I hope you all don't mind my adding my impressions of the Hapa Audio Quiescence C and Quiescence S interconnects. This is the same review I wrote on AC, so if you've already read it, there's nothing new here. I'd like to point out that I have not demoed either of Jason's Breathe cables.
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I got back into this hobby in 2013 after a 26-year hiatus. For much of that time I was having far too much fun galavanting (wandering) around many of the countries in East Asia (with most of the time spent in Taiwan) soaking in the cultures, food (OMG!), people, and languages (primarily Mandarin). Most of the places I lived in were concrete boxes that suck the life out of audio. Anyway, by the time 2013 rolled round, I'd been back in the US for ten years, and I was ripe for a new audio adventure. I started out with baby steps because I was afraid to spend too much money. Slowly but surely, I added ever higher quality components that brought my system to the point where it is now. I absolutely love my Don Sachs amp and preamp; my SW1X DAC III+, and my Daedalus Audio Apollos with Wywires speaker cables, a PI Audio UberBUSS, and TWL power cords. I no longer dream about listening to this or that pair of speakers at audio shows nor do I wonder if there's a better amp out there. Okay, I'll admit to playing with the idea of upgrading my DAC to the SW1X DAC3 Special or <gulp> the DAC4, but it's not a "I gotta do it!" need.
When Jason (Pez) announced his new line of cables and his eagerness to send out demos, I just
had to give them a shot. Somehow, I conned...er...
persuaded him to send me a total of four pairs of single-ended interconnects to audition. He sent me two pairs of the Quiescence C and two pairs of the Quiescence S IC cables. [
THANK YOU!] I received the QS cables a couple weeks before the QC cables.
I tried four different combinations and got four different resulting sounds. For simplicity, I'll list each combination followed by my impressions.
1.
All QS cables DAC to preamp to amp - This was a livelier, more forward sound than I'm used to - front row seat, perhaps. Higher frequency mids tended to be a bit bright for my liking. There's an adjustment switch on the back of my Apollos that adjusts higher frequencies by 0.5db (I think this is correct.) I set the switch on each speaker to the lowest setting and found that this improved the brightness a bit, but there was still too much 'ssss' and 'shhh' for my tastes. All silver isn't what my ears want to hear in my already revealing system.
2.
QS from DAC to preamp; QC from preamp to amp - This combination sounded okay, but nothing to get excited about. Nothing stood out as "WOW!" I tried different genre of music hoping to hear something special, but I came away thinking, "$$$$ gets me
this?!?" Meh.
3.
All QC from DAC to preamp to amp - All this copper combined with all three tubed components bathed me in warmth. I <almost> imagined myself swimming in a pool of Maple syrup. Bass was powerful -
too powerful for my liking. I felt as though I had moved a bunch of rows back except that the drums moved with me. I'm not sure how else to describe it.
4.
QC from DAC to preamp; QS from preamp to amp -
HOLY SHIT!
This is jaw-droppingly good! The lows are dynamic and realistic striking a balance between power and finesse (struggled with which word to use). Mids are beautiful and just warm enough to keep me smiling - no need to change into swim trunks. I love listening to women's vocals, piano, acoustic stringed instruments, and lots of Jazz, and this combination makes all of it sound mesmerizing. Highs are right where I want them - clear.
As you know, combination #4 may not sound so great in your system. YMMV, ya know? However, it sounds f------
AWESOME in my living room.
I just paid for one 0.5m pair of QC with the standard solder and one 2m pair of QS with the Absolute Harmony solder. This combination of lengths will allow me to slide my audio stand against the wall to the right, but leave my amp on a slab on the floor between the speakers. It'll be better for my soundstage and will go a long way toward mollifying my wife <
perhaps>. My stand was built in such a way that the 0.5m pair can be used vertically or horizontally without straining the connectors or the cables. [I already tried both orientations with a 0.5m demo pair.]
Jason is super easy to communicate with, but I expected that after reading so many of his RMAF reviews.
If anyone reading this has questions to ask of me, ask away. I probably forgot something or I may not have been very clear.
I may have to hold my demo cables hostage until my new cables arrive.
Michael
