Looking for RCA Interconnects

[Nikhil]

With a little trepidation I am bringing up my next upgrade for discussion on the forum. I hope that this does not disintegrate into a cables matter / don't matter discussion - I am firmly in the "Cables Matter" camp. So if you are not of the same inclination, may I request you not to derail the discussions on this thread.

So here goes - I would be interested to hear from esteemed forum members suggestions on high quality interconnects for my setup. I am currently using a pair of ICs made for me by Mr Murthy of Tools & Trades, Bangalore. They have served me very well and I have already done a couple of comparisons with other DIY cables. I have reason to believe that they might be my next bottle neck - so looking for advice on reputed brands.

Budget: Rs 50K
Music I listen to: Blues, Jazz, Pop, Classic Rock and Bollywood

RCA Pair 1: DAC to Pre
RCA Pair 2: Pre to Power

Traits I desire: Holographic Sound Stage, palpability, presence, etc.

Here is my current cable setup:

Brands I have under consideration are:

Acoustic Portrait - currently not available from Siva
Nanotec Music Strada #207 - recommended by a senior FM. Comments welcome!

The following have been recommended by GMA speaker designer Roy Johnson
Black Cat "Neo Morpheus" - Chris Sommovigo's budget creation
AudioMagic Sorcerer/Liquid Air - definitely would like to audition
Marigo Labs MR34 (or) MR22.5 Signature Edition - Great cables but expensive. Will need to audition these before buying.


I would also like to qualify one more point - that is my gear is what it is. I have built my setup with the intention of using Acoustic Portrait equipment after being very impressed with their house sound. So any suggestions to change/upgrade my gear etc would be going in the wrong direction. I have already set sail on a particular course and this is my next effort to squeeze out some more quality from my setup.

Thanks in advance!

 

[prem]

Hi Nikhil

Have you tried Mogami or Gotham cables? Jls001 might be able to help out.

Also see if a solid core cable works for you. Presentation of solid core is a little different from stranded cable. Anticable could be an affordable option in solid core.

 

[sidvee]

Nikhil,
I would second anti cables too, however in the price range you mentioned my favorites are Kimber Hero. Not sure how you can audition without buying though.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sunder]

Nikhil, try Acoustic Zen. You can search on AudioGon. You will hear the difference!
Cheers.

 

[hydra]

Nikhil, the Nanotech #207 are excellent. I started using a pair (terminated with Furutech plugs) between the DAC and the amp recently. The Nanotech #207 interconnects that come factory terminated also use Furutech. These cables work VERY well in my system.

Do also try Mogami. I have a pair of Neglex 2539 terminated with Neutrik Rean that I'm using between the Phono Pre and the Amp. I tried these between the DAC and Preamp, and they come fairly close to the Nanotech #207. (I've written about both in my system thread.)

There's a pair of Anticable Interconnects on sale in the "For Sale" section.

 

[Nikhil]

Hi Nikhil

Have you tried Mogami or Gotham cables? Jls001 might be able to help out.

Also see if a solid core cable works for you. Presentation of solid core is a little different from stranded cable. Anticable could be an affordable option in solid core.

Thanks Prem. I have been following jls001's thread - must contact him.

Anticable has been in my sights for a while. Almost pulled the trigger some time back when they offered a 30 day trial offer. Good to see the endorsements from you and Sid. Looks like I need to take a good hard look at them again.

 

[sidvee]

Anticable has been in my sights for a while. Almost pulled the trigger some time back when they offered a 30 day trial offer. Good to see the endorsements from you and Sid. Looks like I need to take a good hard look at them again.

@Nikhil,
I have a double run of their speaker cables lying around, but no ic's. You are welcome to borrow the spkr. cables to try them out. They are terminated with spades.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[SoundCraft]

Well if you don't mind my suggestion,Then I strongly suggest you to give a try our old member soundsgreat's IC a try ! I belive FM Rikhav has two pair in action in his setup,So perhaps you can try chatting up with him to hear what he has to say.

If you haven't read about them then surely is a good read

http://www.hifivision.com/diy/4222-my-diy-interconnect.html

Hope this helps.........

 

[Naturelover]

Thre's an Anticable IC on sale.
http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/54876-anticable-rca-ic-level-4-2-reference.html

 

[Nikhil]

Nikhil, the Nanotech #207 are excellent. I started using a pair (terminated with Furutech plugs) between the DAC and the amp recently. The Nanotech #207 interconnects that come factory terminated also use Furutech. These cables work VERY well in my system.

Do also try Mogami. I have a pair of Neglex 2539 terminated with Neutrik Rean that I'm using between the Phono Pre and the Amp. I tried these between the DAC and Preamp, and they come fairly close to the Nanotech #207. (I've written about both in my system thread.)

There's a pair of Anticable Interconnects on sale in the "For Sale" section.

Thanks hydra. I have heard a lot of good things about Nanotech cables.
Can you share where you managed to source them from?

I went to their website some time back but was a little uncomfortable with their "low tech" site. Not that it matters as far as cable is concerned.

 

[hydra]

Nikhil, I bought the cables from an FM who'd bought cables off a reel from a HK dealer.

