Have not heard their new Reference speaker cable as they do not allow for audition (no local dealer) and they are a little pricy to buy "unheard". Have owned their CST ic and you have to spend much more money to get a better copper cable at its price point. IMHO, best copper cable less than $300. |
I will post my usual disclaimer and state up front that my impressions and opinions will be based on my tastes, preferences, system and room. That said, it is fuuny you should post this question as I was JUST going to post some comments on them. I must also state that I am a reviewer for an audio magazine and have had the opportunity and privilege to own and hear many cables [my old reference was Nordost Quattro fil and SPM speaker cable, I have also owned Cardas, Transparent, Straightwire, Harmonic Technology, Kimber, Stealth, and auditioned many more).
One fact of high end audio that bothers me a bit is that there are many "snobby" (of which I have been guilty in the past) audio types that feel that if a component is not "mega" priced it will not compete with the "big boys!" In fact, I had a respected high end manufacturer tell me that he would have priced his megabuck transport and D/A MUCH lower but then nobody would have taken his product as a "reference" product. Well, in my experience we have in the CST interconnects and cables REAL megabuck killers and I don't just mean they are good for the money but that they are GREAT at ANY price! I did an extensive audition over the last two months between my Quattro fils and the CST. The comparison was with the interconnect between my DAC (Sonic Frontiers Processor 3) and preamp (Hovland HP-100) and between my pramp and amps (Lamm M1.1s). I really doubted whether the CST's could compete with the mighty Quattro fil (I have used the Quattro fil for a couple of years now and know it well). Well, the CST beat it hands dowm - yes, you heard that right, in MY system and for MY tastes, the $299 CST bettered the $1600 Quattro fil! How? Better resolution, image and focus, better timbre (I was a professioanl trumpet player and this is the closest my system has come to sounding like the real thing), deeper and more tuneful bass, but most of all a spatial impact that was stunning. The instruments and voices just hung in space more naturally which resulted in a gorgeuos soundstage.
I do own a set of Coincident speaker cables and a set of Super Eclipses but use these in my bedroom system which I don't do any critical listening to. Therefore, my impressions above are based on the interconnects only in my main system. However, I belong to a small audiophile club in my area in its infant stages. Two months ago at our initial meeting, I happened to have the CST speaker cables, Stealth cables and Harmonic Tech Pro 11 speaker cables in my car when I went to the meeting. The owner who's house we were at had a Sony 777 SACD player, Atma-Sphere M60s and preamp and Waveform speakers. He was using Audioquest speaker cables (Forest?). We decided to play with all four sets of cables. I did not tell them which cable was in when and ALL of the others unanimously stated that the one cable was heads and tails better than the others - that cable was the CST (so take that for what it is worth). I have not tried the CST speaker cables in my main system but have a set of the CST Reference Cables coming for my main system and will keep you posted.
I have to admit (Israel, if you are reading this, I apologize!), I thought that Israel Blume (the owner and designer of Coincident Speaker Technology) was doing the normal sales pitch about his cables and I almost dismissed his claims of his cables strengths and I almost decided to leave them in my bedroom system without auditioning them in my main system - what a mistake THAT would have been. It still boggles my mind just how good these things sound at a FRACTION of the price of the cables it has eaten for lunch. Finally, I am NOT associated in any way with Coincident or Israel Blume and my magazine (Ultimate Audio) has never even reviewed any of his stuff. I must say that his cables are a true bargain in this world of superpriced wire. I would HIGHLY recommend giving these interconnects a try - and I will update this post as I audition his speaker cables (which I now anticipate with high expectations). |
I use the Coincident IC and they replaced a cable costing three times as much. I have tried many different cables and like the even-handedness od the Coincident. Just beware that it is not a forgiving cable. It does not romanticise or smooth over things at all. I was very frustrated at how with every cable I tried I found there was a persistent flavour attached - not so with the Coincident. I feel Rgd damns this cable with faint praise. Best copper cable under $300? I know a lot of silver cables over $300 that it embarrasses easily. |
I also had the Quattro fil and preferred the Coincident IC. I agree with above posts that this cable should not be viewed as a good budget cable but can compete or surpass the performance of cables that cost several times more than the Coincident. I think there speaker cable is excellent also and am waiting to hear there new speaker cable. If it were not for the FIM wire I would use Coincident wires through out my system. |
First allow me to state that cables are very dependent on one's system AND personal tastes. I have the Coincident interconnect, speaker, and power cables. I also have Coincident speakers. Amplification is tube, and speakers are laid back, yet detailed. The power cables are on par with the similarly priced competition. One could argue better. The interconnects are THE BEST copper interconnects I have come across. The best description I can use of them is that they are evenhanded. Not emphasizing part of the audio spectrum, yet not putting any of it in the background either. Very open sound, but never fatiguing. I have to concur that this is not a great budget cable, but a great cable. If I have to compare it to anything, I would say it is closest to the traditional high end Audioquest copper cables in sound. The speaker cables offer very good sound as well. Dynamic and full. Not a shelved down cable ala MIT or Monster. Yet, not in your face like Kimber 4/8TC, StraightWire, or WireWorld. |
Redkiwi - I'll justify my response by saying that I have heard a better cable in my system but it is more expensive and as I now sell these particular cables I would not mention their name as I would not intend to use the discussion forum as a shameless dealer plug. The Coincident cable (CST) is in fact a a wonderful cable and a true bargain (some might even say steal). As for comparing it to silver I have found that my gear does has not in the past worked well with silver hence my observation that it is a great copper cable. It was not my intention to "damn the cable with faint praise" - as Trelja indicates cables work differently in different systems and I have found better for my system. I am also one who chooses not to expound with great detail on observations - its just the way I do things... |
