I see that the HFC website now shows the Pro series interconnects and speaker cables. I am sure they take sonics to an entirely new level and come complete with a 30 year mortgage. If you can afford these cables, best to you. Wish I could.
High Fidelity Cables CT-1designed by Rick Schultz
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
Al
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
Al
3,655 responses Add your response
I use a kr audio va 900 integrated amplifier. I compared the mc6 to the furman elite pfi20 and the tributaries t-300 and the transparent power bank 10. Mainly the furman. I used a resonessence mirus dac and ear acute CD player. I use gato fm6 speakers. This conditioner just made things clearer. It's was more open and I could hear more of the instrument. The power cables were clarity cable vortex, high fidelity ultimate and high fidelity ultimate helix. I spent a lot of time a/b the sound differences. Also I had another friend who is pickier than I am swap stuff out and now he wants one. I used to look at my power conditioner as a weak spot in my system. Now I don't. There is better separation as well in my sound so that's is my experience. |
@philipwu the HFC mc6 that I bought about a month ago has burned in. I have about a hundred hours on it now. It has really impressed me. I was in the market for a good power conditioner at 1000 to 2500 range. When this came out I was like this would be perfect to try. His products usually are clear open and have extremely low noise floors. I switched from a furman and it is not even close. The high fidelity mc6 is a bargain at 999.00. I hear instruments clearer and thing are quieter which held soundstage and background. I had an extremely picky audiophile buddy over two weeks ago and after he heard he wanted one immediately. At the price point it's definitely worth the try. |
'imitation is the highest form of flattery'....Why would you want to,almost, exactly copy another companies design.?.Rick's technology is patented so it cannot be duplicated exactly.Like rlawry,i too, have had many great / expensive cables in my system but none come close to doing everything right, IMO, like the HF cables. |
rlawry, big thanks for your response. I can mention here some pretty technologically advanced cables at this price: Synergistic Research's Element CTS or new Atmosphere Level 2, but I don't know how good they are compared to CT-1. About "there really are no other cables using HFC magnet assemblie" I heard about the Polish company named QSW-Audio and their magnetic power cord MC-8. Just take a look: http://www.monoandstereo.com/2015/12/qsw-audio-reference-mc-8-cd-power-cord.html |
Kazuist, there may indeed be a viable competitor to the HFC power cables for similar money but I have not heard it. Myself, I have had hugely expensive power cables from NBS and Intuitive Design, and they were decidedly inferior in most ways to the HFC products. Since there really are no other cables using HFC magnet assemblies, I highly doubt there is another brand of cables that have the HFC characteristics of speed yet ease, detail yet smoothness, spaciousness, immediacy, frequency response, and presence. I have never heard anything like these cables and would love to find far less expensive alternatives, but I don't think they exist. IMO, it will probably take some type of advanced technology to exceed the HFC line and they probably won't be inexpensive. |
I was able to hear Rick's revamped system with King sound electrostat speakers. He added super tweeters and rel subwoofers and the system was cabled with All high fidelity stuff as well as the the new Pro Line series of high fidelity. It was a great 4 hour listening session. We used the resonessence mirus dac as our source. We had music on the sd cards in 2xDSD. Carribean jazz project was just amazing in its sound quality. The clarity I heard was some of the best I heard ever. The flutes where riding on a soft airy cloud with detail though. The bells where tailing off in their decay. You could hear in between the sticks on percussion. You could also hear the texture and the inside of the drum. Very spacious sound with inky black backgrounds. We also listened to Ahmad Jamal's Album. "Saturday Morning". Jamal is 85 years old and has been recording for 70 years. He is a Jazz Pianist. With the Pro series cables is you could heard deep inside the piano to the complete bottom but also with speed when he tickle the keys fast and light. Great session with a great system. |
It's kind of hard to say because that is a whole line of products you have been through. All I can say is that when compared to the other power conditioners I had it's not even close. The background is dead quiet and things are just clearer. I think it's well worth the investment. One thing I have always said about high fidelity is the the music comes out complete silence this keeps it even quieter. You just hear the musicians more. I used different powercords on it and it still helped the sound compared to the others |
CalvinJ, Where would the MC-6 fit in the hierarchy of HFC products as far as impact on the sound? I have gone from the CT-1 IC's and SC's to the Ultimate IC's and SC's. The Ultimates are astounding and the best improvement made to my system in over 45 years as an audiophile. Does the MC-6 make as much difference as the IC's, SC's or power cords and at what level of these cables. Thanks. |
Happy Holidays to all. I've enjoyed the latest posts, Thanks. I must wholeheartedly agree the HFC stuff is more that one could imagine. My system is cleverly simple so I only need one digital, one interconnect and speaker cable for signal. I have 4 top of the line HFC power cords that make a bigger improvement that the signal cables. But the power cords are a higher level. I have two URH power cords and to Pro series power cords. my IC's are URH. The speaker cables are old UR's that i dream of upgrading to PRO series speaker cables some day when available. I find that the higher up the line i go, the more unbelievably real it becomes. High Fidelity product are ideal for a crazy audio nut like myself. I've never experienced such audio joy. For 35 years I had systems that would do more than just play all the notes. Beyond just playing music there is a level of magic achieved by the most ardent audiophiles. Depth, space and air start the list. Interactions with the record venue and the materials of the instruments become more pronounced. more and more subtle clues to the artist emotion and intent are apparent. Eventually the soundstage engulfs you and you are in the music. My HFC wish list still includes a few more URH power cords, a pro speaker cable and a pro IC. anyone know where I can get $50K for more toys. Cheers Dave |
