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
Hi guys, Is anyone aware that audio has lost a great one - Simon Thatcher of Spectron and numerous others. I loved reading everything he wrote on Audiogon and spoke to him many times for assistance. A brilliant man and admirer of Sviatislov Richter, Simon was also a great pianist and engineer. He died last month, apparently of colon cancer. God bless!
Calvinj, I will let you know about the next Norm trip I take. Always some new toys coming that we will HAVE to try!!! Some with Magnets. I'm jumping back on the HFC train for more magnetic magic!!! When is summer for you? Sounds like a mythical future where things will get easier next month. ;-) Glad your enjoying the music!! D
Calvinj, In late June, we will be going to New Mexico where we might stay through September. This is to escape Texas heat. We are selling our little home there. If it were sold early this summer, we would, of course, not be going.
I will get a time this summer that's good for the both of us. I like the fact that you have built your system differently than most and that you use the high fidelity stuff which is also different from other things. Looking forward to the experience. I'm using a kr audio va900 along with my gato fm6. High fidelity ultimate stuff as well. Different combination. I also use the resonessence invicta dac.
@ddraudt. I got to get to Norm's. I always got something going. I want to hear his system. I enjoy additional new approaches to system building as well as listening to those that have taken a long time to get to this point.
Calvinj, You must have been very busy to take several days off from listening to your system. You will have to let us know how many more hours your speakers will need to fully break in; when you know. Until then enjoy the music...
@Ddraudt@lak I was listening to my system this week a lot after i took some days off at first I was worried but I had to remember that my speakers needed to be broken in. I have had them now for about 3 months I probably have put 350 hours on them now. This week they really opened up and the music became even more realistic. I'm using high fidelity ultimately on it right now. I will probably be putting an ultimate reference in the system soon to get another bump in performance. I'm running the kr audio va900 integrated amplifier with the gato fm6 from Denmark. There are probably only 3 to 5 people in the United States that have my speaker and they are truly amazing. When you add some high fidelity in the mix it takes it to a whole other level. You have to let cables settle in and you have to be patient with your equipment. Break in is for real. I'm enjoying my music. I hadn't posted for a while because of the folks that were posting that had never listened to the product being negative and not adding anything. I enjoy high fidelity and the music and enjoyment that both bring. Once again in my system I have a sound that is fast yet musical. The backgrounds are full of information. I was listening to a jazz album today and you could hear some of the musicians talking and making sounds in the background. That's comes from the depth in sound that my system has along with the high fidelity that has my system performing extremely well.
Lak, Thanks for your post also. I too got more adding a Ct1. I like the "More natural, truer to live performance" description of High Fidelity Cables. It captures the essence of what they do. I want more!! ;-) D
Calvinj, went tp Norms and was amazed at how much better his system got. I hope he comments. My system is reduced to background music only as I see to repairs and upgrades. In the meantime I'm keeping busy with cleaning and improvements, communication and planning, design and testing. I developed tools and a method if cleaning and polishing inlet and outlet contact points without having to take them apart. I'm experimenting with less damping and more energy transfer with great results. Working on Improving my WGPC and getting more URR power cords. What's up with your system??? D
@lak. They are a joy. Be patient with them and reap the rewards. I enjoy my ultimate interconnects. Sometimes I think of trying something else then my interconnects slap some sense back into me and say "REALLY". Sounds like real music.
I added a CT-1 power cord to my main system and I must admit that I did hear an improvement. If one is familiar with what HFC can do for your system regarding a more natural truer to live performance sound, that's what I experienced.
Just upgraded my phono cable from regular CT-1 to Ultimate and was shocked at how much better everything was. It seems as if phono signals are the most affected by magnetic technology although I have not heard the power cords. The biggest improvement was in the bass, a lot more tuneful, powerful, and extended. But that would be shortchanging the improvement in immediacy, texture, space, body. I can't wait until it breaks in. I now have all Ultimates in my system.
BTW, has anyone tried CT-1's for subwoofer cables? I thought about trying this but decided to sell them instead.
Further listening to the Ct1 power cable convinces me that I would not be happy with less. Like Tbg, I have some URR power cords that are in another world in performance and price. Still, the Ct1 is what I need for places where it's big brother is not practical for me. I'll get a couple! D
@kzhtoo@rdoc enjoy. The sound of high fidelity is realistic and ear pleasing. Was listening to the album "The Bright Mississippi" by Allen Toussaint tonight and the realness of the drum work and the cymbal decays were flat out astounding using the high fidelity stuff.
