First, my equipment:
SACDmodded Sony SCD-555ES SACD player
Moth Audio 2A3 amplifier
Senn HD650 with Zu Cable
Grado RS-1
Well, I don’t think I’ve got the talent to do a “review” so I won’t try. Besides, Markl has done an admirable job in covering these cables and giving everyone a quite accurate picture of what to expect. I can only add my thoughts and impressions based on my gear which, outside of the source, differs greatly from Markl’s setup.
Markl's terrific review:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135322
When I first got wind of these cables, I was using the Grover UR-2’s and had progressed up to the UR-4 in my rig. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much time with the third incarnation so I can’t comment on those but to be honest, I felt that the Grover cables offered such a tremendous value as to border on the obscene. For the life of me, I can’t imagine how such wonderful sound can come from cables at that price point but hey, I’m not going to argue with a great value especially when I am the beneficiary! Like Mark, I was very satisfied with the UR cables…..that is until the Wolff offering arrived on the scene.
Going in I was a bit of a skeptic. To be honest, I wasn’t sold on the ability of “wire” to change the sonics of my rig to a great enough degree that I’d be willing to spend over $200 on a pair of IC’s much less the $475 that Michael Wolff was asking. He recognized this and offered to allow me as much time as I needed to really get a sense of what his cables could do and understood my reluctance to jump at this level without actually hearing first. Kudos to Michael for being so aware of his customers needs and wishes! This is what we need more of in this obsession of ours!
When I first beheld these cables, I was very impressed with their build quality and aesthetics. Simply beautiful. One thing that surprised me was the tremendous flexibility of these cables. One of my pet peeves are cables that simply have a mind of their own. They simply do not obey my wishes of where I want them to go and stay. Not a problem with the Wolff cables. Darned good looking and they slip in behind my cabinetry with nothing in the way of an objection. Nice and we’re off to a very good start!!
On to the listening. I’ve got several CD’s which I use as a reference when testing new gear but for some reason, I always seem to come back to a favorite of mine….SRV Couldn’t Stand the Weather. I just know it so well and love it so much that it’s like a best friend that you’ve spent your entire life getting to know and now you seem to anticipate each others every move. So it seemed the proper choice for this “experiment”.
I’d been using the Grover cables for some time and had a very good feel for their abilities and presentation but just to be certain, I spent an hour just enjoying Stevie Ray work his magic with the Grover’s carrying the tunes to my amp. After that, I slipped the Wolff cables into my system and laid back for another round of listening enjoyment. My first impression was that these cables allowed the music to “bloom” if you will. I became even more drawn into the music than before hearing such a different presentation to almost be at the point of feeling like I was hearing this CD for the first time. I know this sound like so much hyperbole but really, I was taken aback as this great a difference wasn’t expected. More body, deeper and more impactful bass…..wow! I was floored. Just to be sure I wasn’t imagining this, I switched back to the Grovers and even plugged in some Magwires that I had at the time. While it was nice and very pleasant, I knew that something was, indeed, missing. Not wanting to short-change either cable, I played this game of cable swap with several CD’s only to reach the same conclusion….the Wolff cables were simply giving me more of what I craved. I’m not saying that the Grover’s don’t do a wonderful job and are just an amazing value but the Wolff cables took it to another level!
Bottom line is that the Wolff cables gave me more depth to the music, more involvement, better bass, better mids and generally more of everything. By far, these are the least fatiguing cables I’ve ever listened to. Just so lush, smooth but in no way “boring”. Mids to die for!! The detail, PRAT, etc..are there in spades! You want to mellow out or get into some classical? Well, the Wolff cables will take you there on a red carpet....in a totally smooth, lush and emotionally involving way. You wanna rock out? The Wolff cables are more than adept at taking off the white gloves and replacing them with those 9 oz. boxers for a marathon head thumping session!
Never did I imagine that I’d spend this much money on a pair of IC’s but in the end, I was more than happy to pay up as there was no way these cables were leaving my system. Until something comes along to knock them from their perch, they will remain a tremendous addition to my rig and listening experience! Highly recommended and worth every penny!!
