Stivervii,
I feel that gold has alot to offer high end systems especially if they have gone so far as to get that "HiFi sound" that seems to sterile, almost lifeless. If you've heard it then you know what I'm talking about, it's kind of dry sounding and it just doesn't seem to reach out and grab ahold of you. Gold can do wonders in bringing life back into a system and the music we all love. BUT, it's not for everyone, we all have different ears.
I'm glad that you are enjoying your interconnects, they do have a sound that is hard to beat don't they(did you find that background yet??lol.)! Even though I cooked them on the cooker for you just wait as they seem to only improve with time. Thank you for buying my cables and let me know if you ever have any questions or just want to have another "listening session", your more than welcome to stop by anytime.
PS- So where did you end up putting your silver coax cables at?
Rx8man,
It was great talking to you, you seem to know your stuff and have been around the audio block. I have had the privledge of hearing both the Jade and Gabriel I/C's and they both sound wonderful. Both of those guys make a quality product.
I think you are going to be very pleasantly surprised with your new cables. I'm actually pretty darn excited about you getting these babies in your system and I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I will keep you posted on the progress of their build and if you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you for your business, I greatly appreciate it.
1markr,
Sounds like you built yourself a nice set of cables, that wire isn't cheap is it? If you have the purity bumped up it starts getting really expensive. Which Eichmanns did you end up using? If you went with their great Copper Bullet and if your looking to piddle around with them and do some soldering you should give the Eichmann Silver Bullets a try. I would love to hear your thoughts on the differences between the two different plugs/metals.
Sincerely,
John
KCI |
Hi Art,
Your very welcome on the reply, glad to be here. At the moment I do not have a website but am in the process of working on it. Sorry about that, I really need to get on the ball there.
Art, if you have any questions or there is anything I can help you with please feel free to contact me directly and I'll do my best to answer your questions.
What cables are you currently using? How do you like em?
John
KCI |
Rx8man,
Just finished the 1.5 meter set and put them on the cooker, will pull them off tomorrow. Starting on the coaxials now.
I'll keep ya posted.
John |
Rx8man,
Glad they made it to you safe and sound. They are extremely musical aren't they, I agree whole heartdly(sp?). Even though they have been on the cooker if you give them a little time you will notice that they will still open up more as well as present more detail. Not sure what the deal is with pure gold being treated on a cable cooker; very hard to figure out the right amount of treatment. 24 hours seems to be the maximum amout of time to treat them or else they can sound shouty and a little blurry/muddy for a little while. Gold is odd but sounds wonderful. Thanks again for buying my cables and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime. I'm looking very forward to your thoughts as they begin to settle down and open up.
Spiro,
I have found the opposite effect with gold IF, and thats a big if, you go through the effort of having very pure gold wire pulled. I started with 14K wire and went from there, couldn't help but notice that as the gold became more pure the sound was more pure. Hence me decinding to use the 99.998% gold. Topping them off with Eichmann's Silver Bullets really brings everything together very well. Some of the Cardas as well as the WBT next gens are right there as well but cost prohibitive. I wanted to make the best sounding cable for the least amount of money I could.
I see that you make cables as well, gold plated silver. Are you using vermeil?
Stiverii,
I'm glad you have now had a chance to just sit down and "Enjoy the Music", that's what it's all about. Since we're in the same area, we'll have to meet up again sometime and do some more listening. Enjoy and if you need anything or have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Sincererly,
John |
I would have to disagree with you Psychicanimal. Most of us on this forum live in "electrically noisy" areas. Care to explain your conclusion a little more? |
Psychicanimal,
Still no reason to come in and slam or insult where someone lives or their system. So how's that refrigerator sounding nowdays??
Rx8man,
Glad your enjoying them, they will only get better. Looking forward to your comments in the next week or so. Enjoy your system, it's a darn nice setup.
Regards,
John |
Sorry for getting "side tracked", I shouldn't have fallen for the bait.
Stivervii & Rx8man,
I have been working on speaker cables but so far gold prices pretty much make it cost prohibitive. Going to a less pure gold will not give us the sound we are looking for(equal to the Pur series) so I continue on my quest....
