In December 2011,I wrote that High Fidelity cables led by cable designer Rick Schultz was putting together a new cable.The cable came to market as CT-1.The CT-1 has FINALLY made it into my system!I had obtained a version of the prototype that Rick had been working on.It blew my previous reference Genesis by Virtual Dynamics.I thought I had finally found my end with this cable.This prototype delivered to my ears "Nirvana".Could I be at the end of my quest for the ultimate sound? No. I received two pairs of CT-1 to replace my prototypes.They went into the system this past Friday.Unable to dedicate time until Sunday listening,I stole a few moments,ducking away from company with anticipation.My guest could tell even with the music set for"ambiance"something was intriguing and I was in for a treat! The experience: First off,CT-1 was very user friendly.Installation was simple;the cable is very nice and light.The female RCA fit beautifully unlike any I had found in other cable.It was secure and reliable.It seemed much thought was dedicated to developing a designer fit to an aesthetically stunning RCA connector.Install entailed a few wiggles to ensure what seemed like a compression fit on my RCA. It was 2-3 hrs. for the 1st step of break in to be complete.At that point I had something different!Today,although they only have 10-12 hrs. on them,I can`t put into words how much my system has transformed.Believe me,I loved my prototypes.However....there is simply no comparision. The clarity and sound is so natural. The soundstage is like nothing I ever heard.Resoulution is breathtaking and inner detail is simply hard to believe possible. The sound has transended and now it simply does not seem as thought I have speakers. My system is musicians playing music. I am told with time they will improve and I trust that as it was revealed with the prototypes.I wanted to share my thoughts with you that now. Unequivocally,a testament to High Fidelity,as the name declares. High Fidelity Cables for me,the last word on it,after 12 hours! Truly Amazing
CalvinJ, happy you got to hear that HFC combo. I SO much want to hear the HF power cables with my HF cables and HFC-UR Magnetic power conditioner. Hard to imagine how it could sound better than it does now but it always seems to with a new HF piece. I await a new amp as my old one can't keep up with the High Fidelity Cable goodies. Enjoy the Music D
Calvinj, Thanks for the question. I gave up on name brand equipment long ago when I realized they must use cheap parts to meet a price point. Also, I discovered I could get way better equipment for way less money. All my equipment is custom built, severely modified and painstakingly tuned. This includes the speakers, racks, shelves and hundreds of tuning devices. It also includes custom everything from the electric meter to components (example: hydraulic-magnetic circuit breakers instead of the standard thermal breakers, directionalized 10 gage wire. ext…) The room and room acoustics are custom also. The new amp I mentioned in last post has been in design/development for 15 months. It is a dual mono integrated amp with dual outboard power supplies and a battery front end. It uses a number of discrete components from NewClassD in Denmark and has no ordinary parts, wire or chassis. Imagine bell bronze heat sinks. The only big brand names I'm using are High Fidelity Cables and Stillpoints. Both Amazing!! I use several CD enhancements i would not want to listen without. The best I've found are.. Essence of Music - disc cleaner. Marigo Audio - Disc mat. Hifi Tuning - disc demag. High Fidelity Cable products make the biggest improvement ever!! I have no stake in any of these 5 companies. Enjoy the Music
Hey I understand your approach to your system. Some time the the big companies mass produce to a price point and forget the music. Plus there are additional factors that have to be considered when putting together a system and it's components. Its like you can buy a can of stew at the store or you can have grandma cook it just like you like it.
@ Ddraught. Sorry for the typos. I enter all of this on the iPad. It changes things on its own. Sometimes big companies build to a price point instead of making the best product for music. I would love to hear a system like that.
Calvinj, I have had the good fortune of knowing a few guys who manufactured components in small numbers and who sought the realism in music that I want. I always cringe when someone says their system is "musical." I want the sensation that I am there at the recording. Impossible, many would say, but wrong I would say to them.
I should say several things about the manufacturers of which I speak. One none are college trained; two, most are military trained; and all have had a hard time making their business fly with one no longer making anything.
