Hi- Any one else out there using these Gabriel Gold IC's? I need to know if it is me or if anyone else finds them as good as me. I bought a pair on auction a while back and compared them to my Stealth cables. After about a week of going back and forth I found the Gabriel Golds to have bettered my Stealths and bought more. Is it me? Just wondering what some other folks who bought them think of them. Thanks for the input.
A few years back I had a set of Virtual Dynamics Revelation bi-wire speaker cables. You will need Tarzan to come over to help wrestle the gargantuan pythons into submission! Broke a speaker terminal first time I tried them. Can get frustrating.
XLR terminal in my DAC is loose from a 1.5m balanced VD Revelation Signature digital IC even though supported by 2 bungies (weighed 8 lbs). Also had a pair of balanced VD Revelation ICs. Warning; don't let your components be their sole support!
I came to the conclusion that, although the stuff sounds pretty good, it's just not worth the effort. Unless of course you need a workout 8^). Compare this to ease of use of so many other fine sounding cables!
Whoa......easy there big fella! First Tara Labs 'The Zero' and now VD Gen 1.1? That is some very pricey cables there.... well out of my league. Though from my previous experiences with cables from both companies, I'm pretty sure I would much prefer the Tara Labs over the VD cables. A word of warning, be very careful to pre-bend those VD cables. They are very stiff, if you haven't used them before and are not used to 'stiff', you will find the definition with VD.
I still recall my first experience with VD Revelation speaker cables, I was in such a hurry to hook 'em up and listen, that I did not properly pre-bend them into shape for their route.....the result....the friggin speaker cable snapped the Cardas binding posts right off my Jeff Rowland Model 6 monoblock amp!!!!! Crickeys!!!! I replaced the binding post, and finally listened. Big, bold flavor, similar to their power cords, but way too forward for my tastes. So I sent 'em back. I do thank Rick for letting me try 'em though.
Rja, I totally understand. $15K for cables is nuts.....I just wish I could be nuts enough to try 'em. LOL. Actually though, Tara Labs follows the same business model as many of the cable bandits. Jack up the list price to help those who need to feel that money spent = better. Most Tara Labs products can be bought brand new from an authorized dealer for 50% off list. Some companies, I won't name names, they know who they are, sell their product new for 75-85% off list price. The list price is meant for prestige sake I suppose. Some feel the need to brag that they got a great deal on a $6K cable/cord that they bought new for $900. However, look around, if every one is paying $900 for this $6K cable/cord......where the hell did this $6K number come from???? It's insane to me, but there are enough out there that need the comfort of a high price tag that these companies stay afloat....many even thrive. You'll never see CDP, amp/preamp, speaker manufacturers sell their product brand new for 75-85% off of list. This is why so many folks are so leary of the cable manufacturers.
Obviously Steve and JD, of Gabriel and Jade respectively, do not play this silly game. Which is why a $2K cable can be very competitive with a '$15K' cable.
John, You're right, I may have over reacted a bit. When I think $15k, I think SOTA CDP, pre-amp, amp or very nice speakers not wire. But hey, that's just my bias!
I just think it's about time the unknown gunslinger be know to the high paying cable buyers.
I do not work for GG and I don't get any of my cables for free as I have to buy with real $$$ all my GG wire. I am just a very happy camper with this wire and am greatful for this thread. If it were not for members like Bobf I would be lost at sea with my ex cables.
Wow gary-sounds like all the the big guns are trying to win you over from that unknown gunslinger named Gabriel.But he's still probably the fastest gun in the west. bobf
The chap he bought the wire from is to contact me and I will have him send me a 1M to demo.
I went into the Jade Hybrid listening session with a hungrey and open heart when I A/B it to the Rapture. The Jade is every bit its equal but with a different flavor.
Jmcgrogan2,
I moved my amp closer to my speakers so I can use a 2M/2.5M biwire. I would love to hear you opinion on speaker cables.
Rich from VD wants to send me a Gen. 1.1 to try out so.....
I admire Rja's second response, as it seems that he has mellowed a bit. Though I do agree with his first reply, one could also extrapolate his $15K vs $2K cable controversy into a $2K vs. $100 cable controversy.........it never stops really, until you are using lamp cord.
Glory, kudos for you for again pushing the boundries....though it is spelt 'Tara Labs'. Chuckle if it's legit, but I have been stung with fake cables/cords before, and mislabelling is the first sign. Many cables/cords you have to look very closely at, especially if you are borderline AADD and/or Dyslexic. Tera Labs and Tara Labs could be very different cables.
PS: Glory, do you need 3 meters? Or could 2.5 meters fill your void for fun in the sun? If 2.5 meters can do you, I might have some fun to send your way.
