James22,
Glad the Supra's are working out for you! |
I just got a set of Supra Classic 6.0T's to use with my TSM-MX's and must say these really do fit the bill. I have struggled recently with cables for the TSM - with a PrimaLuna Dialogue Two fitted with Gold Lion KT-77's, most cables I tried ended up sounding thin and brittle - Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Python, and even the recommended Au24. The best luck I had was with (believe it or not) Naim NACA5 which gave a nice full bodied sound at the expense of treble extension and detail. The Supra maintains this richness and adds the missing treble extension - pre-burn in, from the onset I could tell this is the right cable for my setup, fairly neutral leaning a little towards the sweet and smooth side of things. Highly recommended and a steal at the price. |
Several months ago, I upgraded my TSM-mmi rig from the RC's to the Master RC's. I can now report that the upgrade was unquestionably cost effective and very worthwhile. The Master RC's are beginning to really break in, and the improvement from the standard RC's is not subtle: everything is even more seamless and coherent sounding, open sounding and revealing. Well worth the upgrade if you're contemplating it! |
You are suffering from temporary sanity. |
Happy to be able to say I'm not obsessive about my system. Reaching "good enough" is already a lot of work -- and it's good enough. |
Next to your 12lb power cords that will blow you away.... |
Rebbi.
I agree 100% with the comment about domestic settings and at some point you just need to sit back and listen. After tweaking, trying out CD players and cables and all the rest I finally agreed with my wife to TAKE A BREAK...at least for the summer. I stopped listening for issues and areas to tweak and started listening to music. Come winter I'll probably re-start the madness, but we shouldn't forget that the music is the thing.
Now....where are those helium filled CDP isolator feet I ordered? ;')
Rob |
Most of us who don't have dedicated listening rooms end up making compromises, for sure. But I agree with Bobby that the room is key. Putting an area carpet down in my listening room, which otherwise is very "live," made a big difference for not a lot of money. Would I like to do more radical stuff to the room for the sake of sound? Sure, but domestic tranquility prevents me from doing some of that stuff. I have to take my significant other's room livability and aesthetic considerations into account. And my budget has definite limits.
The nice thing about buying Merlin speakers is that you know that the design is so sound (no pun intended) and time-tested and that the quality control is so good, that your tweaks and adjustments will be rewarded and get you closer to what you want to hear. So, for example, if the tonal balance seems off or the speakers aren't "disappearing" as they should, you can look elsewhere in your set-up because you know that your Merlins (TSM-mmi's in my case) aren't the culprit. |
p, i just mailed you directly so keep and eye out.
you should get the speakers first and listen to them for a while then we can talk and see what you are hearing. it is best to know the speaker a little imho. se 9 cardas is a very good alternative for you regarding performance and price.
b |
Golden Presence is ~$2,000 for 3 meters. No way in the world am I going to spend 2K for speaker cable. OK, if I did, that would leave me maybe 1K for an amplifier. Does that make sense!? |
p, cables are imho more important than electronics.
the room, speakers, cables, sources and the amp.
in order of the least amount of $ spent offering the potentially largest improvement in sound.
cardas is the best bet for the speakers you own.
golden presence is a good one to consider.
b |
Bobby, My bottom line is if I can move some money out of cabling and into better electronics, like the Filarmonia, I'll get closer to where I wanna be... on the theory that electronics takes priority. |
Bobby, No, not trying to redesign the wheel; I'm gathering information, information from users, not sellers. And, again, I'm not interested in price comparisons, only sonic comparisons... The choices in audio are huge and, absent ready-at-hand, I'm narrowing the field. |
p, the swords and clear are much closer in price that the cost of the 6's. that is my point. are you trying to redesign the wheel? you know that the speakers are wired with cardas do you not?
b |
Would anyone care to comment on Goertz MI2 or MI3, JPS Superconductor or Acoustic Zen Hologram speaker cables with Merlin TSMs? |
The Cardas Clear and Supra Swords are decidedly not in a similar price range -- Clear are 4x the cost! But I was asking how sonically the Swords compare to the 6s, cost not relevant for the sake of discussion. |
totally out of the 6's price range and for the six's price you can't beat them. the swords and the cardas clear are in simlar price ranges just do you know. and their physcial make up is totally different, copper litz with cold forging. not a fair comparison for may reasons.
the latter being much better sounding but not for the budget minded.
b |
How do the Supra Sword speaker cables compare to the Classic 6? |
TSM'ers,
I hope nobody minds me mentioning that right now I'm selling a 3-meter pair of Supra Classic 6.0 speakers cable in the Audiogon classifieds. It's great stuff!
Thanks. |
rebbi, the tsm offers very flat amplitude and a high degree of resolution. if the speakers are toed using the alignment tool (that they come with) and stand level, their contrast potential will become the best it can be. speakers as a rule have very good vertical and horizontal dispersion but the speaker's level may be many degrees off due to the floor it self. this is imho one of the most important first steps to good sound.
best, b |
Thanks, Bobby, I will definitely give the Supra 6.0 cables a try with my TSMs.
Thanks again,
Dave |
I thought I'd share some recent experiences with the other TSM owners (or prospective owners) out there.