I do. Music is not the same without it. I remember telling Rick how much I liked it and he would kind of say yeah, yeah, yeah. I would say for real. I have never heard something this good. I went up loom by loom and realized that it could get better. I realized that if you paid good attention to your music how truly stunning it could be. The speed of the notes are just uncanny. Pianist Harold Mabern is an example of how the initial impact of notes on this cable is uncanny. The speed upon which Mabern can play and how the high fidelity handles the notes are on a whole other level. Yeah I know I post on this thread a lot. I'm blessed to have met Rick and hear the product. Music is a part of my daily life and hearing it clear and open is a true delight. Enjoy everyone. Don't talk Just listen. |
The ultimate reference helix on my dac has just taken things to a whole other level. I tried to put a cheaper lesser power cable on it and it's not even the same piece of equipment. I see why I have become such a fan of this product because it just delivers ultra low noise level with you are there type detail. I tried to part with it and the music it helps create just slaps since into me. Lol. I have been on this thread a long time and I know some people say " It can't be that good" well it actually is!!! I see why this brand has grown and why the customers are so loyal. At least one piece of high fidelity will always be in my system because it's as close to the music as you are ever going to get. I played a dsd version of the album "The Bright Mississippi" by the late great Allen Tousssaint and the shimmer, decay and air around the instruments is flat out unreal. |
Spent the last couple of days burning in the power conditioner more. It sounds best when fed by a high fidelity power cable. That might be expensive for some audiophiles. I understood that so I also compared it to the furman and the tributaries power conditioners that I had on hand while using a lower priced clarity power cable and the the high fidelity power conditioner easily bettered the other two conditioners. The high fidelity power conditioner gave a more in depth presentation of the music. It gave the music more depth. The cymbals seemed a little more airy and the drum and guitar initial impacts are there more. The music jumps out of blackness. There seems to be a lower noise floor. It's a keeper for me because I know you could spend more and get less performance. I'm not taking the the chance the high fidelity mp6 is a keeper for me. It's a must try for those who want a reasonably priced power conditioner. |
acman3, You have a very nice system. IMO; I think you will get more bang for your buck with an upgrade to a HF power cord vs. the upgrade to speaker cables. I could be wrong, but just my thoughts. I'm using an Allnic T-1500 in one of my systems with a CT-1 power cord on it and a CT-U power cord on my Yamamoto Dac in that system. |
High fidelity mp6 power conditioner is breaking in and I'm happy that I got it. The high fidelity stuff usually brings clarity and quiet black backgrounds. This power conditioner does the same thing. I was using a furman and this hands down is better. The music sounds more open and clearer. You want your power conditioner to be nuetral and transparent and |
Dunno about the power cables, but in my experience with HFC signal cables, they don't seem to follow the same pattern as that of other cables in that a lower level cable will act as a "bottleneck." By that I mean that adding a higher level cable to replace a lower level cable in a full loom of lower level cables will have minimal effect until you upgrade all of the lower level cables. Kind of like adding a freeway lane that merely moves the bottleneck elsewhere and does little to alleviate traffic. Conversely, I have found that HFC cables are additive--the more magnets the better and there doesn't seem to be the traditional bottleneck. So if you have all regular CT-1s and add a UR cable, it would likely have more effect than upgrading all CT-1's to E's, since the effect seems to accelerate more the further one goes up the HFC line. Maybe others here can weigh in but this has been my upgrade experience. I posted more details on my experience with HFC cables in an earlier post above. IMO, the lower level of signal, the more magnets seem to influence the sound. |
Lak, I currently use it on an Allnic A1500, with EML xls. I do switch back and forth with a Silent Source Sig. on Yamamoto Dac. Slightly bolder presentation with Sig on amp; smoother with MR on amp. The more I think about it I am leaning toward keeping the SS Music Ref. Rest of equipment is Shindo Aurieges Volti Alura speakers (early rendition) PS Audio PWT |
Thanks Calvin, and look forward to your thoughts after break in. The RCA adapters, in my system, adds more of the HFC sound ( or lack of noise) to the system. Not like a step up in level of cables like ct1 to ct1e, but is noticeable. To people who have been here, If you had to choose between adding another Ultra powercord, in place of a Silent Source MR, or replacing Ct1 speaker cables with Ct1e speaker cables, which way would you go? The powercord are amazing but worried the Ct1 speakers cables may be a bottleneck. |
