I wrote a couple of reviews of the Home Grown Audio Super Silver interconnects in the "Silver Cables - Great Price!!" thread. So, I'll only give a brief summary. I've spent the past six weeks or so with these cables. In that time I have had the opportunity to listen to music from Vivaldi and Mahler to Jacintha and Joni Mitchell to Neil Young and Peter Gabriel. Let me reiterate that what they do well is astounding. The soundstage is *very* wide; depth is not bad. Imaging and detail is excellent. Bass is extended, tight, and detailed. My system is solid state so my over-all experience is probably different than Trelja's. I wouldn't say that these interconnects are analytical but they aren't really warm either. The one problem that is a show stopper for me is that female vocalists like Joni Mitchel and Emmy Lou Harris sound like snakes when the lyrics have words with "s". As I stated in a previous review I still hold hope that this is a problem with my system and not the cable. My PS Audio Power Plant is arriving tomorrow...so, we'll see if it is noise problem. Given is price I would say that this cable is a must audition for *anyone* looking to upgrade. |
I learned about HOME GROWN from a post by Trelja several months ago.I went to their website and purchased a pair for $70.After four months of tests with my KCAG as my reference I can report that there is very little difference between them. I would give HGA a slight advantage in the deep bass and soundstage other then that they are so similar the difference is almost mute. My new HGA cables have found a permanent home linking my SONY XA7ES to a SIM AUDIO P5, and W5 driving full size MAGGIES.I think the problem with the HGA is that they do not cost enough to be taken seriously in the world of high end audio.I sold my KCAG and picked up some new vinyl and some room treatments which is money well spent.If anyone is thinking about silver cables give HGA a listen. |
Greetings, I demoed Home Grown (v) Silver Audio Bullets 4.0 The Home Grown are very good (especially for the price) however I prefer the Silver Audio which do cost more but were more dimensional and allowed me to hear more detail and additional bass. I used a tube system and a SS amp with a tube pre-amp. For me it was worth the extra money, for others maybe not. |
I'm trying Dekay's HG silver interconnects, but haven't tried the RF stoppers yet. So far, I'm not blown away, but when you factor in the cost, they are a good value for sure. |
I hate having to say this, but I'm in agreement with Carl. Bought a pair after hearing abt them from someone here, and have been far less than blown away (and I wanted to be.) Taken as a 'budget' cable, they're stellar performers; I have a pair of $250 copper cables that blow the HGA's away. And no, the price difference isn't lost on me, but you guys are comparing them to a far more expensive cable than mine. |
I upgraded the entire systems worth of interconnects to the HG silver and was absolutely tickled by the improvements across the boards. However, I was upgrading form a whole assortment of interconnects that retailed about the $100 mark each, so the HG's were hardly up against stiff competition. My only beef with them is, as voiced by many, their tendency to lend a little sillibance, especially to female vocals. Even that, however, has significantly mellowed over time -- though it is still far from ideal. For the price, they can't be beat. As the last word in interconnects, I believe one might have to look further. I might eventually do so myself, but for the time being I am quite content. |
if you are having problems with the s sounds has anyone tried the homegrown silver solutions ( the copy of kimber silver streaks)i have them in my system which is hk 710 cd player, citation 24 amp,citation 21 pre-amp and paradigm studio 60 speakers with kimber 4vs bi-wired and i have no problems with the ssssss's. |
Soup reveal to us your $250 cable, is it AP? Trelja I have not heard HG, the price is good but the RFI problem is troubling design defect. Your system is quite different from mine (all Musical Fidelity/Bel Canto dac1) I have compared Kimber Silver Streak and KCAG to Silver Audio SB4/Hyacinth and like LAK easily prefer Silver Audio more liquid fuller sound. Silver Audio had no trace of RFI even though it is same general unsheilded braided design as HG. But if you like HG silver that is all that counts, I prefer copper throughout my system after being temporarily seduced by by silver, Sam |
I use and enjoy the Homegrown Super Silver IC's. I have not compared them to a lot of cables, just Kimber PBJ and KCAG, also to HT's Silway and Truthlinks. I own the Truthlinks and the Homegrowns and prefer both to the others mentioned. I have a CAL ICON II, Musical Fidelity X-A1 and Castle Isis speakers. The Castles are noted in professional reviews as having some sibilance to the mids but it does not seem to be present with the use of the Homegrowns. The only "SSSSS" sounds that I hear are from vocalists that do not know how use the microphone and their tounge/teeth to their best advantage. The whole range is very detailed which includes the mids. Warmth is not a problem in my system as my source has a very warm/analog sound to it. I tried them on a Marantz 67SE player and the system did lack warmth, but I feel that it was due to the sonic signature of the player which is too shrill for my taste. Their "light" design also helps with the use of isolation components as well. I also enjoy switching out IC's and will order a pair of the