SACDmodded Sony SCD-555ES SACD player
Moth Audio 2A3 amplifier
Senn HD650 with Zu Cable
Grado RS-1
Well, I don’t think I’ve got the talent to do a “review” so I won’t try. Besides, Markl has done an admirable job in covering these cables and giving everyone a quite accurate picture of what to expect. I can only add my thoughts and impressions based on my gear which, outside of the source, differs greatly from Markl’s setup.
Markl's terrific review:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135322
When I first got wind of these cables, I was using the Grover UR-2’s and had progressed up to the UR-4 in my rig. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much time with the third incarnation so I can’t comment on those but to be honest, I felt that the Grover cables offered such a tremendous value as to border on the obscene. For the life of me, I can’t imagine how such wonderful sound can come from cables at that price point but hey, I’m not going to argue with a great value especially when I am the beneficiary! Like Mark, I was very satisfied with the UR cables…..that is until the Wolff offering arrived on the scene.
Going in I was a bit of a skeptic. To be honest, I wasn’t sold on the ability of “wire” to change the sonics of my rig to a great enough degree that I’d be willing to spend over $200 on a pair of IC’s much less the $475 that Michael Wolff was asking. He recognized this and offered to allow me as much time as I needed to really get a sense of what his cables could do and understood my reluctance to jump at this level without actually hearing first. Kudos to Michael for being so aware of his customers needs and wishes! This is what we need more of in this obsession of ours!
When I first beheld these cables, I was very impressed with their build quality and aesthetics. Simply beautiful. One thing that surprised me was the tremendous flexibility of these cables. One of my pet peeves are cables that simply have a mind of their own. They simply do not obey my wishes of where I want them to go and stay. Not a problem with the Wolff cables. Darned good looking and they slip in behind my cabinetry with nothing in the way of an objection. Nice and we’re off to a very good start!!
On to the listening. I’ve got several CD’s which I use as a reference when testing new gear but for some reason, I always seem to come back to a favorite of mine….SRV Couldn’t Stand the Weather. I just know it so well and love it so much that it’s like a best friend that you’ve spent your entire life getting to know and now you seem to anticipate each others every move. So it seemed the proper choice for this “experiment”.
I’d been using the Grover cables for some time and had a very good feel for their abilities and presentation but just to be certain, I spent an hour just enjoying Stevie Ray work his magic with the Grover’s carrying the tunes to my amp. After that, I slipped the Wolff cables into my system and laid back for another round of listening enjoyment. My first impression was that these cables allowed the music to “bloom” if you will. I became even more drawn into the music than before hearing such a different presentation to almost be at the point of feeling like I was hearing this CD for the first time. I know this sound like so much hyperbole but really, I was taken aback as this great a difference wasn’t expected. More body, deeper and more impactful bass…..wow! I was floored. Just to be sure I wasn’t imagining this, I switched back to the Grovers and even plugged in some Magwires that I had at the time. While it was nice and very pleasant, I knew that something was, indeed, missing. Not wanting to short-change either cable, I played this game of cable swap with several CD’s only to reach the same conclusion….the Wolff cables were simply giving me more of what I craved. I’m not saying that the Grover’s don’t do a wonderful job and are just an amazing value but the Wolff cables took it to another level!
Bottom line is that the Wolff cables gave me more depth to the music, more involvement, better bass, better mids and generally more of everything. By far, these are the least fatiguing cables I’ve ever listened to. Just so lush, smooth but in no way “boring”. Mids to die for!! The detail, PRAT, etc..are there in spades! You want to mellow out or get into some classical? Well, the Wolff cables will take you there on a red carpet....in a totally smooth, lush and emotionally involving way. You wanna rock out? The Wolff cables are more than adept at taking off the white gloves and replacing them with those 9 oz. boxers for a marathon head thumping session!
Never did I imagine that I’d spend this much money on a pair of IC’s but in the end, I was more than happy to pay up as there was no way these cables were leaving my system. Until something comes along to knock them from their perch, they will remain a tremendous addition to my rig and listening experience! Highly recommended and worth every penny!!