I agree, it takes some good fortune to find designers/builders with all the right qualities. As well as a lot of work, research, and trying a lotta items and auditioning peoples work for the "fortune" to happen. The guy's I work with all have a drive to find the ultimate realism possible and are willing to go to absurd lengths to achieve this, like myself. This type of research ends up costing me $10,000+ on things that did not work, and much more on items that were soon superseded. Most audio folks I know have a closet, drawers, boxes and even rooms full of their audio castoffs. For me, the High Fidelity cables have been the wildest ride with the most awesome, spectacular results in realism. Rick cooks it better than my grandma. ;-)
@tbg and Ddraught. This is next level audio talk. This is exactly where I want to be. Very seldom will A company make something and not worry about cost and them price it later. Also, you have to be lucky to have a team of people all think the same way about getting it to be the best. The best purchase i made was my pioneer kuro television it still is getting it done 6 years later. I think the best audio will come from this approach that u guys use as opposed to a giant company bought up by a venture capitalist who doesn't give a damn about the music.
Calvinj, Yes, custom audio is next level stuff. I think this direction is only for a small group of dedicated audio addicts. Most folks just plug stuff in and listen to music. I love playing with my system. Being creative, using my lifetime of experience, Spending lots of time trying endless possibilities and parameters, working with teams of people on audio projects, researching new technology, beta testing and prototype development. I spend an alarming percentage of my meager income on Audio as a "no holds barred", "perfection at any cost" products are expensive. The results…Astonishing!! due largely to that mom & pop, hand built products company called High Fidelity Cables.
Holy crapski - $30K speaker cables, $19k ICs and $15k PCs! Are you guys out of your freaking minds? I'll stick with my Cardas Golden Cross. Oh wait a minute, I sold those in 1998.
Jafox, while I agree with you about the price, my strong advice to you is do not ever listen to these cables, including the $1600 for 1.5 m. original CT-1s.
Hi dave, what is the sound difference between the thermo breakers and the hydro breakers you have?, please give a review on how much they cost, the improvements for sound, The complete benefits of useing these kind of breakers, Thankyou in advance.
Thank you TBG, but the musical enjoyment of my digital system now has me wanting no more. I just need to get the Decca cartridge mounted and I will be one happy man.
All the effort of tube-rolling trials and cable comparisons at every link over the years has truly paid off. It feels great to reach this point in time to get off the merry-go-round obsession to find cables that brings it all together.
To read threads here with long-time members who are still going through this process again and again makes me realize that some people here will never be satisfied. Give it a try guys: no cable comparisons or purchases for a year…..just enjoy the musicality of your system as it is right now. Can you?
Jafox, hello, I'm pleased for you that you are satisfied with your sound. That is a happy place and you should stay there if you can. As i mentioned in my post,"I think this direction is only for a small group of dedicated audio addicts. ". I think being dissatisfied is what brings about change in the world. Some of us find delicious joy is seeking the holy grail of audio, however elusive. Lucky for you, all you have to do is never try any new audio devices,( especially High Fidelity Cables ) and you can be satisfied for a lifetime.
Audiolabyrinth, Thanks for the bit off topic question. simply put, Thermal breakers use heat to trip breakers, heat caused by the power running thru high resistance wire, so your power must run thru a high resistance wire… not good!, slows dynamic punch, robs detail, adds noise. A magnetic/hydraulic breaker uses a surge in magnetic field to throw the breaker. NO HIGH RESISTANCE WIRE = Better sound. I've been using them for 30 years without issue. One small problem (or two) There is no electrical code for mag breakers so they are not legal, and, they do not fit in a home electrical breaker box. I do my own house wiring and live without rules. The mag breakers are small and can fit inside the case of a thermal breaker. I haven't bought one in many years but they are maybe $20 each. the one I liked the sound best is from Carling Technologies part # BA1-B0-22-630-121-C Enjoy!
Tom, good one! It was back in the mid 1980's the a group of friends and I, called "the Thorp Audio Group", were spending 6 months designing and building the ultimate power source for our ultimate audio system. That system was great but a pale, pale shadow of todays system with amazing HFC Magnetic cable magic. We were all dong research, my guess is that friend Stan had more knowledge of the internal workings of thermal breakers and/or found some writing on the subject. I still use the mag breakers today even though I have HFC's UR- WGPC power conditioner which creates a whole new, wonderful world in audio playback.
I just got a new pair of ultimate ic. My issue with them is that the RCA plugs fit loosely. No effort needed to insert or remove the cable. Quite the opposite of all the HF cables I had before. I thought one of the ingredients to the sound of HF cables was the tight fitting plugs.
Anyone else with newish HF cables experienced this?
Should I return the cables?
I have emailed Rick already but I thought I seek actual customer opinion.
Ddrault - As a software engineer in the cardio medical devices world, I am fully aware of the importance of technological changes and the never-ending quest for "perfection" and success. However, as you point out, being dissatisfied brings change. But I will point out that being satisfied brings stability.
