Teo XLR

Defride,
I heard them at CES. They sounded quite good, but they are very, very expensive. In the system I heard the speaker wires cost more than the speakers.

Tbg, the ParaHelios (aka Reference) cables are very expensive, however your statement is not correct. The 2m pair of speaker cables demonstrated are $28,000, while a 1m pair of RCA interconnects are $15,000. The Standard series cables are far less, especially the interconnects ($2995), and the new entry level ApheHelios interconnects (RCA) are $1000 for a 1m pair. Anyone wanting a complete price list is welcome to contact me.

The cables are selling well, including the ParaHelios series.

In the end, looking past the price tags, what matters is how it sounds and whether it delivers the music and makes you want to listen longer.

Teo Audio dealer.

Brian Walsh

Defride, I am hearing the same type things with my liquid cables although they are from Audio Magic. I have not heard the Teo cables but from feedback I have heard they are very good. These cables I am sure use somewhat different design but the common thread is the liquid technology and similar sonic signatures. I must say that Audio Magic has lower price points than Teo which IMHO gives them an edge in value. Of course I have not heard the Teo cables and cannot say which one is better. Glad that you found out about this great liquid cable technology.

I have both AM Clairvoyant and Teo STD IC's. The Teo is a far superior design and far out runs the AM cable.

If comparing RCAs, then one might expect a big difference between Teos and AMs or any other RCA for that matter.

If comparing XLR to XLR in a fully balanced system, would the difference beween Teos and any other XLR be significant?

Opinions?

From what I remember, Ralph Kasten doesn't subscribe to the notion that one XLR will sound different than another in a fully balanced system. My apologies if my memory is faulty.

Sorry for the typo Ralph ---- Karsten.

To compare Anti Cables to TEO would be like comparing a Nissan Versa to an Infinity G37. They are at total different price points and one should be much better than the other. I am not saying more money means better but these are not close in price. After blind testing over 400 different cables over 30 years with 5 other guys we have found in our opinion a much more emotionally involving XLR than TEO or Audio Magic and yes we did test both those cables. Most XLR cables lack resolution and then they seem unemotional.

Xyz,

So what sounded better than the Teo?

I believe the cable xyz is referring to is HiDiamond cables.

So AM and Teo was head but what was the model of each cable? Like me saying I drove a Ford/Chevy but the VW was better.

In my opinion there really needs to be some technology behind a cable and a proper factory. Most guys on this forum know enough about cables to build their own cable but will that cable really evoke emotion; take your system to the next level. Will you truly get lost in the moment and forget about your equipment; not if you are building the cable yourself in my opinion. I have owned several brands of “liquid cables”. The number one problem I noticed was that 2 identical cables from the same manufacturer did not sound exactly the same. Second was, what liquid was actually in the cable; most manufacturers do not even want to tell you so can my dog die if he bites it or even worse can my son die if it leaks out? Last but certainly not least; are they being built in a proper factory or someone’s garage and how do they sound? A properly made XLR is not just a single ended cable with different connectors, it actually requires a complete different design and again when you are dealing with garage cable designers you are getting a garage cable. Why pay top dollar for a cable that is built in a garage/house when there are serious companies investing time and money into R&D. I have personally only found 1 XLR manufacturer that evokes emotion into my balance amps; I mean put me in the recording studio. Again these are just my opinions and they may not apply to everyone but if I am investing serious money into a cable that company needs to have a factory and technology.

Xyz,

What model AM/ Teo cable did you have/listen to?

Just when you fire off a doctrine on where a cable is built determines if it up to snuff some dude goes in his closet and builds a kick as AC cable that is light years ahead of the big wigs. Have one in my system right now.

I would think that staying in the middle of your thinking on wire would get more members to heed your wisdom. I really would like to hear this wire if indeed it beat out the STD Teo IC/digital cable. How do I demo it?

Hi for the pass year I've been using HiDiamond XLR 2 in my setup.I've tried Teo XLR and the top AM XLR cables and many others.My experienced with the HiDiamond XLR 2 is the cable convoys alot of emotion from the recordings.I just didn't find that feeling with other xlr. I highly recommend a listen!!

