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Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC

107.77.85.121
Posted on September 13, 2016 at 13:30:43
Smelly_Socks
 Naturally I chose the most important IC I have.. Which is the 7 meter gap from my preamp to my amp.
So it is cheating a bit to say they cost a LOT. Since they are also really long.

Kimber KS1116 XLR to XLR seven meters $3,106 list price.
They arrived an hour ago. They got plugged in no messing around (NO breakin, no other care, other than hanging them off the back wall as before)

Immediate impression much larger dynamic range. No question, the vol set same with same music the soft is softer (more delicate too) and the loud peaks are actually very noticeably louder.

The first few minutes the average music sounds great. Only the peaks have a slight harsh edge in the treble.
(Remember I am a treble fanatic)

The mids are a touch warmer, and slightly more bass. (this is with Beethoven piano sonatas which I was listening to just prior to arrival of new cable.. So no actual bass test)

The SMOOTHNESS in the musical notes is apparent. No so much with old cables.
Added: this is odd as there is plenty of piano stridency.. More like it is the recording being presented more clearly So when soft notes. smooooth.. Then hard klang! they are hard.. More reality of the piano is there Also the slight harsh edge in peaks is vanishing.

So this is the sound with brand new no break in.
I am satisfied so far. I am expecting to have a lot more enjoyment as the break in...


I had the KS1116 on my wish list for about two years. I was always telling myself it was too expensive.. Finally I had the money and why not.

It is most likely the last IC I will ever buy.
I have a mix of mostly 1 meter Cardas Parsec, and a few (one) Kimber Hero

 

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RE: Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC, posted on September 13, 2016 at 13:56:56
Salectric
Audiophile

Posts: 1358
Location: East Coast
Joined: February 23, 2003
 What cable were you using before the new Kimbers?

 

Kimber Kable's GQ-TCSS 4 Braid "GQ" Bulk.. home made into IC cables, posted on September 13, 2016 at 14:13:00
Smelly_Socks
 Cost about $500.
$460 or so just for the bulk wire...
Add on XLR, sheaths.. And Iused a 12 gauge MilSpec teflon silver plated wire for the ground. So I could use dual plus and negative wires. The ground may be more important than just a waste of $$ wire.. I do not know. I wondered if more Kimber bulk used for the ground wire would have made a difference..??
The downside of bulk and home made is zero resale value.

I had tried a 7 meter Cardas Parsec. It did not work out and I returned it. (but all the 1 meter Parsec I own I LOVE. At 1 meter they are wonderful)

Prior to that I had a 7 meter Kimber Hero. Which was somewhat harsh and not so clear (compared to the later others, though it had great bass.. The problem with the long Parsec was weak mids and NO bass at all LOL

The GQ-TCSS was great, but also was a touch lacking in the bass in the seven meter form.

One reason I chose the KS1116 is I liked Kimber twice on the 7 meter run. The Hero has wonderful bass, The GQ had great clarity.
I am hoping the KS1116 has it all. Plus it is designed with better bass in mind (per the factory description)

As I have written before... a seven meter length really is a challenge for good sound.

And now about two hours break in.. I can easily live with the KS1116 as they are now... So seems like I bought a WINNER!!!

 

RE: Kimber Kable's GQ-TCSS 4 Braid "GQ" Bulk.. home made into IC cables, posted on September 13, 2016 at 14:17:20
Salectric
Audiophile

Posts: 1358
Location: East Coast
Joined: February 23, 2003
 You're right. 7m is a challenge and unfortunately it's hard to get long loaners to try before you buy. My long cable from preamp to amps is 4m so I can appreciate the difficulty. At least your new cable has turned out as you hoped. Enjoy!

 

RE: Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC, posted on September 13, 2016 at 15:19:17
hawkmoon
Audiophile

Posts: 903
Location: cleveland
Joined: July 11, 2003
 Good for you! Now, turn it up.

 

LOL.. yeah I am playing a little louder than usual.. t, posted on September 13, 2016 at 16:54:30
Smelly_Socks
 All sorts of favorites..
Right now Jennifer Warnes "The Hunter".

One mystery I hear is as if a pearl like glow to each note. (Not like Cardas Golden whatever.)
It is clear. but like a warm very slight coating of 'happy' on each note.
I guess Kimber nailed naming the wire finish 'pearl'

Anyway, everything seem more like music.

 

Five hours in. This cable is exactly what my system needed., posted on September 13, 2016 at 17:51:05
Smelly_Socks
 I am enthralled all over again...

 

RE: Five hours in. This cable is exactly what my system needed., posted on September 13, 2016 at 19:24:09
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 I'm glad to know about your findings. The new interconnect cables should perform even better after they settle into your system within the next month or more, since Teflon takes more time to burn-in than other dielectric materials. You might consider power cord upgrades after you get an even better impression of what your audio system is capable of after such a profound interconnect cable upgrade. AC delivery is a key factor to implement within a high-performance audio cable configuration.

 

You should hit nirvana by the weekend, IF..., posted on September 13, 2016 at 22:53:56
musetap
Audiophile

Posts: 31871
Location: San Francisco
Joined: July 8, 2003
Contributor
  Since: January 28, 2004
 you don't starve to death!

