Joncourage,
I will have the HiDiamond Carbon 2 Digital cable in my system later this weekend. I should have some initial impressions to post by Sunday night. |
What do you have now, Sabai?
I am extremely pleased. Will post more impressions over the weekend.
Very likely will order the ICs shortly to compare against the AQ Sky. |
Joncourage,
I have been using the ASI Liveline digital cable in series with the SR Tesla LE D3 digital cable on the source side. Even though the HiDiamond easily bests any other single digital cable I have ever had in my system the results are superior using these cables in series to using either cable singly. |
Joncourage,
In my system the HiDiamond ICs are stunning. For even better effect I am running them in series with SR Acoustic Reference ICs on the source side. |
Heh. I'll be honest it seems a little goofy, but maybe I'll try running the HD ICs in serial with the Sky if I decide to get them. Can't hurt anything, I guess. I hate that it's mostly just me assessing though, I never trust my own ears, wish I had a 2nd and 3rd opinion.
Also, I'm surprised you haven't been accused of shilling for both HD AND SR now that you say you use BOTH. Lol. (If you turn out to be Robert I will be quite upset with you both).... |
Joncourage,
My ears have recently been tested. I can actually hear above 16000 Hz which astounded me since I am in my 60s -- and I plum the depths, as well. So, I trust my ears. I always protected my ears when I was younger when attending concerts. I have worn wax ear plugs, when needed, for the past 35 years. I note that many of my audiophile friends who did not protect their hearing are now suffering from serious hearing loss -- some of whom I would affectionately call "handicapped" audiophiles.
Give it a go. You have nothing to lose by trying your cables in series. You may be pleasantly surprised. I recommend reversing them if the sound is not good initially. I find that doing so can often make a night-and-day difference.
My name is not Robert, by the way. Please see Robert's and my earlier statements regarding identity matters. If you are familiar with my posts over the years, I believe I could be accused of shilling for EMM, Merlin, Synergistic Research, ASI Liveline, HiDiamond, Gabriel Gold, Joseph Audio, Oyaide, AMR and Bybee, among others. |
Keeping the HD, my trusty old Marigo is now up for sale.
In addition to what's said earlier, as the cable breaks in I'm perceiving:
- more relaxed, smoother, more musical, without being "warm" (a quality I don't appreciate)
- more air around instruments and vocals, things seem to float in their own space while still being extremely coherent. This is a new phenomenon for me, never experienced that before.
- great PRAT. The front edge attack on notes is more distinct and punchy (especially noticeable on percussion and guitar), while decay is very natural and less abbreviated, I hear more of it (like in cymbal hits)
- subtle details comes through much more, without being fatiguing in any way. Fingers moving along guitar strings, vocal inflections and trills, breaths, and armature changes on winds instruments, previously not noticed now make the performance more natural, real and interesting.
One thing important to note is that some of this is the new cable, some i'll attribute to new hifi tuning fuses I put into my amp a few days ago. As the cable started breaking in I started to note some of these changes, but others, and the overall effect is likely cumulative. |
Sabai,
How are you running the cables in series? |
Wig,
I have been A/B-ing cables and am currently testing them in series. |
Wig,
What cables are you referring to? IC, SC, PC? |
Sabai,
IC but are you doubling your SC as well.
Thanks, |
Wig,
For the digital it looks like the winning combination is the HiDiamond Carbon 2 from the transport into the Tesla D3 into the CDP. I am running XLR.
Here is my speaker cabling series. I have ASI liveline from integrated amp into Bybee Quantum Speaker Purifiers into Cardas Golden Cross (cold forged spades) into SR Galileo Universal Speaker cells (with Galileo MPC) into HiDiamond Diamond 8 into Bybee Golden Goddess Super Effect Speaker Bullets. The HiDiamonds create a stunning effect that is unobtainable without them.
I also run ICs in series and will soon be adding HiDiamond to my PCs in series. |
Well, I went ahead an ordered a HD Digital Carbon cable today.I was told that I could get it by Tuesday, but past experience with buying things from Canada it will probably take much longer.
I'll put it on my Audiodharma Cable Cooker when it does arrive for a few days before trying it. |
The cable sounds better and better as it gets some hours on it.