I finally got around to using a simple bubble level to align my speakers relative to the floor, as the manual suggests. The improvement that resulted is amazing! Tonal balance is improved, but even more, the spatial presentation is better than ever: the speakers "disappear" more than ever before, soundstage width and depth are much greater, and there's an even more coherent, seamless quality than i used to get... which is really saying something.
I wouldn't say the TSM's are fussy about placement, per se, but they do give you clear feedback on even small changes, making taking the time to make adjustments really worth the effort. Just when you think they can't sound any better with your current equipment, you try a small tweak, and they surprise you! |
I replaced a pair of Tannoy Ardens with a pair of Merlin TSMMX and never regretted it.
A lot more detail and information and less fuzziness, with the same coherence.
Fine speakers,just set them on proper stands and give them good amplification. |
dave, my guess is that the supra 6 would be more to my liking with ss. the se 9 would be a fantastic cable but i think more suited to a good lower powered tube amp.
ok?
i think you'll love the supra 6.
b |
Bobby,
The Supra cables seem to be one of the best values in the high end cable industry, but if price were not a factor, how well would the Supra cables perform between the merlin tsm-mmi's and a high quality solid state (mosfet) amp compared to other speaker cables you have recommended? More specifically, if I could buy the cardas se-9s and the supras for the same amount of $$, which would you expect to work better (in general) between this ss amp and the tsm-mmi's?
Thanks!
Dave |
p, they should be very good for you on the vsm.
i have tried them on both the tsm and vsm.
they can be slightly on the forgiving side of things which is a joy for many.
best, b |
I agree that they should. Bobby has said nothing to indicate any reservations with regard to their use with the VSMs. I'd check with him if you're unsure, though. |
They should. Bobby describes them as "stupid good" for the price. |
Would these cables work with the vsm's? |
jfz,
Yeah, Lars is really nice. But I agree that there's no substitute for a real, metric hex wrench to tighten down those set screws. Anything less and the wire will work its way loose from the connector, at least in my experience. |
jfz, enjoy!
now you have new speaker wire and metric wrenches.
:-)
b |
Hi Everyone,
I finally got some Supra 6.0 speaker cable, along with spade connectors. I am very happy. I was using a smaller gauge stranded copper cable prior to this, and the Supra makes the system that much more open, revealing, AND smooth sounding. Sometimes when we get more detail, we also get more irritation. This was the opposite; in fact, the result is what I think is the audiophile/music lover's greatest gift: everything is now better.
Only one small nit-pic to make: Lars was a very big help. When I asked about the need for a 3mm metric hex wrench, however, he said one could use a pen or a regular, non-metric hex wrench. I found the regular wrench to be satisfactory in getting the screw started (a pen was of no use at all). When it came to getting it really tight, though - tight enough to REALLY hold the speaker wire - I found I needed to use a 3 mm metric. Again, a small nit, as I got a set of metrics at Lowes as Rebbi did.
To end on a positive note: Lars sent the cable and spades priority mail, with no shipping cost. It was exciting to get the package only two days later; and from across the country, from coast to coast. |
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yes all is good with this except for the fact i only got 7 spades.
:-)
b |
This is very interesting to hear, Bobby. Thanks for the information. So you like the gold spade connectors, huh? The only minor beef I had with them is that they don't supply a cheap hex tool to tighten the hex head set screw... and it's metric, so I had to go to Lowe's and buy a whole set of hex wrenches to get the right size. But considering how "cheap" (by insane audiophile standards) the cable is, that's a really minor quibble. Thanks for the info about toe-in and tonal balance, too... good to know. |
john the supra spades make the cable sound very good. better than with anything else i have tried. easy to use too.
i spoke to a person who liked the cable but thought it sounded a little soft. in comparison to my reference i would agree but remember that the aligment of the speakers can ameliorate this to a degree. use the aligment tool and instead of having it aimed at the ears, aim towards your nose. a degree of two more toe angle and the hf will come up a bit. that is how a soft dome works and can be optimised. the nice this about this cable is that it is not additive in the hf like many are.
very reasonable too.
b |
no connectors as yet john.
i hope soon.
:-)
b |
Hi Bobby,
Any idea how good the Supra cable with Supra connectors are yet? No big hurry. Just wanted to check.
John |
Received my new Manley Mahi-Mahi's yesterday. Haven't yet had a chance to hook them up, but will report back when I do due to my work schedule, it'll probably take me a couple of days. :-( |
Great...I'll be interested to know what you think too. |
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rebbi, lars called yesterday and he is sending me the supra copper/gold spades and some of his interconnects to try. thanks for the contact info and i will let you know.
bobby |
Bobby,
It's Lars@sjofnhifi.com. His cell phone number is on the website, too. |
rebbi the supra connectors may be better than the ones i got. that is why i need to speak to him (the rep). do you have his e-mail?
b |
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Rebbi,
Should you hit that lottery, remember your friends.
I could use an upgrade to newest Walsh 1000 series drivers myself!
Or you can donate the funds to a good charity and I will understand. |
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rebbi, yes but a much larger size.
on the rc's and jumpers i much preferred the o ring connectors i use to anything else i tried. not much to look at but the sound is superb. and the tinned copper makes sense to me.
b |
Thank you, Rebbi. Since you said, "I bought the larger spade connectors...", I'm assuming you meant to say "The LARGE spade connectors have a little tightening screw"? |
Bobby,
Are those the same kind of o-ring connectors you find on the RC's? |