I rarely criticize the buying decisions of others because, frankly, it's none of my business what someone else does with their money. It's not quite fair of me to accuse this person of bias either. It just seemed like there was potential for bias in this situation, but hey, I'll admit I could be wrong.
I truly believe this 'Gon member is an upright person. He had plenty of apportunities to slander and tear down a certain manufacturer but didn't. Having talked to him on the phone I believe he will tell the truth concerning the two cables.
Bobf,
Good laugh on the Beemer.
I have a 3M biwire set of speaker cables that retail for $48,000.00. Most of the time they sound as if they are worth every penny.
Please send me your best SC's to demo so I can sell the cables and buy a new BMW/cables.
finding something of equal(or close to) performance at less money is a good thing to admit depending on the circumstances.I was able to sell off both my pair of Indra at a good price,change cables and have money left over to upgrade my source component and even pocket a few bucks. I think a 15k interconnect most likely had some discount associated to it's purchase.I know I didn't pay retail for my Stealths. Hey if the guy likes them better he could change cables out and buy himself a BMW for x-mas nothing wrong with that!!!
I think if you own $15k ICs, there has to be a predetermined level of bias that would affect the objectivity of this comparison. Here's a real case for a blind test.
Who would want to admit that their $15k ICs sound the same as a pair of $2K ICs or worse, not as good? And, even if the $15k ICs sounded marginally better how could you rationalize a $13k price difference? I don't usually make value judgements or criticize others choices but isn't $15K for a pair of ICs bordering on obscene? How good can they be?
No ones claiming the Gabriels are the absolutely "best" ICs out there but they are damn good for the money!
Glory,that sounds interesting!!! A $15,000 interconnect against a $2k interconnect. If the Gabriel wins out you will probably never hear back from the guy as he'll most likely end it right there and then. If I spent $15k it would be pretty hard not to go with the Tara.When I first heard the Gabriel cable I had the Stealth Indra and I did not want to admit what I heard. Needless to say "Hello Gabriels" bobf
Antonkk,I have the Rapture AC Cords. Members budburma and sergs also have the Rapture power cords.I've posted my findings and I believe budburma posted his.Not everyone likes to post bobf
Bobf, I know Art (Budburma) fairly well. We have even made a few deals. I believe he owned the Stealth M-5000, but not the Dream. Though I may have sent him a Dream for audition, I cannot recall. I did loan them to a couple of friends. Sadly, now all of my Dreams are gone......sniff. I believe Budburma loves his Rapture interconnects, but has still found the Stealth Hybrid MLT to be his speaker cables of choice, and the BMI Hammerhead III to be his favorite power cord.
Glory, I have to admit that the VD line is not my cup o' tea. I have not heard their interconnects, but I have heard several of the power cords and their speaker cables. They all have the similar sound. Powerful, full, good extension in both frequency extremes. Soundstage is huge in 2 dimensions, but very, very flat. IMHO, it's like sitting in the front row. I've talked with those that enjoy these cables, and they agree, though that is what they seek, a front row seat. I prefer a more laid back location, some would call it 'mid-hall'. I don't enjoy music being thrust in my face. To each their own. FWIW, Rick Schultz of VD is a great guy though. Lots of passion for this hobby.
The Stealth Dreams, IMHO were a combination of the Nordost Valhalla's speed and resolution, w/o the thinness up top, and the 3-D staging abilities and ease of the PAD 20th Anniversary Contego with better articulation, all rolled up into one cord.
john,i think member budburma has owned the Stealth,BMI and Gabriels maybe he'll jump in the thread.Like yourself it sounds like he's had a lot of ac cords grace his system.I used Stealth M-7 plus cords sometime back and they were pretty good but i'm sure NOTHING/NOTHING !!! like the Dreams bobf
I will second Fiddler's response, although I have not heard the GG Rapture power cords. I have heard many very pricey cords, from Nordost Valhalla, to Shunyata Aplha Helix to Purist 20th Anniversary, Elrod Statement, Stealth Dream, Dream State Lucid Dream, Virtual Dynamics Revelation 2.0, and many, many more. IMHO, I actually think the power cord has more to do with the sonics of the system than interconnects and speaker cables.
Anyway, the Stealth Dream is the best power cord I have ever heard and/or owned. At one point I owned 5 of them. Unfortunately due to the economy and family obligations, I have now sold all of my Dreams.... It would have been nice to compare a Rapture power cord to the Dream, but I never had the opportunity. I still own what some would call decent cords, like the Kubala Sosna Emotion, Shunyata Anaconda Vx, DCCA Reference Master, Verastarr Grand Illusion, Ridge Street Audio Poiema!!! Signature...etc. None of these can compete with the Stealth Dream however. Yes, the Dreams are not cheap.....but they are the best that I've heard.
