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
I purchased the CT1 because they sounded better than any other cables i have ever used. I WANTED to get off the cable wagon. But its like jumping from a frying pan into the fire!! The CT1 is the lowest in the ladder with 4 more levels. The mind boggles.
Someone said that Rick is thinking of getting rid of the CT1. The cynic in me is thinking the only reason why he would do this is that the margins in other models are higher. Also a lot of people would be happy with just the CT1 and thus may be losing sales higher up.
I'm so excited when I hear my system now with UR digital and U speaker cables that I want to run out and drag folks in to listen, saying,"Do you believe this sound". partly because I'm having a hard time fathoming just how real it sounds. I play the system much more ofter and I'm loving it. In the coming weeks I will have Audio reviewers, designers, builders, hi end audio store owners, musicians, audiophiles and others over to listen. I'm so grateful a close friend of mine turned me on to High Fidelity Cables a year ago. They has brought music so real I must forget what I've learned about audio the previous 35 years and to start anew in this era of High Fidelity Magnetic Magic. ;-) D
Charles1dad, I have BMC gear which has the benefit of "current injection." But this improvement only works with balanced cabling. I had been using Exemplar LLC silver Portals with exceptional sounds. The HF CT-1 Es in single ended and without current injection were better. Needless to say the Ultimates and now the Ultimate References are clearly better than better.
As you say I am merely enjoying the HF cables and not waiting for balanced versions which might be even better but certainly are not imminent.
Tbg, I agree in that given the magnets and construction required, balanced cable may not be feasible with this design. In truth the HF cables are so excellent that RCA vs XLR becomes moot. I wouldn't obsess over this issue, just buy them and enjoy their superb sound. Charles,
TBG, one of my interest with High-fidelity cables is you can run a full loom of it without any remorse from what I have been reading here on this thread, there seems to be alot of the members doing the full loom.
Thankyou TBG, I believe tring to use any kind of adapters would undermine the performance of any cable, As you know, my amp only has balanced and cast connections, sad but true, on the bright side of things, surely I will have the RCA connections for my second system, then I can rent some High-fidelity cables from the cable company when the time comes.
Audiolabyrinth, I care little about whether you have a system or not. On your question about whether there are balanced HF cables, there are none. I doubt there ever will be such. I can just imagine what the XLR would look like to have three sets of magnets properly set around the conductors. Since these cables break the paradigm of what to expect of top cables, such as the conductors not being silver or copper, perhaps balanced would be no improvement.
Audiolabyrinth & Morningstaraudio, Thank you for echoing my excitement over this world changing development of MAGNETIC CONDUCTION. Those who have not heard could not possibly know how dramatically they change the face of signal transmission beyond anything ever heard before. I'm happy to be one of the "wildly enthusiastic" group. The long list of glowing reviews and a 2 year thread do indicate something very special is going on here but one would still have to hear it to have any hope of comprehending. Even hearing it I have trouble comprehending this "So Real" experience. In 30 + years of audio, the most annoying trait for me to deal with is "contempt prior to investigation". though caution, and even skepticism can be helpful, close-mindedness will never help get anyone get anywhere new. I would categorize myself an an"early adapter" so I'm comfortable hanging with you guys on the cutting edge. The music is so good here that I laugh out loud.
I am sorry gentleman, Not that This matters, LOL! I can send Pics of my full system, other than the The digital source I am buying to run direct to amp, Rest assured, I have a full system, I felt that I needed to say this, I have a system, since it was made out that I do not, I can prove other wise!, this is lame, let's get to the core of the thread!, Does High-fidelity have Balanced cables yet?, If not, Do any of you know If, and when there will be some balanced Interconnects?
Man-o-man, John-Jmcgrogan2, You are absolutly wrong here, everything you said is FALSE!, I gave a valid explanation here that is the truth!, I had my exspensive cables for a long time, the last cable I bought was bought in june 2013!,why does this matter, these people do not care, neither do I!, what part of my post you do not understand!, I'm done, Those that can read understand what I posted!, This is a nice thread, I want them to carry on, without this B.S.!
