2. cables
  3. 150109-24

Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8...OMG!!

I seriously can’t believe what these cables are doing to the sound in my rig.  I had them awhile ago and couldn’t justify the price (used) so I pulled back and returned them.  I grabbed them again yesterday since my local stereo shop still had them hanging there. 

Well let me say that I’ve always been a believer in cables making changes to the sound because I can hear it but I’ve never had speaker cables that changed the sound as dramatically as this.  The way it’s untangling the music, the way its making everything sound real, the way it’s full top to bottom without any harshness is pretty crazy.  

This is on a system that isn’t highly resolving yet all of these differences are completely noticeable.  I’m not talking about a little more resolution here, a little more top end sparkle there, fuller bass here...  I’m talking about did I just get a different amp, this can’t be the same dac, these can’t be the same speakers, kind of changes.

I’ve had this sound in my systems before but that was with higher end gear for sure... it makes me wonder how much I was leaving on the table without these cables in my rig at that time.


Have any of you had similar experiences with the Solo Crystal 8’s as well?  I’m thinking that these are end game cables for me.
128x128b_limo
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,594 posts
 
I'm a fan of Analysis Plus also.I have a pair of their ICs that I'm not using at the moment but am going to hang on to them just in case they will fit in perfectly once again down the road.
rodman99999
6,032 posts
 
Don’t know where the Big Silver Ovals fit, in the current AP food chain, but- mine aren’t going anywhere(unless I win the Lotto). I like them too much.
dustsailor
28 posts
 
b_limo,
How would you describe this cable in comparison with the Audioquest Rocket 44's you previously owned?
decooney
1,906 posts
 

rodman
08-31-2019 3:29pm
Don’t know where the Big Silver Ovals fit, in the current AP food chain, but- mine aren’t going anywhere(unless I win the Lotto). I like them too much.

Rob at AP described the Big Silver as being a unique cable. Also noted it received Absolute Sound's 2018 Editors Choice award, fwiw. Noted as "not having harshness sometimes found in silver cables". The last (other brand) silver-over-copper ICs i tried had a glare, perhaps these don't, never tried them.  Very expensive $. My local dealer sells all versions and he likes the silver ovals quite a bit.    

on AP site:
"Constructed of pure silver over a stabilizing strand of oxygen-free copper, woven into our patented hollow oval geometry in an oval-coaxial configuration."
rodman99999
6,032 posts
 
@decooney - Regarding that purported, ".... harshness sometimes found in silver cables"; I believe silver(especially monocrystalline), being the best conducting metal extant, reveals more of what it’s presented, good or bad. iow: It(the conductor/interconnect/cable) gets blamed for what it’s fed(construction/dielectric are important, of course). The Big Silver Oval is the first conductor I’ve owned, in the past few decades, that isn’t 100% silver. I’ve always enjoyed pristine & extended freq response(because of) and never had any glare/harshness, over those decades(despite) all that silver. If your sources and gain stages are smooth, so will be your presentation. For the price of admission; I don’t believe the performance of the AP BSO can be exceeded. Sounds as though you have ears(and a local dealer), that can be trusted. Happy listening!
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