Veritas Cables a new brand that I found
Always been a big fan of smaller cable makers. I've had great luck in my system with brands like Audio Art, Cabledyne (RIP), Audio Sensibility, and Triode Wire Labs. These and others I'm surely forgetting seem to offer so much bang for the buck compared to the more mainstream brands. Not exactly cheap but usually a great value for what you get. It's noteworthy that most of these are most easily found by cruising Audiogon, US Audio Mart, Audiocircle, etc and if you only ever read Stereophile/TAS you'll probably never be exposed to all these great options.
As with most people around here I've also had my fair share of Audioquest, Kimber, Shunyata, Cardas, Wireworld, MIT, and the rest of the big names. Some of those were very enjoyable but I have a hard time when I think about how big their marketing budgets are. And when my local dealer will always give me a deal for a very substantial discount, it makes me realize how inflated the regular pricing is. Not to mention I notice that many of these don't really get good until you move fairly high up the line, with their entry and mid priced options often being pretty uninspiring.
A few weeks ago I was browsing the various classifieds as I often do and stumbled across a name that was new to me. Turns out that's because they are new, period. Veritas Cables calls themselves a boutique hifi cable company specializing in small batch creations. That sounds reminiscent of early Black Cat Cable which they actually reference as an inspiration. This immediately caught my attention as I used to work with Chris Sommovigo at one point and loved his approach to building cables. The company had 3 items listed at the time: RCA interconnects, a power cable, and an ethernet cable. I liked what I saw but was actually in the market for an XLR interconnect, so I checked out their website (still under construction) which indicated more cables were coming soon. I figured it was worth an email inquiry to see what the time frame might be.
I got a quick response stating that they had just completed a batch of XLR cables and while most were spoken for via local word of mouth sales, they did have one extra set they could sell me. The price was well within my target and actually much more affordable than the others I had been looking at (Audio Art Copper Cryo, Morrow Audio MA6, Silnote Anniversary being the main contenders). So I took a chance on it, although with their in home trial terms it wasn't a huge gamble. They sent over an invoice with paypal and due to Veritas being in California like me the cable arrived very quickly.
When the company told me they don't use any fancy packaging, they weren't kidding. It was more like buying a second hand cable off a forum with no original packaging. But I've never cared about any of that stuff and would rather have that money go towards the actual product. In that sense I was not disappointed. Veritas calls this their Magnus cable and it shares design cues with the rest of their line I had seen listed on USAmart and the Veritas website. Specifically that means the use of a metallic silver braided jacket instead of the usual plastic or fabric sleeving most other cables have. This is the same approach used by Ed Bowman with his Cabledyne brand which I miss dearly. Back in the day my entire system was Cabledyne Reference Silver, then upgraded to their Vanguard line and was happy with that for quite a while. So I am very pleased to reintroduce a similar looking cable. That said the Veritas Magnus is somewhat thicker yet more flexible than the Cabledyne models which makes it easier to deal with.
Veritas doesn't come right out and list exactly what the internal composition is on their designs. When I asked directly they were happy to answer so it's not a complete secret, but I guess more of a marketing choice. Discussing this with them also reminded me of chatting with Ed Bowman, where there is clearly a lot of knowledge but also a desire to simplify things for a dumb end user like me. I tend to agree with their philosophy that says silver doesn't always have to sound bright and copper isn't always warm. Designers can do a lot based on geometry and purity and shielding and a dozen other factors to where a silver cable might actually be warmer and smoother than a copper cable. Or a copper cable might be more focused on speed and treble extension. Honestly I don't care as much about the specifics as I do about the end result, just give me an excellent performing cable no matter what it's made of.
In any case to my eyes the Veritas Magnus looks every bit as well made as the other options I had been considering. Those range from $630 for the Audio Art, to $1250 for the Morrow, to $1500 for the Silnote, all for 1.5m XLR versions just to give you a general idea. Meanwhile the Magnus was $389 which is almost what I would call entry level territory with the price of cables being what it is these days.
So far I've been using the Magnus to connect my Eversolo DMP-A8 to a variety of tube and SS headphone amplifiers in the $2-5k range, then feeding the amazing Raal Requisite CA-1a ribbon headphones via the Raal transformer box. It's a pretty simple system and this is the only interconnect involved, making it easier to spot the contributions versus a system with separate transport, DAC, preamp, and amplifier and of course cables running between each of them.
The sound I heard was shockingly open, clean, detailed, and smooth. Huge staging with impressive depth and even height on the right recordings. Very convincing tone on violins, guitars, and vocals both male and female. The Raal headphones are pretty ruthless and reveal all sorts of upstream shortcomings, but I got the feeling I was bouncing up against the limits of the DMP-A8 D/A conversion rather than the cable/amp/headphones. I'll test this out soon when I switch to my bigger system with a better/more expensive DAC, and I'll report my findings when I have some thoughts on that.