HF prices, Thanks Friends for the interesting off topic discussion. Back to High Fidelity, I just received a price list that includes the power cables so I'd thought I'd let those interested know. Power Cables Ct-1 Ultimate $6,900 / 1 meter ,$675 additional 1/2 meter. CT-1 Ultimate Reference $10,900, $675 add 1/2 meter. photo's and reviews coming soon. the music is playing and I'm having the most fun ever. D
Putting together a system is a long road traveled.Priorities come first, so a piece here and a piece there whenever budget allows I work 2 jobs just to fund my the lifestyle my wife and I enjoy. She works also( does anybody need any shoes or clothing) lol, after 39 years of marriage she has the things she wants, I have the things I want. After the initial U digital cable and learning from this forum that IC's,speaker cables all work in conjunction with this magnetic technology, I slowly added( well ok, it wasn't that slow about a month) for the IC's, now I'm biting at the bit for the arrival of the speaker cables, I just can't wait as the anticipation as to what I will hear has my mind racing every day. I want to thank all that have contributed their thoughts and reviews to this thread. Bill
Audiolabyrinth, My "cart before the horse" comment was simply a way of describing my individual approach, nothing more. I have no idea how you construct your system or what its current status happens to be. I make the assumption on this site that we're adults and are capable of doing what they feel is best forttheir needs. Charles,
Audiolabyrinth I agree with you 100%. When I first got into analog I did not have a turntable and a phono stage. So what did I do? I bought tons and tons of records. I probably did not hear any of them for at least a year.
Hi charles1dad, I do not believe in putting the horse before the cart myself, My first piece was my speakers, then my amp, digital player and cables were bought at the same time, then I bought more cables, and will be buying more cables, each step with each addition of another better performing cable has helped my system alot.
@ Jmcgrogan2, why are you making fun of my down time with my system, I am in transition of getting a new digital player that takes time for me to pay for?, I had my cables long before this move, the cost of my cables has nothing to do with what I am doing!, My company is seasonal, I buy my gear in the spring, summer, and part of the fall. I could sale one of my looms of cables and get my digital player, I choose not to, I am keeping everything, I am going to build a second system with the loom of cables I am not useing on the main rig, and the digital player I am going to buy soon will land on the second system when I buy a much better player for the main system, I took the money from the last digital player and did a wise move!, I bought a very nice pick-up and trailer for my company, that way I can make more money and spend more on audio, I believe that making two to three times more money than I did last year will help, to make that happen, I Invested in the company!
Welcome Jmcgrogan2 & Acman3, to this "High Fidelity" thread . It's true, the best of the CT-1 series cost dearly. I'm selling my $10,000 Ultimate speaker cables to buy the $15,000 Ultimate Reference. (prices reflect 2.5Meter cables). Each piece of HF gear was a stretch for me but the results………worth every penny!!
Also true, these cables create an image and a "realness" that I could not have imagined possible. Reviewers and bloggers have gone crazy over this new magnetic transmission method and their Unbelievable - Unequalled results.
I kind of like the challenge of working out how to come up with huge piles of cash to advance my audio nirvana. Still, the Ultimate and Ultimate Reference cables are going to be out of reach for all but the wealthiest or craziest of us. (i'm not wealthy so…)
Also, I'm fairly sure the people on this thread already have audio systems. ;-) Dave ;-) Dave
Jmcgrogan2, I'm assuming a practical approach. Once you've settled on the fundamental audio components in your system, then careful cable and accessory selection come into consideration. I don't believe in putting the cart before the horse method. Charles,
I just hang my cables on the wall, with audio approved hangers of course. They take up less room than traditional components, but can be bright in the wrong room.
Btw, I have one CT1 interconnect and am trying to figure out which child to sell to upgrade, or buy speaker cables.
Leicachamp, I use a full loom of Ultimate ics and early Ultimate Reference speaker wires. When I went from Ultimate to Ultimate Reference speaker wires, I certainly heard an improvement, but it took a long time to reach its best. I'm trying to recall when I got a full loom of Enhanced with my Exemplar Portals being replace for the High Fidelity. I think I was very impressed. I must have been as I put the old cables back into a box.
You are right charles1dad, I agree with you, I enjoy reading all of your post, you are a well grounded audiophile, me, sorry, At times I get excited, some cables and other audio gets me the same as getting into a Ferrari for the first time versus a volkswagon, you can understand that, you have been there yourself, I enjoy every ones excitement Here, this is what it's suppose to be all about.
