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Hi, if your on this critics forum like the other thousands?,you must subscribe to Stereophile or Absolute Sound. Because your on their mailing lists, I think, you got this small greenish colored catalog in the mail called Mapleshade.They have a set of 8 foot speaker cables for around 100 bucks called the Clearview Golden Helix. They claim it has bested Kimber,Audioquest and so many others.Mapleshade has a refund policy of 30 days trial or a complete refund. Stereophile and Absolute Sound people are showing no balls for letting this cable boasting go by. If I was a critic I'd act like Vince McMahon WWE, and get a little bout going with the cable gang.A hifi magazine called the (Listener) used to do this.Just a wild thought....hmmm...Mark Korda
Follow Ups:
Oh,wait...I use that stuff. I must be INSANE
YMMV-inexpensive tune up stuff for midfi
If Stereophile and The Absolute Sound had to respond with a review for every cable maker that claims to outperform costlier cables, they would lose readership due to lack of interest, IMHO.
Anyone with wire cutters and a soldering iron can make those boastful claims. Cables are probably the easiest 'audiophile' product to produce and sell from one's garage. The cost of entry is tiny and there are literally hundreds of budget cables that make such claims.
I can read all about them in Audiogon ads and here on the Asylum.
Cable reviews are exercises in fantastical verbal conjuring, most of which is useless to anybody but to those whose cash is burning holes in their pockets and don't mind throwing money away. That is because, there is tremendous pressure to pretend, in print, that megabuck cables are somehow worth the money. I though SP stopped reviewing cables ages ago.
What JA means by high profile, is, if Mapleshade isn't big enough to sell through retail dealers or produce and advertise on a massive international scale, the products aren't worth paying attention to because not enough people will buy them to justify the 'free' advertising of a review.
> What JA means by high profile, is, if Mapleshade isn't big enough to sell
> through retail dealers or produce and advertise on a massive international
> scale, the products aren't worth paying attention to because not enough
> people will buy them to justify the 'free' advertising of a review.
No, that's not what I mean.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Mapleshade Double Helix MK2i Firetrap Power Cord
I reviewed a few Mapleshade cables during my early days at TAS. They really didn't sound all that bad. But didn't get a chance to try the power cord. Probably for for the best. My dogs would have had a field day with that one.
Perfect name - starts fire in wood block and then spreads down cable and gets trapped in your component until charred to a crisp!
How the hell did UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approve that?
Reminds me of a few other "toys".
Meat; It's the right thing to do. Romans 14:2
I don't have any UL listed IEC power cords in my home for any purpose, audio or otherwise. I have some cords where the wire is marked as UL listed, but that only means the bulk wire used in the cable is listed, not the assembled cable. When a cable assembly is listed, usually it has an extra sticker or tag indicating so. We pay extra money for these at work when building out labs or data centers in order to get the safety guys to sign off. At home, they're uncommon except on the 240V cables sold for electric dryers and ranges.
Some of the power strips I have at home aren't listed either.
... if there were any evidence that they had caused fires or otherwise were actually (not theoretically) dangerous, I'm sure someone at AA would be among the first to post the gory details.
One would hope. I for one am not willing to rely on anecdotal comments on enthusiast boards to evaluate the safety performance of any given product. Lack of internet buzz is no indication of anything.
One only needs to look at the construction of these power cords to know they are potentially a fire hazard. I have seen them personally when repairing gear. They were sent in with gear for repair. Immediately thrown in the trash can. If the owner has an issue with my decision I am more than happy to return the gear/cord with no repair.
I like much of what Mapleshade has to offer. Not the power cords. Garbage and I don't care how they might sound.
It is one thing to say your cables are "built" to a particular standard, and quite another (and costly) to say they are UL Approved which requires samples for destructive testing.Most of us worry less about low voltage equipment, but I would not with AC products in any form. UL Listed does mean something.
Jim Tavegia
Edits: 07/23/15
These are extremely rare in audio, in my experience.
You'd think that a brand so ubiquitous in our world would be UL listed. Nope.
I realize this doesn't "excuse" Mapleshade and I understand and recognize what others consider the error of their ways. Still waiting, though, to hear about an actual instance where the worst has come to pass, preferably where the clearly stated safety rules in the single-sheet "owner's manual" ... in all caps, yet -- have not been ignored.
Here's how...
/
Abe's wording may be inflammatory, but from my background in power generation, distribution, and an education filled with EE, materials science, and physics - I'm gonna agree with him.
He MAY have slandered Mapleshade, but I've never heard Abe speak.
He MAY have libelled them, but any factual evidence proving his case would/will concur that charge.
My own thoughts, from a safety perspective? I would not feel comfortable using any of those particular power cords/cables in my own home.
"I would not feel comfortable using any of those particular power cords"Mine came with a modded CD deck.
While the improvements at least in my rig are impressive, leaving it there just isn't worth the gamble. Even having a lengthy conversation with staff, and the fact a disaster would post here, AND it's been sold for a decade, I defer to a popular budget/value cord and take the hit on sonics. While my amp may be worthy of a 500+ cable, the only way something like that would happen, is it fell in my lap!
Edits: 07/22/15
I think you got it right Abe, maybe the plastic baggies, surrounding the wires are there to trap the fire!
They are fast and add extension and speed - just as Pierre says in his write up of them. Perhaps direct experience with the product would be helpful? I use them on all of my source components.
and the 1 meter Ribbon Interconnects from Mapleshade.