How are your cables doing? Any new revelations or thoughts?
John |
Hi Rx8man,
Ha ha, told ya! Isn't it crazy how these cables behave as they break in? They open up in what I call "levels" and with each step they just get better and better. I'm glad you are enjoying them and I will keep you posted on the progress of the speaker cables we have in the works, I think you'll be very surprised!!
If you have any questions or requests please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks again for your business!
Sincerely,
John |
Just wanted to give some of you guys that have been asking for speaker wires an update. As you all know the pure gold speaker cables were just to expensive to make so we have been working with our vendor trying to come up with a gold alloy that has the same signature as our gold interconnects and this latest "mix" is on the mark! It sounds fantastic and I can't wait for you guys to give it a listen, your going to be shocked. I have ordered enough wire to make aprox. four 6' sets, I'll keep ya'll posted on our progress as things move along. Still trying to figure out the best connectors to use, the Oyaide(sp?) spades sure sound nice!
John
KCI |
Hi Clio09,
Are you referring to their hugely oversized connectors?? Man those things are monsters!!
John |
Hi Clio09,
I went to their website and checked them out, they do look like(and I've heard) they are great plugs but just to darn cost prohibitive as they would add over $1000 to the cost of my cables!! I would LOVE to try a set though, got any spares?? lol. Seriously though, thanks for the advice.
Sincerely,
John |
Hi Diepdvr,
Glad you would like to upgrade, your going to love the Silkworms, very very open and smooth. I will post more 1/2 meter sets soon and you are more than welcome to contact me directly anytime if you would like to forego(is that even a word??) the auction process. Also, if you need a 3/4 meter set I'd be glad to make you a set if thats what you need. Thank you for your repeated interest!!
Rx8man,
So Bigkidz is loving them huh? I'm glad to hear that, after talking to him on the phone I figured he would most likely love the sound of the Silkworms. And like you said, wait until he goes through a couple of the "levels"! Thank you for the refferal Rx8man, word of mouth is a great thing. So how are your newest cables doing, reach any levels yet? :)
Sincerely,
John |
Eldulcesol,
I'm glad your enjoying your new cables, after they settle in they will really open up and start to sing. Thank you for the nice compliments and please keep me advised on your thoughts.
Rx8man,
Hey stranger! So yours are finally starting to open up huh? Told ya, that thicker wire takes even longer doesn't it! I think our buddy above is in for a ride as his is even thicker! ha ha. Thank you for the great compliments on my cables and I'm glad you guys are all enjoying them so much. Take care and hope to talk to you soon.
Regards,
John |
Sti,
Hey man, haven't heard from you in awhile...and now you have Walsh Ohms, cool. I would love to give them a listen sometime if you ever feel like having a visitor! :) As for wiring your pre, I can do that and have been thinking of doing the same to my pre. La45 also has a great idea, I'm currently going to try my hand at a set of speakers(Zigman Hornets) and I plan to wire them internally with my wire, I'll let you know how it turns out. We'll have to chat soon.
Currently my cables are up for review at StereoMojo and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a favorable review. Keep an eye out on stereomojo.com for the upcoming review.
Best Regards,
John |
Hi Geared4me,
Thank you for your great post! Your cables are on their way to you via overnight express and are scheduled to be at your door by noon tomorrow(Tuesday), I sent you your tracking # via email early this morning. Enjoy them and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me anytime. Thank you for your business!!
Sincerely,
John |
Hi Donpark,
Yes Sir, I do make XLR cables and the gentleman a few posts above(Eldulcesol) just received a set a few days ago. I am working on speaker cables(wayyyy behind as I've been so tied up lately with interconnects) but currently have nothing available to the public for release, yet. Sorry, no power cords. I specialize in interconnects so I try to stick with what I know and do well. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or post em here and I'll try my best to answer.
Sincerely,
John |
Geared,
I'm glad they made it to you on time and that you are already enjoying them. As they settle down in your system they will begin to open up and reach higher as well as the bass will dig deeper and start to tighten up.
Enjoy them and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you!
