I wrote an extremely long review of 4 cables auditioned in my system recently. I pontificated for way too long and it was more an outlet for me to tell a story that cables do matter and how much each design can make your system sound. The last cable through was the Teo GC IC purchased here and it truly was a game-changer in how it shifts our paradigm about what wire gives us as "truth" and what this slurry of Ga-In-Sn can do better (IMO). Not a technical review but an emotional roller coaster through 4 different topologies:
Ribbons Graphene Multi-strand Liquid
I'm happy to re-broadcast that here but it is very long (6+ MSWord pages long). I'll point to it for now and take your advice.
Bottom line is the GC cable is truly stunning in what it can do and for us mere mortals who cannot spend thousands on cabling, I believe it can elevate anyone's system to new heights.
To answer your query, our newest cable offering has the same basic sound signature but is much more along the lines of an Ultra level of performance/refinement than that of the GC11 ( on whose wire assembly it is loosely based btw....methinks our modified plug seems to punch very nicely above its price point and may explain the performance increase ).
Teo_audio Very excited to see the XLR version come around as its the only thing which has stopped me from trying your cables. Can you tell us a little about its relationship to GCII RCA? is it the same formula as the GCII RCA with the same sound signature?
We had to create our own XLR solution for Liquid metal balanced cables to be possible. XLR’s are a particular problem for ’non-wire’ systems of conductivity. Not a single XLR available can be utilized for liquid conductor systems without major modifications of the connector. Most connectors are beyond being viable, even with extensive modification.
Liquid cables look the way they do, as it is necessary for their function. Every single micro detail of their construction is extensively worked over. Even that crooked looking label is a quality thing, not some poor build quality aspect. If we explained the why of that label, the entire industry would likely follow us.
This (balanced) was not commercially viable for us until 3d printing evolved a niche method/technology that fit our requirements. Which happened a short while ago.
Can someone share their experience between inserting the GCs in their digital/cd path as compared to their vinyl signal path? Does the GC make more of impact in one vs the other, and what is the difference qualitatively? A prior comment was that the GC smoothed out the cd harshness (my paraphrase) and I’m wondering what the effect on vinyl sound signature is. Thanks for sharing.
In our impression of what the fluid metal brings to the table it is a notable lack of the unwanted aspects of dynamic peak distortions that the complex impedance of a ’wire’ based cable imparts upon said dynamic peaks. It is inherent to most cables and wire period, to the point that many people get their idea of detail and information from some of these time smeared dynamic peak distortions. This is inherent to audio circuit design and is the entire audio endeavor in a nutshell. but it is also prevalent in cables.
The fluid metal tends to have notably less of this with respect to being an issue..and it is tied deeply to the way we hear, which is via listening to dynamic peaks in signal. Which is where these low levels of distortion occur, when the engineers test and measure. The relationship to how we hear and what is measured is not linear and engineers are looking at linear weighting in their numbers and their musing..... so they miss the point and the relationship almost entirely. the vanishingly low levels of distortion they find are actually pretty well 100% of what the ear hears. And the 100% of the signal that their measurement systems look at are not relatable to how the ear works. Completely wrong weighting. This ultra critical point is writ large across the combination of information on how the ear works vs how engineers weigh or look at the signal they are measuring. The two, at this time, are not in sync in how they are looked at and their importance/relationship to one another.
So we end up with a quieter cable (with the fluid), and the details we hear by, those complex dynamic peaks..those are less damaged, and thus notably easier to hear, it is notably easier to hear complex dynamic music structure.
The metallic alloy fluid is not ’darker’ per se, in some important ways, it is merely producing less distortions that slur and cover up fine detail, as compared to what some other technology may produce as side effects in signal conduction.
Which can mean that the fluid metal cable can be said to be capable of unraveling harmonically complex and richly detailed passages , without hiccups, or loss. Comparatively speaking, that is, as nothing is perfect. Better only, if one is lucky.
Rich microdetailed passages come through more unharmed, without peak signal etching (which is part and parcel of dynamic peak smearing). Peak signal etching is sometimes mistaken for detail, in a blunt fashion, by systems and implementations that cannot unravel ultra fine detail. Say like, bad pro audio. Cerwin vega from the 80’s, etc. And some high end audio configurations with bad design, like badly executed crossover designs in speakers. Bad crossover design is sadly, all too common. When the Teo cable is inserted in such systems, they just find it dark. Ie, trying to overcome muddy crossover and bad box design by using gear that introduces blunt force trauma in the form of hard peak detail falsification.
When people have worked hard to build systems that are not peaky and hard (false detail), but open and capable of rich detail delineation, and that delineation is built out of as little peak distortion characteristics and the person involved (system builder) can make it to be.... then they find that the liquid metal cable is doing what they want a cable to do. What they spent their entire audio design and build life, trying desperately to attain.
