Great review of Eric's cables.
I've been using an Enchanter,Impulse and 2 Predators for some time. My last were xlr Romance .They were the icing on the cake for me.I introduced each cable about 6-10 months apart depending on finances. I cannot find that they are missing anything sonically.
I too have used similar cabling as yourself and a few not listed and always found some serious flaws. Now that might have been equipment but going back I wish I had all my old gear back to give it a go with Fusion cords.
Happy Listener,
Peterd |
I concur with the review as I have the Romance 1 ic's and Impulse powercord. The ic's were the biggest improvement in my system. Your review is spot on. I am not affiliated with Fusion either but I recommend anyone to audition any of Eric's products. |
I also use his Romance IC's and think they as good as you say. Keepers for sure! |
Yes, I use the Romance IC in my system and they are awesome. Talk about the 3T (Tone , Timbre, Texture), PRAT, soundstage, transparency or dnamics, these interconnects have them all in amazing proportions. The best part though is the kind of body they add to the tones, everything sounds like a full sized instrument!!! |
Every now and then, someone in highend audio captures "lightning in a bottle" with a product with performance and a performance-to-price ratio that sets it apart, makes it special. In my experience the Fusion Audio Romance 2IC is such a product. Fusion says that adding a romance ic is like adding a single ended triode character to your system. Having spent several years with set amps (300B/2A3), I really doubted the claim and, in fact, it is not the same to my ears, but to my astonishment it is similar! However SET has been described, it really translates into one thing and that is the ability of SET to communicate the soul of music and this is what the romance2 does - it communicates the essence of the music. And nothing is rolled off in accomplishing this feat, the opposite is true - more detail, more transparency. I have the Audience 2+2 speakers which use full range drivers with no crossover parts - very revealing. I like very much what they do but was struggling with the digital glare that was coming through on all but the best recorded cds. With the Romance2 IC, the glare was gone and I got more of everything else. Amazing, to me! I read in one of the threads here that the owner of the Romance ics could find no fault in them. In my experience, I would agree. I will also point out that the Romance 2s were, in my system, noticably better than the Romance 1s. I am using them between my Benchmark DAC, Modwright 9.0se pre and Spectron amp. In the past I have used Nirvana, gabriel gold, Cardas, nordost, audioquest and others. On top of it all, Eric Love makes it ridiculously easy to try his products and is a total gentleman and pleasure to deal with. |
Owenlee, I use the Romance IC1 and like it a lot, however I am curious to know how do they stack up against the IC2. Could you please describe the differences between the IC1 and IC2 ? |
The discussion here led me to try Fusion power cords. I'm glad to verify the other opinions being expressed - the Romance cords really are outstanding. They flat out killed some Lessloss cords I was trying, making them seem uninvolving by comparison. I consider the Cardas Golden pc (NOT the Golden Reference) the best mid-priced cord I've encountered, and the Romance is right up with the Cardas in transparency and bests the Cardas in dynamics.
Eric Love, the designer of these cables, sent me two versions. The Romance-1 is warmer but still highly detailed, and in my system the most natural sounding. The Romance-2 is more dynamic, and brighter but without edginess. I don't think there's a single best choice between them, which one works best will depend on the character of your system.
One of the best things in my very pleasant experience dealing with Eric is that he was willing to send me a couple of pre-broken-in cables to try and see for myself what worked best in my own system. Then I was free to return them or keep them as I pleased. That was a wonderful arrangement for an old timer like me who has learned the hard way over the years that even good reviewers can't always be trusted and it's always best to try before you buy.
Bob Olson |
Bob,
Glad to see you took the acid test.Its always a risk buying expensive cables and having to resell them cause they don't work out when they are not a national brand.You name the brand I've owned them.
I've had 11 years of swappping cables and am very happy to say I'm done with that. There is simply no need to change them ever.
I just received a set of Romance RCA IC's for the new turntable.
They are so nice, silly good really.I was thinking about changing cartridges but it was just the crap ic I was using.
Peterd |
Where do I start?, I received the cable today which Eric express international posted to me...
I am literally lost for words... WOW is an understatement. Why the hell did I not do this sooner?! There are so many cables out there claiming the same thing over and over again (and why wouldn't they?!) The search for utmost detail whilst maintaining musicality, is a journey within itself as more and more cables are always coming out. I can finally say that my journey has ended. The fusion romance pc2 is - hands down - the best cable I have owned to run my dac.
Eric, Thank you for your impeccable customer service, and an exceptional product. Both have certainly lived up to your reputation. |
I would like to add that Eric started making speaker cables. I happen to get one of the first production pairs. He rightfully decided to call them Magic. They build on the same principals as his great Romance 2 ICs. All these years I was under impression that the biggest impact to the system from cables changes comes from ICs and PCs. Installing Erics Fusion Audio Magic cables made a biggest impact to the sound in my system.
His cables removed digital glare and the sound became so natural and balanced that I glued to my chair every time I listen any of my CDs. Its like Im playing great quality LP in my all solid state cd based system (esoteric k-03 cdp, gamut di-150 integrated and sonus faber elipsas speakers). As for the rest of the sound attributes of that cables, consider them of the same nature as the Romance 2 IC that OP nailed exactly.