Mapleshade IC's as well. There is not a lot written about them and having recently talked with their designer I am even more curious than before. I am not familiar with what an RFI problem would sound like. If it is a hiss at very high volumes then I am experiencing it with these cables. I do not listen at these levels but recently boosted the volume (without playing a source) to check out a new piece of equipment and heard the hiss from the X-A1 at around 12:00 on the gain dial. The new amp that I was checking out hummed horribly even at 8:00 on the dial and was returned. A friend from this site is sending me RFI stoppers to try on the cable, Carl will be using them first and hopefully they will remedy the shielding problem. IC's are very system and taste dependent, but I do not have a problem recommending the Homegrown IC's to anyone. They are detailed, smooth and very well balanced (and yes they even have full articulate bass). |
I alos use the HGA Su-er Silvers in all tube system w/ silk dome tweeters on the loudspeakers. Sibilance and noise florr problems as well, the later essentially gone after I put on Rf stoppers. However, purchased a set of shileded Fidelity research Silver Dragons at auction on Audiogon and, in my system, they throw a wider, deeper soundstage and have a better handle on the top end. Net, my HGA's are up for sale, and I think I'm done w/ cables for a while.. |
I just bought two pairs of the Homegrown Audio Silver Lace interconnects. Should have them in a cuople of days. Where do I get the RFI stoppers you have been talking about? |
A number of companies produce them, including AudioQuest. They are cheaper than cheap. I see that the Musical Fidelity NuVista interconnects, which are also silver, come with them built into each cable. Antony Michaelson has spoke on the topic, and considers them invaluable. This is in no way to say that silver is any more prone to RFI than copper. It is related to the cable construction. I also want to just let everyone know that the new HomeGrown Audio Silver Lace interconnects completely obliterate the HomeGrown Super Silver in every conceivable area. Have been holding back on a review, but will submit it soon. Color me stunned! |
I think you can also get RFI stoppers at Radio Shack, called ferrite clamps. Cheap and effective for RFI rich environments, such as the NYC area. |
Trelja-OK, I'll bite. What are the silver Lace IC's like? Had not heard about these yet... |
I bought a pair of the ferrite clamps from Radio Shack a week ago. It wasn't a stunning improvement. BTW, the PS Audio P300 Power Plant is impressive. The music is more transparent and palpable. Top-end is better integrated - but, unfortunately the sibilance problem with female voice I have been having with the Super Silvers was not improved. Maybe I'll give the Silver Lace a try; compared to their competition the price isn't all that high... |
Can someone reccomend a cost effective RFI stopper for my super silver ics. The audioquest set is 60 bucks...more than the cost of the ics... What is the cost of the RAdio shack ferrite clamps? Are there any other cost effective alternatives between the RS and Audioquest? |
I feel the need to clarify my position on RFI blockers. I see they are becoming an item on their own. The RFI I was experiencing was a local radio station coming through my system when the volume of my amp(only when the tuner was selected) was turned all the way down. As soon as music started coming through, this noise was no longer perceptible AT ALL. Perhaps I was a bit too anal about this whole thing. My integrated tube amp has a passive preamp section. It is VERY quiet. I am used to noise with other tube pre/power amps, this one does not have it. When I installed the RFI blockers, the radio station no longer came through, and everything was seemingly back to normal. In no way did the RFI blockers affect(good or bad) the sound of the system when playing music. If you think they will improve a cable, I have no evidence of such. I know Antony Michaelson, owner of Musical Fidelity, includes them integrally on his NuVista cable line(and they look snazzy). He feels the need to banish RFI that important. I did not purchase these. They were given to me by our great compatriot here on Audion, Eldragon. They should be VERY cheap, as there is nothing to them(but we know what things are like in audio). My father also gave me a magnet(ferrite?) in the shape of a ring that had the same effect(the RFI blockers are also magnetic). Only the magnet doesn't open and close, it just slips over the wire. One could just go buy some ferrite magnets(REALLY cheap)... I would say that a person would only need RFI blockers should they be experiencing excessive RFI(in any cable). Otherwise, why not forego them? Thank you all for letting me air my opinions. |
Does anyone know if a small amount of RFI would sound like a HF hiss at higher volumes (when music is not playing), I do not hear a radio station? I experience this with my Homegrown Super Silver IC's, but have dead silence at the same volume when I am running my Harmonic Technology Truthlink IC's. I do not ever listen at this higher volume by the way. I just noticed it when I was troubleshooting a defective power amp that I tried in my system. |
