Category: Cables
I would first like to give a brief historical perspective regarding what cables and wires I was using before the Stealth Dream Petite speaker cables to give a context of why I chose to audition this cable and it's performance in my system.
About five years ago I went through a very lengthy audition process that took about five months and six different cable companies IC's and speaker cables before settling on Acoustic Zen's wires (Silver reference II's and Satori). They were very reasonably priced, well built, and offered an overall sonic performance that was wonderful in my system. Actually, they out performed cables costing at least double their price at that time. When Mr. Acoustic Zen, Robert Lee, came out with his new and still present reference level wires the Absolute a couple of years ago, they became my new reference cables, I wrote a review on them here on the GON, and gave me much pleasure until they were slowly replaced with different cables from the Stealth Cable Company. I still believe that at their price level they offer great performance and one has to spend alot more money to get a qualitative improvement in performance.
I had read much about Stealth Cable's famous Indra IC and had heard it in other people's system and was justly impressed, but was informed that Serguei Timachev, Mr. Stealth had come out with a IC for about half the price of the Indra, that would offer 80 to 90% of its sonic performance. Well, I now have three pairs of Stealth Metacarbons, one pair of Indras, and my digital cable is the Sextet. Again, if you want more details regarding the sonic performance of the Metacarbons or Sextet I wrote reviews on both here on the GON.
Abou three year Serguei had come out with his new reference speaker cable the Dream that was his attempt to equal the sonic performance of the very highly regarded Indra IC. I would have loved to audition it, but it unfortunately surpassed my budget limits. However, I was informed that the next step down from the reference Dream was a cable that he had worked on for a couple of years called the Dream Petite. This speaker cable could be compared to what the Metacarbon IC's are to the Indra, about $3000.00 less, but offering a significant precentage of the Dream's performance.
SONICS
When I wrote the reviews of the Stealth Metacarbons and digital Sextet cable I struggled to convey what I called the "sound of nothing". The same thing is going to take place in this review of the Dream Petite. Descriptions like uncolored or neutral really does not express the very special quality that these cables have that I prefer to call "just natural" or allowing the music just to "flow" out of my speakers into the room.
Let me give what I would call more specific analytical details regarding the sonics of the Dreamm Petite cable.
1) The most accurate/natural timbres have have ever heard in my system regarding speaker wires.
2) A large very open soundstage with excellent layering in that soundstage.
3) The lowest noise floor of any speaker wire I have heard in my system.
4) I can't say it has more extension then the AZ Absolute but offers more microdetails without ever sounding "etched" or "bright" in any way.
5) Offers the best 3D images of individual players with air aroung them, but does not make them sound like "cutouts" in an HIFI unatural way.
6)The bass extension is terrific and offers a faster and more realistic sense to the low end.
To finish trying to explain the "sound of nothing" or why these speaker wires offer such a natural perspective to the sound of music, let me share this with you. My favorite tenor sax player of all times is Johnny Griffin. I have had the great pleasure and honor to hear him at least twenty times in small venues, either in quartets or in big bands over the last 30 years. One of many albums I have in my collection of his is the, The Kerry Dancers, which not only offers great music, but surperlative sonics. With all the Stealth wires in my system, including the Dream Petite, the illusion of Mr. Griffin playing in my room was damn close to the real thing, based on hearing him live on many occasions!
As I always say in my reviews, there is no "BEST" but many great pieces of gear in highend audio, and system synergy and personnal taste always comes into play. I have no idea how much better the Dream reference cables are, but the Dream Petite rank with the best I have heard and are my new reference. There not cheap, $5,500.00 for a two meter pair, but I believe are worth every penny.
Associated gear Click to view my Virtual System