After over 30 years of testing cables we do not spend much time with entry level models anymore. We have found in our testing that if you are after real emotion it will not happen at entry level so most of our testing is done on the top 2 models of a manufacturer’s cable. Just for the record I am not saying that some entry level cables are not really good but for us to achieve an emotional experience in our systems it always took upper end models of cables.

Is it just me or are their others who noticed virtually every thread Musicxyz has participated in results in a plug for HiDiamond cables.

Not pointing a finger yet without more info, but it sure makes me raise an eyebrow.

What I noticed is if you have a definitive opinion on this forum you are a bad guy. I am not saying, JPS, Nordost, Harmonic Technology and several other well manufactured cables don’t sound great because they do. What I am saying is; I prefer one cable manufacturer over all the rest and my search for cables is over. I am also saying I would not buy garage/house made cables and that is my personal opinion. This is the cable section of the forum, correct? The only reason I got involved was because I have personally owned TEO.

And it's only my opinion that when someone comes into the forums and virtually every post they make they are touting HiDiamond cables that the possibility exists that they could be a shill, especially when they only began posting in January of 2012.

I just find it odd for a person who claims to have tested over 400 cables and claims to have owned over 300 speakers to begin posting about only one cable company and one speaker. Just saying.

But it could just be me...

I did some Dick Tracy and Xyz is not a dealer but has found a cable he digs and has a joy posting about it. The Zu Def4 is a revelation and I don't blame him for his praise of this speaker.

I will A/B the HiDiamond with my Teo and report back. Teo is the best cable I have had in my system.

I am also one of the people that is involved in the blind testing with Dave and I find it unfortunate that our testing doesn’t gel with your current cable choice but I concur with Dave that HiDiamond cables did finish first in our blind testing. Just for the record we really have tested over 400 cables.

XYZ,

Big difference from 7 to 9 with the IC? 10% better the 9 is?

Fiddler, according to your logic, everyone who prefers one component or cable is suspect. This calls the honesty of all such posters into question. Are the only acceptable posts those that express confusion and uncertainly? What a sad day this would be if this were so.

Sabai, if you know the history of shills around here it's easy to be suspect given the circumstances on XYZ's posts. My apologies to XYZ if his posts are legitimate.

Glory, could you enlighten us to your detective work. No offense Audionewfie, but your character witness for XYZ doesn't have a lot of weight considering it is your one and only post.

Hey, everything may be legit, but you've got to be suspicious when someone has registered recently and they start posting a rave followed by a character witness with only one post.

Does anyone remember Tekunda and the HMS Gran Finales fiasco? He supposedly tested countless top of the line cables only to pronounce the HMS Gran Finale the winner. Turns out he was selling them.

Xyz

Last but certainly not least; are they being built in a proper factory or someone’s garage and how do they sound

Why pay top dollar for a cable that is built in a garage/house when there are serious companies investing time and money into R&B

I bought a Dale Pitcher made AC cable running dac/transport and if you heard it you would piss your pants LOL.

It was made in his closet!!
A power bridge is in the middle of the cable and it has two cables coming out of it to run to components.

For the 4 or so that own these cable to praise the cable here on the Gon would fall on deaf ears.

Big factory and R&D reminds me of a company that has 3rd Generation quantum tunneling to enhance their cables. Ding ding.

Long live the closet builders!

Does any of this really matter? Who buys cabling on the basis of posting here? Most of us have probably only heard less than 5% of those available, and few have the same equipment or ears.

Fiddler all I can say is “WOW”; “live and let live”. Sorry but I am no longer going to mention any makes or models of equipment I personally use, I would also like to apologize to Defride (the original post) and say I am sure this was not what you intended to happen from your original post.

Glory, I do agree with you that you can build a very good cable in the garage but what happens when your garage power cord starts a home fire? Is the second built cable exactly the same as the first cable and does it sound the same as the first cable you built? I have personally built some great sounding cables but they would not hold a candle to some of the top manufacturers. In my opinion there is another level of cabling that requires technology and that technology is what makes the difference from a very good cable too an emotional cable. Does the manufacturer and stores charge to much for this technology, “yes”.