Checking my cable collection for things with a vaguely similar price as the Magnus. I rounded up a Harmonic Tech Truth Link, Analysis Plus Copper Micro, Anticables 3.1, and Moon Audio Black Dragon, all of which sold for somewhere in the sub $500 space (I think) at some point in the last decade. It was no contest, the Veritas Magnus outclassed them all by a significant margin. These are all decent cables with something to offer which is why I keep them around in my stash, but compared to the Veritas they all sounded either dull, thin, slow, compressed, or some combination of those traits. I also note that each of them looks and feels like more of a budget product (which I guess they are) where the Veritas Magnus seems like it belongs in an entirely higher class despite the price not reflecting that.
My next goal is to compare it to some others in my arsenal priced around the $1K range. So far, from memory I would say it feels very competitive even in that class, but I want to be more specific about it so no comments for now. The crazy thing is that Veritas told me they have another XLR option (didn't catch the name or other specifics) positioned higher than the Magnus, for what is likely still a pretty reasonable price considering their approach to the market. All of those were spoken for at the time but did ask to be notified when the next batch is ready so we can discuss that. I had been considering the Infigo Audio Sparkle or maybe even Sparkle Signature XLR down the road but I might detour to the Veritas instead, just for the sake of adventure. But that depends on the pricing and specifics they give me, if and when we have that discussion. I'm also curious about their power cables or maybe a USB down the line. Sometimes when cable companies try to do everything, they bite off more than they can chew, or seem to excel with digital rather than analog or vice versa. So it would be interesting to see if Veritas can do the full line of cables to this same high caliber.
In closing I'll say (and it's probably obvious) that I'm extremely impressed with this product so far. It's the most dramatic result I've had from a cable in quite some time, and I appreciate that it didn't involve spending thousands of dollars. The folks at Veritas really seem to be on the right track in terms of quality and value. Which is not to be confused with being very good at marketing a product, which honestly they don't really seem to be, nor do they seem to even care all that much at the moment. They definitely have some improvement to do when it comes to optimizing their operation, but they told me their focus is on organic growth and quality over quantity. That seems like a noble approach so I can't fault them for it. Their website also could really use more specifics but at least they answer emails quickly and are easy to deal with that way.
I'll be back in the next week or so with additional updates. Maybe some downsides will present themselves. But so far it's been a totally positive experience. Next up is my bigger system with more expensive components and cables, we'll see how the Magnus holds up in that context.
I have the Argentum X cable which is the xlr cable and it is pure silver occ. Does not sound like a silver cable at all. It sounds supremely balanced and open. I cannot speak more until I have a better speaker cable (the Aperta is coming).
Regarding the Aperta which is the speaker cable, it is a combination of copper/silver. Veritas Cable has said publicly that they don't believe in material having a certain definite sound signature. |
Okay, Veritas has responded and I will post my observations and their response so we have both sides. They are a stand-up organizaion. 11/9/2024 Trial run of Veritas Argentum silver XLR cables on loan. System: https://www.audiogon.com/systems/10635 A little background on me and my experiences and love of music; still practicing engineering full time after 43 years while passing through General Motors, BF Goodrich Aerospace, Eaton Corp., and Parker Hannifin and others, started drumming at 8 after 2 years of piano, owned a grand piano for a decade, own 2 drum kits, played in jazz bands, rock bands, polka band, big band groups, and played internationally one time as a teen. The Veritas folks generously offered to loan me a pair to evaluate before deciding on a purchase. I decided to evaluate the Argentums after 4 days of Hagerman burn in (48 hours voltage method then 48 hours current method) without refreshing my memory with my current setup. I always keep notes on a 5x7 notebook and rattled off 3.5 pages on Friday night going through favorites within 4 different playlists. System is all digital served up by an Aurender X100L through a Shunyata Sigma USB to a Bricasti M1. I won’t bore you with all the nitty gritty detail notes of each song. Learning what this cable is all about was quite a ride. I was taking a positive approach for all the tracks I now claim (in hindsight) to be the warm up songs. Carlos Mombelli and Dave Holland/Pepe Habichuela tracks were musically engaging, Guitar plucks were strong, soundstage was wide and came from the back wall. I wrote “everything is coming through.” Overhang and sustain of mallets and sticks on cymbals was very evident and realistic. Smooth sound with no silver wire etching. I had to make sure I was considering all the parameters and then realized the bass was a little shy on Sunshine by The Neurotics. And then I wrote that the voices are not as clear as my Siltech Princesses on One Day Like This by Elbow. The male voice was front and center, but not as clear as I was used to. I did not recognize at the time that I was on a roller coaster as I am getting more familiar with this cable and comparing to my memory of the Siltech. About this time I am beginning to note that the sound is continually making me feel like I am in the venue. The Siltechs put you in the studio. Hold that thought. Miles Davis – The Man I Love had the trumpet front and center and tonally correct and the marimba being struck