Audiolabyrinth, You have to trust what"you" hear and have confidence in your personal assessment regardless of what others may say of your findings. I wouldn't advocate that cables and accessories always trump components. However in certain situations their impact can be startling and exceed what one might have predicted. Totally subjective and each case is unique. Charles,
Yes I've come to appreciate the substantial contributions properly chosen accessories can make on an already solid foundation system. Duelund CAST capacitors, High Fidelity CT-1U digital cable, Tripoint Troy(lucky to obtain used) and Star Sound Apprentice platforms have been nearly phenomenal in what they've done for my audio system, truly superb products. They elevate major components that were on a high performance plane to begin with. Charles,
Wow!, I would love for any of you to post on the Taralabs 0.8 thread about cables and accessories that better the sound of most componets, this is my same exsperience, my cables cost way more than the componets in my system, I thought I was maybe alone with believing that cables and accessories make the big difference with sound in a High-end system, They think I must be crazy to even say what all of you have here, cheers to all, this makes me happy to read there are believers!
Bill, congrats on the UR speaker cable. I'm definitely going to get some UR speaker cable after hearing my UR digital cable totally alter perception. Making the choice is easier that coming up with the money.
On the Ultimate Reference Wave Guide Power Conditioner, which Norm, Rick and I have. UR WGPC has three large UR speaker cable waveguides ($16K) The UR power cord has 3 UR interconnect waveguides. ($10,900. 1M, + $675 for each 1/2M added.) I have not heard the power cords yet. I'm sure the power cords are as great as all Rick's other products, but I don't think they would replace the UR WGPC. I'll never let go of mine.
FYI: there are also Ultimate WGPC and power cords. Dave
Charles1dad, I think there are only three HF WGPCs out and only 8 Troy Signatures in the US. I guess that is pretty rarified company. It really is a shame that these are both expensive for either parts or labor. Miguel of Tripoint even got me to polish my StillPoints Ultra Fives, and it made a very nice improvement.
I have to agree with TGB and Charles about accessories. I discovered over 30 years ago that I could achieve a better sound with cables that cost more than the other equipment. Also that a lot of proper damping and shielding can create wonderfully smooth and surprisingly detailed sound with great bass. And that the room is a component of the sound and should be afforded the amount of time and money as other components. Ricks HF products, for me, make the most monumental improvement of all the stuff I've tested since 1972. i think maybe Stillpoints might be 2nd. they both allow micro detail that was previously impossible. and therefore, create a "previously impossible to achieve" soundstage. My mind still boggles at how it could sound so "real".
Charles1dad, good but tough question. I would really have to do a long time A/B comparison, taking one out and allowing its effects to drop out, listen, and then do the same for the other. Also, I'm still experiencing improvement with the new HF WGPC. I guess that the HF WGPC is a better buy for the money, especially as I have the Troy ground wire to the mains, but I'd hate to be without either.
Took the plunge and just sent payment for the UR speaker cables. OMG, my wife would throw me on the sofa if she knew. Will be saving up for the HF power conditioner in the future but from a recent post in this thread a power cord will soon be available. Dog house here I come. Bill
Tbg, My experiences in recent years has me leaning toward your conclusions on the impact of "high quality" accessory products. What in your opinion has more system impact, HF Wave Guide Power conditioner or the Tripoint Troy, is this a fair comparison? Which would you recommend more enthusiastically? Charles,
Leicachamp, I think there is much learning from experience in the HF cables. As I understand it the CT-1Es came about in doing phono cables using CT-1 standards. My guess is that the initial cables aren't selling much and will be discontinued. I also think the uptick of prices is the cost of rare earth magnets and more magnets.
Presently, I'm using a $3500 amp with cables worth many times that, but the sound is better than had I invested only in amps of perhaps $20,000 or more. And then there is the HF ac conditioner. I'm beginning to think that cables, isolation, and conditioning ac is more important than amps, preamps, and even speakers.
I decided to keep my CT 1 and to add a CT1e to my system.The Australian importer www.audioheaven.com.au was kind/evil enough to lend me a set of CT1 E. My initial plan was to trade in my CT1, but using the CT1 between cd and pre and CT 1 E between pre and power, proved to be a magic combo.
