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Review: Acoustic Zen Absolute Interconnect

Category: Cables

I was looking forward to audtioning Robert Lee's new highest reference Acoustic Zen interconnects & speaker wires which he calls the Absolute. They represent his latest thinking regarding the state of the art in his house of wires. About two years ago I had gone through a lengthy audtion process, which included five highly regarded sets of wires from well known companies, untill I decided to replace all my wires with AZ Silver reference II & Matrix reference II and Satori speaker wire. I'm a great fan of AZ for two major reasons;1) They offer great "bang for the buck" out standing performance for the cost ratio.2) They have,for me, a wonderful combination of tight/powerful bass,great details,transparency,dynamics,natural timbres, along with being musical and a smooth "sense" of ease. The process of audtioning the Absolute began with inserting a Absolute interconnect between my DAC and PRE-AMP along with putting the Absolute speaker wire in. Since I bi-amp there are four sets of interconnects so I put the Absolute interconnect at the front of the system. Well, it turned out to be a very gratifying experience! It not only tremendously improved the above stated virtues but added the following;1) A giant soundstage with excellent layering of players in a sense of real space.2)A sriking sense of air/three-dimensionality around everyone in the soundstage.3)Much improved/natural timbres.4)The new cables added that wonderful "organic/musicality" that I think we all strive for in our systems. It strongly reminded me of the experience I had when I audtioned my Pass Labs-350.5 to my then current amp an Edge NL-10. The Edge, which is still a great amp with many reference level characteristics, just kinda sounded sterile compared with the musicality of the 350.5. I know thats a very subjective way of explaining my experience, but its hard to use objective language at times to explain why a component just sounds more like the experience of real music. These wires are not inexpensive(2000.00 for the interconnects and 2800.00 for the speakers wires) but offer so much without any apparent shoutcomings that I think they are very fairly priced and compete with many reference level wires at a much lower price.So I think Mr. Lee has done it again, great sound at a reasonable price! As a final note I want to mention, even though we all know it all ready, that important factor of system matching and synergy long with your personnal taste make home audtioning a must for us serious audiophiles! I highly recommend you try these wires out if your a fan of AZ or looking to upgrade you wires in your sytem.

Associated gear
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teajay

Showing 8 responses by rsbeck

rsbeck
887 posts
 
How could you folks have been such fans of AZ if the sound of their previous
cables was so inferior to these? These cannot sound so much better than the
previous ones without the previous sounding the same measure worse, right?
What do you suppose AZ could have done to the new cables to make them
sound so much better? What was the big breakthrough?
rsbeck
887 posts
 
>>plus adding that sense of organic/musicality that gives a sense of ease
and flow that real music seems to have.<<

Okay, so if this is true, and if this cable indeed added that sense of organic/
musicality, it must not have been present in the original cable, right? Do you
suppose this is a problem with the rest of your components, or was this just a
problem with the previous cables? I'm also curious, how do you suppose the
new cable adds that sense of organic/musicality? Aren't you curious about
that? Didn't you ask the manufacturer?

>>but the new Absolute cables are just that much better.<<

This doesn't add up. For one to be "that much better," the other
has to be, "that much worse." What do you suppose was wrong
with the original cables, or why do you suppose your system was lacking this
quality without these new cables?
rsbeck
887 posts
 
>>if you take a look at my total system it has pretty good pieces from the
digital front end all the way through to the speakers.<<

Yes, I see that. This is why I am surprised to find that you needed new cables
in order to "add that sense of organic/musicality." Seems to me
that your system should have already had that. So, if the new cables were
needed in order to "add that sense of organic/musicality," it only
seems logical that -- if this is all true -- your old cables must have been
robbing your system of its inherent organic/musicality. If the new cable
makes the system "that much better," and if there is no problem
with the other components, the problem must have been with the old cable.

>>I am curious about what Mr.Lee did on the mechanical level to produce
these new great cables<<

What do you think he *could* do to make the original cables so much better?
You say you talk to Mr. Lee -- you never asked him what causes the new
cables to add that sense of organic/musicality the previous cables lacked?
rsbeck
887 posts
 
>>even if you have a system that already functions at a reference level of
resolution that it can be brought to even a higher level with better cabling.<<

You're avoiding the issue you raised in your review. If the new cables are
indeed "that much better" than the old cables, the old cables are
therefore the same measure inferior to the new cables. If the new cables
were needed to "add that sense of organic/musicality" then the system lacked
this sense with the old cables. If there isn't any technological
breakthrough, then there isn't any particular reason for the new cables to
sound "that much better." This is just logical.

You posted a review -- you had to expect these issues to arise.

