Zavfino

Ah very nice. Nice looking room too, love the GIK panels and your listening chair.

I read through this thread and I am intrigued, but I can’t remember if or where someone has done a direct compare of the Silver Dart vs. the Prima power cords.

I am interested in the difference in SQ from the wall to my amps (Bryston 4BSST2). Also, if there is a big difference in SQ for all my other components, which are plugged into a power conditioner.

If anyone has compared the two PCs I would love to hear from you, or please supply the date and time this was posted in this thread so I can read what has been posted.

FYI: I am currently (no pun intended) using Cerious Tech Graphene Extreme.

Thanks

Toolbox 149

@toolbox149 : I posted something on this back on my 11/5/2021 post. Copy / paste a portion of it:

I touched upon this briefly on my previous (long-ish) post above, but a to expand a bit further:

The only cables I was able to compare (and own) direct between Prima MKII and Silver Darts are power cords and speaker cables. Interconnects --- I only own the Silver Darts which I bought from the start.

Silver Darts are NOT a huge improvement over Prima MKII, and Prima is definitely better value for the money. Of course, this is only valid for me, my equipment, my ears, my room. Other people with more elaborate systems and better trained ears may think otherwise.

If someone forces me to "quantify", Silver Darts are perhaps 5-10% better than Prima MKII. Same overall tonality and timbre, but maybe a bit more coherent / focused, and a bit more "airy".

My advise, if someone is looking at Zavfino: if in budget - you are better off doing a full loom of "lesser" tiers (i.e. Prima, majestic, Fusion, etc.), than buying one or two silver darts.

Thyname

Thank you.  That’s a big help.

Toolbox

I have the Fusion IC's between my phono stage and amp. Looking at for an RCA on both ends to go from my TT to Phono stage. Has anyone used the MAJESTIC?

The Majestic is a USB cable, not a RCA interconnect.  The Arcadia is a RCA interconnect and sounds very good.

@cd45123 I have Huffman Pharoah speaker cables.  I have the Zavfino interconnects between my amp and preamp on this same system.

This is an old thread but I am curious if Zavfino is still in business ? I sent two mails but nothing in return. Anybody communicated with them recently ?

Are you based in US? If so, the email address is sales@zavfinousa.com

yes, in the US. I had sent emails to both sales and info@zavfino.com.

anyone compared the Silver dart to the Hijiri Nagomi ? I am in the process of overhauling my power cords and hence wondering if someone could share some details.

@debjit_g : it ends with “zavfinoUSA”. sales@zavfinousa.com. The Zavfino USA site is fully functional for sales, with cart, and checkout for completing the purchase 

People who have tried Hijiri Nagomi say it’s wonderful. I have not tried Hijiri. There is a whole thread on Hijiri here in Audiogon Forums 

The Hijiri Nagomi is excellent and I'd definitely rate it above the very good Zavfino line of power cords, but of course it costs more.

Is anyone running a 5m (>15ft) or longer pair of balanced Zavfino interconnects? 
Anything to worry about? Looking for a pair of neutral interconnects that won’t break the bank and won’t sacrifice the sonics to run between Pass preamp and amp. 

@audphile1 ....Balanced IC are designed to work for long runs regardless of brand. I don’t foresee any issues or compromises with sacrificing sonics or noise. I used to run a 25ft of XLR’s between my preamp and amp, heard no difference between a 3ft and 25ft pairs.

@lalitk yup I’m aware they will work. I’m running 15ft of Mogami XLRs now but not to thrilled. They’re still new and I’m giving them a shot but exploring what’s out there that’s better.

@audphile1 

I suggest full break-in on Mogami before you venture into another cable brand. Speaking of neutral cables, I recommend trying Zavfino Fusion or Audio Sensibility Statement SE. 

Cool…thanks! Will definitely let the Mogami break in for 200hrs or so. I re-arranged my system and my 1m Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper are out of business because of it. 

@cd45123 I just have the Pharoah speaker cables. I have the Zavfino Silver Dart graphene interconnects. This combination sounds intoxicatingly clean, spacious, detailed with just the right amount of liquidity.

The downside of silver dart power cable is the stiffness. Otherwise the sound is resolving with some tint of warmth IMO. 
Need to let go one of my 2 silver dart bcz of the stiffness (can’t use on one of my equipment). 

Recently bought a pair of The Highlands MkII phono and a pair of Fusion. The Highlands is a great cable. Open without etch/grain, the tonality and texture is really nice on vocals/instruments, nice build quality and not stiff.