I couldn't be more pleased.
I have the ICs on the way. |
I recieved the HiDiamond Digital Cable today. Wow! that was really fast from Canada! Its a very good looking cable.
I have put it on my Cable Cooker and will try it Wednesday or Thursday. |
One question for those who purchased this digital cable, what terminations are you using; xlr, bnc, rca?
What terminations are available? Thanks!
PS: I'm always up for trying a new digital cable. |
The one I received is RCA. |
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Just installed the HiDiamond digital cable after being on my Audiodharma Cable cooker for 4 days.
More to follow... |
I will keep one of the cables and sell the other. Check my listing for the digital cable for sale now. |
Ozzy, what digital cable are you keeping in lieu of the HiDiamond that you have decided to sell? |
Mcondon, Glory,
I have one for sale and the other one has been cooked on my AudioDharma cable cooker for 4 days.
The distributor of the HiDiamond cable says that the HiDiamond carbon cable need to be broken in with an actual source running through it. They claim that the Audiodharma cooker does not properly break in this type of cable. I dunno, but I am game.
I presently have the cable connected to another system running 24 hours a day and I will retry it about Sunday. So curently I am using a Morrow Dig 4 (which was better than my Kimber Illuminati D60). |
What is the distributor's reasoning Ozzy? A cable typically gets much better break-in with cable cookers IMO than they do with source running through them. What's the next excuse; the source material wasn't the right one? LMAO!
Bottom line is are these cables refundable if you don't like them or not? I thought they were (thought I read that somewhere). |
Next you have to run them in series to find the proper tuning combination. LOL!!! |
Knghifi,
LOL. Until you have actual experience with this TLIOY. |
Sabai, there are infinite combinations so experiments are based on my experience and common sense. Yes I could and probably have missed out on many I dismissed that yield positive results but that's life ... can't win them all.
Bottom line is one must do and use what sounds best to them without apologies.
Have you tried running one speaker upside down the other side ways? Unbelievable! LOL!!! |
The distributor (Worldwide wholesales)again contacted me via email and then we talked on the telephone. Robert seems genuinely concerned and wants me to contact him after I return the HiDiamond cable back into my main system this Sunday.
He has assured me that he will do everything to make me satisfied, even if that means a refund.
So that sounds comforting. What more could I expect? |
I continue to enjoy the digital cable in my system, the music has never
been so satisfying to me.
I'll be bringing my cable and DAC to my local (Tampa Bay) audio club's
upcoming DAC shootout. I hope to introduce this respect-worthy brand to a
larger audience. I anticipate a very positive reception.
I think it's worth mentioning that my experience has been nothing like
Ozzy's. I had the Illuminati in my system several cables ago, at least 3
cables have replaced it -- including the likes of Marigo and Kubala Sosna --
and have proven progressively better to me, in my system, and the HD is
the best yet. So to me the HD is head and shoulders above the Illuminati,
which I considered only a so-so cable. |
Good on the distributor to try and make you happy Ozzy even if it means refunding you which may suck for him but is ultimately the right thing to do. We have no way of checking these out unless we take a leap of faith or trust what others have been posting. In the end, if there are no stores one can deal with, we must get some sort of agreement with the distributor. Glad to see you won't get stuck with a cable that doesn't do it for you. |
Well, I thought now would be the right time to complete my journey with the HiDiamond Digital interconnects and share with others my opinion.
The original HiDiamond Digital cable (in my system) had a boost in the upper mid/lower treble region that to me was not right. But, depending upon on the system I could see where that could add additional clarity.
The Distributor (Worldwide wholesalers) Robert Neill listened to my concerns and suggested I try a new "reference" version Digital cable that HiDiamond just came out with.
Once I received it instead of going straight to my Cable Cooker for break in, I tried it out in my system first for a few hours.
Well, this cable did not have the boost in the upper mid/lower treble region like the first cable did.
In fact, this cable had a much deeper soundstage and one of the things that stood out was the amount of echo depth it possessed including before and after the actual sound emerges.
I knew right away that this cable is a keeper. I then put it on my Cable Cooker for about 3-4 days. Today, for the first time I am listening to the broken in cable version.