Sincerely,
John |
Hi Duane,
Thanks for the great review! Much appreciated. Here is a review that Stereomojo just put up:
http://www.stereomojo.com/KCI%20Silkworm%20review/KCISilkwormCablesReview.htm
Best Regards,
John |
Stiverii, Rx8man and Geared4me,
Thanks for the props, much appreciated. I'm pretty happy about the reward, couldn't ask for more. I had an idea the review was going to positive when the reviewers contacted me wanting to buy the cables! I also thought the new review format they tried out(done as a conversation between the three reviewers) was pretty cool, my wife said it's the first review she's read that didn't bore her to tears and that she understood.
Once again, thank you for the kind words.
Best,
John |
Hi Marvin,
Thanks for the advice and the "plug". I do need to let people know about the Mandarinas, just have been so busy lately and I've been slacking.
I know you haven't had much time with this new set but are they starting to open up and display some of their magic? The set you have now are brand new not review pairs so they only have the short amount of time on the cooker. Hopefully you got some good time on em this past weekend! Enjoy and let me know if you need anything else.
Regards,
John |
Hi5harry,
I'm glad you are enjoying your cables, they will improve with time. Please keep us advised of your thoughts and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me anytime.
Sincerely,
John |
Wihong,
I'm glad you are enjoying your cables. By now the bass should be tightening up and digging a little deeper, how are they coming along?
John |
I'm slacking, falling behind here! I need to pay more attention as I seem to be missing posts.
Musicfile,
Any luck with your cables showing up yet? I hope they get there soon, please let me know when they arrive safely and also what you think. Thank you!
Rx8man,
Whoa, how are you doing Pat? Hey, can you email me so I can send you my shipping address, I'd like to update your cables to my new and improved strain relief system(don't worry, no charge), you will dig it. It is much more durable. I hope all is well with you, stay in touch and send me your email addy!
Myrtle,
Please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions you may have. You can email me directly at: John@koolcables.com
Best to all,
John |
Musicfile,
Excellent, I'm glad you are enjoying them. Please keep me advised of your thoughts and I'll keep you posted on the Speaker cable progress. Thanks again!!
Sincerely,
John |
Eldulcesol,
Hey, good to hear from you!! Glad to hear that your system is spanking some serious butt! If I'm ever up in your neck of the woods I'll be banging on your door for a listen!!
Stiervii,
Yes you did, now just sit back and enjoy!
Sincerely,
John |
I think this really boils down to what Mr. Smuck and a few others have said; it's a matter of synergy as well as being system dependent. If Mr. Park doesn't like the sound of the cables that is perfectly understandable.
Mr. Park has told me that some people are emailing him and calling him "childish and vulgar names". Lets not do that ok? I greatly appreciate everyones support(lots of emails!) but lets let this man have his say. As more and more of my cables get out there there is bound to be some who won't like them, and as much as I hate to see that it is inevitable.
Thanks to everyone!!
Kbuzz,
Were you ever able to speak to any curent users of the Pegasus digital cable?
Sincerely,
John |
Thanks everyone for the nice compliments, much appreciated!!
Jim,
I went and did some reading on that Delta Sigma amp, what a beauty! But, just a tad out of my price range.. Sure looks sweet though. Hope you enjoy the cables.
Sincerely,
John |
Don,
Thanks for the great feedback, much appreciated! Seriously though; I wish I could make a set of interconnects that would make everyone happy but as we all know that has yet to be done. I'm sorry to hear that you feel so strongly about the Silkworms but I guess you can't make everyone happy. I appreciate you giving our cables a try...however, judging by your remarks being almost the exact opposite of about 98% of the feedback I get from most other customers I'm curious if something couldn't be wrong with that set, I'm by no means anywhere close to perfect so it could be something is amiss. If you would like me to take a look at them(no charge) to make sure that all is in working order I'd be glad to do that, just pm me or email me(do you still have my email from speaking to me just a few days ago?) If you're interested in having me check them out just let me know.
