Taralabs cables

@ pops, Do you have any Tara labs cables you want to sale you are not useing?

@ calvinj, Tell me about the Marantz pre-amp you got there, is it burned-in, used, new?,what model is it?

@ waxwaves, Hi, have you made any changes to your system?, did you get all the mac equipment back?

Pops, I really like the way the Thiel cs6 looks, very attractive speakers!, I bet the cs-6 is one of the best Thiel speakers of all time, I read Jim Thiel kept a pair of the cs-6 speakers after he came out with the new 3.7 speakers before he past away, mmmm, That says volumes about the cs-6 speakers!, Are you using any speaker spikes like still-points or anything else under the speakers?

Yes, the CS6 moves more air so it is more dynamic. It also has a different tweeter/midrange design so it is a little more forgiving than the 3.6. It is also a little easier to drive. Still plenty revealing.

I lived with the Eggy's for a while and could never get the thiel sound out of my blood!

@ pops, Wow!, I just read on another thread you sold your eggleston works andrea 2 speakers, did you sale them in march?, those cs-6 Thiel speakers must be kicking ass to sale the Egglestons!, do you like the 6 better than the 3.6 speakers?

Jerry- It may be a while longer before I do get to listen to the Tara labs cobalt power cord on my system, It's been a while, way to long, I will have a digital player this lawn season, I am also working on getting The zero Evolution interconnect and Omega Evolution speaker cables in a years time,I am absolute focused on getting the audio I have mentioned here, I am not playing, Jerry, Go to the Tara labs site, hit the link that says products, then hit the link that says, Extended Band-width interconnects, look for the New Zero Evolution interconnects, hit the link there that says more, read all that, and then go to the speaker cables link and go to Omega Evolution speaker cable, this is the matching speaker cable for the Zero Evolution interconnect, then, read all the info on the Grandmaster Evolution interconnect and speaker cables, this is the new flagship cable from Tara labs, The model I am shooting for is the second from the Best of the new Tara labs cable models, Tell me what you think pops-Jerry.

@pops. Which thiel a do you have

Keith - the Thiels are sounding great. They bite when asked to bite and the are mellow when asked! I will be anxious to hear your impressions of the Cobalt PC.

Calvinj, I am not saying the Elrod power cords are not good, I am saying, No matter the brand or model of power cords, power cords are most difficult to match to a componet, there are audiophiles that go through 10 or more power cords before they find a cord that works with what they are useing it for, speaker cables and interconnects are not as difficult to match, I understand Elrod power cords are one of the very best out there, no matter, It is all about system synergy. Enjoy the music.

@ audiolabryinth. I have heard the elrod power cables. They are the truth. Very thick but the truth. Serious cord. My dealer let me demo for two weeks. They are expensive but very very good.

@ Pops, Thankyou so much for your reply, interesting, I feel the same way about power cords as you do, Most noteable, Krell High-power amps, I have tried many power cords on a Krell FPB 200 solid state amp I use to own with terrible success, The Beldin power cord that came stock with that Krell model could not be beaten out by any brand or model power cord, I still, all the way to this day, never understood why?, when I do start to use the Tara labs cobalt power cord I have, I will give truthfull impressions on the sound with it on a digital player, Tara tells me, The cobalt performs best on power amps and pre-amps, but the cobalt is very exceptional on digital to, Jerry, I have listened to this Tara model power cord on a few systems, sounded great, that's why I bought it, Now, the both of us know, that does not mean it will be good on my sytem, Jerry, you must wish me luck with the Cobalt power cord on my system, when It comes to power cords, it's the worst gamble in audio that I know of!, thus, the reason I am not a big fan of them, have you made any changes to your system since we last talked?, how are the Thiel cs-6 speakers sounding now, I assume they are burned-in to your system now?, cheers.

Audiolabyrinth I am not using the Elrod or any aftermarket PC. Haven't found one I like long term. Do they impact a system, absolutely! One cord can make a difference - I hear it and am not a naysayer. I just prefer stock cords in my system. I find PC's sweeten up the midrange and screw with the frequency extremes. They also make the background blacker which I think sucks the air out.

I find them enticing at first and not interesting long term. I am also not using any digital. I always had aftermarket cords on my digital rig.

Thanks for the call out Keith, I haven't been on the thread in a while.

@ Tboooe, How is your new Tara labs, The two with HFX ground station interconnect sounding now?

