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Has MAS done it again ?

I don't normally write reviews because I'm not much of a writer and I type very slowly, so guess what? I'm not going to write a review, but, I will write enough, hopefully, in this capsule "mini-review" to maybe whet your appetite to at least try this new MAS Signature interconnect. I bought the newly introduced MAS Signature interconects for the introductory price of $150.00 knowing that with Stu's 30-day money-back guarantee I had nothing to lose, but return freight charges. I hooked these up to my beloved Citation Eighteen tuner and listened for a few minutes. I was shocked that even fresh out of the box, unbroken in, I could hear details and naturalness that you only get from quality interconnects that retail for $500.00 and up. I let the cables burn in another 75 hours and took another serious listen. These interconnects are amazing. Incredible musical naturalness( they are quite neutral),amazing dynamics,great extension on bass and treble, and wonderful emotional involvement.Cymbals,especially take on a natural shimmer that I've been unable to get from my tuner.If you're familiar with the MAS previous offerings, MAS Black and Grey, just imagine hearing all the virtues of these,take away a few veils, and magnify the emotional envolvement by a factor of 10, and you get an idea of how remarkable these new Signature interconnects are.I have been listening to some great classical and jazz, both live and on LP's from my local college station and the sheer musicality is keeping me up late nights these past few days.These cables are remarkable at letting through fine nuances that other, if not most interconnects,hide or gloss over.I am going to give them a few more days of breaking in, try them in other locations, and will probably buy a few more pairs to put throughout my system.These are definately keepers for now. My congratulations to Stu Wein for coming out with a new "world-class" interconnect at a realistic price.My ears and my heart thank you. Well done, MAS!
sherod
bluefin
111 posts
 
Let us know after you try it on CD or table. I order on pair last week, not received it yet. I am waiting too.
sherod OP
1,690 posts
 
I bought another pair of the MAS Sigs last week and put them from pre to amp. Over the weekend, after having them burn in for at least 100 hours, I listened to some of my most familiar material on CD's as well as some evenings with some good tuner broadcasting. In comparison to my previous reference interconnects, the Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II, the MAS Sigs have better transparency,better extension on both bass and treble,and better transient response.Last night I put back in the AZ Matrix Ref's and will let them settle in for a few days and do some more listening evaluations. At this time, I am not sure which ones I'll keep on the pre to amp. Although the MAS Sigs seem to be more accurate, the AZ Ref's have a certain listenable and euphonic quality that I've grown accustomed to. I'm going to try to finalize my decision by this weekend. My next step will be to try the MAS Sigs on my Cdp.I still feel confident about keeping the MAS Sigs on my tuner.I also recently added the VH Audio Hot Box( with upgraded nickel-plated outlets and Auric Capacitors) into my system. I have tried many conditioners and various power outlets and this Hot Box is the best-sounding I've yet tried.It has added a new dimension of realism to my system and the Auric Caps do not limit dynamics.The Auric Caps actually increase both micro and macro dynamics while they gently scrub the noise from the power line. Yet once the modified-Flavor 4 power cord properly breaks in, the Hot Box adds very little of it's own coloration and for me increases my emotional involvement. Stay tuned.
bluefin
111 posts
 
I got mine, one XLR and the other RCA. They are not broken in yet, so I would only give some first impressions. To me, good matching is more important than a sigle good component. I have MAS silver and they work better with tube amp less so with SS gears. So, I won't say which one is best, but just describe sound difference. The best will be pending on how it match with other components in the set up.

XLR from source to preamp: A/B with CARDAS Gold ref.
Sig. has more extension and its bass really kick ass, which makes me feel my speaker stand is not heavy enough. High is very smooth. This IC is fatigue-free even compared to CARDAS. Gold ref is more laid back (maybe the most laid back IC I ever own) and has a good tempor with dynamic attack. CARDAS is a good choice to tame bright system. Sig. is smooth even without the rounding feeling of CARDAS. Looks like I can live happily with Sig for this set up.

RCA from source to Integ.: A/B with Audience Au24 and Acoustic Zen silk way (borrow from friend).
Au24 is a very sweat sounding cable, which make high clear and round, compared to CARDAS, mid is not as stand out as CARDAS (so CARDAS sounds thicker and very warm on mid). AZ is the most dynamic one in this case, but high seems emphasized, maybe bcz its silver. AZ sounds its best when AZ hologram speaker cable is used to complete all AZ cables (otherwise, I think AZ is more picky on adding other IC). When all AZ are used, sound stage is really big. MAS shares more characters with Au24 than AZ, and its very musical to my ears. Friendly and yet accurate. Can't point out the major difference yet. I need more time to compare Au24 and MAS.

In conclusion, Sig is very very nice. I am comparing it to several top IC's, and feel it is among one of them.
sherod OP
1,690 posts
 
Yes, Bluefin,cables are very system dependent. As good as the MAS Sigs are, they might not be compatible with certain components. With the MAS Sig. so far I have achieved wonderful results trying it on my tuner and pre to amp. I have a lot of experience with the MAS Black and found it to work the best on my Cdp, so there's a possibility that the MAS Sig might just be a great choice on my Cdp as well.Once you've hit about 150 hours of break-in with the MAS Sig. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as just how revealing and musical it is. Good Luck and happy listening.
sherod OP
1,690 posts
 
Well, in my system, from pre to amp, the less expensive MAS Sigs have won out. Although the MAS Sigs have an amazing range, I am particularly impressed at how low they go. I have never heard bass go so deep and yet be so articulate. In the highs, cymbals now have taken on a realistic shimmer previously unattained from my speakers. I don't know how Stu did it, but he certainly did his homework with this new interconnect.My previous reference interconnects in that position are now up for sale. Who wudda thunk it?
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