Ie, closer to real life richness and dynamics (micro and macro, in time and levels), and far away from muddy screechy ’detail poseur’ harshness.
I have them in all three paths (CD, digital and vinyl).
Describing the effect is challenging since the words I use may not resonate [pun intended] with you.
As a musician, I immediately noticed the ’space between the notes’. Individual instruments were more clearly defined.
Whether or not you hear a difference on your system may depend on a). your system, and b). the type of music you listen to. It may be easier to hear the difference when listening to an instrumental passage versus heavy metal thrasher music?
When a skeptical music-loving (i.e. NOT an audiophile) friend of mine listened to the GC’s in my system, his comment was: "Now I know what they mean when they say ’it’s like the musicians are in the room with you’".
Can someone share their experience between inserting the GCs in their digital/cd path as compared to their vinyl signal path? Does the GC make more of impact in one vs the other, and what is the difference qualitatively? A prior comment was that the GC smoothed out the cd harshness (my paraphrase) and I'm wondering what the effect on vinyl sound signature is. Thanks for sharing.
I currently have a loaner pair of Teo Splash Rs between my ARC PH6 phono and ARC Ref2 MkII preamp. They sound amazing in my system. Now I just need to talk wifey into buying them for an early Christmas present...
Add me to the list of Teo supporters! Keep up the great work guys.
I have the Teo GC in the right system it’s one of the best, once it synergize with your system, it will give you those good layering , excellent instrument placement, it’s not for everybody.But iam greatful for the discovery, not affiliated with Teo cable, just happy with GC...
@janehamble ....admittedly, yes, there is that fine line, and yes, we have some very enthusiastic and supportive "fans" ...we, at TEO proper, try to keep it as "straight" as we can ( but we can also be pretty enthusiastic as well ) but sometimes we too veer off line and enthusiasm can verge into heart-felt gushing....what can I say, we are passionate about what we do...
....and last, but most certainly not least, much sorries for the rather terse tone in my response to your earlier post....unfortunately passion can sometimes have a downside....
For for all of you potato people out there........ I’m not friends of or Teo people but the GC’s did work great in my system. Different systems, different synergy I suppose. No BS just good sound.
I thought it was pretty obvious to most readers that you guys are either Teo people or...um...'friends of Teo'. Yes, I do appreciate that you honored your satisfaction guarantee and refunded me quickly and without a problem, when I found they didn't work well in my system. That was nice of you. Perhaps GC's work great for others. There's a fine line between honest brand promotion and BS spinning, isn't there?
Little known fact. The Ruskies launched a failed satellite, the launch vehicle of which was powered by Vodka. Spudnik. It wobbled so much it tumbled into the Ocean.
....me, being a homer, I’ll go with Yukon Golds....and I’m going to go
on a limb here and guess that our dear randy probably goes for whatever
is on sale at the local supermarket....like it’s just potatoes, damn it,
slap enough butter on it and who cares....
Did you do a DOUBLE BLIND taste test? Don't waste your money, all potatoes taste the same.
....am waiting, as I’m sure everybody else is here, for a thread discussing which type of potato is best for a tuber preamp.....
....me, being a homer, I’ll go with Yukon Golds....and I’m going to go on a limb here and guess that our dear randy probably goes for whatever is on sale at the local supermarket....like it’s just potatoes, damn it, slap enough butter on it and who cares....
....now wondering if home grown would be better than store bought....organic vs GMO ?....heritage vs modern ?...
...hmmmm....this could, in the hands of the right mob, produce months of fun...
....maybe randy-11 should change his handle to something like spud-11....you know, to get in the spirit of the fun times ahead....or maybe mashedpotato-11 ( which, btw, is trending very strongly with our focus group )...
From previous threads, you enjoy being one of the first responders to be
a cable denier. Have you ever auditioned high quality cables? From this thread
that you started, you mention that you haven’t changed the tubes in
your 10 year old tube preamp. You didn’t even know what was meant by
’tubes wearing down’. How is it that you have over 1500 posts and you
don’t even know what you’re talking about?
Now that's an IDIOT!
Double blind test, double blind test ... LOL!!!
....word of advice, when in a hole stop digging....and btw more than one face-plant a day may have lasting negative effect on your health...so maybe time to ease off eh....
...yeah ain’t projection grand....yup, that’s our dear randy-11, right as rain yet once again ( must be tough to be so dead nuts on like all the time....well except for this epic face-plant.. ).....as Ken says that was just me blundering about blindly and hopelessly flailing ...wasn’t really a good start to the morning....
...but we did find out who says what about whom and why...so not a total wash....now forewarned, and forearmed, eh....
@analogluvr....interesting insight into the rules that you feel define the game here....so a big thanks for spelling that out , gotta say that helps put some things into perspective...
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