Nothing much more to be said. The Coincident interconnects and speaker cable are excellent. There are a very few that have performed better in my system, but at MUCH higher prices. I would suggest that if your system can't perform well with the Coincident cables, look elsewhere in your system (including the room) for the problem. I haven't heard the Reference yet, but I will soon. As Brulee stated, if it weren't for FIM, all of my cables would be Coincident. (One caveat, the Coincident cables take a LONG time to break-in. I used a duo-tech with a timer for 2 hours "on" and four hour "off" cycle, and it still took three weeks until I felt they were sounding their best). It was certainly worth the effort! Just MHO. |
The best by far i have heard.Have tried Nordost Quatro Fil,wireworld gold eclipse III,audioquest opal,jps superconductor 2.The Coincident ic isa by far the best.The speaker cable is very good also.Its a giant killer. |
For another comment on the Coincident cables, you might take a look at Arthur Salvatore's "Recommended Components" if you've not yet found his site:
http://www.high-endaudio.com/index_ac.html |
Rgd, I did not intend to invalidate your comments, just thought I was disagreeing, but it seems we are closer than I thought. |
Redkiwi - "no blood no foul" and of course no hard feelings... |
I got a set of the interconnect after all of the hype I was hearing about it. I too think it is a good deal at 300.00, I am however at a loss for understanding how one could hear it as superior to Quattro Fil. In my system Quattro Fil is in every way better. I compared it to a silver cable by a company called Vantage Audio. In my system the Vantage was all around preferable to the Coincident with a more "even handed sound". I heard some great things with Coincident great center image, and very good detail for a laid back cable, but to me the Vantage is simply better. The Vantage is a bit less money as well. |
Ejlif- As with all things audio, it comes down to personal preferences. I too heard the Quattro fil better the Coincident in a couple of areas, specific imaging and soundstage quietness. It also had good layering of images, but not much in terms of palpability of the individual images. The Coincident had better dynamic contrast, and a more palpable and larger sized soundstage. However, the more I listened to the Qf, the more my thoughts wandered away from the music. With all of it's strengths, the Qf just couldn't connect with the music for me emotionally. In terms of music, I'll take the Coincident over the Qf in my system. Just MHO.
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I agree Jctubes. Please don't take any of the following Eljif as trying to diminish your experiences, as I am sure you heard what you report you heard. I find the sound of all the Nordost interconnects I have tried (including the SPM and QF) to have a whitened sterility in my system. Jctubes makes an important point that audiophiles evaluate gear differently, it is not just a system matter. My main criteria are that I will not allow anything into my system that has a significant coloration or that is dynamically constrained - regardless of any other attributes it might have - because I know it will become a liability in time. Following that I look for limitations in terms of resolution, extension, mid-range textures, air etc. But the final arbiter, once I have identified that a product does not have serious flaws, is to stop listening critically and just try grooving to the music. This is the acid test. I will never make a decision between components on the basis of one having slightly more depth than another, or some weighing up of other incidental features of the sound. The final decision comes down to whether the music is more enjoyable or not. |
Did a shoot-out A/B comparison between the Coincident IC cable and an NBS costing 10 times more. The NBS was more up-front, the Coincident more laid-back. The NBS had warmer colorations and mid-range textures (esp. voice and certain orchestral instruments), the Coincident was more dead accurate and mercilessly unforgiving. Both had about the same frequency extension and sound staging. The Coincident had slightly better "dynamic contrast" (as Jcbtubes said), but seemed to put you at a slightly greater distance from the music. It did however connect to the human, unpredictable, incidental elements of the music very well. I currently use it as my phono cable in an otherwise all-NBS cabled system. The Coincident handles the low voltage signal of my Transfiguration Temper Supreme MC cartridge very well. I have been waiting for Coincident to come out with a better, more expensive IC, but it now looks as if the new cable will never be released. |
I thought Israel Blume was going to have both new upgraded IC and speaker cables at CES??? What's the scoop on new IC??? Please explain. Thanks from happy owner of Coincident speaker cable. |
Coincident attempted to design an improved version of the IC Interconnect, and ran into technical problems (exactly what, I do not know). The upgraded or new IC cable (it was supposed to sell at a higher price than the original IC) will probably not be released. This is a shame. A cable that improved on the first IC --and still was half-reasonably priced--would be very, very welcome. |
The new reference speaker cable,The Total Reference Series,was demoed at the recent CES.Coincident has been shipping it for over 6 weeks.
As for a new upscale version of our current interconnect, we have not been able to substantively improve upon the CST IC.We will not release a more expensive version of our interconnect until such time as we confidently feel it represents, as does our Total Reference Series speaker cable,a sonic breakthrough. |
Now we know about the current status of development of the IC cable from its designer himself. I thank you for your commitment to high end audio Mr. Blume. You belong to the very small minority of designers who asks where he ought to apply his talents, who applies them where he is convinced he needs to, and who abstains on every occasion that does not meet his own standards. |
One more thing to mention is how they get better and better.I have not done any upgrades in the last month or so yet the sound keeps getting better.Israel had mentioned that to get them full blown it would take 500 hours.He is so right.I lsiten about 2 hours a day which requires about 250 days about 8 months.I have had them since july and they are right on time.This cable is like a fine wine it takes its time to mature but is sure worth the wait.1 Cable month = 1 Wine year. |
Agree with Tm12. Broke in the Coincident IC during my last summer vacation. I put it between a CD player and a preamp and ran the CD player on repeat for the two weeks I was gone. That 360 or so hours of break-in was not sufficient, however, and the cable has improved even more after 6 months of on/off service between the turntable and the phono stage (which is, of course, a much weaker and more challenging signal to transmit than the CD signal). I did the A/B comparison I mentioned above after I got home from vacation. This was definitely too early, and I will repeat the comparison in the near future. |