The Adapter fell apart, and the cables
were tinny and thin compared to my
Monster Sigma Retro Gold.
Edits: 07/21/15
Wire in a baggie.
One thing you can say about cables: All but the very worst do their jobs competently. Only a handful fail to get the signal from one component to another, or cause amplifiers to blow up. Value, of course, is a different story.
jca
....but Pierre's recordings are some of the most natural sounding and dynamic I have ever heard.
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
The Blues Doctor
Great stuff - the dynamics of blues at a club - almost. Definitely worth buying on the used market.
not all bad but the ones I've heard. Also I liked the fidelity and texture but the image was ho hum at best.
E
T
. . . when forced to listen to his Chesky and Mapleshade discs on a mid-fi system?
"DAMN, this music sucks!"
..."Clifford Jordan Live at Ethel's".
It's one of the most realistic sounding recordings I have of jazz in a small club.
Bad Influence - Live at the Bad Habits CafeSweetman - Austin Backalley Blue
J Street Jumpers - Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
Edits: 07/21/15
Fun CD.
Haven't bought any of their cd's as of now, but I just listened to several of the mp3 samples, including 3 of the jazz recordings and one blues. They all sounded damn good to me, with very good image specificity, and timbre was right on. Some good music/players too. Think I'm gonna buy the Larry Willis cd and maybe one other jazz cd.Funny thing is, I know a couple musicians who Sprey recorded. They were not crazy about the setup/venue.
Edit: bought the Larry Willis, but from a vendor on Amazon for less money than via Mapleshade.
Edits: 07/20/15
(nt)
Hi, if your on this critics forum like the other thousands?,you must subscribe to Stereophile or Absolute Sound. Because your on their mailing lists, I think, you got this small greenish colored catalog in the mail called Mapleshade."
I didn't get one. Not complaining, just saying.
I have been receiving these catalogs for many years now.
I've used Clearview Golden Helix for years now and have been completely satisfied with the results. They have a very "alive" sound that I particularly like. Their I/C's are similar but not quite as pronounced to my ears. If you are a true Audio Cheapskate then Mapleshade has something for you.
Agree that Clearview is good for "waking up" certain speakers. They did wonders with the KLH Six, for example. Running them now with a pair of Fried Betas in my second system.
Always liked the sound of the "ultra-thins" prior to their change over to ribbons.Followed the ribbons for many years and after the Ebony series,decided to give it up.Too fragile.
The cables are designed to be used with PIerres' speaker stands-tilting the tweeter back.I had the modded Gallos and they didn't come to life until the tweeter was above ear-level.
The "active" power cords from OM are still one of my favorites.Stumbled across them my first year at a dealership.Improved the digital first,then I noticed the analog greatly improved.A side benefit.
As far as the CDs go,I would suggest the Festival Sampler.The others tend to wear on you a bit and I have heard better performances of said material.Too much of a good thing??
With a warm tube sound,these cables are a good match.They have a subtle lean-ness.Maybe beginning around 200hz.This can add definition or make the midbass a little lean.YMMV
The cables do have a quality to them in the high frequencies that is refreshing-very little grain,very "live" sounding and very articulate .Ultrathins having the best balance,as long as the lack of shielding doesn't pose a problem.
Tom:cat
.
marc g. - audiophile by day, music lover by night
"Hi, if your on this critics forum like the other thousands?,you must subscribe to Stereophile or Absolute Sound. Because your on their mailing lists, I think, you got this small greenish colored catalog in the mail called Mapleshade."
The Mapleshade catalog is distributed to members on the Sterophile and/or TAS mailing lists? Is that what you're saying, or are you asking if that's the case?
As for cable reviews I would suggest you look elsewhere than Stereophile, they seem to do the odd one every year or so but not on anything that could be called a regular basis. I understand Dudley was babbling about cables recently but as far as I know it wasn't as review.
Yes, babbling at best- bjh.
I don't recall getting a catalog until I bought a couple of CDs from them as I wanted to hear for myself their minimalist recording techniques. Could be wrong, though.
Jim Tavegia
I got a pair several years ago which clearly (to me) bested a similarly priced name-brand cable. As an endorsement, if you buy a mega-buck Walker Proscenium Turntable, Lloyd Walker recommends and will install Mapleshade wires, albeit the more expensive line. With a 30-day-moneyback, you could try it yourself.
> Stereophile and Absolute Sound people are showing no balls for letting
> this cable boasting go by.
Boasting is easy. But do Mapleshade cables have a sufficiently high profile
to justify a magazine devoting its space to them? If so, then yes, coverage
is appropriate. But I have to say that having listening to Pierre Sprey's
systems at shows over the years, I am not convinced.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
I thought I was one of the only Mapleshade cheapskates alive.
Which brings me to this point: Why not have a reviewer devoted to "boutique" items? From the serious to the silly--just one review an issue. You could hire a Brit to put the Monty Python spin on it for amusement.
Think about it.
Dear John Atkinson, I'm sorry for shooting my mouth off about the stereo mags having no balls and such.I kind of did a Donald Trump.But I have questions. You already answered one about Pierre Sprey. What about Audio by VanAlStine who have won TAS awards? Where are they? I don't know much about journalism, but isn't there a rule somewhere where you must face every adversary? By the way,I don't like Mapleshades music style on their cds, but their so sonically superior to any others I have I hardly play them any more.Love Stereophile, this forum just lets me rattle your cage ya lug......sincerely Mark Korda
Awwww C'mon John,
Try a Pr, report.............. :)
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