@ pops, Hi, please respond to the question here, I know you are busy, this is the third time in a few weeks I have asked you, are you still useing the Elrod power cords on your amps?, Hey, I really do not like most after market power cords any way, very hard to match to a particular piece of equipment, no matter the Brand or model of a power cord!, I am in your camp, I/Cs and speaker cables are most profound and easy to work with, Happy Listening.

I believe that the Tara labs, The one with HFX ground station would better or equal the Madison audio labs best effort, there top model,The madison cable may very well be a bargain, maybe a giant killer in the industry against some offerings from other cable companys out there, I cannot believe a cable that is under $4,000.00 full retail, that Mathew Bond designed would be remotely compairable to Tara labs cables that have 6 cables that cost way more money that Mathew Bond designed as well, for a company he started and owns 50% of the total company that is Tara labs, the whole concept and looks of the madison audio labs cables are clearly a spinn-off from Tara labs!, madison even uses the same RCA/XLR and speaker cable spades as Tara labs, yes, I would love to make a comparison my self, However, It is silly to concieve comparing madison audio labs best cable model to any Tara labs like the one with HFX station, The 0.8 with ISM on board or with HFX station, The new 0.3 with ISM on board or HFX station, The new Zero Evolution interconnect and Omega Evolution speaker cables that only comes with the HFX grounding station, and finally, but not least, The new Grandmaster Evolution interconnect that comes with dual mono-block HFX ground station and Grandmaster Evolution speaker cables, That said, I would like to buy madison audio labs best model cable system or rent to listen to, I suspect they sound very similiar To Tara labs, If it is a bargain in performance, The cable would certainly be a keeper!, but thats all It would be to me, I have Tara labs Zero Gold and omega Gold interconnect and speaker cable that just got dis continued, how does these two models stack up in the new Tara labs offerings?, I am told by Tara labs that they are a clear third from the two new best models they have now, most people would settle for this, However, I am up-grading to the new Tara labs Zero Evolution interconnect and omega Evolution speaker cables that are a whoping 75% better for $2,000.00 more retail to retail, this is a very wise move to me, it's very cost effective for the first time in Tara labs History!, this is the Bargain!, cheers.

@snook2. I would like to know the answer to that too. It would be an interesting comparison.

Other than reading a mundane review has anyone owned
tara cables and Madison audio cables for their system

Well everybody, Tara Labs has all the new cables on their site now!, Hit the interconnect link, then hit products after that, wala, they have many categories, you have regular interconnects, controlled band-width interconnects, extended band-width interconnects, speaker cables, etc..., However, there will be NEW power cords coming soon, enjoy the NEW Tara labs site, cheers.

@ Tboooe, Hi, did you use your cable the proper way yet?, how is the sound coming along, 300 hrs, your done, 200 hrs will sound good, yet the cable will get better by small amounts to 300 hrs, like to hear from ya, what's happening?

Hi,a mhzs cd88h,a Chinese cd player.its alright too.I have a ps audio ac12 power cord on it which gives it speed and fullness.$138 on eBay which was a bit of a bargain ,I liked it more there than anywhere else on the system.Thanks wax waves for you suggestion on the Mullard tube.

Misternice, for warmth and smoothness in a 12ax7 try long plate Mullards from the 50s. In my experience this will do the job nicely! Good luck.

Waxwaves, did you get all your Mac equipment back now?

Misternice, My system is the same as before, I like the 12ax7 tubes better than 6h30 tubes, what cd-player do you have?

Hi,not yet,I will go for them next.My tubes have 1200 hours on them,and they are not too bad.I was thinking recently maybe I should try some 50s amperexes, 12ax7 in the cd player,and try and get some warmth and smoothness there first.Im currently using treble cleffs,and they are stunning on good recordings.Im trying to bring some not so good recordings back into play.A more middle ground if you like.Im slowly getting there.My speaker cables are doing it,but ideally some really nice cables would be the go.Ill hold off a bit longer.Hows your system going.

@ Audioblazer, Hi, The thing is, the sgp-star ground pod is equal to the tara labs componet ground station system that has been dis-continued for years,, the HFX ground station has three leads with ceralex compound, this does rf/emi and componet ground, where as the Madison has only componet ground, then the HFx station is far superior than the past ground stations of Tara labs, they are bigger, have more ceralex compound, do emi/rf and ground at the same time, much better. and the answer to your statement in your post, why not produce a good cable for less money, none of the madison cables are better than the one with HFx ground station, and up the cable food chain of Tara, Mathew Bond is making money with madison, many cable designers would jump at the opportunity to make more money if the chance came up, I would, would'nt you?, since the band scenerio did not work, I will explain it like this, General motors use to make saturn automobiles, no where the quality of GM or chev, however, It was a path to expand making money, sure saturn is gone now, I also suspect the same to happen to Madison audio labs cables, when you read the august 6-moons review, it states that the madison cables was a project, cheers.