>>I do know he would more than happy to discuss this with you<<

I went to Acoustic Zen's web-site and looked at their "
technological" articles. They are a maze of misleading advertising,
bogus claims, misapplied and pseudo-scientific gobbledygook.
rsbeck
887 posts
 
Guido -- wow -- do I sound like I've eaten hot chiles? I don't feel that way. This is one of those cases where the proper emoticon might help. I feel bemused. I'm all about fun, bay-bay! I was just curious, but I can see we are going around in circles on these questions and that isn't productive. I am truly happy when anyone finds a piece of gear that fills a missing piece of the puzzle. That probably hasn't come across. Enjoy your cables, guys!
rsbeck
887 posts
 
>>Having compared this personally to Kimber Select, 3035 and prefering it I
am surprised someone would be so vitriolic.<<

What does your comparison have to do with the the stuff that is on the web-
site? Look what you wrote ---

>>other than the usual marketing hype<<

That's like saying, "other than the water, what else was wet?"

What's the difference between "usual marketing hype" which most people
would accept to mean usual half-truths and false promises -- and what I
wrote? Yeah -- other than the half-truths and false promises -- the stuff
that ISN'T full of half-truths and false promises isn't so bad, but I have a hard
time seeing the consolation in that. Also, if I'd written that the technological
paper was full of typical marketing hype, I don't see how that is any less
"vitriolic" and that's using your characterization.

In the final analysis, whether or not one wishes to call Mr. Lee to hear more of
that depends on one's tolerance for marketing hype passed off as science.

Don't get me wrong. To me, it read something like comedy.

So, like I wrote before -- I am simply bemused.

On the other hand, given my reaction to this type of marketing hype, I don't
think it would be polite to call Mr. Lee on the phone and let him tell me this
stuff in person because I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. Or voice.
rsbeck
887 posts
 
The chronology is this --

I asked you about the scientific breakthrough that could possibly make these
cables sound "that much better" than and "add that sense of
organic/musicality" where your previous AZ cables had failed.

You told me you had no idea and never even bothered to inquire.

Then, you invited me to call Mr. Lee to get the answer myself.

I went to the web-site and read the "technical papers."

I reported what I found. This was to explain why I will not be calling Mr. Lee.

Anecdotal cable testimonials are *not* facts.

Yours is a subjective testimonial and I guess the idea is that people can post
testimonials and no one is supposed to question them, but that hardly seems
like the proper use of a forum like this, IMO.

If I wrote in and said I put a set of coat hangers between my amplifiers and
speakers and it sounds better than Nordost Valhallas, I think someone would
question my review.

I questioned what your original cables lacked if new ones were needed to
"add that sense of organic/muscality."

Your answer wasn't exactly logical.

The technical papers were loaded with what Lrsky, a Lee fan, calls "
marketing hype."

I'm happy to use that term.

So, let's use Lrsky's non-vitriolic term and say I won't be calling Mr. Lee to
hear more of his "marketing hype."

Once again, I will attempt to leave this thread by saying forget everything else
-- I am happy these cables are giving you and others so much enjoyment.

I think we should just leave it at that.

Happy listening.

.
rsbeck
887 posts
 
>>So often flaws in sound can be discovered only in hindsight.<<

I have no problem with this concept. I just find it curious when I see a cable
review where a cable is deemed to be "that much better" than a
previous one, yet the poster rises to the defense of his old cable and
professes that it is not inferior in any way to the new one. If one suspects, as
I do, that there is some magical thinking involved in some of these cable
testimonials, this is the type of thing that feeds this suspicion. Go to the
manufacturer's web site and find marketing hype in something that is
supposed to be a "technical paper" and now you've got a two
course meal.

>>I have the impression that so many times the audible virtues of an
interconnect or other component -- even when real -- exist for reasons other
than those advertised by the manufacturer.<<

Even when real? I gather you are saying that many times these "
virtues" are not "real."

>>even engineers may not yet fully understand the obscure physics behind
their designs,<<

Let's not forget the possibility of a placebo effect.

If you read Lee's "technical paper," he admits that the physics are not obscure
-- strip away the marketing hype and his cable designs are based on good
old inductance, capacitance, and resistance. Only problem -- he starts from
these facts, then goes on to the "marketing hype" and neglects to publish any
data or back-up. I question publishing such a thing and calling it a "technical
paper." Further, no cable designer would buy wire without knowing these
measurements, yet Lee provides no back up for his prospective customers.
He depends on a customer base that will not investigate and has no interest
in the science. Lo and behold, I ask one of his customers about the science
behind the cable and he admits he made no inquiry whatsoever.

>>Doesn't this remind you of the alchemists of old?<<

Yes. The alchemists claimed they could turn lead into gold. Cable
manufacturers claim they take a few dollars worth of material and turn it into
$2,500 speaker cables. Lee makes claims about his "metalurgy," but even he
doesn't have the cheek to actually suggest that he is doing metalurgy in his
plant. I would guess this is because they are really just cable assemblers.
They buy the wire from the small collection of companies that manufacture
this stuff, they put it together and wrap it in a sheath. Something has been
obscured, but it isn't physics.

>>I can only thank TJ for sharing his personal insight and experience in the
matter.<<

Me, too. He provided the basis for a lively discussion.

.
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