Wow! I wrote that? I sound good on paper. Having written all that, I still stand by it....and hate tiger balm at the temples as it really burns the eyes... BUT, I will be upgradng the the Revelations anyway!. I can't resist the temptation forever and all the songs of praise sung on high in this thread finally pushed my button hard enough.
While I am at it, I think I should terminate the retermination question raised by my own meanderings. If I had read the Eichmann website more carefully and applied the hairdryer technique, I probably would've saved a thousand bucks or so and at least as many hours. But, i learned a lot and got to know some very interesting, engaging, knowledgeable and generous people along the way so I have no misgivings or regrets at all. And, I still have the Gabriel IC's which are another prize.
I have had Gabriel Extremes terminated by Steve with the original Jelco silver and both silver and gold/copper Eichmann Bullets. I have also had them reterminated professionally with the pricey Bocchino B3's. So, those represent the 'versions' in mind and above mentioned by John. I personally like the sound of both the Bocchino's and the copper Bullets a lot. And, while the down under group are obviously populated by extremists, in the end I fall into the 'less is more' camp and really prefer Steve's choice of the gold/copper Bullets. Interestingly, both of those terminations use plating techniques over copper that don't require or use a nickel base....I personally think that's a big deal offering a very large sonic advantage.
Back to the beef on the bone....the second pair Extremes I bought were silver Eichmann terminated and just didn't sound like i expected them to. The first Jelco terminated pair (standard issue at the time) I purchased had definitely raised the bar and I had already come to expect quite a bit. I decided it must be the Eichmann's not grounding properly....In the end, I didn't understand the design well or read their site thoroughly enough (as I mentioned earlier). I ended up reterminating with the Bocchino's and loved the sound! I reterminated them all with Bocchino's! Wow! Sounded amazing! Had to be the Bocchinos!
It was the Bocchinos...but WITH the Extremes. To be the complete and inquisitive audio junkie, I thought I should be able to compare the different termination and provide a complete review with solid a/b comparisons. So, reterminate one of the three to Jelco and buy one more with Eichmann gold/copper bullets....then compare contrast switch position.
In my system, to my ear, etc. silver is anathema.....even in small amounts plated onto terminations. In the end, all hail Steve's choice, the designer makes the best choice for his own cable. Surprise!
So, now I have all re-reterminated cables from Steve....I have put my ear and wallet out there to be counted and I stand by my experience. Now, I only have to sell the Extremes (now at about 37 inches in length...) to get some Revelations.
The madness is the fun. And I thin I may be approaching certifiable. I hope my recount was a fraction as enjoyable as the experience.
Peace! And, enjoy the tunes!