@ Audioblazer, Hi, The thing is, the sgp-star ground pod is equal to the tara labs componet ground station system that has been dis-continued for years,, the HFX ground station has three leads with ceralex compound, this does rf/emi and componet ground, where as the Madison has only componet ground, then the HFx station is far superior than the past ground stations of Tara labs, they are bigger, have more ceralex compound, do emi/rf and ground at the same time, much better. and the answer to your statement in your post, why not produce a good cable for less money, none of the madison cables are better than the one with HFx ground station, and up the cable food chain of Tara, Mathew Bond is making money with madison, many cable designers would jump at the opportunity to make more money if the chance came up, I would, would'nt you?, since the band scenerio did not work, I will explain it like this, General motors use to make saturn automobiles, no where the quality of GM or chev, however, It was a path to expand making money, sure saturn is gone now, I also suspect the same to happen to Madison audio labs cables, when you read the august 6-moons review, it states that the madison cables was a project, cheers.

Thanks for the clarification . I find it odd a designer & a 50% owner of a high end cable co will do a sideline project ie Madison cable to compete with his own products at a much lower price range . Madison cables using SGP ,star ground pod & Tara labs HFX , floating ground station

@ misternice, Did you decide to go with the 6h30-Dr tubes?, what year are you considering?

@ pops, Hey, what are you up to?, I hope you answer my question from a while back, Are you still using the Elrod power cables on your amps?, Get back to us when you can, Thanks pops.

@ Audioblazer, @ Snooke2, Hi, LOL!, I did not even have to call Tara Labs, You guys read The April 2012 6-moons review of Madison audio labs cables, Now read the August 2012 6-moons review!, yes Mathew Bond is part of a team of electrical Engineers, and started the Madison audio labs company with a partner friend, and yes, the best cable from madison may be better than the Tara labs-The One, and The two for less money, However, Read the august 2012 6-moons review, The new beginnings, Mathew Bond Has NOT left Tara Labs!, This is a side project, like a lead singer in a national known Rock band starting a side band!, The August 2012 6-moons review clearly states, Mathew Bond retains 50% of Tara Labs ownership of the company, nothing wrong with this at all, Bands do side projects all the time, so can a cables designer, Tara labs was not dishonest with me at all, Mathew Bond Did design the NEW cables that are officially released 5-1-14, really, all the Tara cables, The New cables are- The Air Forte, The Evolution Air, The New 0.3 that comes in two versions, The Evolution Zero interconnects and Evolution Omega speaker cables, and The Evolution Grandmaster interconnect and speaker cable, Mathew Bonds Best effort went into these New Tara Labs cables!, The New watershed of the cable industry, The Grandmaster speaker cable is 000 gauge speaker cables with the new ultra flexible air-tube design, for 8ft pair is a whoping $53,000.000!, The Grandmaster interconnect and speaker cables has the industries best specs!,The interconnect has an astounding 2 pf per foot of capacitance!, so NO, I do not believe Mathew Bond Made a cable in a side project to better any of the new cables that He designed for Tara Labs that he owns 50% of the total company that is Tara Labs, cheers.

@ Audioblazer, Hi, what happened?, Mathew Bond is still with Tara labs, Thats who designed all the New cables that officially are available 5-1-14,Tara labs told me this them selfs, Merril Burks is president, and runs the company, Mathew does not do shows any more, mathew and Merril own the company, I will contact Tara labs and check into the claims that has been posted here.

Has anyone compared tara cables with Madison audio lab cables? According to a 6 moons review Matthew Bond claims MAL cables will outperform all Tara cables at 1/3 the price. Bold statement.

I wasn't aware of the personnel changes at Tara Labs. That's the sort of news that can have buyers running for the exits. Not me! I'm using the same cables today as I was at least a decade ago. I bet my cables don't know who made them or where they were made. Has alchemy really produced some combination better than gold, silver or copper? I doubt it. I do have a few pairs of Kimber KCAG and even some Monster Cable (video and audio). For now, I'll stick with my vintage Tara Labs cables for serious listening.

Recently bought 2 tara labs cobalt PC . Love what I heard , like the tonal balance & quietness . However I noticed that since Matthew bond quit Tara labs & founded Madison sound labs funded by Chinese owners , tara labs seems to disappear from the audio radar. What happen ?

