tara labs time and space.....

Phasecorrect -

the Tara Labs Time & Space interconnects were my very 1st after market cable I purchased way back in the early 90's.

IME, they are no longer relevant (unless you are building some kind of vintage system). There are much better cables/cords on the market at this time-

everyone knows I love The Taralabs house sound, congrats to all here, great thread.

I had a pair of older Space and Time cables and thought they were surprisingly good. I've been through quite a few speaker cables during a six-month shoot out and based on the performance of these older cables just purchased a pair of Tara Labs RSC M800 Prime speaker cables and am very pleased with the overall balance, bass response, timbre and high end detail. I've been all over the place in the past year starting with MIT Matrix 23 at 3x the price and the Tara Labs come awfully close in timbre and beat the MITs in bass and midrange for long term ease of listening IMO.

Very happy! I'm trying to learn some more about their ICs now.

I have been using a pair of these cables in my high end system for over 10 years and I feel that these cables are very good in the absolute, and are an amazing value for the cost. In my system, they have great speed, clarity, dynamics, bass, and detail. They also seem to be very coherent - that is, no one part of the music seems to lag behind the rest. I agree with Red2 regarding hall perspective. The Taras do move you a bit closer to the stage compared to other more recent designs I've heard. This is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your preference and associated equipment.

Despite my satisfaction with the Taras however, I decided it was time to see what a newer cable design could do for me. So last night I had the opportunity to audition a pair of Shunyata Lyra cables in my system. BTW, an 8-foot pair of Lyras list for around $1600, while the price of the Taras is a small fraction of that price. In my system, the Lyra cables did better the Taras in most areas but only by a surprisingly small margin. That is, the difference wasn't obviously apparent right away. Maybe I was expecting a larger difference but it took some listening to see that the Shunyata cables did offer more detail, a somewhat larger soundstage, and a slightly less "energetic" treble region. They also breathe more life into the music and place more air around voices and instruments.

Two areas where I preferred the Tara cables, however, were in bass and dynamics. The Tara's offer a bit more bass and more kick or drive, which I like. They also have a nice, clear and open sound.

So to your question - "do they still hold their own?" against recent designs. I'd have to say that yes, in my system they do, especially if you'd like a somewhat more front row perspective. I am planning to continue my audition of the Lyras this weekend and if I do end up buying them, I think I will hang onto my Taras because I doubt I'll ever find performance this good anywhere else for the price.

Good luck!

Kurt

I bought a 15 foot pair on clearance from audio advisor some years ago.
I had a local hi-fi shop cut them and re-terminate them with better spades and I ended up with a biwire pair.
For one,these cables are VERY stiff.
When I decided to upgrade,I had 3 different brand cables to try. I had on a pair of Kimber 8TC which clearly were superior in all areas than the Tara Labs Space And Time Phase II.
Next up was Harmonic Technology PRO-11's which were clearly better than the 8TC.
Next was a biwired pair of MIT T-2's
The MIT's and the H.T.'s were so close in sound quality I had trouble telling them apart.
I ended up keeping the MIT's because I 'believe' the bass was a tad deeper than the H.T.

Yes, it is great stuff! I have auditioned many of the other "newer" competing brands (both interconnects and speaker wire) and also Tara's newer Air series. The main difference is in the sense of presentation. Most of the new cables and Tara's own Air series yield a more recessed image and larger soundstage effect. Like sitting at the back of the venue. The older Tara Space and Time (and Straightwire Maestro cables also) tend to yield a more nearfield and closer presentation, like sitting in the front section of the venue. I like the closer and more intimate presence. My speakers (Magnaplaner 1.6) and other equipment already yield a huge soundstage, so the sound of the newer cables in my system tends to create a sense of "audiophile hifi", that I feel is appealing to the market but not realistic to life. Your tastes and system may vary, so I recommend you contact Cable Company to audition several different brands. Also the Space and Time Original or Master series interconnects have a warmer sound rather than a neutral sound. Not as warm as Cardas, but about half way.

Audience AU24 brand cables and others I have tried always sounded good in my system, but always gave me the feeling of sterile neutrality and a "superb recording". I need an extra small degree of emotion in my system since it is a mixture of tube and solid state. If your gear is more toward the all tube based, you may get very different results.

Also, the Space and Time TFA Return mk. II speaker wire that Cable Company sells for like $10 a foot/pair, is fabulous and a steal for the price! You can get a ten foot pair for like $95.

Good Luck and write it questions.

R.

Good imaging IMO. There are better products now.