Wow. I am evaluating the GG revelation mk2 and it is impressive. Please bear with my descriptions as I am not an expert reviewer. Great extension; highs that are clean and without edge, lows that are deep and articulate. And a sweet, clear midrange which gives vocals a body to go with their mouth. I hear low level details now that I've never heard before even with highly revealing all silver cables. I think it's because the noise floor is much lower than what I have become accustomed to. The music seems to flow effortlessly or maybe it's just because it takes less effort to enjoy it! The soundstage is just beginning to open up as these cables settle in but so far I am very pleased with these cables. I'm afraid to try the Raptures! |
I really like the GG rev mk2 which replaced the Signal Cable between my cd player and pre (see above for impressions). However, I still have a 5 meter length of Signal Cable silver resolution residing between my pre and amp. I believe my system and room are capable of even greater soundstage depth and holographic imaging which did improve with the GG cable. However, I can't just get a 5 meter length of GG rev mk2 (or Jade vermiel, kci silkworm etc.) to audition as this would be pretty pricey and it's probably not a standard length. Though the Signal Cable is quite good especially for the price, I suspect the gold cables would offer further improvement. Any suggestions or opinions? |
I thought of that except I need to run XLR since I have vandersteen model 5a XLR x-overs that complement the vandy subs. I could get XLR-rca adaptors but would rather not at this point. I think I will need to shell out big bucks for the 5 meter cable or else reconfigure my system. Thanks for the suggestion though. |
That's how I understood it too. RCA only. |
Need opinions please. I recently upgraded my cd cable to a GG rev mk2 and am very pleased (understatement!) with the upgrade. I have a 5 meter silver cable from pre to pro that could be upgraded as well. However, it would be less expensive for me to try the Rapture on my CD player than upgrade the 5 meter pre to amp cable with the GG rev mk2. My concern is that the potential improvements with the Rapture might not be fully realized. If I could change the configuration of my set up and was only dealing with 1 meter lengths all around this would not be such a difficult problem to resolve but I can't. What would you do? |
You certainly have me reconsidering changing things around to accomodate running a shorter IC between amp and pre. While this solves that problem it creates a few more. I'd need to relocate my phono pre, TT, and dvd player to be close to my main pre too (additional shelving needed for these). And the stands would need to be low enough so as to not block the view of the projection screen on the wall behind the speakers. Then I'd have to sell the Zoethecus, probably locally. The other option is to keep the zoethecus, move all components including my amp to the side wall and have nothing between my speakers. But this would mean I'd need to sell my AQ everest speaker cables and replace them with something longer and no doubt costly too. If money was no object, this would all be so easy! I'm actually leaning towards placing everything on 2 new stands that flank my VT-200. There's adequate space for this set-up. The sistrum stands look interesting though. Thanks for the suggestions. |
Out of desperation and in an attempt to save some mony, I actually thought about cutting my 5 shelf zoe into a 3 shelf and 2 shelf system to flank my amp. This would leave 4 unfinished "caps "on the posts which could be sanded and polyurethaned. Might work. I like the idea of the sistrum racks, 3 point support and lets the equipment breathe. Does your set-up get in the way at all in terms of center stage imaging and depth? Years ago, the prevailing attitude was that nothing should be placed between your speakers especially a big TV (and I'm not talking about the effects of speaker magnets here). |
Sorry that this thread is getting off the original topic of the gabriel golds but in a sense it is still related. My extreme satisfaction with the GG rev mk2 IC from CD to pre has led me to consider placing all my components close to my amp so that I could run a much shorter cable, perhaps another rev mk2, from pre to amp. I wonder whether I need to be that much concerned about the quality of the racks being that my listening room is part of a finished basement where carpet piercing spikes contact the cement floor. My zoethecus has points, seems very sturdy, and the 5 z slabs with their constrained layer damping and mass are way better than mdf or plywood. TBG did you use the z slabs with your old zoethecus? |
I did it. Now my pre and CD are both within 1 meter of each other. Now, rapture or rev mk 2 and where should the better cable be placed if I do get a rapture, at the source? |
Thanks for the suggestion, Bob. Apparently another Rapture owner has 2 raptures he doesn't need and I would have considered these except that they are RCA and I need XLR. You're probably right about the rev mk 2's sounding so good in my system that I'm sure I could be happy with another one. -Joe |
I have two words for you gary:
"Financial constraints"
Joe :-( |
I pulled the trigger and am waiting for my raptures to be delivered. All I can say is that they better DELIVER ME!