I am considering upgrading to the CT1 U, but my brain still cant come to terms with a IC costing 50% of my preamp.
The HF cables improve the sound of my system in a way that a component upgrade cannot. Those of you who have tried HF cables know what i mean.
It will be interesting to see how the Trickle effect will improve the lower range High fidelity cables in the future.
Ricks company seems to be unique in that it starts off with its lowest price cables first and subsequently each cable introduction is one model higher and roughly double the cost.
Also will be interesting to see how competitors will design their cables to compete with Ricks Cables.
Tsushima1,Greetings from Austin ( other side of the pond) about a month ago you reported getting a Ultimate Reference interconnect in London and I was wondering what your thoughts were so far? Dave
Ultimate vs. Ultimate Reference cable, my first comparison. I believed that I was in for a real treat with UR cables after reading Jack Roberts review on the Ultimate Reference cable. And I recently got a sense of the UR with my UR power filter. But I was not ready for what I heard. I have had an Ultimate digital in my system for 6 months and it was superb and, by far, the best I've ever heard, a huge and amazing improvement over the Enhanced. i had reached Nirvana with my UR. power filter and could not imagine how my system could improve even though i knew it would. I installed the UR digital for 24 hours then replaced it with the Ultimate digital. I was dumbfounded …. The UR had made the best cable I have ever heard sound like a dime store toy. I had already enjoyed a sound that was totally outstanding. The new UR sound was so much more advanced that it sounded like a different system altogether. So much more ALIVE and real sounding it seemed to transcend music reproduction altogether. I'll let the reviewers wax poetic about the improvements in this song or that and just echo my golden eared friend response…. "IT'S WAY BETTER…… AT EVERYTHING!!!"
HF UR Waveguide Power Conditioner makes a bigger improvement than Ricks' cables. Shocking to us testing the upgraded UR WGPC. But the agreement is that the big, Ultimate Reference WGPC ($16K) made a bigger improvement that my full loom of Ultimate cables. and also deemed more critical in other high end systems with UR cables. Shocking because the HF cables are FAR better than all other cables I have tried in 35 years. Hard to believe? Only one way to tell. Caution: do not listen if you have to give it back because that will prove impossible. I'm looking forward to the first official review in this amazing piece. It is surely one of the most significant improvements I've ever heard.
Tbg, are you comparing the Us' bass to the Es, or to other ICs with good bass? And can anyone estimate roughly how many hours in one's system is needed to get the Us' bass to a point where it's pretty realistic in terms of weight/density? I've already put 130+ hours of FM noise through them, but now that they're in my Stax SR009 system I don't want to degrade vintage tubes more than I have to without listening to music in the process. I enjoy their sound now apart from this one lack. Btw some people think the Stax are a little lacking in bass, but in my current system the bass of some other ICs such as the Shunyata Anacondas sounds realistic.
leicachamp, I my experience, the HF cables do somethings that all other cables do not, so, according to that theory, your speaker cables are the limiting factor because they don't have the control or the bandwidth to show what the IC's are really doing.
Also true is that each successive line in the CT-1 series is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the next….SIGNIFICANTLY!!! the Ultimates are a way bigger improvement over the E than the E is over the 1 and the improvement from U to UR is unbelievable.
So really, you can't go wrong with either move. I have enjoyed every level of HF cables but will tell you that the U is really when it gets super magical. Maybe you can find someone selling their Ultimates. (hint) IF money is an issue as it is with me the IC is half as much as the speaker cables so you could start there.
leicachamp, I my experience, the HF cables do somethings that all other cables do not, so, according to that theory, your speaker cables are the limiting factor because they don't have the control or the bandwidth to show what the IC's are really doing.
Also true is that each successive line in the CT-1 series is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the next….SIGNIFICANTLY!!! the Ultimates are a way bigger improvement over the E than the E is over the 1 and the improvement from U to UR is unbelievable.
So really, you can't go wrong with either move. I have enjoyed every level of HF cables but will tell you that the U is really when it gets super magical. Maybe you can find someone selling their Ultimates. (hint) IF money is an issue as it is with me the IC is half as much as the speaker cables so you could start there.
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