Transparent users... Question
My friend replaced his reference with XL with Ultra Balanced MM and he also tried the a Balanced Ultra with XL. The Ultra MM Balanced bested both. I am running the reference with MM Balanced and it was a huge step up from my Reference XL single Ended. The real question is whether your Proceed is truely balanced, I bet the ARC is. If it is then Balanced Ultra MM would be the way to go. Yeah MM was quiet a huge performance gain in my system! |
Thanks Cytocycle. The proceed manual states it is balanced and I am pretty sure it is a truly balanced circuit? Anyone that knows for sure please chime in, or I will check with my dealer when I order the cable. I still can not believe how quiet the system is with this installed, at least Transparent has an upgrade plan available. : ) |
FYI Look what the designer of the Sterephile 1998 Speaker of the Year http://audioartistry.com $38k 'Beethoven', Seigfried Linkwitz, of 'Linkwitz-Riley' fame, uses on his personal Beethoven system: Q37 - What cables and interconnects do you recommend? Cables can have audible effects and some manufacturers make sure they will, either through unusual electrical parameters and/or by suggestion. Weaknesses in the design of the output-to-input interface are exploited. Sounding different does not mean it is also a more accurate transfer from electrical to acoustic domain. My guideline for speaker cables is to keep their resistance to less than 0.1 ohm for the roundtrip path of the current. This defines the maximum length of a 2-conductor copper cable for different wire gauges. Wire gauge Max. length in feet 18 awg -8' 16 awg -12' 14 awg -20' 12 awg -30' 8 awg --80' I measured the 16 gauge Megacable from Radio Shack (278-1270) that I use. A 10 foot length has 0.07 ohm resistance, 714 pF of capacitance and 1.9 uH of inductance. The line impedance is 51 ohm. A typical tweeter has a voice coil resistance of 4.7 ohm and 50 uH inductance. At 20 kHz this yields an impedance of about |4.7 + j6.3| = 7.9 ohm. Add to this the cable inductance of j0.24 ohm, and 0.07 ohm resistance for 10 feet, and the impedance becomes 8.09 ohm. This causes a 7.9/8.09 = 0.98 or 0.17 dB reduction in tweeter output at 20 kHz which is insignificant. The cable effect is even less at lower frequencies. Speaker cables can act as antennas in the AM frequency band and may cause distortion in the output stage of a solid-state amplifier, if strong radio frequency signals are present. In particular, the cable capacitance in conjunction with the inductance of a driver voice coil may form a resonant circuit for these frequencies. The resonance can be suppressed by placing a series R-C circuit of 10 ohm/2 W and 0.33 uF/100 V across the cable terminals at the speaker end. Coaxial interconnects with phono (RCA) plugs tend to pick up radio frequencies in the FM band. The currents that are induced in the cable shield must not be allowed to enter the inside of the coax. This requires a very low resistance connection between the outer conductor of the phono connector and the chassis (signal ground) of the equipment that it plugs into. The continuity and low resistance of the shield is also very important for hum and buzz currents, so that they will not induce a voltage on the center conductor. The technical description for this is the Transfer Impedance of the cable and connectors, which must be in the low milli-ohm range. Unfortunately I have not seen this specification used by the audio industry. An excellent description of the theory and treatment of hum and buzz problems in equipment setups with mixed two and three prong AC plugs is given in AN-004 by Jensen Transformers, Inc. I have not found balanced interconnections to be necessary for the high level circuits past the preamplifier. But sometimes it requires to experiment with AC outlets in different locations to reduce to insignificant level the buzz that one may hear with the ear close to the speaker cone. So, when choosing a coaxial audio interconnect look for good mechanical construction, direct contact between shield and connector, and well plated contact surfaces. I find what is needed at Radio Shack. I solder speaker cables to terminal strips on the speaker end and use dual in-line banana plugs on the amplifier end. http://www.linkwitzlab.com /Q&A link |
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Amazing = Good enough for me to fork over my hard earned $ Transparent may not float everyones boat, but I like how my system sounds wired with it and it appears you get more and more of that as you go up the transparent line. I entitled the thread "Transparent users question" with the hopes we would not get into the usual brand bashing that occurs.(especially with Transparent LOL) It is only important that you enjoy what you have. |
Though that is not how to define, 'audiophile'. S Rather, such persons are in search of audio Nirvana. A state where with little or no effort one is transported on the ship, 'psycho-acoustic phenomenon', to the Auditorium, or Recording studio, where the musicians create the music. At least when playing those all too rare sonically superior, well engineered recordings. But it is not for everyone. And even many of those aspire only to achieving a 'sound' for their system, which by the way tends to make all recordings sound alike, using their system to 'improve' the music. But then there seems to be a true and a false, the fake and the real, in just about everything. Even that is OK, as long as you know the differece. An artist told me once, you can wear polka dots with plaid, as long as you know they clash. |
I have gone through the Nordost family of cables, and my observations are that you get the same sound signature, only improved and refined, as you move up through the line. Forgive me, but I'm confused by your post. Which Transparent cables (and where in your audio chain) are they being used. Which have you already upgraded, and what upgrades have you definitely planned, and what changes are you still not sure about. I have heard good things about Transparent cables. Sorry that I don't have the experience to advise you, but I would like to learn more about their cables. Thanks for your post...and good luck! Now for a word of caution...Didactically will give you the standard "true to the original", and "masters of coloration", as well as just plain incomprehensible audio psychobabble until you want to vomit. And of course, the inevitable link to his Guru, Siegfried Linkwitz. There is some interesting info here, but Didactically seems to think that his approach is THE ONLY VIABLE method of high end audio. Apparently, he enjoys his system, but ravages through the Agon posts as if he were in the "Blues Brothers" movie and he also is on a "mission from God"!! Note that his reference standard for "true to the original" is a $100- pair of Shure earbuds, with 3 distinct frequency peaks (according to the information on the Siegfried Linkwitz website). In addition, Siegfried Linkwitz uses a Sony TCD-D3 Digital Audio Tape Walkman for his master tapes (no super-bit mapping either!) Take this into consideration when judging his advice! |
Hi Fatparrot, yea I read up on your "other posts" : ) that somehow disappered???? Anyhow, I started with Transparent years ago on my first system. As I upgraded components I would then eventually check out better lines of Transparent and upgrade them as well. Fortunately Transparent has a pretty good upgrade path once you hit their "plus" line of cable. Check with your local dealer for the details... but most of the time you can get 75%-100% of retail towards the new cable. I have listed my system now so you can see where the different levels are installed right now. I have found however that the system "clicks" much better wired entirely with Transparent vs mix matching. Most dealers for Transparent have loaner kits that will include every cable you need to wire your system at whatever level you are looking at. I would suggest at least the "plus" if not the "super" line to start with. This will give you an idea of what Transparent cables do, and whether or not what they do appeals to you. In my system the bass response is one of the biggest differences as well as a blacker background that the music comes out of. |
The gear you have works best in balanced mode. I was faced with your choice, and after audition preferred the Ultra MM Balanced over the Reference single-ended. I also have some Reference Balanced in my system, and the sonic difference between Ultra Balanced and Reference Balanced is quite substantial. It almost makes the outrageous cost bearable! ;-) |