Sincerely,
John |
It is .org, if you click on "May Issue", I believe the review starts on page 15 or 16. Nice review, he sure has a way with words, wish I could write like that! The reviewer called me several times about the Fireflies, he really liked them alot. Seems like a super nice guy and I enjoy reading his reviews. I wish I would have sent power cords and speaker cables too...darn it. |
Hi Jim,
Thank you for the kind words, I'm honored that TMH Audio choose us as your source for OEM wire for your excellent speakers. Now, if I can just talk you out of a pair of those babies and one of those spectacular amps I'd be in audio heaven!! Seriously though, I have to admit the pleasure was all mine in dealing with you & TMH Audio. I look forward to seeing what the future brings for both TMH Audio and KCI.
Sincerely,
John Prator |
Hi Art & Shadowshaman,
Glad you asked as we are just about done and ready to release two power cords as well as speaker cables(wayyy over due!). The two power cords are fine sounding cables with one being designed for source components and the other being designed for amplifiers. Keep your eyes peeled for them to make their debut!!
We also have a great little interconnect using Silkworm technology but with pure copper instead of gold and this baby sounds excellent! Very very nice open sound and as is our "house sound" smoooooth! Coming VERY soon!
Best to all,
John |
Hi Tvad,
I've got you on my list and have a great little recipe for you to try too! I'll keep you posted...
Sincerely,
John |
Hi Art,
So how are those prototype speaker cables sounding? Hope you are enjoying them, they will be our entry level speaker cable but they perform well above their cost IMHO.
Best,
John |
Mboldal,
The coppers are real sleepers but getting my vendor to pull the wire has been frustrating.....should be soon.
John |
I apologize for my absence, after pulling a real dumb stunt a few weeks ago I injured myself(broke a couple of ribs and ruptured my spleen!) and have been taking it easy trying to get this old body to heal. I'm feeling better now so you'll see more activity from me.
The speaker cables and power cords are ready to release, (I've actually sold a few here and there) it's just a matter of me getting off of my lazy behind and taking pics, writing up the ads etc. Again, I apologize for my absence and the delay. If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
John |
Hey now, I think we all know that I invented the internet and that I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN! Seriously though, He's just yanking your chain Rx8, he is actually a super nice guy but quite the smart aleck as well and he'll freely admit that!
ArtS is correct; from our testing we found that our good friend "the point of diminishing returns" shows up right around 20-22 a.w.g. or so. We have tried the different gauges(within reason) and found that it just doesn't get much better than 22 gauge but, if you have a seriously deep wallet, a mega buck system and a slight case of mental illness(in a good way of course) then maybe, maybe 20 a.w.g. But the cost just gets astronomical after that, or at least it does IMHO. I guess we all have our limits.
I do have to admit that rather than just offering an improvement in one area or another upgrading to the larger gauge improves the sound from bottom to top; more meat, more depth, more air etc. Like you all have discovered and said; "it's like Silkworms on steroids and is just more of everything". Now Rx8man my friend, whether going from 24 to 22 will be an improvement you consider worth the price of admission I cannot say. There will be an improvement you would be able to hear but, is it worth the cost in your case? That's hard to say and most likely only you can answer that one. Though I haven't personally had the priveledge of giving your system a listen I've heard that it is quite nice and you seem to be happy with it so, if I was you I'd stay right where I'm at, at least for now anyways.... :)
And just to clarify, I/KCI have actually been around since 1999 just not much of a presence(and I'm still not!! lol.).
Best to all,
John |
Rx8man,
Thanks for your concern but we lucked out and most of the storm missed us, just got some rain and a little wind(which is pretty much the norm in Texas). I did have my boat down on the coast but once again, lucked out and she's fine!
Snopro,
Glad you're liking your Silkworms, keep me posted on your thoughts as they settle down. Thank you!
Art,
How are the power cords and speaker cables coming along? I'm still trying to build another set of the SC's for myself, hopefully someday I'll finish them up.
