I 1st heard the CT-1's between my Cd & preamp , if was revelatory , the 1st cable that I can actually say seemed to be free from any type of colouration , so clean that the sound initially appeared to be a tad lean , until true bass signal was required . The seems to be a marked step towards removing the sense of listening to electronics and simply listening to music , occasionally , when my system is playing in the background , I will stop what I am doing and sit down and revel in the sound coming from my system . I now use CT1's between my phono stage & preamp and also have acquired the speaker cables as well . The missing link is the absence of balanced cables to go between pre and power , but that will come , one day .....
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Tbg , I'm running an Audio Research Ref 150 power amp which is balanced input only , so no choice in that respect . I suspect that when the balanced version of the CT1 does become available that the result of being able to run the CT1's from source to speaker will be worth the wait -:) , also , I have been lead to believe that unless a component is fully balanced from input stage to output stage then there is no discernible advantage to running balanced or single ended over short runs , unless you consider the ease of changing cables -:) |
Nglazer , I concur with Tbg , the biggest initial difference that I found was between cd player and line stage , so closer to the source seems to be the way to go , at least as starters . |
@Audiolabrinth , I believe balanced early in the New Year -:) , I will have the 1st pair , you can have the 2nd -:) . |
@Tbg , Alas my power Amp is balanced input only , so I will have to get them if I want an all CT1 system ......
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I think Petieboy has hit the nail on the head , simplify and go for as few , but highest quality possible , components & strangely enough I was also about to type a post about the H F ( and other top notch cables ) also theoretically should be nothing more than a conduit to pass the music along unhindered .
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Has anybody run the High Fidelity Speaker cables with Wilson speakers ? I'm running my CT1's with Sasha series one and it sounds quite satisfactory , thinking about auditioning the CT1E's .
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I have been following this thread almost since inception but don't believe I have chimed in as yet . I think my 1st venture into cables was some Tocord speaker cable in the late 70's , progressing through early Monster cable , Audio Research Litzwire etc etc etc for about thirty or so years . A couple of years ago I tried CT1's between my CD player ( a Unison Research Unico ) and my preamp ( ARC LS27 ) , swapping over from Harmonic Tech MagicLink 2's , which I consider an excellent cable . A relative was doing some domestic stuff in the kitchen and they stopped and said ' what's different with the system ' ? , I'm trying some different interconnects , I said . How much are they ? , 'Well , I replied , to re-cable the system I would have to sell my aging BMW ' . Do it ! , they replied . and I did .
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@Tbg , if that combo works , then enjoy . I bet you have some great views from your listening room . Inexpensive speakers connected to some great stuff downstream can really sing , I've had the experience myself . During one of my ' lets simplify and downsize ' stages I was running the original Thiel SCS speakers in piano black hooked up to an ARC CA50 integrated and a VPI TNT , sometimes I wish I had stopped right there and spent the money on vinyl and seeing the world . |
Ddraught , wow , all UR series , I haven't gone to that stage yet , just a mixture of CT1 & CT1E's , I would be divorced if I bought UR series before a new car and kitchen ........ In my system ( VPI TNT & VPI arm , Clearaudio cartridge , ARC Phono 6 / LS27 / REf 150 & Wilson Sasha series ones ) the CT1E interconnects were a big upgrade in themselves , I shudder to think what the UR's would do ........