I haven't heard the Gabriel PC's, but if you are going to spend that kind of money, you owe it to yourself to consider the Stealth Dream pc's. Read the reviews here. They have replaced many other $$$$ pc's. They aren't cheap, but neither are the Gabriels.
Glory, I don't have Rapture ICs. I got myself a couple of Extreme II ICs which I sure will trade up for the Rapture one day, when the budget allows. My current dilemma is what power cords should I get and how do GG power cords generaly compare to others. We here have plenty of comparisons with other ICs but not so much discussion regarding power cords and even one makes all the difference in my system. I need THREE so that's really really important.
Well, I'm really, really impressed by Extreme II's by now! I'm thinking about getting Extreme power cords now or (if the budget allows) going straight to Rapture power cords. Did anyone compare GG power cords to the other serious contenders? I mean I have McIntosh 402 and it's 400 Watts demand really good AC!
Gary,I never listened to the Jade Hybrid,however,i failed to mention that I did own the Siltech Forbes Lake for sometime and they would have made my top five. bobf
Though I could not list them in any particular order, I have heard many fine interconnects. IMHO, it is obvious that all of these interconnects, though great, will depend ultimately on the users components, room and personal tastes. So in no particular order (let's face it, they're just different folks, their is no best):
PAD 20th Anniversary Stealth Indra Gabriel Gold Rapture MIT Oracle V 1.2 Tara Labs 0.5 Jade Hybrid Gold Nordost Odin/Valhalla (somewhat similar) Siltech Forbes Lake Kubala Sosna Emotion
That's all I can recall among the big hitters, and as Gary (Glory) has pointed out, most of these cables are much more expensive than the GG Rapture or Jade Hybrid. Granted, $2K for one interconnect is not chump change, but the GG Rapture and Jade Hybrid, IMHO best these other cables for a fraction of the price.
As always, your room, speakers, ancillary equipment and tastes will have you agree or disagree with my opinion. I can only speak for my tastes, my room, my gear, and my speakers.
Folks, I'm glad to report that after a few days of burn-in (I was ill so I didn't even listen to music and just left the system playing on a minimal level) my pair of Extreme II's fulfilled all my expectations and then some. Of course I didn't expect it to blow away my XLR pair of Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II/Matrix Reference II which are great cables and it didn't but in all cases I prefered the warmer and more analogue like sound with Extreme's. The difference was in many ways like switching from CD to LP with more musical highs and mids. Even some very harsh CDs sound absolutely comfortable now. Guess now my next purchase would be 3 power cords and if they perform as well then speaker cable!
Emigene, I don't believe Gabriel Cables has a web site. All business is done direct through Audiogon. Either purchase by auction or contact Steve direct through one of his ads here.
Very well written testimony concerning the R/H cables.
I heard everything you did and I am in full agreement of your assessment of the two cables. I just wish I could write like you. I am more of a puplic speaker than a writer.
I think you and Tvad are two of the better contributors of audio info on the 'Gon.
facten- you are right on the money my Extreme mk2 cables were also cooked and they do take a little while to settle down.I had no problem just playing them overnight and waking up to a cable that was fully broken in . All of Steve's cables are cooked with a directional flow . from(gabriel gold label) > Extreme mk2 label for example.
When I got my Extreme 2s they had been burned in and I was told by Steve to give them 8 hours or so to settle down. Thought they sound pretty good right out of the box. Anyway, Antonkk just in case - do you have them directionally hooked up correctly - the cable plug that says Extreme 2 should be hooked to the amp , again per Steve
When I get my cables they are pre-cooked.The cables usually need some play time to settle down from the cooking process.I would think that 8-24 hours should do it.That's what I heard from Audiodharma also.You could also be hearing things that you never heard before.Try putting on a good recording that you are use to.Good systems and good cables can reveal crappy recordings. good luck bobf
Just got my Extreme MK 2 interconnects a week ago and they sound awesome in my set-up.Let them play a while and see what happens.I agree with member facten though my Extreme MK 2 cables sound even better in my system than the original Revelations did for less money.Nothing I heard at their price sounds like them
Folks, what would be the break-in (or burn-in or whatever it's called) time fro Extreme II ICs? I received 2 pairs to run between my CD player and my pre and between my pre and power amp and right out of the box they are not so good sounding I'm afraid. What should I expect and when?
Agree or disagree, I always enjoy reading Johns take on things audio. He does have a way of expressing exactly what his thoughts are and I find that refreshing.
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