Best,
John |
Hey Geared4me!! How are ya? Good to see you're still poking around the "audio world". The speaker cables Mr. Art has are a pretty simple design actually, it's the wire that is the real gem. They are a single run of pure silver wire(12 a.w.g.)for each leg pulled thru over-sized virgin teflon, covered in a cotton layer, then a layer of polyethylene and finally protected with a layer of better quality techflex type covering. They come standard terminated(cold weld) with Eichmann's gold plated, oxygen free high-conductivity copper spades.
Good seeing you on here and please feel free to email me directly anytime you have a question as I seem to be a "tad" slow in catching this thread. I hope you are doing well.
Best,
John
Hi Pat!! Glad you are still putting those cables through the paces. So how do you like that Cary? |
Hi Art,
Sorry for the delay, I've just been super busy.
I have been working on a few new products; one is a pure silver power cord using the same wire as the Firefly(of course larger gauge) and am also working on our new copper interconnect that got put on the back burner a while back. I'm very pleased with the performance of both of these so far and look forward to their release soon.
How have you been? Hope all is well with you up there.
Hey Musicfile, how is that system of yours doing? Hope you've been doing well.
Regards,
John |
Hello Arthur,
How are you doing? Did you ever get the newer Vac mono-blocks you were waiting for a while back?
Yes sir we do have a few things brewing; finally after two years we are rebuilding our website and I hope to have it launched in the next couple of weeks. I finally got off my butt and built some prototype cables I had been working on for a while including a much improved Silkworm, a copper interconnect that is surprisingly good and the silver power cord I had spoken to you about last year. Are you interested in a beta trial? If so shoot me an email.
Hope you're doing well and look forwardto hearing from you soon!
Best,
John |
Art,
Thanks for the email, a Beta package will be on the way this afternoon. Looking VERY forward to your thoughts.
This newer Silkworm is something I've been working on for a while but I wanted to keep quiet about it until I worked out the fine details. In most systems the standard Silkworm works wonderfully, but, it seems in a few systems the standard seemed to lack some texture and authority-this bugged me. I had a hard time figuring out what was causing this and in my testing have come up with an "enhancement" that offers quite an improvement, especially in systems that the standard Silkworm wasn't performing as it normally would or should. I'll elaborate further upon it's release, besides-you'll be hearing it within days! ;)
Rja,
Hey, how are you stranger? I hope you're doing well. The improved Silkworm should be available soon, just waiting for some more positive feedback from Beta testers. I will still offer the standard Silkworm, the improved version will most likely be the Silkworm Plus or Silkworm+. Keep checking here for updates and please don't hesitate to contact me directly if need be. Good hearing from you Rja, hope you have a great day!!
Best,
John |
Hi Joe,
Nice to see you here Joe, I hope you're doing well. I apologize for my delay, the did some work on the firewall here and I've been unable to get online since yesterday evening!
Hmmm, an S.E. owner asking about the newest Silkworm...I have to be honest Joe, I designed this bad boy(named Silkworm+) to try and compete with the S.E. Gold prices continue to climb making the S.E. unobtanium for most of us so last year I started working on an improved Silkworm. I must say the + is up there with the S.E. Joe, nipping right on it's heels. It's a helluva cable and I'm pretty proud of it. I'm getting quite a few inquiries via email and/or pm's so I thought I'd type up a response I can "copy & paste" to help answer some questions, I'll post it here if allowed.
Thanks for inquiring Joe, I hope you're doing great and would still LOVE to hear that system if I'm ever up that way!
Best,
John
HI PAT!! Glad to hear you're doing well, give me a ring sometime...... |
The Silkworm+(pronounced Silkworm Plus) is a project that I've been working on for quite a while now. My goal was to design a cable offering the same level of performance as our Silkworm Special Edition but without the extreme cost of the S.E. We often have customers contacting us asking for the S.E. but once they hear the price they shudder and run(I don't blame them one bit!). With gold prices continually on the rise the S.E. just gets further and further out of reach-for most of us anyway so I've known for a while I really needed to expand on the orginal Silkworm. One important goal was to try to design and build a cable capable of retaining all the great aspects of the standard Silkworm but expand and improve on this-smooth and even more extended highs, more authority, more texture and a deeper tighter bass. I wanted it all but without the extreme cost.