Fiddler, according to your logic anyone who holds a strong opinion should either not register to post on the forums or they should not express those opinions if they do register. Because, ipso facto, what they say will be suspect.

I mean, what kind of convoluted thinking do we have here? What is this, the Audiogon roving thought police or a forum for open discussion? If you don't like someone's opinion. OK -- no problem. But if you are going to become the thought police then you open yourself up for the same treatment.

Xyz says

I have owned several brands of “liquid cables”. The number one problem I noticed was that 2 identical cables from the same manufacturer did not sound exactly the same. Second was, what liquid was actually in the cable; most manufacturers do not even want to tell you so can my dog die if he bites it or even worse can my son die if it leaks out.

Talking to Teo today and they have told me that there is nothing toxic in the cable that would kill a dog of harm a child. They would never sell a toxic cable to the public!

All models are built the same and sound the same.

It takes some time for the cable to warm up just like a tube amp to sound its best. 30 mins is a good warm up time.

Sabai, anyone who holds a strong opinion can certainly post here, but if they are new, common sense often says based on experience, their posts may be suspect. Abuse in this and other forums supports the notion that many have posted here trying to sell their wares under the guise of simply wanting to tell everyone about their latest world-beater discovery.

You may not like the scrutiny in theory, but in reality it has merit in this and any other forum.

Glory wrote:

All models are built the same and sound the same.

Not actually so. They all use the same patent-pending alloy of metals which is in the liquid state, but the gauge and number of conductors varies somewhat, along with the rest of the construction. It is true the various models are cut from the same cloth sonically, but as one might expect there are some differences between the various series.

Hey Glor, you writing the rule book here?

Dick Tracy work Exposed.

Spoke with the Distributer named Bob of HD cables in Canada and he said he knew XYZ (Dave Marrow, may have the last name off) and that he knew he had the HD cables.

A Pinocchio happening

XYZ writes


personally bought my cables directly from the manufacturer in Italy about 2 years ago; I didn't even know there were any dealers for HiDiamond. All I can say is this is the most emotional sounding cable I have owned.

So Xyz the Distributor Bob in Canada says he knows you but you write you didn't know there was a distributor and you bought direct from HD.

Are you Pinocchio?

I almost bought a HD Digital cable to run against my Teo because of your praise of HD but if you are working with Bob than I am not a happy camper.

Do you know him or not!!!

From what I now understand the same store that I purchased my Zu speakers from is now selling HD cables. I did mention to the owner several times during our conversations that I like HD cables and perhaps that is how he found out about the brand. I have spoken to him several times and he seems like a great guy, very easy to deal with. I think if you read my emails I clearly state there are lots of great cables but my cable of choice is HD. I never realized that mentioning 1 brand name would cause so much crap. Beside me and my buddies I really don't know anyone that uses HD.I also like JPS, does that mean I own that company? You guys really need to move on because I don't care what cable you use as long as your system gives you some emotional connection to the artist. If you don’t want to hear my opinion than stop asking.

The plot thickens :)

Good to see this tread revived, I'll be interested to hear HiDiamond properly.

Funnily enough someone I know through a UK forum lives close and worked for as far as I'm aware the last UK distributor for HiDiamond. I heard two of his systems which were in all likelyhood hooked up with their stuff. He's an arch cable sceptic and when I asked about the cables he basically shrugged his shoulders - good if you're interested in that sort of thing...

My system has evolved, the Muse has been replaced with Kharma MP150 mono's and an Aesthetix Calypso. I'm thrilled with what I hear here now.

Further back in the thread someone suggested comparing Teo with Anticable is a nonsense. I don't agree, from what I've seen price is not always a great indicator of quality. I tried a fair few midrange cables, Supra, Siltech etc next to the Anticables and Teo. In my system the Anticables were more transparent and got me closer to the music than all but Teo. I tried them next to a couple of highend cables, Siltech Forbes Lake and top end Acrolink. In my system there was little in it next to the Anticable, the other two seemed to offer very slightly greater transparency and a more forward presentation. I suspect I'd find it difficult to chose between those three blind.

I suppose you could call me a shill now, the distributor here has been very kind in letting me try some pieces that I'd not otherwise have had the opportunity to hear since I bought the XLR.

