding cables out there. I wanted to try as many as I could to check them off my list and I learned a bunch along the way and now I feel only a few (of what I auditioned) have it figured out.

Probably not a bad idea to stay pat if they make you happy.

@bugredmachine - thanks for your reply. I’ve heard of all the brands you mentioned but have only listened to Synergistic. Most Synergistic’s are out of my price range. I will do a little more research on the other brands you listed. The Lumniscate sounds so amazing with my setup. I think I will stick with them for a little while and enjoy what what I’m hearing. 
 

Also, sorry for the misspelling above - it should be Lumniscate. 

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I bought a pair of his original Liquid Ceramic cables on ebay years ago, and loved them so much I have since purchased each new model Bob has introduced...and his customer service is so awesome I bought all new/refurbished directly from Cerious...Main system mostly Lumniscate, though Matrix and GE in secondary systems...

 Ive tried several speaker cable  brands thru the years but always settle back on my Graphene Extreme.

Bob makes excellent cables his original ceramic cables are the first power cord I ever tried that made a difference. I still use a very short one to feed my power distributor.

I am trying an experiment.i took 4 gauge wire found some bananna plugs to fit off amazon.ofc made in america.twisted it then put Teflon around it.about 100$ for 20 foot pair.called it Frankenstein. Hooking it up to the mcintosh 2kw well see what happens.glad to see there is still good customer service and a real Pearson to talk to.we have lost that personal touch.enjoy the music and experiments

@stevebohnii 

So I’m currently using Audio Art’s top of the line cryo’d rhodium locking burp your baby walk your dog speaker cables that sell for sell for about $1500 a pair.  What sort of price are we talking for what you bought?

Thanks.

Who knew that wiring of any kind had a "break-in" period? Oh right, no one with just about any knowledge of how electricity works. Baffling.

and Bob says his cables need to electrically break-in and physically settle in too in the same position...and he's right !!!

@curiousjim - below is the website. All his cables are in that price range. I believe the most expensive cable is the Lumniscate XLR around $2,600. Please check the website for exact pricing. I plan to ask Bob if he has ever thought about cyro’ing his cables. Take a look at the website and let me know what you think. 

@jl35 - I believe the new extreme, matrix, and limniscate do not have to break in the same position. You can move them if you need to. 

Bob made a 4 meter rca pair of Lumniscate cables for me. He said they were the most difficult pair that he had ever built. Each of his cables are custom made. They are not pulled off of a spool. Gauge will differ depending on the length. I asked if he could use WBT rca’s like he does with his shorter cables but he said he could not with the longer cables. That’s okay by me as the cables I received have met and exceeded my expectations. I have Matrix cables throughout my system and have been adding his Lumniscate cables over time. It’s a blessing to have a revealing system. It adds so much fun to this hobby to be able to hear the difference a cable can make. 

Look at cardus website they have a big discussion on cable breakin. I think they know a thing or two about wire. You can try your own experiment. Cryo process puts the atoms back in thier atomic lattice structure and help electrons flow better.the physics is clear on this.

@roadcykler "...Who knew that wiring of any kind had a "break-in" period?...

Actually everyone who is experienced in high end audio. It is an obvious, consistent and unfortunately repeatable phenomenon that makes testing and purchasing cables (and all components) very time consuming. Since once you insert a new cable, power cord or component... you need to get at least 100hours... often much more until your system stabilizes again. 

Most of my upgrades have taken well over a year, often two or more because I choose one component at a time. I try and do all the interconnects at once, and power cords... since doing these sequentially would drag things out much further. 

This is where solid state is useful as you can leave the stuff playing day and night. With tube equipment you should not leave it on. Breakin really takes a long time. 

@ghdprentice Don't feed the trolls. There are so many people floating around here trying to pick fights or slam an entire userbase of audio lovers, just because they have a difference of opinion about cables. I'll never understand it.

I personally don't believe in some of the more wild tweaks in audio land. I'm talking about the old green pen on the CD trick, or the magic harmonic tuning items that you place around the room, that sort of thing. But I would also never waste my time trolling forums full of people who are interested in such things. Even if I don't hear a difference, even if I quietly think those principles seem kind of silly... why would I insult people who seem to enjoy the products, or at least enjoy discussing them? It's strange behavior.

I like your approach to cables though. Slow, deliberate, careful, seems like a good way to go.