We began working with our wire vendor late last year on this project and after several failures, a whole bunch of "good but not good enough" prototypes, several bloody fingers as well as a few set backs, we finally got it. Success at last-and it's a beauty! It's got more of everything and brings our Silkworm platform to a level of performance that is beyond our expectations. I'd rather not give away any proprietary secrets but I can say this; this newest cable does retain the original pure 24 karat gold Silkworm wire so you're still getting your fair dose of pure gold, BUT, this baby now has double the amount of wire as previous versions. The Silkworm+ also incorporates a new and improved larger, more pure Teflon, an improved and more robust strain relief and to top it off.....some shielding! This is not a full braided type of shield as we found that type of shield sucked the life right out of our cables, but, it is a shield and it works very well. This extra shielding really helps the Silkworm+ offer a deeper/darker back ground making for a very quiet cable.
So, in short you still get the wonderful open/airy, warm and organic signature sound of the original Silkworm, but now you get an improvement across the board; oozing with texture, smooth and extended highs, deep and tight bass, a cable with the authority this baby will make you sit up and take notice. The Silkworm+ is exactly what we were hoping for and it has managed to exceed our expectations. They are much more labor intensive and take me twice as long to build as the standard Silkworm but it's worth every minute of it. I'm tired but I'm also very proud of this cable, it's what I've been striving for for quite some time.
As a side note; if you took note of our last few auctions on Audiogon a few months back you may have seen us selling the Silkworm MK-II, this was the beginning of the Silkworm+ but now we will have the true "Plus" version for sale very soon. |
Hey Joe,
Thanks for the props Joe. I'm happy to hear that you are still enjoying the S.E.'s, darn good cable and I'm a tad emarrassed to admit that even I don't own(to costly at the moment) though I hope to one day.
Thanks for the offer Joe and you can bet if I'm ever in your area I'll be ringing your door bell. I would love to hear that system!!
Hi John,
Man I was flipping through my files the other day and ran across your name(for all the digital cables) and was wondering how you've been, how are you? Are the digital cables still keeping you happy?
How is that Bottlehead phono stage? I'll be needing a phono stage for my wife in the future and have no idea where to begin, she's a vinyl freak and I am of no help to her at all.
Oh, and if I am ever in your area expect a door knock as well!! So many fine systems I'd love to hear-so little time.....
Best to ya both,
John |
Hi Arthur,
Thank you for the update, keep us posted as you get some more time on them and they begin to open up. I should have my new updated Audiodharma back here early next week, the new upgrade is supposed to be quite an improvement over the previous version. Can't wait to give that a try on the Silkworm+.
John |
Hello Dazone,
I'm glad you are enjoying the Pegasus cable, she's a real sleeper that's for sure. Thank you for your kind words, very much appreciated. Once your cable arrives I'll update it, treat it on the Audiodharma and return it to you promptly. Please keep me updated on your thoughts and if you have any questions or requests don't hesitate to contact me anytime. Thank you, have a great week!!
Best,
John |
Rx8man,
Just thought you'd like to know your new Silkworm+'s are currently at -325 F!! They'll be down there for a few days too, man that's cold!
Best,
John |
Pat,
Just got a note from the cryo treatment center; your cables exploded/shattered. Sorry man, that's a shame.... ;)
John |
Sherord,
I'll send Pat's cables to you first for inspection and then you can forward them on to him with your seal of approval after proper assesment(SP?) ;)
Pat,
Ha ha, ok ok they're fine, just had to give you some lip. They are on the way back and should be here Thursday then on the Audiodharma they go, after that it's off to Sherods place.
Have your new speakers arrived yet? If so please let us know what you think of those bad boys, we're all ears!
Best,
John |
Ok, just wanted to let everyone know that all of the cables are back from cryo and are currently simmering away on the Audiodharma. I'm going to let them cook over the weekend and then they're on their way to their new home!
On a different subject; when I received the box of cryo'd cables there were two new razors in the box, at first I was like WTF?? Then I realized why he sent them so it will be interesting to give them a go and see how well they work/if they last longer than normal. Pretty cool....
John |