Anyone here ever try the Zavfino MAJESTIC USB cable?

@willywonka Yep, I use one. I have some other Zavfino stuff, so I’m familiar with the house sound, at least up to a certain price point. From what I can tell in my system, the sound of the USB cable is not really all that different from another basic USB cable I have, but it does impart some of the fullness and musicality and flow of the other Zavfino cables I’m familiar with (some power cables and an IC in main system and speaker cables in secondary system). I’d say it mostly sounds like high quality copper with the Zavfino treatment, but I can’t say it does anything exceptional for my system’s overall sound.

Altogether, I’m satisfied and not looking to upgrade because I don’t have any reason to suspect that it’s a significant bottleneck for my system.

@gladmo Thanks for this information. I already had Zavfino Fusion XLR interconnects. I decided to buy DH Labs Silver Sonic USB instead of the Zavfino since I couldn't find any reviews.

Looking to finally check out Zavfino Arcadia RCA interconnects. The site lists 1.5m as standard. That’s a bit too long between my Sutherland KC Vibe MkII phono stage and the Pass preamp. I emailed Zavfino USA about a week ago asking for the price and availability of a 1m version and haven’t heard back yet.
 

I’m torn between the Arcadia and Audioquest Columbia that I can get for approximately the same price. 
Any thoughts on what’s a better choice for the phono amp? Currently using BlueJeans cables there….thanks!
 

@audphile1

I recommend you to step up to Zavfino Fusion RCA, to me Fusion holds the sweet spot in terms of performance and offers you a nice blend of both pure silver and OCC copper.

I have a set of the Arcadia RCA on the way also and the Prima MKII speaker sables @audphile1 

If the Arcadia fall flat compared to what I currently have then I may try the Fusion @lalitk 

Been a Cardas guy for many years in my main system.'

We will soon see shipping Monday I am excited to give this brand a shot. 

@audphile1 : I don’t think there is any difference in price between 1.0 and 1.5 meter length on Acadia. So you might as well order the standard 1.5 meter.

@juanmanuelfangioii please share your thoughts once you get it. 
@thyname 1.5m is a bit too long - have a cable mess already just like most of us. But yes something to consider for sure  

@audphile1 and the rest of you folks I just received my shipment of Zavfino cables.

Interconnect are the Arcadia and speaker cables are the Prima MKII. I will be connecting the interconnects this evening and the speaker cables before I go to bed.

I will say that the product presentation and packaging is all top shelf. It rivals or exceeds all premium brands I have purchased in the past such as Cardas and Transparent. The cables came packed in an anti static anti radiation? envelope. Inside this envelope is a nylon zipper bag that contains a black drawstring bag with the cables in them.

Presentation is first class all the way and at these prices why would one even think about spending the same amount of money for an offshore knock off of a premium brand.

That is all for now. Though Zavfino has processes from pre-burn in I am going to let these run for 3 days before I give them a critical listen.

Have a great rest of your day.

SPEC:

SPECIFICATION

● Conductor: OCC single crystal copper
● Multi-Strand find strand construction
● Ultra Sonic cleaning process on individual conductors
● Insulations: HDPE, FEP/Tef dielectric, PTFE dielectric (wrap)- Insulation is pressure extruded completely encompassing each core evenly.
● Tight Pitch construction
● Cryo-Treated
● Shield1: Aluminum mylar with
● Shield 2: Silver coated copper tight pitch braid
● External insulation: RoHs/Reach Certified 105˚C PVC high flex jacket
● Connector Male (RCA): Low-mass RCAs with OCC copper low resistance Pin assembly
● Sleeve 1: Polyethylene terephthalate(PET) monofilament sleeve with anti-static ­● fibre in purple
● OD: 8.5mm

Deep Cryo™ Treatment
All of the conductors used in our cables undergo Deep Cryo™ treatment before the insulation is extruded over the metals. Our research has proven that the conductor—and only the conductor— benefits from cryo-treatment. Materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC™), Teflon™, PE, and Silicon™ can all be adversely affected by cold-temperature annealing. Cryo-treating non-conductors and insulating materials can cause them to break down and become brittle.
The purity, size, and molecular structure of each conductor determine the specific temperature within the -186ºC to - a 196ºC range that we cryo-treat it at. Zavfino’s research into cold temperature physics has proven that the absolute lowest temperature is not necessarily the best for cryo-treatment.
This is a two-stage process. In the first stage we draw the bare conductor through a ceramic die into an ultrasonic cleaning chamber that bombards the conductor with multiple ultrasonic frequencies. This emulsification process removes all debris from the surface of the wire down to the molecular level and leaves absolutely zero residues.

