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Posts: 7336
Location: Bay Area
Joined: December 11, 2000
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IF you have a cable burn-in device, and
IF you are using high-resolution sources, thenthere is an infinitesimally small difference between the fully decked-out (with the $600 Grounding Station) original The One ISM and the equivalent Onboard version. The former will do a slightly better job at resolving the contrasts between music and space. Moreover, the former will preserve the anchoring of the sonic images within the soundstage. There may not be enough resolution in the photo above, but if you look carefully, you can see the outboard Grounding Stations mounted on the so-called Docking Base. Yes, some owners use the weight/mass of the Grounding products, to act as anti-vibration devices. But do note that there are no outboard equivalent models of the newer 0.8 and 0.3 series. Personally, I prefer the convenience of the Onboard models. The Grounding Stations get dusty, and, when mounted on the Docking Base, are difficult to clean. Moreover, each Grounding Station has the little wire leads, which tether to the interconnects themselves. If you can't find or afford the ISM speaker cables, Tara Labs' Air series speaker cables (I can barely make out the Air 1 in the photo above) are very good. I've had several other audiophiles read this thread and e-mail me about alternatives. In these price ranges, if, for whatever reasons, Tara Labs doesn't work for you, I have reviewed Cardas Clear/Clear Beyond; Nordost Valhalla; Wireworld Platinum Eclipse; XLO Limited Edition - all of which have their own sonic signatures, compatibilities, features, and quirks. It all depends on your software, equipment, AC, tastes, budget, room, and long-term goals.
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