Branislav, yes. Only the speaker wires.
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 have 1100 hours on my Ultimate spk. cable and it seems to get better all the time. I've been reading forum but haven't written on this since pg. 3 (early April). I've been waiting for my new custom integrated amp to arrive but it is at least another month away so I will comment now. Whenever I listen I am amazed by awesome "realness" like I've never heard in 35 years of listening. There is something so special about the sound from the HI Fidelity cables that I have been a fan since I first heard the CT-1 interconnects. The Ultimate series is much much much more improved. At 1100 hrs. it continues to get more liquid, more natural, more powerful, cleaner, clearer and more detailed. they are pure joy. I hope to get Ultimate REFERENCE Cable and HI Fidelity magnetic power filter box by the end of the year. |
Dear members Where in the signal chain do you find the high fidelity cables to make the largest improvement in order of priority? IC from source? Pre to power amp or speaker cable.? Which ones give the best improvement? I know a full loom would be best, but if done piece-meal where us a good place to start? Andrew |
Price of Hi Fidelity Ultimate Reference speaker cable $12,500.00 for 1 Meter and I believe $900 for each half meter more. I spoke to Rick while he was at CES this week. I'm making plans to get the UR speaker cable as soon as I can. I have had so much fun and been so amazed with all the HF cables so far. Thank You Rick Schultz for my amazing year in audio. The best in 35 years of listening. |
I have tried HFC cables in a few systems now. Their strengths are they just let the signal come through with the least distortion and coloration compared to other cables. So keeping this in mind, my experience has been to start upstream at the source - as once the signal information is lost here you cannot get it back down the chain. As a digital cable the HFC is just awesome, as well as phono or DAC to pre. I would get the speaker cables last. This is not to say the speaker cables do not have a big effect, in fact once the rest of the system is HFC wired the speaker cables can have the most dramatic impact on the sound, but this is due to the upstream signal finally coming through with such clarity. I would also suggest to start with the CT-1E series for interconnects and phono cables. With a good systems it is a very large jump over the CT-1. Considering the retail price increase of only $1600 to $2800 it is worth making the jump. Many cable companies would price such a jump in performance at 5-10k. But to truly appreciate the range above CT-1 you need a decent system. For example a cheap source and integrated amplifier will barely see a performance leap from CT-1 to CT-1E but in a good system it can be huge. The negatives of the HFC line in general is they do not color/tailor the sound and for some systems this is actually needed and preferred. |
Not at all amazing. They are excellent cables. It is also true, as well put above, the more resolving your system is, the more you will hear the differences between the cable levels. You would think this to be common sense, but some of the comments on this thread and others make me wonder some times. :-) |
Agisthos, You summed up the attributes of the HF CTI line of cables very well. To my ears they seem to preserve audio signal integrity with very little editorializing. So a higher resolving system provides a more natural sound and less hifi artificiality. The end result is more musical realism, natural sound is the ultimate goal in my opinion. Charles, |
HF Wave Guide Power Box- first impression. I fell so fortunate to get to try Rick's power box as I have found no info online that they even exist . Rick has mentioned the power box to me many months ago but the were awaiting parts. I just got it yesterday but my first impression reminds me of the first time I put a CT 1 cable in my system. Hearing my system do things I did not know were possible. There is a tiny layer of detail now clearly audible behind the tiny details I could hear in my system with all CT ultimate cables in it. There is improved sound quality at all frequencies. Even more natural sounding,more dynamics, more control, more depth and tightness of image. Wow factor of 10. I will report more as it breaks in. I only have it for 1 week trial. Rick is set to produce two wave guide power boxes, small and large. The small retails at $6000 and had two duplex outlets. The large retails at $10,000 and has 4 duplex outlets. I am testing the large which is said to have more weight than the small. The smaller one is said to have very good weight and perhaps a bit better air. but both have similar sound and effect. more reports to follow. |
Ddraudt, since last year I have had some HFC wave stabilizer modules that I run on the power lines just before the power enters my 6 outlet distribution box. It is amazing, clears up the sound and video on my AV setup. Its one tweak I cannot live without. My modules are an early test version, much smaller and much lower power than those found in your Wave Guide power box, so I can only imagine how good your system now is. This technology works as good with power as with IC and speaker signals. |
With the very high level of sound I've heard via the HF CTI cables this technology in their Wave Guide Power Box would be fascinating to compare against the much acclaimed Tri point Troy Grounding box. I suspect that both of them are excellent. I wonder which would impact a audio system more profoundly. People seem truly in awe of the Tripoint Troy. Regards, |
Ddraudt, the Ultimate waveguides are used in the small one and the Ultimate Reference in the large one. Charles1dad, I will soon have a Waveguide Power box. I reviewed the TriPoint Grounding box some time ago and recently learned that it is replace by an improved model. I loved the Troy, but could not afford it at the time. I don't think they are not incompatible. The troy has nothing directly to do with the signal or the ac. I may get the new Troy for review or even just to try. I would not hazard a guess as to which would have the greater impact. You know that Tripoint does have a very expensive ac filter. |