-Joe |
Most I've ever spent on cables. Really liked the rev mk2's but I was intrigued by the comments about the raptures. Can they be that much better? I'll let you know... |
Expect to receive it in 2 days. I'll need to burn it in a bit but as always I'll sneak a listen approximately 10 nanoseconds after I get it plugged in :-)
Not sure what the Rapture will do to me but my wife thinks I should be "caught up and taken away" for being in this expensive hobby.
I will share my thoughts on the Rapture wire probably by the weekend. Best- Joe |
Sorry for the delay folks. I have been experimenting with a variety of power cords and cables in order to determine the best overall combination. System synergy is so underappreciated. I need more time to evaluate the cables since I find that after a certain amount of time changing things around I begin to second guess myself. Overall, the Rapure is the best cable I've had in my system but to be honest I have not auditioned many in the same league as the Rapture. Among other things the Rapture does well, it passes very low frequencies like no tomorrow, and with great control. More to follow... |
Here's my take on the Gabriel Gold interconnects as they performed in the context of my system. I listened mostly to female vocals but also just about every other genre to get a feel for these cables. I'd be happy to provide specifics but omitted these to keep this brief. My first GG cable was the revelation mk 2 and I stated my listening impressions of this wonderful cable in a post above. I was using the revelation (rev mk 2) on my ARC CD-2 and a short Signal Cable silver resolution from pre to amp. I won't repeat all my comments on the rev mk 2 except to say it was like looking through clean glass. If the rev mk 2 is like looking through clean glass, then the Rapture is like looking through clean air. It is incredibly clear and revealing with a lower perceived noise floor than the revelation and this cable is fast- allowing music to start and stop, to attack and decay as it naturally would if it were live. However, there is a caveat. And this is the reason why I took longer to post my impressions because I was frantically swapping power cords, conditioners, CD players, and interconnects. I could not use the Rapture on my CD-2 as it ruthlessly revealed a slight grain in the upper mids especially apparent in female vocals. I tried a meridian player and the grain went away but the sound was warm and lifeless so I went back to the CD-2. Aside from this, the Rapture beat the rev mk 2 in every way. Clarity, clarity, clarity, and a deep articulate low end that I didn't even know my system was capable of. This cable breathes. I find it interesting that the rev mk 2 was able to hide what I presume are well-hidden digital nasties from the CD-2 but the Rapture revealed these warts so easily. However, with the rev mk 2 on my CD-2 and the rapture on my pre the sound was the best balanced, most clear, most musically involving I've ever experienced from my system. You know things are right when you start listening to very familiar CD's at a volume a significantly louder than you normally listen. I could have easily returned the rapture and got another rev mk 2 (and steve would have gladly done this for me) but recognizing the strengths of the rapture wire, and the weaknesses of my digital front end, and knowing that at some point I will likely move to a server-(tube?)dac combination I decided to keep the Rapture. Next to the Rapture, the revelation mk 2 is still an outstanding cable but if you feel you've assembled a state of the art system, you owe it to yourself to try the Gabriel Gold Rapture. |
John, thanks for the kind words about my system. My speakers are ProAc 3.8s, not Dynaudios, however. I know what you are saying when you refer to chasing the digital dream. When I listen to analog for a time, it is very difficult to "adapt" back to digital. Digital's shortcomings, at least the ones present in my gear, become much more apparent after listening to analog. I still think I can improve my digital front end and will start my journey soon by borrowing an ARC DAC7 just to hear how significant a difference using a newer dac might bring to the music. |