Im letting it burn in. It was brand new. I can tell you already that compared to the furman that I had it's better so far. The backgrounds are quieter and also it helped in the area of transparency. I'm listening since to the album "Hands" by Dave Holland. It's a well recorded album and it helps you grade your system and cabling etc. I noticed when I put the power conditioner in that things were more open and I could hear the guys in the background talking. I will play it a couple of more days and give an update this weekend |
I just picked it up today. I will be putting it in my system tomorrow. It actually heavier than it looks. It's a pretty nice chunky piece of equipment. It actually has some good sturdy feet on it as well. I was looking to replace my furman power conditioner and the old tributaries one I have. I'm going to use my ultimate reference rhodium power cord and I'm going to try it with a power cable from clarity cable that similarly priced to the power conditioner. I'm glad this came out because I wanted a power conditioner that was in the 1000 to 1500 range so this was perfect for me I will report out in the next few days. |
I have too used the essence of music treatment. It works extremely well. I just ordered the new power conditioner that High Fidelity just released. I'm hoping to get it by Thursday or Friday and get it in my system. It's 999.00 so I'm looking forward to replacing my furman power conditioner with it. If it does what what the technology usually does I will hear the improvements. I'm happy to have it in my system and at the price it's a no brainer |
It's been 22 hours since the adapters were installed and there are changes now. Listening to a Windham Hill sampler ('82), Michael Hedges, The Happy Couple. The guitar has more body, resonance. Fingers sliding on the strings is more real. Everything is more focused. I'm feeling the music more than before. I can feel my heartbeat has increased. It's like the experience I found using the Essence of Music CD treatment. There just seems to be more of the music there, no extended highs or lows, but more room for everything to shine equally. It feels better, moves me more. |
Here is what I have found so far regarding HFC cables. First, the biggest change I have heard so far is merely adding one CT-1 cable into my system. Second, there doesn't seem to be a "bottleneck" when adding more HFC cables, i.e. the more magnets the better, no matter whether you add CT-1x to replace another brand of cable, or whether you upgrade one or more of the HFC cables. I have had other cable brands where adding one cable didn't make much difference since another cable elsewhere in the system was the limiting factor. Conversely, with HFC cables you could have all regular CT-1s and adding a UR cable would make a big difference. Third, the further up the line, the greater incremental change, i.e. UR change over U is greater than U over E. And it ought to be given the ever-increasing price difference as you go up the line. Going from U to UR is simply amazing. Fourth, the closer to the source, the greater the effect. I have found the biggest changes to be from my turntable with 0.5 mV output cartridge to my phono stage, the next biggest from my phono stage to my line stage preamp, and so on. For signal cables, the least effect (still a big change) is in speaker cables. This makes sense since intuitively it would take a bigger magnet to affect a greater voltage signal. Signal cables seem to be more affected than power cables, but all still have a big effect. Waiting to hear how much difference the magnetic adapters make. |
Eager to hear comments re the adapters as I am considering them for the center and surround channels of my home theater some day and really can not imagine to have CT1-x cabling there. I have CT1U in both systems and love them, just hoping there would a more affordable alternative to yield somewhat the same result. Any pointers? Having not the very best experience going full loom (PAD, Audience, NordOst, HiDiamond), I am hesitant to doing that again for HFC, missing the power cords. Some $$$ is also needed to close the gap. I am upgrading my DAC first. |
Constantly pushing the limits of sound. Constantly pushing the product to get better and better. I've watched Rick innovate and innovate again. I listened a lot of cables and the immediacy of the high fidelity stuff is just different. Trying to make the best conduit to sound as possible. It's just flat out exciting and relaxing at the same time. That's hard to explain but music makes me happy and when I hear it even clearer it takes you there. Drive and determination for the hobby. Glad I tried the first ct1 4 years ago. Been on a unforgettable journey in sound. High fidelity as well as other equipment. It's been a joy!!! |
I now have gone through four levels of High Fidelity Cables ics and speaker wires- CT-1 standards, Enhanced, Ultimate, Ultimate Reference, Enhanced phono cables, and multiple levels of their power cords. I still remember my shock with the first pair of HFC CT-1 ics installed. They strikingly different sounding from any of the perhaps fifty different ics I've owned or heard, but I also remember that the Enhanced ics after three days were clearly superior. With ics, speaker wires, pcs, etc. each level was clearly superior, had more magnets and, of course, was more expensive. But I must say that IMHO all were worth the cost increase and was told that they each had many more magnets. I once asked Rick was there ever enough magnets and declining benefits from adding more. He said only that cost might be the limiting factor. I have only heard the Pro line with two Pro series power cords. I also heard the entire Pro series at the RMAF. But I have reached my limits. I already have more invested in cables than in everything else and have no regrets. There is no going back for me! |
Yoby, It may have been a prototype, but it definitely was not for sale yet. I returned it to Rick, when I had an amplifier problem, since I could not be of help. Theory is that magnet draws the electricity, but it does not pass through the adapter like all the other HFC devices. It just plugs into any open plug. Perhaps someone else has the adapter and can comment. I went to purchase more RCA adapters, but I guess they are sold out. Anybody know if more are coming? |
