Need recommendation for hi-rez xlr plugs for re-termination project


I recently bought a pair of balanced interconnects, here, and am mostly quite pleased with the sound but the seller was mistaken about their length, and I have 3M instead of 2M and that too would have been longer than needed.  I've contacted the builder of these fine cables and he's willing to re-terminate them.  

 

Sonically, these cables have the blackest background I've ever heard and lots of wonderful detail.  They are well-controlled with an excellent bottom end and the images are dense and corporeal.  BUT, I find the top end a bit less extended and open than I'm used to.  The xlr plugs are gold plated and I'm not fond of gold in my system for the most part.  So, I'm looking for recommendations for very detailed and precise xlr's but want to avoid brightness.  

 

I have a pair of male Xhadows from another project and could pick up the matching females for about $150.  The re-term is already going to be pricey as the cables are fairly complex so price is an issue.  I was going to repurpose the Furutech FP 601/602 rhodiums I have on another pair of cables but the builder glues them so can't do that.  I rather like the rhodium plugs I've used, mostly on power cords, so am interested in that option as well.  I have noticed that rhodium over silver sounds quite a bit better (to my ears) than rhodium over copper.  The Cardas CG xlr's are rhodium over silver but I can't find any reviews of these plugs and seems they never get a mention.  Also, looking at AECO plugs.  Partsconnextion (Canada) said they are quite good but really didn't address my question about comparing them to other hi end xlr's so hard to know about these.  They are, however, quite affordable.  The quad costing less than the 2 female Xhadows, if I were to go that way.  Anyway, opinions regarding the Xhadows vs the AECOs vs Furutechs vs Neotechs vs Oyaide xlr would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

lcherepkai

Showing 7 responses by pindac

The Furutech are OCC Pins, I believe the 'alpha' is the affix to show a  cryo' treatment has been administered.

There is not at present PC Triple C Pin Connectors in the Market Place.

The next option will be OCC Pin Connector, and these are available at a inflated cost to other pin materials.

Atlas is a Company selling these type of connectors only, as well as with a Cable.  

Where XLR Cables excel is the Low Mass/Low Eddy Connectors on both Cable and Chassis.

To have quality Low Mass / Low Eddy Connectors added to a Chassis and Cable for Single End use will come with a fairly large cost, and this is without Cables.

Low Mass / Low Eddy connections have a substantial betterment to all umbilical connections.

@mitch2 My reference to OCC Pins was in relation to the Furutech Connector linked a prior post.

In that same post, I believe the ETI Connector is a Beryllium Copper 

@holmz Your enquiry is a good one for me to respond to, as I am in a position to offer a evaluation from a few experiences encountered and a experience yet to be encountered, but have the first impressions from somebody who adopted the methodology following my encouragement to look at the idea.

Due to a need to restructure the home, the HiFi System has been slowly be packed away for the time when the home is no longer habitable. This has been a deterrent to my being proactive and continuing with completing an additional design for the Bespoke Built Power Amp's.

The Amp's are to be returned to the designer/builder and produced to have a Balanced and Single Ended Circuit. To work in conjunction with the Power Amp's I am having a Bespoke Built Pre-Amp to have both Balanced and Single Ended Input/Output.

I have been very specific about the signal path wiring to be used in both the Pre' and Power Amp's  

I am going to have a Balanced System, but am yet to use Balanced Signal Path in my system.

I have been demonstrated a Wire I am seen regularly exposing myself as being a advocate for it. with a Single Ended connection with Pure Copper Low Mass / Low Eddy Connectors on the Cable and Chassis Input. I have also been demonstrated the same Cable in the same Length with Pure Copper Connectors that are not a Low Mass / Low Eddy connector. The Benefit of using Low Mass / Low Eddy on umbilical connections is from my experience one to be aspired to. 

I have already received reports from others who have adopted this method and the feedback about the betterment is seemingly similar, if described in different ways.

