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| Model: | PBJ |
| Category: | Cable |
| Suggested Retail Price: | $75 (?) |
| Description: | braided copper IC cable |
| Manufacturer URL: | Kimber Kable |
| Model Picture: | View |
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Review by cableguy on January 02, 2002 at 22:45:45 IP Address: 64.230.105.106 |
Add Your Review for the PBJ |
I tried this cable in my home system after reading a LOT of positive reviews. I let it burn in using XLO's burn-in cd for 24 hours before doing my usual evaluation with my standard demo material. I don't know why, but I couldn't listen to my system with this cable installed. It sounded awful! Pace was out of whack, bass was boomy and all over the place, imaging wasn't there, highs were smeared like peanut butter on the roof of your mouth. I didn't understand how this could be? Perhaps I had them backwards? DoOble checked, nope, hoooked up correctly, along with Kimber cable for the speakers. Hmmmmmmm. I went to sleep and tried the next day. Same thing. Bummer! Oh well, the search continues for the perfect cable for my system. :-(
| Product Weakness: | as above :-( |
| Product Strengths: | pretty, solid build |
| Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
| Amplifier: | Roksan Kandy KA1 |
| Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | none |
| Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Roksan Kandy KC1 |
| Speakers: | Angstrom Pochetto |
| Cables/Interconnects: | Kimber 4vs/8vs |
| Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Various Jazz |
| Room Size (LxWxH): | 12 x 14 x 10 |
| Room Comments/Treatments: | Echobuster in the corners, BBC acoustic foam panels on all 1st and 2nd order reflections points |
| Time Period/Length of Audition: | 48 hours |
| Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | Panamax |
| Type of Audition/Review: | Home Audition |
| Your System (if other than home audition): | home audition |
Follow Ups:
For less discerning types I usually recommend PBJ. It's cheap and in most modest systems quite nice sounding.Now if you want a relatively inexpensive IC that has incredible bass slam, dynamics, and a clean, open sound, check out my favorite brand (other than Kimber) Homegrownaudio.com
I use their 22awg silver in a 4 wire braid that smokes most of the comparably-priced ICs out there! And if you buy the wire in bulk and build 'em yourself they're surprisingly affordable.
Rob CThe world was made for people not cursed with self-awareness
"The world was made for people not cursed with self-awareness"Indeed corndog, indeed. Mr. A. Schwartzenegger used to pride himself on his lack of introspection.
I assume you're talking about Homegrown's entry level IC, I just got the Silver Lace. I plan on putting up a post on them, but my Homegrown Silver Lace are superb.
48 hours is not enough time to burn in the cable and therefore this review is not really fair. Cables need to be burned in atleast 100 hours before you can get an idea of their performance. However, even 100 hours of burn in is not enough to write a review. I have much more expensive interconnects than the PBJ's in my main system (MIT and Acoustic Zen), and my 2nd system (Cardas Neutral Reference). I'm burning in a pair PBJ's for my new(3rd system) bedroom system (Bryston B60, Silverline SR12's and Rotel RCD-991). I have 200-300 hours on them and they are sounding very good. I don't find them to be sluggish at all. I get a layering affect in the soundstage that is great for the price. Also they are fairly neutral and not bright. I've used the PBJ's in the past and I decided to go back to them for my small system because I think they are a great value.
Interesting, I used to use PBJ throughout my system and never noticed sluggish bass. I do recall a rather (and comparatively) harsh midrange/treble. Have you let the cable burn-in adequately? I tend to notice a lot of cables sound sluggish to me before they are properly burned.
I heard they were improved a few years back -- different dialectric maybe? Perhaps someone knows. If this is the case, the current PBJ may have no sluggish tendency at all.
adding some ferrite beads to the signal wire. If you want to try it, send me an Email and I will send you some free. It will never compete with cables in the $300+ range however.
I have an army of ferrite filters and try them with all my interconnects. I use the excellent Red Rollers for my main interconnects. I don't think the ferrites will improve the sluggishness -- if anything, since ferites are amplitude dependent it make curtail dynamics very slightly.
These are very tiny ones (1/8") and they are installed only on one conductor, not around both. This makes a big difference.
I've seen them in circuitry but never on interconnects.
To be fair, you should give the IC 100hrs of burn in.However, when I treid the PBJ back in 95 or 96 after a glowing review in Stereophile by Corey Greenburg, I found it to have very nice soundstaging and imaging and superb tonality for the money. However, I agree with you, the bass was a bit bloated and overall the cable was very sluggish. Aside from the sluggishness, I found it to be excellent for the money. Nevertheless, the sluggishness was a complete killer for me.
Supposedly there have been improvements to the cable since I tried it.
You know, apparently Corey Greenburg discovered the Linn LP12 also.
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