My Experience with Symposium Acoustics and Cardas Clear Beyond....

I have been an audiophile for many years but admittedly this world of isolation is new to me. I spoke with Pete at Symposium Acoustics in New Jersey and I had the greatest conversation. The guy is a joy to talk to! He really got what I was attempting to do. So I ordered a Symposium Ultra Acoustic Platform for my Gryphon Diablo 300 and Rollerblocks Jr. for my Cambridge Audio 851 Azur CD player and (4) each for my Focal Sopra No.2. as well as for my Torus Power Isolation Power Conditioner.  I received them this past Wednesday. I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! I had been working most of the day but my mind wouldn't allow me to rest until I placed the behemoth of an integrated amp on the Ultra platform and moved the other Rollerblocks underneath my speakers, CD Player, power conditioner and moved some other isolation devices I already had underneath my Chord TT2 and M-Scaler. It was a pain because I have a relatively small room and space to work behind. My back was killing me afterward. But I felt it would all be worth the effort.

Allow me to backtrack a bit. I just received my delivery of Cardas Clear Beyond speaker cables and XLR's to go with my Black Cat TRON cables. I replaced my Audience AU24SX which were killer SC and XLR's in their own right! But I couldn't resist the deal I got on the Cardas. Now moving ahead in the story. I'm drenched in sweat, I'm tired and I wanna take a shower before settling in for a much-too-early listening session. But my anxiety won't allow me to do that. I turn on the system and something's not playing? Ooooh, I know, the RCA plug has slipped out of the CD player going into the M-Scaler?? Yep! Ok, cool. I go back and sit down. No sound? What's the deal!?! The right channel spade on the speaker cable slipped off and I didn't notice it. Ok!!! Cool!! Now I have to push the speaker (which isn't exactly light at 122 lbs) back while trying to keep the Symposium Rollerblocks from shifting off their ball bearings (which happened 4 times).  

Finally!! Everything is ready!!! I take a deep sight, turn on Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" CD and...I'm underwhelmed.

Where's the bass!?! It sounded thin. It sounded a bit lifeless? The midrange seemed to be anemic? I thought the wires were loose or something. I was so disappointed, all this work and for what? I took a shower, came back, and the disappointment returned. I decided to call it a night. I woke up the next morning thinking how much money I had sunk into my hobby only to be utterly foiled by expectations of greatness. I kept telling myself, give it time. The cables hadn't seasoned and settled in yet. Let the equipment settle. You've been here before.  Slow your roll....<Sigh!>  So I played Sohn's "The Wheel" overnight (one of the best low-frequency songs I have in my collection) hoping the Cardas would settle and the Symposium equipment would make the magic I heard about.

In the afternoon I went back to my sound room and hoping it was all a bad dream I put in Neil Young's, "Harvest Moon." and when I tell you I was blown away!! I was totally amazed at the change.  Now I'm not one given to audio hyperbole because I realize folks love being braggarts, but I have to be honest I have never heard my system sound better.  The midrange was rich, the bass was tight and focused and the highs were velvety.  It was like someone came in overnight and corrected everything I had done wrong!

I don't want to oversell the experience, because I'm not from Missouri but you really have to 'show me.'  And folks let me tell you it did!  I played Sohn's "The Wheel" (again) and this time the air and space were otherworldly.  The soundstage depth and width were sublime!  I couldn't get over how detailed each instrument was in the soundstage.  I am so glad I waited a few days before writing this because I was one angry camper the night of. But I am an agnostic no longer.

I don't know what isolation and great cabling will do in your system, but I think I've reached audio nirvana. Or at least a place where I will be satisfied for a long while.