Before Eric's speaker cables I had the following cables over the years in my system: stealth hybrid MLT cryo, stealth dream petite, acoustic zen absolute,
ASI liveline, and the last ones before fusion SC were Gabriel gold raptures - great cables, they exceeded all my previous findings. All of those cables had their strengths and weaknesses but nothing was as balanced as Fusion Magic, in addition imaging became better with fusions and bass became tighter and more defined than with gabriels
So bottom line Erics speaker cables in my system made even bigger and better impact than his Romance 2 ICs. Also they are very well build and very flexible to work with.
Like OP I am not affiliated in any way with Fusion audio, just a customer. |
I took a gamble with Eric's Romance ICs and never looked back. They are glorious. |
I tried Fusion Romance 1 and Romance 2 interconnects in my system. I was using Purist Audio Design Venustas between dac and preamp. The Romance 1 has more bass and midrange to my ears compared to the Romance 2 which has less bass and is tad more musical then Romance 1. Both sound good it will come down to your system and your ears. Always loved PAD cables for their mid range bloom. But in my system the Venustas sounded congested as the volume level was turned up to high listening levels to my ears. I replaced the Venustas with the Romance 1 on my dac since thats what my ears liked in my setup. I currently have PAD Canorus power cord on the dac and like it very much. I will be trying his speaker cables next against my PAD Venustas speaker cables. I know going up the PAD line the cables get better but there prices sure don't.
I don't know Eric and he didn't ask for my opinion on his cables.
P.S. My current system is Burmester 911MK3 mono blocks,Burmester 011 preamp,Wavelength Cosecant V3, mac mini and Hansen Audio Prince V2 |
I recently recieved a pair of Romance 2 interconnects for a demo. I had read about them on this website and talked to Eric Love the designer of these cables. I have tried alot of cables in my system as of late. Audioquest, Cardas, Harmonic tech, Acoustic Zen, Audio Magic. Well I can tell you that this is by far the best cable I have ever had in my system. These cables do everything right. They take my system to a much higher level. Even my wife who is not an audiophile was blown away by them. I'm very skeptical of most cable makers but this cable is the real deal. Eric was great to work with and very friendly. Before I talked to Eric I was going to change my speakers. I'm not thinking about new speakers anymore. I just want to listen to music. |
Back in Nov., 2010, I relayed my experience with the fusion cables. I happened to come across the continuation of that thread and thought I would throw in some additional thoughts about another remarkable cable line - mojo audio. The ICs were referred to me by a agoner that had sold his stealth ics (6000.) after he heard the mojos. The mojo ics in my system are more open and detailed than the fushions. The fusion a little more "romantic" in a colored (not a bad colored at all) sort of way. When I first tried the mojos in my system, there was noticably more information being delivered and I assumed this would mean a return of the digital glare I had gotted rid of with the fushions, but lo and behold, silky smooth even with the additional detail - I was taken back. The mojos provide so much info. but it is all presented so natural. I am currently using both the fusion cables (PCs) and mojo cables (PCs/ics)in my system and honestly believe that between the two cable companies any audiophile system is covered, no matter what the need and no matter the price. Benjamin at mojo is also easy to deal with although mojo does not send out cables for trial without payment like eric will (totally unique I think). Eric is just so customer friendly that you start to wonder if it is a practical joke. Also, mojo's power supplies make a crazy, crazy improvement in a system. I am using one with a mac mini. More detail, dynamics - big time PRAT improvement. These companies are making products that are so good for the money and only those who happen to fall upon them will find out.
BTW, back in '10, I see that Pani asked me a question that I never responded to because I guess i never checked back on the thread - apology to Pani. |
Owenlee, what Mojo PCs are you using and with the components in your system? Have you tried the Mojo XPC-7 PC? |
Which mojo ic are u using? |
I am using the copper ic. BTW, I should mention that I sold a pair of the fusion interconnects I had to a friend who replaced Stealth Audio Sakras($10,000)with the romance 2's. He was totally thrilled with the money he pocketed and he thought his system sounded better. |
I am using the mojo XPC-5 with the spectron musician MkIII. I have not tried the XPC-7, but i would guess similar to the 5. I feel very confident that performance for the dollar is going to be hard to beat. I have kept fusion power cables elsewhere in my system primarily because the system is pretty much where I always wanted it to be and I don't feel like messing with it. I just read the review of mojo cables referenced on its website that was done by audiophilia and am glad to see his thoughts mirror what i had expressed here re the interconnects. Interesting that the reviewer, with the mojo cables, felt he was done reviewing cables. |
I am using a Fusion Audio Enchanter (hybrid) on my Running Springs Haley power conditioner with excellent results. I also use a pair of Fusion Audio Romance I ICs between my B&K AVR505 and my Belles 350A Reference amp with fantastic results. With both the Fusion Audio PC and ICs in my system the sound stage is more quiet/blacker and the sound is more smooth but still with a lot of detail. Fusion Audio and DCCA are my favorite PCs and I have almost all of my equipment hooked up with these two boutique brands of power cords. I have stopped looking for PCs. :) |
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