UltraSonic 7 High Voltage / Thermal Break-in
This is a two-stage process. In the first stage we draw the bare conductor through a ceramic die into an ultrasonic cleaning chamber that bombards the conductor with multiple ultrasonic frequencies. This emulsification process removes all debris from the surface of the wire down to the molecular level and leaves absolutely zero residues. After each individual wire is processed, we strand it into bundles and then subject the bundles to further treatment. During the second stage of the ultrasonic burn-in, we increase the voltage to a higher level that’s just below the threshold of the conductor. This adjustment in temperature allows us to get a unique “break-in effect” normally associated with cables that have had 30 to 40 hours of signal and/or current run through them.

@juanmanuelfangioii 

I will say that the product presentation and packaging is all top shelf.

I ordered and received a FINA OCC POWER CABLE a couple of months ago.  It is impossible to understate how beautifully it was packaged.  A fun surprise.  

+2 same here!

On reading my post above, I think I meant to say it is impossible to overstate how beautifully it was packaged.  HA, you get what I mean.

16 Hours into the run in process (hate saying burn in) and these cables sound as good at the 2 year old Cardas and Signal cables I had in my system. Build quality is fantastic.

More to come as the run in continues. 

I would like to thank @thyname and others here for brining this cable brand to our attention. 

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions @juanmanuelfangioii ! These are indeed great cables for the price. And since I completed my Zavfino loom a while ago (as I have continuously updated earlier on in this thread) I have honestly stopped looking & purchasing other cables.

Yep I get it and maybe having a dog days of summer sale on that duffle bag of cables I have in the closet. 

@juanmanuelfangioii 

aside from nice packaging, these cables are built to very high standards when you consider metallurgy and aesthetics! Many others are using the PCOCC but I’ve not come across any other cable brand that offers such great value. 

Enjoy your new cables. Please allow atleast 250-300 hours of break-in your system. 

@lalitk thank you and I will. They sound great out of the box, envelope, bag.... You are right very impressed by the detail and materials in this product.

Cheers. 

@juanmanuelfangioii thanks for posting your initial thoughts. Looking forward to your opinion on these cables after about 100hrs or so…that is usually a good milestone in determining whether or not the cables meet your expectations. 

48 hours in and these cables are really showing some life.

More to come just a little update. 

"Please allow atleast 250-300 hours of break-in your system."

Agree with lalitk...at least.I will eventually get prima’s.

@juanmanuelfangioii keep the thoughts coming. 

Over 100 Hours in and these thing are worth the price of admission.

More over the weekend very busy with work. Hate when work gets in the way. 

@juanmanuelfangioii 👍

Has anyone compared the Fusion to other similarly priced cables from other boutique cable mfrs (such as Triode, Lavricable, WyWires (lower tier), etc.)? Just curious.

For those who moved to Zavfino from AE, how does the overall sound compare? Also, where do you believe the sweet spot is in the Zavfino line up?

I have transitioned all but power cords to AE but now curious about making a change

AE is very good, great clarity, but the NV-9 SC I had was bass light - really needed a full loom with the prestige IC and PC to even everything out. This may not be true with the new 12 speaker cable.

I think the Nova SC/Arcadia IC/Fina PC should get you most of the Zavfino house sound. I couldn’t really tell a difference on my standmount speakers with Prima mkII and Nova SCs. Fusion had a little more detail than Arcadia in my system, but somewhat similar sound.

Zavfino cables have probably the strongest PRaT I’ve ever heard of any brand. It definitely imparts it’s signature on the music, but it’s a very stylish presentation.

I’d like to try a full loom of the Silver Dart, but Thyname made me think twice on this with his earlier comments in the thread.

I’d like to try a full loom of the Silver Dart, but Thyname made me think twice on this with his earlier comments in the thread.

Well, I have zero regrets with all Silver Darts in my system. And that was probably the gists of it all. I do have Prima speaker cables on the LF only (Darts on the HF), and a couple of power cords that are not Darts in my peripherals.

I’d add, give Darts a shot. Even if just one power cord, or one pair of interconnects