As for you being a member of the "small group of dedicated audio addicts", 100s and 100s of Audiogon members would consider themselves members of such a "club", myself included. One does not need to be obsessed with the cable-of-the-week club to be addicted to achieving a music playback system of high performance.
Thankyou Dave for your reply about the breakers, very imformative,I would love to listen to your system useing the mag/hydraulic breakers, It would be interesting to A/B the sound differences, You amaze me with all that you do that most audiophiles have never heard of doing, I admire you totally.
Thank you too John. It's a time to rediscover the music library ….. AGAIN, and get educated on the DSD format.
Oh I am sure that when JD comes over and hears the system that has now been moved upstairs, he will want to move the speakers, re-arrange furniture, re-route cables, make a note that the image is off center by 2 1/2 inches (easily tweaked by the SoundLab sensitivity adjustment on the back), suggest better isolation of components, etc., etc.
The unobtainable is indeed obtainable - when we can sit there and feel that we are in front of a singer, piano, saxophone, percussionist, etc., rather than in front of an imperfect system of hardware ……. we have arrived. The key is that this experience is consistent across a large part of our music library and not just a dozen or so audiophile recordings that we listen to again and again to validate the system's expenditure.
Perhaps you need that one magical system update for you to "arrive". May I suggest that you audition a Lampizator DAC. 8-)
Audiolabyrinth, no I do not use a full loom. HFC does not make a USB digital cable, nor do I have a set of phono cables. I do have a pair of RCA to XLR adapters that would allow me to have his UR phono cables but frankly I cannoot afford them yet.
Also, I use 13 power cords and really cannot afford to replace all of them even with the Ultimate power cords.
Have you not tried any of these cables? If so, my most sincere advice is to not do so. Not because they are no good, but rather because they are a very slippery slope. I cannot just turn around and go back.
I have got 2 pairs of new Ultimate RCA just arrived. I find the rca fittings are very loose compared to the regular CT 1 and CT1e that i have got in my system.
Is this normal for the Ultimates?
A recent review on dagago on the Ultimate Reference said that the UR was as tight fitting as the CT1 and CT1e.
Calloway, my experience thus far is only with the top-of-the-line Ultimate Reference Rhodium, but after about two hours you think it is really great, but you are only part of the way. Mine are nearly a month old and still getting better. I would suggest that you first put it from the wall to the power filter or distributor strip. Then the amps! Yes you need two. I have four now but really can only afford two. Wow!
Calloway, That is great!! I've been anxious to try the HFC power cords for a while now. I may get to hear them on a friends system this weekend and have hopes of hearing some at my house soon. Please let us know about your experience. I agree with Norm that if you don't have the money, don't listen to them. The high end of HFC products are so transformative that removing them is crushing. Cheers Dave
The high fidelity did sound really good in the system I heard them in. They sounded natural and never bright. Great sonics. The audio system I heard them in was set up well and it had great synergy.
I should clarify that only 1 of the plugs was very very loose. The other plugs range from slightly loose to normal fit. None are as tight as my ct1 or ct1e cables.
Rick has replied that this is normal for the ultimates because the cable burner they use has cardas connectors which are after than usual. The ultimates are burned using these cardas plugs, thus making the ultimates loose.
To me it makes no sense for I have been using my ct1 for over 7 months now on numerous machines and they still a bitch to plug in and out. Also on dagago or stereotimes review, it states the ultimates fit the same as ct1 and ct1e cables.
I assumed part of the magic on the ct1 cables was how tight the able fits into sockets. They are hellish to install and more so to remove, but at least I know it is making maximum contact.
On a side question, does how tight a cable fits influence the way it sounds?
My cables had a few more quality control issues, which I won't go into here. Not really acceptable on a 5k cable. Rick agreed and is making up another pair personally. But he is not replacing both sets , for he says the looser fitting plugs are normal and that I should use a small screw driver to force the RCA tighter!!!! I do not and should not be made to do this on a 5 k cable. What happens if I damage the cable! How do I ensure I am doing it right!
I should note that I have/ or used 4 sets of HF cables and have never had any QC problems before, except the terrible fitting banana plugs on the speaker cables.
Leicachamp, I do know that the hot pins on RCA plugs in the various HFC series differ. I have had some variation in how difficult it is to insert HFC cables on components, but none have been so loose as to not make contact. I guess the question I have is whether the hot pin is loose or whether the ground ring is loose. In the past, I have had RCAs that had ground ring get too loose. I had solid copper RCAs that constantly needed this.
