Zavfino

@behzad 

Here are my comments on the Arcadia and Fusion interconnects from last December. I hope these are helpful:

Now that I have had three weeks to try out the Zavfino Fusion and Arcadia interconnects (as balanced XLRs), I wanted to update the initial impressions I summarized earlier in this thread. Most of my impressions have remained unchanged. I still think that the Fusions sound clear, open, and quite natural, with well-balanced sound overall. In my system, the Arcadia continues to sound warm, smooth, and forgiving, but the highs sound a bit softened or rounded off. There seems to be plenty of bass, but it doesn't sound particularly well-controlled or refined to me. Imaging is okay, but not outstanding. In contrast, the Fusion is more transparent, images better, and sounds more "real."

Because my early listening favored the sound of the Fusion over the Arcadia, I spent more time with the Fusion and made direct comparisons with my reference XLR, the Cardas Clear Reflection. In comparison to the Cardas CR, the Fusion doesn't sound as full-bodied or rich. It simply has less "meat on the bones," as some reviewers like to say. It was also not as forgiving on poor recordings or as musical on good recordings that included many overlapping layers of sound, such as the song "The Price of Love" on the recent Robert Plant-Alison Krauss album "Raise the Roof." Too often, I thought that the Fusion needed more weight to match the rich fullness of the Cardas CR. In terms of the warm-cool spectrum, I thought the Fusion was fairly neutral while the CR adds a bit of warmth without overdoing it - at least in my system. 

Although I had hoped that the Fusion might equal or even surpass the CR in my system and for my preferences, the CR still won out. Providing amazing clarity and excellent imaging while costing less than a third of what the CR costs, the Fusion XLR is an exceptional value. 

@sdl4 

Very clear and concise comments on this topic. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Anyone else have the Silver  Dart? I'm testing them vs the fusions (which are great) now.

@sdl4 thanks for your feedback 

Here’s what I’ve got…

I’d say the Arcadia are worth a shot for sure in this price range. I’ve been throwing record after record on (using them between my Sutherland phono stage and Pass preamp) and I’m really digging the Arcadia. On the phono stage I’ve compared them to BlueJeans which are decent and also (don’t laugh) to the old pair of Monster M950i that I keep on hand and use in “emergencies “ while in between cables.
I prefer the Zavfino by a lot.

When compared to Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper on my Bricasti M3 DAC they’re not reaching the same level of performance achieved by the AZ and not to anyone’s surprise. 
Arcadia’s major strength in my opinion is in not attempting to be what they’re not. They don’t pretend to be uber high end. 

Pros:
1. natural sound (zero harshness, transparent, sweet sound), they never cross the line

2. no glare in the mids

3. plenty detailed but relaxed and laid back, they won’t tire you out. 

4. deep bass

5. excellent soundstage width and depth

6. light and very flexible, build quality is top notch

Cons (based on comparison to AZ Absolute Copper):

1. Not the last word in absolute resolution and air

2. somewhat loose, but deep and big, bass that’s missing a bit of texture, speed and springiness 

3. Not the best instrument separation

I’d be unfair if I said that they’re not worth consideration especially in the price range up to $500 for comparable length.
They won’t be killing most of the giants costing 4-5 times. But they’re a solid choice at this price and represent excellent value.
So set your expectations accordingly. As always, take this with a grain of salt as I’m describing what I’m hearing in my system (view my system under my ID). I wouldn’t hesitate recommending these cables. They’re staying where they are for now.