As I would describe it, this cable has a very nice natural calm sound with a large deep soundstage. The best sounding digital interconnect I have ever tried. |
Glad to hear it worked out Ozzy. Robert is indeed Class A.
With the HD digital and interconnects in my system I am *finally* content and I've never enjoyed music more.
The difference to previous cables is remarkable. More than I would have ever imagined.
The people that are willing to take a chance on these I think learn this is a very special piece of gear. |
Ozzy,
Is the new HiDiamond digital you have in your system AES/EBU? |
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Ozzy,
How much for the super duper Reference Dig cable? |
Glory, its about twice the cost of the carbon version. |
Please excuse my ignorance here but how does one run two digital cables in series? Just with a hi-end barrel connector? |
Jriggy,
Male fits into female. No connector required. |
Jriggy, Sabai is using XLR connection's.
Right now, I am really enjoying the way my new HiDiamond reference digital cable is progressing with more hours of music playing through it.
I just listened to some remastered Dusty Springfield ,ooohh baby...
I've got the itch to try another HiDiamond cable. I own the BSG Qol unit,(an excellent product),on that unit I am using the Synergistic Tesla T2 power cord. It seems adaquate, but I wonder if the power cord may be holding back even more potential for the Qol. The Qol is a low powered Analog device.
So, those of you with the HiDiamond 3 power cords, have you found it works better on low powered equipment or Higher amperage equipment?
And is it better suited for Digital or Analog equipment? |
Ozzy and Jriggy,
I run XLR cables in series. Male fits into female. No connectors required. |
Ozzy's, if you want to try another HD, give the Diamond 3 xlr ICs a shot. Every day, I'm nothing short of amazed at the absolute grace, clarity, and musicality I am hearing since putting them in. Miles ahead. |
Joncourage and Ozzy,
I am using the Diamond 3 XLR ICs -- stunnning. I put on Dusty Springfield yesterday -- ditto. |
Thanks for the clarification guys... I am becoming interested in the HiDiamond offerings. Especially since one of the main enthusiasts has a system close to my own...
Can any HiDiamond IC or PC owner tell us if these wires have a receded or forward presentation??? |
Jriggy,
In my system the sound stage is very natural. They are not in your face but they don't put you way back in the crowd. Have a listen and see what you think -- and let us know. |
I don't think of either forward nor receded, they strike me as very natural sounding.
The presentation seems what would be a pleasing and logical representation of what I imagine the recording engineer intended. In other words, you hear the music and the song with no distraction from any unnaturalness in tonal balance, image placement or soundstage.
Maybe that's "neutral"? |
I too am using the HiDiamond Reference digital cable now, having previously used the HiDiamond Carbon. In my experience the Reference is clearly superior to the carbon in every audiophiliac quality. In my system, resolution and dynamics were most noticably affected. The difference between the two cables in my system were so great, that under no circumstances could i recommend to anyone they buy the carbon over the reference. I have a one meter rca cable and, although it was superior to the carbon out of the box, it didn't start really showing its true nature until about 150hrs and it continued from there until it seemed to settle in at about 300hrs. Also, dealing with Robert Neill at Worldwide Wholesales was an absolute pleasure. |
@Jriggy
these are the first set of cables that i have used that present the soundstage as it was intended to be heard.
For example I have Live recordings of groups, ensembles and choirs at venues of the Elora Music Festival (I don't live far from the Elora Music Festival , here in Ontario, and have enjoyed often the live music in the summer). WITH HIDIAMOND I hear what i would hear at the venues...same height, width, depth...if a performer was playing piano and they were closely miked, that is how i would hear the pianist. If a three microphone setup is used for a choir in a church, i hear the performers, soloists, and giant acoustic space surrounding them
but that is audiophile talk for not really understanding the music...these cables do so much more than that. They are phase coherent !! You here everything the way it was meant to be heard. I said this in a previous post but pitch, timbre, harmony, melody, rhythm, are spot on and by that i don't mean PRaT, which most people have no real understanding of anyway. I don't dare use the term musical, because far too many recent reviewers have spoiled that term to mean euphonic and pleasing. No these cables go further than that, they convey themes, messages, performance. You rarely read about that in reviewers' write-ups. |
No shortcomings from any of the users? No system matching needed? They will work equally well for all systems? |
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