tomthiel,
I wanted to follow up with you based our July discussion of pro audio mic cables used as interconnects for home audio use. You asked me to share any new info from my in-home demo of a few popular balanced cables from the pro audio world. So here's where I'm at:
As I've mentioned before, I currently use Cardas Clear Reflection balanced XLRs (in 1m lengths) between my PS Audio DirectStream DAC and a BHK preamp and then between the preamp and my M700 monoblock amps. The Cardas CR cables sound great, but I'm planning to switch to using longer interconnects (at least 5m) so that I can significantly shorten my runs of speaker wire. Ideally, I'd like to find an XLR cable that sounds great but isn't too expensive in a 5-meter length.
After reading about several highly regarded balanced interconnect/mic cables on a major pro audio forum, I bought 1m lengths of Grimm TPR and Vovox Sonorus Direct S (unshielded) to compare in my home system. Although these cables are considered a bit expensive within the pro audio world, they are substantially cheaper than balanced XLRs in the audiophile market. I've listed my impressions of these cables below, with the caveat that this is how they sound to me in my own system with each cable connected between the preamp and amp (with a Cardas CR upstream between the DAC and preamp). Listening was preceded by 48 hours of initial break-in, but I can't rule out the possibility of changes in sound after further break-in. Music sources were WAV files played back via USB from an Innuos Zen Mk3 server or streamed tracks from Qobuz also played back through the Zen. An Innuos Phoenix was used between the Zen and the DAC, with USB cables from Shunyata and DH Labs.
Maybe my expectations about the Grimm TPR were too high, but I was somewhat disappointed by what I heard. It's not that the cable sounded bad, it's just that it sounded a bit veiled as if it was softening any exaggerated transients or edginess to produce a pleasant sound. This effect tended to suck the life out of the music. In contrast, my usual Cardas CR was smooth and musical while still allowing a lot of detail and "life" to come through. The Grimm did create a solid center image for voices, but the width of the soundstage was narrowed a bit compared to other XLRs I've heard.
The sound of the Vovox Sonorus was markedly different! The Vovox was much more open, lively, and "real" sounding in my system. More detail was reproduced, but the sound was not harsh or etched. In some systems, I suspect the Vovox could become a little bright on poor recordings, but on my system this was not a problem (possibly due to the Phoenix USB reclocker and the Cardas CR in the upstream path). For me, the Vovox always seemed very musical, and live recordings seemed especially "alive." Voices and individual instruments stood out in their own spaces while still blending together naturally. Compared to the Cardas, the Vovox was a bit brighter while the CR was smoother, sweeter, and a bit more refined. Listening fatigue was not a problem with either the Vovox or the Cardas in my system.
Given that a 5-meter XLR pair of the Cardas CR would cost nearly 10x the cost of the Vovox, I'm seriously considering adding a 5m Vovox pair to my system in place of the CR cables between the preamp and amps. This change would add a bit of Vovox's liveliness to my existing system and would set me up well to upgrade to shorter (and possibly more expensive) speaker cables. And after all, my Thiel 2.2 speakers deserve the best cables I can afford.
@jafant I also wanted to urge you to take a look/listen at the Vovox Sonorus as part of your cable quest. I know you've been able to demo some Swisscables already, but here's another Swiss cable (from a different company) you shouldn't miss.