Nanotech factory terminated cables are available from the US, from an online shop called Jaguar Audio Design. I don't have the URL with me just now (I'm on the road), but I'll share it as soon as I get to my PC. Their prices are quite reasonable and they responded to my earlier queries quite fast.

EDIT: http://store.jaguaraudiodesign.com/nanotec-systems-music-strada-207-ic/

 

[jls001]

Traits I desire: Holographic Sound Stage, palpability, presence, etc.

It's good that you have targeted very specific traits. It narrows down the field a lot for you.

I suppose palpability comes from a resolving setup, especially the ability to dig out more information in the mids.

Presence is again a mid centric trait.

I'm not sure what brings about holographic-ness. I guess at least one trait would contribute, namely, openness. Another contributing factor could be the ability to present a deep and wide sound stage.

 

[mpw]

nikhil,

i write this post with trepidation as well..lest it be mis-construed.

let me clarify - i do believe in high quality cables and i am a believer and not a skeptic.

but there are couple of points for you to mull over when selecting the cables you seek :-


a. to my mind the best person to seek advise from will be AP. The interconnects between the pre and the power amp are critical as they are they need to transmit signals from the pre to the power with the designed amp input impedance in mind

b. same is for the interconnect from the dac ( i presume AP ) to your pre.

c. The other terminologies you used holography etc.. are not totally a function of the cables ( but in part ). The other qualities mentioned are desired by all of us and there is nothing unique except the affordability is not the same for all of us and we compromise with it.

As an example, prem uses resonators ( also ) to get the sound he wants but it doesnt mean cables dont play their part. ( i hope i am making sense )

When selecting a cable to fill in the last bit of the jig saw puzzle it is expected that the other pieces of the puzzle including speaker positioning are in place and that your software ( music ) is top notch quality.

Although AP may not make cables anymore, please do contact them to see what they recommend and then go from there. If they cannot supply cables then they can atleast point you to a similar brand.

If you see... the brands of cables recommended are the usual suspects.

If i ask Bobby ( Merlin ) .. he will likely point to Cardas.

If i ask XYZ... they will point to ABC..

I realize many experienced minds and ears have recommended names and i respect their call as well but I hope they have heard your setup beforehand.

In my case everything from the power cord to the speaker cable including the interconnect between the CDP and amp are Naim. That eases a lot of things.

I use the Mogami 2549 between the TT and the Naim Nait ( i have no choice here and i am not complaining as the mogami is a very good cable )

50k is a lot of money so i hope you get the max bang for your buck.

I do hope you get to audition a few interconnects in your setup before you take the plunge.

If you believe, this post doesnt make sense, please ignore or have this post deleted.

The last few lines in your thread makes it clear you want to go with the AP philosophy... which is fine and thats why try and take a recommendation from them as well.

good luck !

PS : as we move up the chain it is a battle of subtleties only and it is important to land the right ones.

regards
mpw

 

[Naturelover]

Well said mpw. Yes, Siva will probably be one of the best people to go to for advice on anything related to AP

 

[Nikhil]

mpw,

You have hit the nail on the head about working with AP. Unfortunately Siva does not have more cable from the loom which he had prepared my speaker cable. He had sourced it from a Japanese company but does not have stock at the moment. Restocking would mean a bulk order which Siva is not taking on right now. I have sent emails and have talked to Siva - just waiting for him to get back as and when he can.

jls001,

Thanks for breaking down the terminology. I have to admit that to some extent I am asking to hear traits worth "a million bucks" from a relatively modest setup. But as we all know, you have to start somewhere. It's the journey that counts.

Thanks for some very interesting info!

 

[Nikhil]

I'm not sure what brings about holographic-ness. I guess at least one trait would contribute, namely, openness. Another contributing factor could be the ability to present a deep and wide sound stage.

In my mind I see palpability and holographic as "presence" traits i.e. singers in the room. I get this on vocals, jazz trios and quartets, etc. As mpw has mentioned - the quality of the recording is important. As the music gets more complex this collapses or usually just the vocals stay dead center while the rest of the instruments ghosts out i.e. various rock genres.

I did talk to another experienced FM and his first comment was about room treatment. This is an uphill battle because my setup is in my living room so I guess I have to compromise on this aspect until I get a dedicated listening room. Having said that some people have told me that my living room has very decent acoustics so it's not that bad either.

 

[Nikhil]

PS : as we move up the chain it is a battle of subtleties only and it is important to land the right ones.

Could not have expressed it better. This really is about trying to get something "more" out of my rig. Subtleties and nuances are where it's all about. It is those who have been in this boat and know the struggle to squeeze out that little bit more is who I'd like to hear from.

Thanks for chiming in ... very useful advice which I am sure was "hard earned".

 

[srinisundar]

Try mogami or audio art both are no-nonsense cables. If you need detail and sharp presentation go with Nordost ( nothing else)

 

[bhagwan]

Sir,
Hello !
I have some cables for sale;
http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owne...tima-signal-cable-copper-rs-30-k-rca-xlr.html
Take a look & let me know.
I have cables higher up too.
Audiaz - Germany
Silencable - Germany
If you would be interested, please do let me know.

 

[Nikhil]

Thanks bhagwan - will get in touch with you.

Given my setup it makes no sense going too high up unless there is some night and day type difference.
I am open to correction here - that is why I stared this thread in the first place.