Delta Labs

Delta Labs, which I will refer to as Brand X, is a very, very dirty word around these parts!

I would not be surprised if the censors didn't let my post through.

They scammed many an Audiogoner back in 2000, and are persona non grata on this site. The 2 guys are not allowed around here, and things were even much uglier than that. They also sold cable under the brands LightStar and Fidelity Research.

Believe it or not, I was once threatened by one of their victims for actually recommdending one of their products. That's how strongly he felt about it. After conversing with the gentleman, we ended up on good terms.

OK, on to the cable...

Redline is OK cable. Nothing great, nothing terrible. The defining physical characteristic about it is that it's basically garden variety cable, encased in a nice braid, using audiophile quality terminations. As such, the markup on this cable is beyond astronomical. But, it isn't the only high end cable that plays that game.

If you picked it up for a great price, and it works well in your system, then just use it and be happy. Otherwise, if you can sell it without losing much money, then do that.

Yikes!

Looks like it might be one for fleabay!!!
I "only" paid $159 for an 8' biwire pair....

It actually sounds ok...but you have answered my question, thanks much Trelja...

J~

Sorry for not comparing the Redline against anything else.

I have tried the cable in an iteration of my system a few years ago. Like any cable company, the hype far outpaces the performance. If that sounds like I am criticizing Delta, I am not.

My impressions were that the cable was adequate, and for $159, I would say you made a decent buy. On the plus side, the cable would mate with a lean sounding system well, as it tended to be on the rich side. Detail, refinement, and speed were the areas where it wasn't so great. While many people will combine it in tube based systems, as that seemed to be the user Delta was targeting most strongly, I don't think it's a good match there.

In comparison, I found AudioQuest Midnight to be a better cable, and I find that cable to basically be "OK". I have to say that given the choice between it and AQ Type 6, I would opt for the Delta unless I had an already overly warm sound.

I don't have experience with most of the newer brands out there, but I can say that I think you would be better served by Analysis Plus. And, THE BEST CHEAP CABLE I have come across is by far Coincident CST 0.5. I like it a good deal better than my AQ Midnight, and think you could pick it up right here on Audiogon at a super price.

Thanks much, I'll keep my eye out for a some of your suggestions apperaing here on Agon!

My current system:

RCD-971 IEC upgrade (made a huge improvement)
Signal cable Analog2 IC
RC-995 IEC upgrade
DH Labs BL1 XLR IC
RB-991 - The deep bass this produces is what started me looking at speaker cables...DIY Cat5 were best for bass but top end wasn't so good.
B&W P4 compact floorstander (love these!)

Maybe I should biwire using the DIY Cat5 for the bass and something else for the highs?

I had Delta Power cables and interconnects bought new back in 2000.I sold off everything over time but one pair of silver interconnects which I am still using.I personally never had any problems with the company but I know others did!The power cords were 8 and 10 gauge copper over the counter type.Marinco plugs and IEC. The interconnects used Neutrik Pro-Fi connectors. I'm assuming the redlines are the 8 gauge variety. For $159 you did fine for an 8 foot pair Bi-Wire. Just enjoy them. I did mine until I got the upgrade fever.

Well thank you for the those comments!

I just upgarded again! Got a RC-1090 preamp and a RB-1080 power amp.

Soundstaging/imaging is better, can't really say which is responsible for the improvement but I suspect the preamp is mostly responsible.

My buddy came round with his RCD-991 AE and we did some AB'ing, there wasn't a startling difference between the two players (RCA outs) but balanced outs on the RCD-991 were smoother, less bright? Quite subtle.
Not enough of a difference to warrant an upgrade..

I will just enjoy them ~ thanks guys:)