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Jmcgrogan2 , I have been unable to try CT1's between amp and pre as my power amp is balanced inputs only , however , I did find a big difference when using it on my cd player and phono stage , some have said that the best improvements are gained by using the cable ( at least initially ) early in the chain , while I have seen some other posts that state the biggest improvement was with the speaker cables . Like anything , it would be system dependent and also what cables are being substituted . I have one friend who tried CT1E and after initially being enthusiastic he eventually found the cable to introduce some long term listening fatigue and decided to stay with his Kondos , which aren't exactly a lower tier cable . |
@Jmcgrogan2 , regarding using the CT1's as a phono cable , did you use the normal CT1 cable or the dedicated phono version of the CT1 ? Presently I'm using a Furutech Ag 12 R4 between tonearm and phono stage and a 2 metre Ct1 between phono stage and preamp . I have been told that phono interconnects should be kept as short as possible and 2 metres could result in some signal degradation , but that's just something i was advised , I'm no guru or technical expert . Eventually I hope to have a CT1E between the tonearm and phono stage , unless I wind up buying an integrated amp with phono module in order to simplify my life , in which case I will use the 2 metre Ct1 that presently runs between the phono stage and pre . I must admit , for the price , the Furutech isn't too shabby . |
I just read the review of the Phasure Dac and while it sounds good I must admit I'm getting a bit old to start again with yet another music source , I also think its ironic that as we get on in years and can afford to get better and better equipment our hearing capabilities diminish proportionately ..... now , back to my CT1's allowing me to enjoy a 10 year old cd -:)
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@Jafox has a point , it gets to where the point of diminishing returns becomes unacceptable , or unachievable , for even the most ardent audiophile , not saying these power cables don't do as claimed , BUT ,in the end its about the music , not the equipment . I love my CT1's and CT1E's , but , that's where I am staying , even if I win 1st prize in next Saturday's Lotto . Let's remember that in some parts of the world , a one metre CT1E is ( considerably )more than some peoples' annual wage , kind of puts things in perspective .
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I also collect watches , I have seen , over the last 15 years , the price point of some very nice pieces , like Patek Calatravas , rise from around $10K to almost 25K , for what is basically the same watch with some minor movement improvements plus a slightly larger , more cosmo case . My personal opinion ( everyone has one ) is that when you really interested in a particular pursuit/pastime/hobby , is that you can lose perspective of the effect of diminishing returns vs real world essential items , for me , the CT1E is the sweet spot in the range , and the sound of most hifi related items can be improved by a couple of glasses of good quality single malt , for me , the most cost effective upgrade of all ......
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@Jafox , a very good post and quite articulate in your assertions/viewpoints , when I purchased my CT1 interconnects , it was the 1st time for a very long time that I simply sat there and silently said to myself ' wow , what a cable ' , but I lack the ability , I think , to express why the cable struck me that way . It was a sense of the electronics being removed from the signal path and it was just music flowing through the system , the immediacy of the sound , the dimensionality was something that had me in awe . When I later substituted the CT1E cable , I noticed an increase in micro detail ( if that is the correct expression ) and transient attack and decay seemed even better controlled that before . I have no interest in hearing anything up the range , nor the power cables , firstly , because I think an all CT1/CT1E system is as good as I could ever want and secondly , even if I had that much money ,I'd rather get a new kitchen for my house or upgrade my car , I would feel guilty and greedy to spend that much on something that was primarily for myself and not spend money for something that my wife would gain as much satisfaction from , yes , she likes my hifi system , but she also would like some house improvements more than another pair of CT1E's . And I know what you mean about ARC , back in the 1980's , when WJZ wrote the brochures , they concentrated on a primarily technical explanation of why the product had been improved/superceded , now you get expressions like ' improved by an order of magnitude , and then some ' .... btw , I have all ARC amplification , but I think the marketing guys need to be reined in before they loose credibility . My CT1 ' moment ' was very akin to when I first fired up an ARC SP8 in my system , that was the moment that I consider that I entered into the realm of high end audio .
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@Raks , which Nanci Griffith Cd ? I have several ....
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@Raks , thats a great CD , try also , Dustbowl Symphony ' .... |
May I ask which cable elevators you guys ( & gals ? ) are using with your H F cables ?
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@riawry , ' I still think the biggest change so far was when I added my first CT-1 interconnect, but all make a big improvement ' , curiously , I agree . As I go ' up the chain ' , the differences are definitely noticeable but I still keep thinking back to the system transformation when I 1st inserted a pair of CT1's between my CD player and preamp .
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