@ Tonykay, I agree, sounds good, leave it alone!, Thankyou for your reply, hang-out, you are welcome here, talk about anything off topic you like, share your experiences, ask us questions, lets enjoy this thread, cheers.

It's hard to recall when I first bought Tara Labs cables but probably about twenty years ago. Can't really see a reason to change. If it ain't broke, why try to fix it.

Thankyou for your Response Misternice, glad the Tara labs Onyx interconnect is a winner for you, ever one, that onyx interconnect use to be Tara labs second best interconnect, under the zero Gold!, A very exspensive interconnect, both the onyx and zero Gold is discontinued as of 5-1-14, replaced by newer, better models, still, the onyx is one bad m.f. interconnect, likly to kick the crap out of nearly everthing on the current market, Enjoy the music.

@ Tboooe, well, looks like no one gave you advice on the jumper cables, It may not make since to you, however, If you do not use those jumper cables as instructed by Tara labs them selfs, you will NEVER get the body, organic sound, bass, you are suppose to have with that interconnect, it is as simple as that, I am sorry to put it that way to you, I have been as honest about helping you as I can, this is not an opinion, this is a fact about what I have said about the jumper cables, Happy Listening.

@tbooo keep running them in for about 10 to 12 more days they should sound a lot better.

Great thanks,sorry I've been a little busy with work.Iam leaning this way,in the tube department,A little more body should be what I'm looking for,plus 10 000 hours makes them not so expensive.I'll go for the earlier tube as possible.Got to run,and have a good day,Hi Keith yes,I still have the onyx and its a winner,well for me it is.bye for now.

Update: I've had the 2 + HFX running for 48 ours. I must admit at first the sound was compressed and nasally. Lots of nuance and detail was missing. The music does not sound organic at all. After 48 hours it got a little better but there is still a long way to go for these to match what I heard with the 2EX. Keeping my fingers crossed things improve.

Hi Tonykay, wow!, your Tara labs cables do go way back, I believe you have the oldest cables that I know any body is useing, that are Tara labs, I agree with what you read, the surest way to audio hell is using different brands of cables, However, I do not knock any one for doing so no longer!, thats a sure way to get into an arguement with members that do, I learned recently, what ever makes that person happy, I just let it be, you are among many that I have talked to that has the same testimonial that believes using a loom of Tara labs cables works best, I also use a full loom, I understand it's not for everyone, Tell us how long you have been a Tara labs owner?, cheers.

@misternice I tried the 6h30 dr tubes on my ayon cd2s. They are good tubes but in my system it didn't help enough. However they are probably the best tube in that tube family. They add a more body to the sound without losing detail. I think it was more the ayon cd2s not working in my system. That's the best tube in that tube family.

@misternice I tried the 6h30 dr tubes on my ayon cd2s. They are good tubes but in my system it didn't help enough. However they are probably the best tube in that tube family. They add a more body to the sound without losing detail.

Hey kiddies, got my new The 2 + HFX ground station yesterday. Right now it is burning in. I know the cable is not broken in yet but I will say that the 2EX I demo'd earlier sounds better than the 2 + HFX. The 2EX sounded more organic and liquid to me. But of course this is just an initial observation. I will report back later.

Question for Tara users:
My 2 = HFX comes with some long leads to connect the source end of the interconnect to the ground station. I assume these were included for people who need extra length. Because I am able to put the ground station close to my source I can connect the pig tails that come out from the interconnect directly into the ground station. So my question is do I need to use the longer leads? Is there any performance improvement by doing so? And Keith, I know your opinion on this! :)

I have used Tara Labs cables almost exclusively for many years. I once read that the surest way to "audio hell" was to use different brands of cable, so I have tried to remember that when I'm tempted to experiment with other brands. You may consider this a testimonial. I use Quantum Reference XLR and Pandora S RCA interconnects, Space and Time w/TFA Return and RSC Prime BiWire speaker cables. I can't comment on how they sound relative to other cables because I haven't tried many. I like companies that do what they do well. My system consists of McIntosh, Sony, Sonus Faber, Stax and Nakamichi.

Yes, this is the people's thread!, you are welcome to talk about any thing here, LOL!, ok, what is the tubes going in?, how is your tara onyx cable working for you?, what year Dr tube are you considering?, there is huge differences between the years with sound.

Hi keith and friends,can I change subject,just for a minute.6H30 DR tube for my preamp.What do you think.