Teo is an awful lot of money, I find it hard to justify the sums involved when looking at it from a material content standpoint, however I am contemplating another purchase. I notice and miss it when I take it out of my system...

Ride writes about Teo

I notice and miss it when I take it out of my system...

Once I found/heard Teo cables I knew I had found my go to Reference cable for the long haul. Had many different wires in my system and they all did the same old same old with different ways to use Copper/Silver/Gold etc... Teo stepped out of the design box and Created a cable that I can live with for many years to come.

Could you explain what the design difference is and what liquid they actually use in their cables? I have tried TEO and spoken to the owner and never did receive an answer to these 2 questions. My understanding is they still use copper to transmit the signal?

Musicxyz, check out the reviews. They have a very thorough discussion of the conductive elements used in the liquid. There is no copper wire or copper.

It is a proprietary patent pending alloy of gallium, indium, and tin. Do a web search for the trade name Galinstan, which is somewhat similar but not the same.

Has anyone actually cut open a TEO cable to see what is inside?

Musicxyz, if you're adventurous enough to cut one open, be prepared to throw it away and surely be frustrated that you can't figure out what they've done. Take my word for it, there's the liquid metal conductor material in small teflon tubing, various damping materials, etc., and the terminations which involve barbs that contact the conductor material in the tubes at one end and the terminating connector at the other.

No need to do that as hearing on the outside is what counts. Natural/organic and has a Liquid (LOL) mid-range with a lingering extension of the notes of the music. Weight/body and emotion in spades. A tube sound without the rolled off top end.

Someone had a bad experence with the owners of Teo and thus a negative feedback is going on.

I never actually had a bad experience with the owner; I had a bad experience with the cable. I bought 2 cables that were supposed to be the exact same model and they sounded totally different. They did add weight and body in all sorts of negative ways. I prefer a cable that doesn’t add anything but instead disappears so I can listen to the artist and recording.
The first time you hear a cable that adds nothing you will know because all your recording will sound more emotional.

Xyz,

I never said you did have a run in with Teo but the ex distributor (in Canada) for Teo did and you know him and he you and both of you are from Canada. He sells Zu speaker and you rave about them and he sells HiDiamond and you rave about them to be the best wire ever. You knock Teo so 3 different happening here adds up to a toxic smell.

I find the only thing toxic is that you are not allowed to have an absolute opinion on these forums. How do we not know if you are the owner of TEO cables? I bought my cables directly from the manufacturer in Italy and I prefer the HiiDiamond cables over many other brands but I have stated very clearly that there are also several other very good cables on the market. I would be an idiot to think that there was only 1 great cable available! When you have tested as many cables as I have over a 30 year period with a proper scoring system than I will listen to your opinion and even respect your opinion but seriously weight/body; did you buy them to equalize your system?

Wow pride comes before a fall my friend.

30 years of your testing to my little 30 days is a battle I can not win. You far more superior than I and will bow out of this thread.

So you are King for the day.

Enjoy

Musicxyz, I know for a fact that Glory owns the Teo Audio cables, so your suggestion that he doesn't is off base.

I bought my cables directly from the manufacturer in Italy

Teo Audio has always been in Canada, and you should know that, given your relationship with the former Canadian distributor. So how do you explain what you said? And without details on exactly what cables you claim to have purchased, there is no way of knowing what if anything you did.

When you have tested as many cables as I have over a 30 year period with a proper scoring system

All it sounds like is an unsubstantiated assertion you keep repeating ad nauseum to add credibility to what you say.

Read it much closer; I bought the HiDiamond cables from the manufacturer in Italy and I bought the TEO cables from the manufacturer in Canada. There are a ton of people that make a ton of statements on these forums but the minute someone doesn’t agree with someone else then there is a problem. You can believe what you want and I am cool with that but really, natural, organic, weight and body, it sounds like he bought a shampoo. In my opinion the best cables don’t add anything to an already great sounding system but they will increase the top end resolution and define the soundstage. Truthfully my opinion is just another opinion among the 1000 different opinions but we really do have a structured system to base our opinions on, so I do trust our scoring system especially when 6 out of 6 guys have the exact same opinion.