with the mallets was spot on. When I put on Banjo by Leonard Cohen, the soundstage was wide and the voices were very separate and well delineated. I wrote that the band is in the room with me. Cohen’s – The Night in Santiago opens with a guitar and it was very clear and his voice was full throated (which is why I love his deep voice from his later years). Esbjorn Svensson’s Believe, Beleft, Below track displayed nice brush work that made the snare sound realistic, the piano was realistic, and everyone was in the room. It was not half-baked stereophonic. I made a note that the female voice was “less sterile than the Siltech” with Old Note by Lisa O’Neill. This could go either way. Etta James was in the venue and not coming from the speakers in Trust in Me. A little spooky, especially for decades old recording. At this point in time I was formulating a negative view. While I was getting some interesting ambience, like the venue portrayal on many tracks, my gray matter was being pinged with several areas that bothered me:
So now that I was somewhat perplexed (using nice words here), I decided to pull out my most most highest greatest super-duper favorite tracks etched into my brain from a multitude of cable testing sessions. I wrote on my page that NOW I will get serious and truly test these cables. The previous 90 minutes was a warm-up. Call me a putz. Joan of Arc by Leonard Cohen is my favorite track because it has his deep voice, the female solos floating over the top, soulful violin, and a lilting female chorus that just makes you want to sway back and forth (roll with me here). His voice lacked the solid bass he possesses and there was a mush of the instruments and voices. That wass not enjoyable in that monent. This track and the next few sealed my opinion. Taylor by Jack Johnson starts out with his voice and guitar until the bass and drums kick in. The bass was boomy and the tune was incohesive. Brian Bromberg’s rendition of The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers has got to play deep and tight. The Argentum displayed realistic tone but the bass was not deep and room filling. At this point in time I turned to a hard no on these cables. I kept going anyway. I literally wrote at the end of the Friday session: “Presents very realistically and I have to adjust. Will go back to Siltechs and repeat these tomorrow. Am I not used to “real”, am I too analytical?” This was after sampling Oscar Peterson’s Trio – You look Good to me where the instruments were realistic, but the tune was not gelling. So, now it is the next day and I put the Siltechs back in and run through these last several tracks and all was right with the world again. Dead quiet background, every instrument and voice in its place, smooth and seamless presentation. Not clinical – whew! I would be proud to show off this presentation to a room full of critics and feel confident I would receive positive comments. I really wanted the Argentum’s to be the Holy Grail. They did many things realistically and in a fun way. But as an engineer tends to do, we analyze and desire perfection. I rode the roller coaster up and down in my heavy desire to like the cables enough to own them. In some cases my own notes are deceptive because I wanted them to have attributes that I had felt the Siltech’s did not have. So, in summary I would wrap my comments up by saying what I experienced while questioning my paradigm about the sound I am digging on a daily basis. The Argentums were light on bass, a little sloppy in bringing the band together as one, made some tunes sound disjointed while simultaneously bringing forward realistic instrument sounds. In some cases they were super fun in making the soundstage into the live venue and layering the sound front to back more than side to side. All the normal caveats apply: my system, my ears, my paradigms, my experiences, expectations, and preferences, so YMMV. Veritas congenial reply is next and they nailed it. I heard things they like about their own cable and I did not like things that were personally outside my desires.
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Veritas reply to my pontification: " Hi Pete,
Thank you for taking the time to evaluate the cable and to put your thoughts into a cohesive write-up. While we obviously would have loved an over-the-top raving review, real life doesn't often work like that. And it's a testament to your character that you gave a fully considered, nuanced take on what you heard, for better or for worse.
It is interesting to note that some of the attributes we value most - a natural, non-analytical presentation, a lack of treble etch, a focus on layering and instrument separation - were things you identified yet didn't always resonate with. Also interesting is your mention of sounding more like live music in the venue versus the studio presentation - the live aspect is very much more to our preference, but that's going to be different for every listener.
In the end, no arguments here, you seem to hear the cable similar to us in many ways (ok we might argue the bass aspect but different systems and all that) so it just seems like not an ideal match in terms of priorities. We still appreciate your perspective and hope it helps educate others in terms of what our cable does and what it doesn't do.
We'll get a prepaid label sent over to you later today so you can send the cable back at no charge. No rush, just throw it in the mail whenever you get a chance.
Thank you again for the opportunity and for taking the time to investigate a little brand like us.
Cheers! Veritas Cables" |
Note to self and maybe to others. I will note down on the sound of Veritas cables and how they may or may not change every 10 hours and see when they stop changing.
Also, Veritas has publicly stated their Argentum has fantastic synergy with the Aperta speaker cable. It’d be great to hear more on how each cable perform individual and also as a pair. Powerful force above, please give me the strength to wait out for my Aperta cables. |