Kudos on you for getting what you wanted!


"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure



 

RE: You should hit nirvana by the weekend, IF..., posted on September 14, 2016 at 18:50:40
Tweaker456
 6 months rent for $3106? I might have to get a pair or two of long johns soon.

 

RE: Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC, posted on September 14, 2016 at 19:17:28
Tweaker456
 According to reviewer Robert Levi, who loves these IC's they have over 50% more copper. Just got the last volume of John O'Conor's Beethoven Piano Sonatas. I spend a fair amount of time with these and love em. Eight volumes. Ludwig would love your high dynamic range cables. T456

 

AC delivery.., posted on September 16, 2016 at 09:18:04
Smelly_Socks
 At this point I have a dedicated line (20amp) with four lines avilable.
One feeds my Furman REF20i ($3.500), a second feeds my PS Audio P600 ($2,000)

The Furman powers all the analog eletronics and video stuff..
The PS Audio P600 is only for the digital,and is set to output 111Hz instead of 60Hz.

ALL of my powercords are Pangea. A variety of the types. The one regular thing about them is they are all 4 meters long.

The Furman is halfway between the rack and the amplifier (amp between the speakers) and all the AC owercords need to be 4 meters to reach.

The PS Audio is behind the rack, and has normal length AC reach. But only two cords are IEC. My DAC and the Sony SCD777ES. So those two items might be worth an upgrade on the AC cord. The other items are mainly several CD changers.. with wired in lampcord.. LOL One item which did not sound better with the 111Hz was my Behringer EQ2496. So that digital item alone is also to the Furman. I think it's power supply is a digital one, and gets problems with anything far off 60Hz.

So any other really $$$ powercords would become $$$$$$$$$$$$$ powercords at 4 meters! (and rearranging the setup would not be happening unless I moved.. which is also unlikely)

I am pretty happy with the powercords as is.. So IMO wanting to upgrade further would be a Sisyphean task.

I could see an outlet upgrade. Particularly inside the Furman for the preamp and amp duplex.
I already upgraded the IEC in on the Furman to a Furutech IEC inlet. SO I have see inside the Furtech. Standard AC duplex.. But I would have to drill for the outside ends screws, as the stock are center screw only, with reinforcemnt built into the OEM duplex. (I had to add the outside screws in a (now long gone) Monster I replaced the crap Duplex in with Pass & Seymour years ago.) The outlets in the Furman still have the 'grip of death' after ten years.. unlike the Monster, which had no grip at all after a few years. LOL

So, with the four meter length AC cord need, I look at other powercords and gasp at what they would cost. And since I am pretty satisfied with the Pangea...


My immediate thing is if one is really good, more would be better... On the Kimber KS 1116. So maybe I might buy one short KS 1016 (the RCA version of the XLR 1116) Maybe for myself for Christmas? and try various placements in the rack. For a thousand... maybe.

 

4th day.. Today is LP playback day..., posted on September 16, 2016 at 14:36:08
Smelly_Socks
 My LP playback is slightly better than my CD playback.

I use an Audio Research Sp-15 which I keep around ust for the phono section. (3 tubes)

So by now all thoughts of comparing are lost. I cannot remember the old sound well enough anymore to be comparing much. which is actually good. The curse of listening for the sound instead of the music sucks.

I can still say a recognize the bass is better..The sound is pretty much where I would want it to be.

So far today:
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bitches Brew
Rite of Spring
Dark Side of the Moon
The Cars
B-52s
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

 

RE: Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC, posted on September 16, 2016 at 16:21:05
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Now that's is what I am talking about!
As I have reported for many, many years- Cabling makes a difference!

Welcome to the "club".

 

Includes HEAT in Winter. I average 78F to 80F all Winter in my apt. nt, posted on September 17, 2016 at 17:38:13
Smelly_Socks
 .

 

RE: Cable as component.. OK I spent 6 months rent. or one whole year of food on ONE pair of IC, posted on September 23, 2016 at 17:08:13
claud
Audiophile

Posts: 958
Location: North Carolina
Joined: February 13, 2001
 My best cable story involves the late great Bob Crump. Years ago i called Bob to order one of his SLVR cables. Bob asked me if he could send me an IC he had just cooked up. I said sure, but Bob, I don't pay more than $200 for ICs and they must be ear openers. The IC arrived and I used it to connect my CD player to my preamp. I thought I had bought a new CD player--WOW, So... after a few days, Bob calls me again. How do I like the IC? ITS great, BOB, How much is it? Bob said $800. I begged, borrowed nets and scrapped up $800.00.
Just got hold of Frank Latimer and ordered two more SLVR power cords

 

ONE MONTH in... My opinions..., posted on October 11, 2016 at 20:14:54
Smelly_Socks
 Well , the increase in dynamic range is permanent.

The increase in apparent bass and midrange is getting better.
In Jazz groups, the bass is becoming more realistic. (it used to be really weak) My setup has a real glow to it now.. In stead of being a bit 'lean'. The 'lean' has been my curse for many years.. With power conditioning, and such, the balance just went to lean a little bit. Since the clarity was so good, I accepted the lean as a compromise.

Now that is over.
I am happy.

 

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