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.
