Ay Caramba!

Analogous

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Pardon my Portuguese. As Columbus might have said on reaching America “so this is India that so many before me have discovered!!!”

I changed my speaker cables from what I thought a perfectly respectable QED to a (three times) more expensive (@15k) Chord cables.
The expression that came to mind when I turned on, tuned in was “Ay Caramba” so this is what I have been missing all this time.

The sound stage expanded, separation of components of the music was much clearer, delicate, there was also more weight and substance across the lower frequencies...blah, blah

Those of you who have been through this already know. Others...you can look forward to a treat when you happen upon such a transformation. I am not advocating more expensive stuff is better; or a particular brand will be best for others. (Thanks to @preth30 for pointing this out)

Time: 7 am, I slept well.
Source: Tidal- world music
The chain: Bluesound node 2 - PS audio digital link DAC - Hegel H300 - ProAC Response1SC bookshelf speakers on sound foundation stands + Martin Logan Dynamo 800 subwoofer. Room 15’x13’ minimal treatment

I was a cable sceptic and naturally cautious spending much (or lesser) on these, or experimenting . Now I am wondering....

just sharing a moment of joy and discovery along the journey. Do share your moments of such joy and elation.
 

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Congratulations. Enjoy your music. But a cable which suited your taste, your equipment need not be the same for others and other equipment. Maybe for my equipment, the QEDs would sound better or maybe Rs. 250/meter would sound absolutely fantastic. All these depends. That is the biggest headache of hifi.
Thanks @preth30. I could not agree more. I am not advocating more expensive cables here at all. Just my moment of happiness. It happens rarely and unexpectedly. If I had discovered this with 250/meter cable I guess I would have been even more thrilled with the added joy of saving money!
I have edited my op to clarify this. Thanks again.
 
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I changed my speaker cables from what I thought a perfectly respectable QED to a (three times) more expensive (@15k) Chord cables.
The expression that came to mind when I turned on, tuned in was “Ay Caramba” so this is what I have been missing all this time

Congratulations on the new discovery! Can you share which Chord cable you used?

Regards



.
 
@Nikhil thanks. I will find out from the seller and let you know. Here is a picture. Maybe someone recognizes it ?
 

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Personally in my setups, i have always found Chord to be better than Qed. But again it depends from model to model and in different setups.
 
@Nikhil thanks. I will find out from the seller and let you know. Here is a picture. Maybe someone recognizes it ?
These are Chord Clearway X. Your chain is revealing and transparent enough to show up differences from the upgrade.

Is the upgrade as significant with Spendors and Naim combo as opposed to Hegel and ProAcs?

Just imagine how much better your Adams would have sounded with your new cable ;-)
 
These are Chord Clearway X. Your chain is revealing and transparent enough to show up differences from the upgrade.

Is the upgrade as significant with Spendors and Naim combo as opposed to Hegel and ProAcs?

Just imagine how much better your Adams would have sounded with your new cable ;-)
Go on, rub it in :mad:
Haven’t tried the Other combo yet. Come over soon and we can have a session
 
@Nikhil thanks. I will find out from the seller and let you know. Here is a picture. Maybe someone recognizes it ?
Que Beleza! Those are Spendors! I have the A5 myself and kind of went through a similar experience other day.
The only difference is I switched from DAC PCOCC copper cable to cables by Usher Audio on my setup and yup, the experience was quite similar to yours. Just to highlight the point that the same medicine is not the cure of all maladies, my Tannoys actually sing better with the DAC cables.
So horses for courses!
 
Always nice to have a revelatory moment! It may also be that the proac speaker has a role. I used to have tablettes and remember that they are good at this kind of thing. My Blumenhofer is not as revealing.
 
Pardon my Portuguese. As Columbus might have said on reaching America “so this is India that so many before me have discovered!!!”

I changed my speaker cables from what I thought a perfectly respectable QED to a (three times) more expensive (@15k) Chord cables.
The expression that came to mind when I turned on, tuned in was “Ay Caramba” so this is what I have been missing all this time.

The sound stage expanded, separation of components of the music was much clearer, delicate, there was also more weight and substance across the lower frequencies...blah, blah

Those of you who have been through this already know. Others...you can look forward to a treat when you happen upon such a transformation. I am not advocating more expensive stuff is better; or a particular brand will be best for others. (Thanks to @preth30 for pointing this out)

Time: 7 am, I slept well.
Source: Tidal- world music
The chain: Bluesound node 2 - PS audio digital link DAC - Hegel H300 - ProAC Response1SC bookshelf speakers on sound foundation stands + Martin Logan Dynamo 800 subwoofer. Room 15’x13’ minimal treatment

I was a cable sceptic and naturally cautious spending much (or lesser) on these, or experimenting . Now I am wondering....

just sharing a moment of joy and discovery along the journey. Do share your moments of such joy and elation.
Ahhh, the age old "are cables snake oil" debate. You should bring your experience to the notice of Jean from Audioholics and have him check out the Chord and QED to confirm your bias ;)

I haven't noticed much difference in cables, if at all, probably since my gear ain't transparent enough but since you've enjoyed a slice of the cable pie, you should also try out silver coated cables. They sound different from regular copper ones in that they add a bit of sparkle to the treble which makes the macro details higher up the frequency band pop. This was one difference i could definitely hear in cables as clear as night and day. The ones sold by DAC aren't terribly expensive either.
 
@DB1989,
I was describing a moment of joy when I switched cables. No science, no measurements, no snake oil,no debate, just what I heard and enjoyed.
Moments like these are rare and I cherish them. I have gone through several changes in my set up and audio chain. Many new components were procured and added with a lot of expectations often resulted in disappointment. But sometimes when I was least expecting it, magic happens. That time I could only put my hands up and say “Ay Caramba”, possibly because I was listening to Brazilian music at that time.
Sometimes I am moved to use colourful exclamations from one of our languages from the subcontinent too. But that’s a discussion for another time.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience.. If i am not wrong Kimber is the one suggested from Audioholics and they use it as reference when measuring other cables.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience.. If i am not wrong Kimber is the one suggested from Audioholics and they use it as reference when measuring other cables.
I have never heard Kimber cables so far. Hopefully some day, some where...
If they are being used as reference standard to compare other cables with, they must be exceptional.
 
It depends which Kimber model. Each one has slight different tonal characteristics.
 
The pictures on the Kimber website are lovely. Each seems like a work of art, visually.
A lot of thought, care and effort has obviously been invested in designing and making these.
I am thinking, beautiful as they look, it would be a pity to leave them hidden, hanging at the back of the amps and speakers...
Such cables deserve binding posts on amplifiers and speakers to be installed in front!!!!
1617967740766.jpeg
 
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