The individual who introduced me to this alternative type of RCA Connection informed me that the XLR Connector is inherently a Low Mass / Low Eddy as a design. I have not received any countering of this to sense the description is with fault.

As for Silver being used, I find the impact it has as a Wire hit and miss, a certain wire type used at a particular interface can make a good impression on myself, but Copper will usually take the place.

I have one of my prefered Cables in 0,7mtr with Aeco 4055 Pure Silver RCA's and the same Cable in 1.2mtr with Aeco Copper 4045 RCA's.

The Copper is attractive at all interfaces used, the Silver at a certain interface can make a Vocal sound slightly Nasal sound.

To get to the the bottom of it, I had the two cables used in another system to see what could be detected. I did not inform anybody of my reasoning just that different length and different RCA Types were to be used.

One comment from one attendee about the Silver RCA Cable was that a Horn sounded like VuVuzela that found fame as an annoying instrument in the crowds at a Soccer World Cup. A Harsh statement used with humour, but a detection the Silver was having a impact that was being a deterrent and not desired.

A Friend has recently Built a Balanced Pre-Amp to work with a Balanced Head Amp, this Pre and Head Amp design are both familiar as a Single Ended Build. The Balanced Design is using Neutrik's on Chassis and Cables.

The overall assessment of the equipment with a limited run in time following the debut demonstration, is that there is something more correct about the Balanced Presentation, less constrained and with additional detail, would be a reasonable description of what was discovered from a very short usage period.

On this Forums Helix Cable Thread the last posts are by an individual who has now produced XLR Connection Cables to this design using PC Triple C Wire, this is a Wire I highly recommend, the individuals first impression even though not overly descriptive leads one to believe a improvement has been discovered over their previous builds. 

I have put OCC Copper Wire Cables back into the home system to finalise the assessment of PC Triple C, and OCC Wire is Superseded.

You can read my posts about this wire in other threads.     

  

@mbolek Please don't take this as a challenge, it is merely a description of a perception of a Cable I use and a Comparative evaluation to a identical Cable.

On a D.U.C.C Wire Cable I own. 

I have a 0.7 mtr Length with Aeco 4045 (Terrilium Copper) RCA's and a 1.2mtr length using Aeco 4055 (Silver). Connectors.

I had loaned the Cables to be used on another system on the day there was a HiFi Group Meeting and Demo's of equipment was part of the activities.

There was also the side event, where different Cables were to be hooked up to see where there was a difference to be detected.

During this meeting the D.U.C.C Silver RCA Cable was used and my thoughts wer that it was it was showing a tendency to restrict a Vocal and present with a perception there was a Nasal Sound with the Vocal. The Same Cable in a shorter length with a Copper RCA was not creating this impression, the Richness the Cable can be perceived for producing was quite evident.

I have used these cables in my own system and have not detected these differences, but have not got the system working during the time this new assessment has been in place. 

Recently in the same system, I took the 1.2mtr length to be used at a Group Demo' of a SS Power Amp', my perception was that there was a similar loss of Richness, and the Cable was enabling the SS Amp to have a harder edge.

It is this experience of a Pure Silver Connector that has been instrumental in affirming I will be using a OCC Pin on my XLR Cables, 'when produced'.

I am aware of Atlas and Furutech offering this as the Pin Material.

I am hoping a PC Triple C Coil Cart' and RCA/XLR Connector is to come to the Market. These  connectors will certainly be a exchange item if they materialise.

In the meantime I did make a Female connector using a Tightly Coiled PC triple C Wire, wrapped around a small sized Allen Key. It connected with a tight hold onto a OCC Lead Out Pin on a Cart'. I have not used it, as I am yet to have wand wire produced from PC Triple C.    

I made a small error with the OCC reference.

The Furutech Connectors I was shortlisting is the Pure Copper ones shown in the link.

From recollection 'alpha' is a Cryo Treatment.