transparent audio ultra ic burn in time

Hi there Mceljo.

I am a newbie to AudioGon and came across this thread (mainly because I also have TA Ultra MM2 Interconnects, so was interested in your take on burn in time. I have them between my DAC and Pre and between Pre and Power Amp).

I have been running the cables since January this year and would totally agree that it takes time to run in properly.

The cables have now achieved in excess of 200 hrs and, in my system, sound wonderfully transparent and extended to the frequency extremes. I am very pleased with them (I perhaps should add that I upgraded from "old standard" Super TA cables and I must say that IMHO the Ultra mm2 surpasses the old Super in all respects).

I was also interested to note that you have now gone to the Reference - any good reason for the fairly quick change from Ultra to Reference - have you found significant improvements?

David

Mceljo -

I fully understand where you are coming from, but believe me, my decision to upgrade my cables from TA Super to Ultra was not made on a whim, or boredom with the sound of my system. I happened to find out that TA had revised their cable standard from MM to MM2 (my Super cables were actually so old that they pre-dated the MM standard!!). My local TA dealer, here in the UK, happened to have fully run in demo sets of Ultra's which he loaned me for a period of home use to compare side by side with my existing Supers. The change in sound was significant (even my wife commented, and believe me that is a first!!) - lower noise floor, more transparent, ability to hear low level detail which I could not hear before, better bass resolution, etc - so I ordered new sets (his demo sets were not for sale unfortunately). When the new sets arrived, they did take a little time to settle in, but are now giving me hours of musical enjoyment (which is what, after all, we are after isn't it?).

I do not change my system at every tiff and turn - my main system is a Theta Jade Transport running into Theta Gen 5 DAC into Audio Research LS25 Mk11 Pre Amp and then to Chord SPM1200C Power Amp (Power amp has been modified by Chord to 1200E standard when being serviced & repaired), speakers are Wilson Benesch Act1s.

Cables: TA Reference AES/EBU from Transport to DAC;
TA Balanced Super MM2 DAC to Pre-Amp;
TA Balanced Super MM2 Pre-amp to Power Amp
Kimber XL Bi-Focal Power Amp to Speakers.

Most of my kit dates from mid to late 1990s, and has been chosen with care, and over a period of time. Whilst I have Demo'd alternatives from time to time, nothing, until the cables refered to above has tempted me to change. I did flirt with the AR LS26, but found it too clinical for my ears, but will probably listen to the new AR LS27 sometime in the near future to see if my view of the sound is in tune (oops terrible pun) with theirs - it wasn't with the LS26 - but that is what it is all about - trusting your own ears over everyone elses, after all we, thank goodness, are not all the same when it comes to musical taste and the way in which it is presented. There is so much Hi-Fi kit out there, that with the best will in the World, we can not hear it all, within the plethora of different mixes of amplifier, cables, and speakers out ther must be the perfect match to our ears, but we will never know will we! If we are lucky to hit a mix that gives us musical pleasure then stick with it, but don't stop the occasional experiment to see if there is better.