Ct1 power cable was superior to custom cable I was comparing it to. As Kzhtoo said, the Ct1 pc has unique characteristics that regular pc's don't have. The speed and clarity, the more musical and less harshness that seems more like a change of better interconnects. I also must return the loners but hope to get a couple of the CT1 pc's for my system. Dave
Agree with CT-1 power cord. It's a very nice cable. I tried it for 10 days in my system before I had to send back. Just ordered a new one yesterday. Contrary to other people's experiences, it didn't initially wow me at first. It took about 4-5 days settling time in my system and slowly improved to a point I told myself I had to get one (I do have CT1-E IC's and digital cables in my system already, which BTW did NOT outperform x10 over the cables they replaced). It didn't exhibit "cables on steroid" characteristics as one other cable that I was also demoing, which is also a very good cable that I can happily live with. CT-1 however is gentle and musical with class. HF power cables do have a unique characteristics that you won't find in other conventional cables. I'm glad HF comes out with CT-1 and is priced more reasonably.
Rdoc, Thanks for sharing you excitement about you HFC experience. Fun, isn't it? I'm breaking in Ct1 pc now for a weekend test. So far I do notice improvements in clarity and quietness in my system. Keep on enjoying the music! D
Calloway, lest I be misunderstood on the CT-1s let me speak of more recent experiences. I had two non-HFC cables on my raid system and driving my turntable. Surprisingly and clearly the HFC CT-1 in both cases gave superior performance. Noise on the ac line even that remaining after the HFC Waveguide power center, harms performance.
I was glad that someone without broad experience with the HFC URR power cord and an open mind reported their experiences.
Very sadly i had to send back the 2 demo CT-1 pcs that i borrowed from 'The Cable Company' recently. ( thanks to Paul Jenkins). i currently have my 3 pcs for sale and as soon as they sell i will be replacing each with one of the HF CT-1 pcs. Like the rest of Rick's stable of cables they are amazing. i took them to a friend's house and replaced 2 of his pcs with the CT-1s and he was amazed at the improvement in his system. In my system the whole musical picture became so much more 'there'. Voices were more real. Blackness was blacker.Highs were more clear and pure.The decay of notes within a passage was amazing.I hate cliches so i won't go on but the cables are just superb.
About a month ago I decided to demo a pair of Ultimate Speaker cables and a pair of Ultimate IC's. I purchased a set of CT-1's about a year ago. I thought them to be far better than any cables that I had heard in my 45+ years as an audiophile. I was expecting the Ultimate's to be better, but I was not prepared for just how wonderful they are. I have owned the best of Nordost, MIT, Analysis Plus, and others over the years. They belong in the category of very good cables. The High Fidelity Ultimate's are a revelation! Putting them in the system is like putting in a great new preamp. No, it is like putting in a great new amp and speakers. No, putting in the Ultimate's is like replacing one's whole system with one that is many times better than before. The Ultimate's in my opinion should be considered a very high end component and not just cables. They allow a clarity of holographic sound that must be heard to be believed. I delayed my demo a long time because of what I thought were hyperbolic statements on this thread that I had trouble believing. Hearing IS believing with the Ultimate's. They give detail as I have never heard before and yet are utterly non-fatiguing. It seems that they lower distortion by an order of magnitude allowing more music to flow. Bass is more palpable. Highs are more refined. It is like the highest quality camera and lens capturing a beautiful picture compared to one taken by a Brownie camera from days gone by. HF cables do need many hours of break-in and if moved some break-in is again required. Do not listen to them unless you are prepared to purchase them! The HF Ultimate's are just absolutely magnificent and the best purchase I have ever made in all my decades as an audiophile.
I have two HFC CT-1 power cords. When they had broken in a while, I heard the top end extension that is so characteristic of HFC. This characteristic sets them apart from other power cords in my experience and makes a comparison very difficult.
In my case, having six of the URR power cords that are clearly better and provide the ultra sense of being at the recording venue makes me unavailable for the CT-1 use. I might wish that they were available when I bought the fifth and sixth URR pc.
I suspect that those with experience with what HFC brings to the table will love the CT-1s. Since I think the HFC pcs have greater impact than do the ics and speaker wires, other might want to make the CT-1s their first excursion with HFC. I should also note that the CT-1 are much easier to install, having no waveguide in the middle.
the CT-1 pcs are superb on My Lumin. Better vocal understanding…better instrument separation and imaging.bass much tighter and quicker.better layering of the music and better background singer identification…Better substance to the entire musical performance...i will surely be buying one for the Lumin. will put the 2 CT-1s on my amps tonight and begin that evaluation..Certainly better than all the pcs i have tried that are at the price point and more.