All this talk about RFI stoppers got me going and I went downstairs and picked up a pair of the Radio Shack ferrite clamps for lunch. Is it technically sound to place them at a latter stage in the chain (between preamp and amp) with the thought that, to the exent that there is interference to stop, getting it later would clean up anything that had entered the chain at earlier stages--or is effectiveness simply going to come down to the old trial and error trick? I tried'em out on the computer speakers here in the office (where RFI is REALLY bad) and they didn't do a darn thing. Not entirely encouraging.... |
Computer speakers/systems IMHO don't offer enough resolution for them to make a difference. Try putting one set between amp/preamp and one set between pre/source. You can also try them on your power cords if they will fit around without tearing into the insulation. |
The Radio Shack clamps are pretty cheap, as I recall. In the NYC area we have a lot of RFI problems, although I really haven't had too many. I use shielded cables, mostly, and haven't noticed too much difference with the clamps on them. However, my JP80MC has a lot of gain in the phono section for the moving coil stage, and when I bought it Victor Goldstein had just replaced the cabling in that portion with some Cardas wiring, as he was doing at the time. VERY short piece of wire. When I was listening to records, at times it would sound as if Niagra Falls was coming through my left speaker; it almost took out tubes in my amps, and you never knew when it would happen. I thought it was bad tubes, but as it was explained to me it turned out, after Victor and Frank Garbie took a look at it, that the Cardas either was not shielded or had been left with its shielding removed and was picking up RFI and magnifying it with 60db of gain, or thereabouts. The fix was that they put in a couple of the Radio Shack blockers; haven't had the problem since in 7 years. |
Rcprince, could you please pass along a way I could contact Victor Goldstein. Just for future reference, if I ever need some service. Either here or TRELJA@aol.com. Thank you very much |
My concern re RFI is that when I use by SS IC's with my vintage mc tuner I get a harsh spitiness/ssssss in the upper midrange which I do not get (as much) with my CD player. It could be a product of break in but i dont think so given the execellent performance with my CD player...any futher thougts (cc'd by email would be appreciated) thanks |
Kbuzz, have compared the noise coming through your system with the tuner selected and the volume all the way down between the HomeGrown Audio and your reference? Is the HomeGrown worse? Thank you. |
The Silver Solution is the best sounding interconnect I've had in my system. I was able to use it in my phono section w/o any problems by simply shielding it. |
Frank S: How did you go about shielding the IC? |
Hey, I just did a traditional AA one liner post. Don't know if I like it. I feel different, kind of light headed. Anyone interested in a one liner thread? |
Treja..thanks for the advice..acutally I dont get any audible noise with either the SS's or my ref. Transparent cable. Seems its like a degree of hash, spitiness and roughness in the upper highs with the SSs...mmmm seems strange..but maybe its the unsheilded design.... |
I justed wanted to post an update. The sibilance on female vocals has nearly disappeared. Its source was completely unexpected: vibration. I plan to start a new thread discussing the vibration control products I used. |
Hi, I am looking for a 4M balanced IC. This IC will be between the Jadis JPS2 and JA50. I have always heard that Silver IC works magic in Jadis system because of its speed, transparancy and abilty to reveal the smallest musical information. For now, the choices are Silver Audio Appasionata, Hyacinth, Coincident CST and Home grown Silver Lace. I really need a recommendation from someone with experience on these cables. If possible please state whether your system is SS or tube. Thanks Terry |
Triotrio, I think you cannot go wrong with any of your choices. I have a Jadis amp(w/Coincident speakers). I own HomeGrown Audio Super Silver and Silver Lace. Also have Coincident CST(currently on my tuner). And I have had Silver Audio Hyacinth in my system. I recommend both Silver Lace or Silver Audio heartily. The Coincident is not silver, but copper. It is the best copper cable I have tried. Very neutral(best point of this cable), detailed, and full. In my system, I prefer what silver offers me. The ability to hear more of the music. Both Silver Audio, and the HGA Silver Lace feature thinner gauge conductors(as does Stealth - which some people will recommend to you, I am sure). I like the Silver Lace, as it has the best dynamics of any silver cable I have heard. Although, I cannot say that Appasionata would take a back seat to any cable in the world(have not heard it, but cannot say enough good things about Silver Audio stuff). If money factors at all into the picture(which it probably does not for you), HGA Silver Lace is the choice. Best cable I have EVER heard. |
Thanks Trelja fro the quick reply. I will have to check and see if the Silver lace is available in balanced. The appassionata is only available in up to 3M. Choices are now narrowed down to Hyacinth and Silver Lace. Can you tell me the difference betwen the two? |
I'm late joining this thread, and Trelja has pretty much said it all. I recently replaced all of my AudioQuest Ruby interconnects with HGA Super Silver interconnects, plus a Silver Lace from the preamp to the main power amp. I bought the kits and enjoyed assembling the cables. I'm very pleased with the overall improvement to the soundstaging and dynamics, and for the price of the kits there is NOTHING out there that is competitive. |