Hi Tbg, Yes I know these two products are designed to do dfferent things.My interest is just based on a strong curiosity, if you could only have one or the other,which one would provide the most overall impact/improvement in a system upon insertion. I`ve never read a less than rave comment concerning the Troy by those who`ve actually heard it. Charles, |
Hi Charles1dad, I would love to hear you impression on both. I don't think the HF wave guide power box is a filter per se. It does have one capacitor but it is more a magnetic wave guide device that operated on the same principals as the HF CT cables do, with similar effects, on the power side of the equation. A friend from Houston is bringing a number of good to great power cords and his latest power box design here this weekend here to help see what this power box can really do. I've been enjoying his power box for a year and we will try it in conjunction with HF power box and each separately. I will also try tweaks like damping, shielding and isolation like I have used successfully with the CT cables. |
I got very lucky a few days ago and found a used Tripoint Troy MK II. I should have it in about a week,Tripoint is putting the smaller size spades on my grounding cables prior to shipping it to me. I`m really looking forward to hear what it does in my system. The folks on Audio Exotics are crazy with joy about the Troy.Now that the Troy Signature is available they`ll be crazier yet1 |
Charles1dad, this will be very interesting. When I had the Troy in, I noticed that the sound was quieter, more involving, had a more defined soundstage, was sweeter, and more dynamic. Most of these characteristics apply to what I hear from the HF cables also. I would presume that they would apply to the HF Wave Guide Power Box also. I suspect you will be in complete awe. |
Hi Tbg, I'll admit reading the comments of of Troy owners on Audio Exotics got my attention. These people strike me as sincere and true lovers of superior music reproduction rather than chasing the hifi game. I think they're seasoned and very sophisticated listeners who can sniff out the artificial crap pretty quickly. Their frequent use of "real" and "natural" to describe what they hear with the Tripoint Troy is exactly what motivates me as well. I'll find out soon, I'm very encouraged. Charles, |
High Fidelity Wave Guide Power Box... (HF WGPB) awsome, breathtaking, extraordinary, stunning, spectacular. One week break in, followed by an exhaustive 10 hour assessment of the power box by 3 audio entheuasts. 1- 35 yrs. in audio product testing & development. 2 - 35 yrs. in speaker & “iso devices” designer and builder. 3 - cable and power box designer and builder. (2 of the 3 guys own HF Ultimate cables.) In Short.... We tests Rick Schultz’s magnetic wave guide power box (the larger version) in conjuction with many enhancement devices. cables, connections,- and items for isolation, damping and shielding. Reviewers comments on the sound The final result transported us to a new world...advancing the definition of aural excellence. HF WGPB made EVERY aspect of musical reproduction better. I can’t believe this sound!! Beyond all the standard audiophile buzzwords like tightest, chrispest, fullest, quietest, cleanest.... most liquid, most musical, most solid image,,, There is an uncanny sense of emtional involvement beyond all previous experances. Wow!, MAN!, God!, Wow!! Oh- Ah-Ooo(repeaded many times) Killer!! Can you tell Rick you lost it?? I’ve never heard anything like it. What I once thought was wonderful is now nothing compared to this. I may have to stop listening until I can reproduce this sound again. I have an extra kidney I could sell. |
Given my experience with the HF cables the response to the WGPB isn't a surprise and actually expected. It would appear to be the case that this and the Tripoint Troy are both sublime products. Either is probably a major asset to any audio system. Both are made by exceptionally talented and driven people. Charles, |
TBG, My home and the HF WGPB test were in Austin. I wish more folks could have heard it too. Looking forward to you views once you get to try it. After reading reviews for over 3 decades, I struggled to find a way describe the amazing experience fully without rehashing overused phrases. Still trying to wrap my head around the experience. With some tweaking.... the WGBP brought my system (with all HF Ultimate cables) so far beyond what I dreamed possible that I am still dumbfounded. Even music I don't like sounds good. |
Ddraudt, I have been around for a long time also, since the late '50s. I too am at a loss for words even after HP wrote a new vocabulary. I have already had marvelous improvements recently not only with the High Fidelity cables as to leave me realizing how deficient my sound was even four years ago. I have come to totally reject those who would have us be satisfied with good music and the belief that we will never get a perfect reproduction. The HFCs and other things make me realize that I have gotten much closer to "real." It is absolute thrilling to hear great recordings that will never be heard again except as reproductions that actually sound real. In addition to realism, I am hearing more instruments and great tumbrel accuracy, and I might add more mistakes, lip smacking, etc. All of this ad to sitting very close to the performers in seats or in recording venues where I would be unlikely to be. If the WGPB adds as much as have the latest of the HFCs, I will be tickled to death. I thought your post conveyed excitement; screw anything else. |
Tbg,Thanks for your comments. I still remember the words to pop songs from the late 50's. The WGPB is really that good... when hooked to the right components with the right amount of tweaking. Like you, I have been making other improvements (rebuilding my listening room walls, floor and ceiling,- custom battery operated CD player- $10,000+ in good tweaks and 3+ decades in tweaking techniques. with much more to come. I must say that Rick Shultz and High Fidelity have made the most dramatic improvements toward realism of anything else I have tried. Happy listening DD |
Here's something to check out. |
Just bought the Wave Guide Power Box I was testing. decided I didn't want to go without it in my system. silly things like car repairs and dental work can wait. Thank you Rx8man for the WGPB photo My box is on its side, in the corner, behind some tube traps with a bunch of stuff piled on top for damping. not a good photo op. |