I am out there and loving it. No power cords to worry about. No speaker cables to worry about. No interconnects to worry about. No transformers to worry about. What, me worry?
Ddraudt...speaking of the CT-1 power cord, i received 2 of them yesterday from 'The Cable Co', and put the first one on my Lumin last night and listened for about 2 hrs. My first thoughts, and these are obviously early, are that the cable is superb.I will get back later next week with actual subjective thoughts on the PC vs the cable it is up against and its improvement, or not, in my system but very early thoughts are extremely positive.I will then be putting both of them on my Grail monoblocks.
Calvinj, It looks like the next listening party at Norms is Saturday Apr 25. I should prove to be a fun filled education for all in attendance. I've heard some good reports on the new Ct1 Power cord and hope to see one soon. I'm having fun with music every day!! Cheers D
Hi Friends, I've been discovering ways to improve the sound of my High Fidelity products. At Ricks suggestion, I started experimenting with Star Sound Technologies, Audio points and platforms. I discovered a shocking improvement in clarity and naturalness by placing my speaker waveguides on Star Sound's "Apprentice" platforms. Similarly, The sound improved with Star's "Soundworks" platform under HF power cable waveguides. I also have Star's "audio points" under 3 power components. the combo (along with Apprentice stands under my speakers) give me a much more intimate and involving sound. I've got two more Apprentice platforms in today to play with. I hope to visit Norm when he gets the larger "Sistrum Rhythm" platform and racks later this month. What's new with you???? D
Sammons, Thank for sharing some about your system... I too used to listen to one type of music also until my system made everything sound so good. Now my music collection has many other types.
Very sorry the outlet police come by your house to inspect every outlet. My philosophy is to use WHATEVER makes my system sound better. Roguish I suppose. ;-) You want I should send you a thing for the thing? ;-) D
Thanks gents - unfortunately the waveguide is the only place I can't put the urr cable due to local regulations (see previous posts) and not having US outlets in the wall (illegal in New Zealand). Anyway my system is sounding amazing and I'm not missing my vinyl at all (blasphemy I know but it's the truth). I'm also using a entreq grounding system which has now settled down and has cleaned up the noise amazingly well. I'd have loved to get the tripoint but I just couldn't justify the extra dollars especially as I have no opportunity to see or hear what it does. Overall the current system is the best I have had and it's stopped me trolling the net for upgrades. The best thing is that I'm now searching out different types of music to try as I have spent the last 35 years being a prog rock collector but now have a substantial classical and jazz collection with a smattering of funk, brass and country music to enjoy.
@tbg I agree with you the pianos on high fidelity is amazing you hear the strike and the different notes clear and real sounding. Especially when the piano player is really good the keys roll and decay perfectly.
Jmcgrogan2, my first CT-1 and CT-1Es were from the Cable Company and I was told the CT-1 was well broken in and the CT-1E not. Perhaps this is the explanation. But when the CT-1Es, a full loom, were broken in for nearly a month only then did they have the top end of the CT-1 IMHO.
What I observed was that the Enhanced, Ultimate, and Ultimate Reference cables each took longer and longer time to break in. I have heard many great sounding cables but only the HFCs have the top ends that lend realism to music reproduction.
Thanks gents - unfortunately the waveguide is the only place I can't put the urr cable due to local regulations (see previous posts) and not having US outlets in the wall (illegal in New Zealand). Anyway my system is sounding amazing and I'm not missing my vinyl at all (blasphemy I know but it's the truth). I'm also using a entreq grounding system which has now settled down and has cleaned up the noise amazingly well. I'd have loved to get the tripoint but I just couldn't justify the extra dollars especially as I have no opportunity to see or hear what it does. Overall the current system is the best I have had and it's stopped me trolling the net for upgrades. The best thing is that I'm now searching out different types of music to try as I have spent the last 35 years being a prog rock collector but now have a substantial classical and jazz collection with a smattering of funk, brass and country music to enjoy.
Sammons, welcome back and congratulations on your WGPC!! a rare and wonderful device. I call it amazing but "wave guide power conditioner "is one name. "power box" to my friends ;-) The reason I like using a URR into the WGPC s that you end up with two fantastic Magnetic devices in series, and everything else is plugged into that combo. all components benefit. That being said, you will have an opportunity to try many combos. What I would love to hear is HOW IS YOU SYSTEM SOUNDING?? Cheers D
"it's always interesting reading how different people have different perceptions on similar topics"
That's for sure. As long as the listeners are human, perceptions are one part of the equation that can never be factored out. That's what helps make it an art beyond just an exercise in technology.
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