The HF UR Ultimate Reference powercord arrived yesterday afternoon and i had a chance to take an early listen last night for a couple of hrs. What struck me initially was how fast and tight the bass / transients are.It will need a couple of hundred hrs to fully open up. I can't wait to listen more tonight. It has been running all day.I have it connected to my Lumin Music Player.I have a $3K powercord on it currently that is great.The workmanship on the cable is superb.The container/case is great.One of the designers of my SET amps was over also and he could not believe the immediate improvement it made.STAY TUNED.
Calloway, Thanks! Good initial report. I look forward to your next installment. I recall how amazing my first listen to HF UR MWPC power conditioner. It made as monumental an improvement to the sound as their UR signal cables. Sounds like you're having fun!!
@ Leicachamp, Hi, Is Rick going to give you an exchange of all the cables you bought?, what kind of warranty does High-fidelity cables have?, The Brand I bought into has life time warranty, if any cable ever has issues like you are having years down the road, The brand I have will fix are replace the cable, NO excuses!, who cares why or how, If I were Rick, I would not want an un-happy customer, his reputation is at stake here for quality, at the cost of the ultimate referance model, this should be resolved with no questions or excuses period, good luck.
Update on the HF UR power cord:..now 3rd day listening. last night the sound was a little bright but this after only 2 hrs of listening the night before. today it has opened up considerably and the sound is rich and neutral..not bright at all.the transients are so fast. on PB's 'Constantinople' on her Modern Cool DSD album the bongos and cymbals and drum sticks are so much better identified with each and every strike...so clear and so real and 'right there'. PBs voice just hangs in the background with such realism.Pretty cool.soundstage has opened up and has become so 3-dimentional...stay tuned.
Leicachamp- Sorry you are having problems. Did you buy these cables as brand new from Rick, or were they used/demos from someone else?
I currently have Ultimate Reference and have been through the other levels with no problems whatsoever. All have fit from tightly to very tightly. I'm sure Rick will take care of you.
LEICA Can't you tighten up the connection by adjusting the small fins around the pin. A jewelers screw driver works by pushing them in very very cautiously.
Calloway.... I bet they will sound good on those chalice amps
HF URR power cords, 3 audiophile friend and I traveled to Norms to listen to his system with HF Ultimate Reference Rhodium power cords. WoW! Awsome!! Norm's system was the best we ever heard it by far. We made THE big guy work changing power cords in and out to discover more detail than we imagined possible with the URR. The most amazingly realistic piano reproduction I've ever heard with more bass, dynamics, control, and lifelike sound with all music. Thanks Norm Thanks Rick
Rick is sending me 1 new set. I most likely going to request him to replace the second set as well. Based on all the feedback I am getting, the ultimates should all fit quite tight.
Hi Snook, I can adjust by using a screw driver, but why should I need to do this to 8 plugs on new cables. These cables are 5k each!!! They should all have the same fit on all the plugs. A customer should not have to do this! What happens if I over tighten, scratch or break the cable? Will a warranty cover this? I don't think so.
@audiolabryinth. I know you like tara labs and they are good but rick stands behind his products. He has demo cables for plenty of guys because he believes in his product and they work. I heard a system yesterday with all high fidelity cables installed and an integrated amplifier. It was amazing. I have met many folks in high end audio who don't do that. They are so snooty that they won't even talk to you. He is breath of fresh air in this industry. He loves the music and wants customers to be happy. It's not about what cables or company is better. Whatever the situation this is it will work out. It's one cable and one problem. Let's not try to make it more than it is. @ the guys who let me hear their systems. Thank you. High fidelity makes great products and they sounded great in systems that were totally different. I appreciate you guys letting me demo in person the high fidelity products and the rest of your systems. I've heard and experienced the difference those cables make. Congrats on the new ultimate reference series. Are they expensive? Yes. But they sound great!!!
Calvinj, did the system have HFC power cords? I think they are more impressive than the ics and speakerwires. And using them throughout ones system would be more expensive that ics and speaker wires. But wow!
Leicachamp, I don't believe you have ever said that the cables fall out of their own weight or that the cables are intermittent. I presently have HFC cables where one RCA is very difficult to get fully on and where the other is easy. Similarly I have owned other cables that fit quite loosely.
I know that you don't "think" the warranty covers your scratching the cables, but I doubt if you have ever seen the warranty, so how would you know?
I just heard that we can try HF Ultimate power cords thru the loaner program at the Cable Co. For those of you who have heard High Fidelity Cables, the power cords are as big an improvement or even more.
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