Two new cables came my way and I had the opportunity to compare it with my current cable, so I've decided to append the comparison to this thread.
Having just won the dealership of the famous Mogami cables for India, Ali of SoundFoundations was kind enough to send me two of his new cables from the house of Mogami - Z1 and Platinum. The Z1 and Platinum cables have uncannily similar sound signature. Compared to my own Mogami 2803 cable, both the Z1 and Platinum have a softer sound which contrasts against the all-out attacking sound of the 2803 coupled with its mighty bass.
The 2803 connects my phono preamp's output to the DCB1 buffer, and also CD player output to the DCB1. The DCB1 to power amp is also connected via a pair of 2803s. So everything except my tonearm cable is 2803.
Replacing the Mogami 2803 between the DCB1 buffer/preamp with Z1 does a few things to the sound:
1) first and foremost, it enhances the clarity of the sound by a few notches.
2) It brings a sense of effortlessness, calm, flow and relaxation to the music.
3) It brings out more micro/inner details.
4) It improves tonality
5) It improves the midrange
6) It improves the bass texture
On the flip side, compared to the 2803 one loses bass weight. But all is not lost - the Z1 has way superior bass texture though sheer quantity is quite a bit lesser. The highs with the Z1 also sounds less etched compared to the 2803, while retaining the sweetness. Mind you, this is not to say that the 2803 sounds in any way bad - we're talking shades and subtle degrees here.
Which cable works for you will depend on what you want to achieve in your sound. The Z1 is the more mature and open sounding and will strain you much lesser over extended listening sessions, though it loses a bit of the excitement that the 2803 brings to the table (if that's what you're looking for in your music). The 2803 is definitely more adept at enlivening proceedings. BTW, the Z1 is a balanced cable though my sample is wired as a single-ended cable. I have a feeling it will be brilliant in balanced configuration. I could put it to the test but I will have to change connectors and there will also be a change in the electronics in the chain, so I'll leave this to others who use balanced chains. Ali can confirm whether he plans to offer balanced cables or not. My personal take is it will sound great with the Neutrik XLR (gold plated pins with black barrel, and not the more commonly found chromed pins with chromed barrel). Of course an Oyaide or Furutech XLR wouldn't hurt
.
And where does the Platinum stand in the current scheme of things? It is Z1 Jr. - very similar sonic signature, but a tad less resolution and lower on the refinement scale. It also lacks the ultimate sense of effortlessness and relaxation that the Z1 has. It has about the same bass weight as the Z1 (which is to say it is lesser than the bass weight of the 2803) but loses out on bass texture.
I have not clocked too many hours on either cable though I have put in decent hours on both. If my experience with the 2803 is anything to go by, their sonic character may undergo further changes as one puts in more hours (say a 100 at least). For example, the bass on the 2803 was quite underwhelming initially but improved drastically as one puts in more hours of play. In fact now it has stonking bass weight, and will be quite suited to setups that need additional bass weight.
The Z1 will be a very fine upgrade for the discerning listener looking for refinement and openness in the sound. I, for one, am upgrading to the Z1 as soon as the KLE Innovations (Keith Louis Eichmann Innovations) Silver Harmony RCA plugs become available through SoundFoundations (PS: SF has recently won dealership for this legendary connector brand.
The Platinum cable looks like a worthy upgrade from the near-legendary Mogami W2549. If you have followed this thread, you will recall that the W2549 is a very fine cable indeed. Platinum is available in unbalanced configuration.
Thanks, Ali for the opportunity to listen to the new cables. And best of luck in your new endeavours
