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High Fidelity Cables CT-1designed by Rick Schultz

In December 2011,I wrote that High Fidelity cables led by cable designer Rick Schultz was putting together a new cable.The cable came to market as CT-1.The CT-1 has FINALLY made it into my system!I had obtained a version of the prototype that Rick had been working on.It blew my previous reference Genesis by Virtual Dynamics.I thought I had finally found my end with this cable.This prototype delivered to my ears "Nirvana".Could I be at the end of my quest for the ultimate sound?
No. I received two pairs of CT-1 to replace my prototypes.They went into the system this past Friday.Unable to dedicate time until Sunday listening,I stole a few moments,ducking away from company with anticipation.My guest could tell even with the music set for"ambiance"something was intriguing and I was in for a treat!
The experience:
First off,CT-1 was very user friendly.Installation was simple;the cable is very nice and light.The female RCA fit beautifully unlike any I had found in other cable.It was secure and reliable.It seemed much thought was dedicated to developing a designer fit to an aesthetically stunning RCA connector.Install entailed a few wiggles to ensure what seemed like a compression fit on my RCA.
It was 2-3 hrs. for the 1st step of break in to be complete.At that point I had something different!Today,although they only have 10-12 hrs. on them,I can`t put into words how much my system has transformed.Believe me,I loved my prototypes.However....there is simply no comparision.
The clarity and sound is so natural.
The soundstage is like nothing I ever heard.Resoulution is breathtaking and inner detail is simply hard to believe possible.
The sound has transended and now it simply does not seem as thought I have speakers.
My system is musicians playing music.
I am told with time they will improve and I trust that as it was revealed with the prototypes.I wanted to share my thoughts with you that now.
Unequivocally,a testament to High Fidelity,as the name declares.
High Fidelity Cables for me,the last word on it,after 12 hours!
Truly Amazing

Al
alpass
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Wow, John!! No wonder these things sound different, and no wonder they lower the gain of the system.

I would suggest asking HFC if those numbers seem right, or if they are indicative of a defect. If they are correct, and if the 5 ohm impedance spec of your speakers is in the right ballpark for most frequencies and is mostly resistive in terms of its phase angles, it would mean that roughly 2/3 [actually (5.6 + 5.8)/(5.6 + 5.8 + 5)] of the voltage the amp is putting out at any given instant would be dropped across the cables rather than appearing across the speaker terminals. That's a loss of more than 10 db! Although given that you are using a tube amp having a significant output impedance, that would be partially/slightly compensated for by an increase in the amp's output voltage that would occur (everything else being equal) as a result of it seeing a less demanding load of 16.4 ohms rather than 5 ohms.

BTW, how long are your particular cables? As I'm certain you realize, cable resistance is proportional to length, everything else being equal.

And yes, I think it would be well worth trying the 8 ohm tap and seeing how it sounds.

Best regards,
-- Al
rlawry
477 posts
 
John, since there seems to be a big difference in impedance between the two cables, have you tried measuring or at least listening to see if there are differences in volume between the two speakers, and then swapping R and L cable pairs to see if it changes the other way? I would think that you would also have an volume imbalance that you could hear, i.e. the soundstage would be skewed in one direction. I wonder what normal impedance the cables really have. BTW, you mentioned that one of the spades was locked in the end of the cable end. Is the high impendance cable this one? I still think there is a problem with the cables that is causing the big loss in gain (oxymoron?).
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Rlawry, I could be wrong but I interpreted John's indication that "my other speaker cables measured ~ 0 ohms" to refer to a completely different set of non-HFC cables. I'm sure he'll clarify, but I suspect he was saying that he only measured the HFC cables on one channel, his "quick check" not including taking the time to disconnect the cables on the other channel. And of course the difference between the two conductors on the one channel was minor (5.6 vs. 5.8 ohms, some of that difference perhaps simply being due to the resolution and accuracy of the meter itself).

Regards,
-- Al
rlawry
477 posts
 
Almarg, yes, you are probably correct. I did check the impedance of my Intuitive Design Cables and they deflect my multimeter needle a little. Obviously their impedance is well under 1 ohm. I cannot imagine the HF cable being a 6 ohm series impedance, so they must be defective or in need of cleaning.
acman3
4,222 posts
 
Al, 3.8 ohms on each 2' run of CT1 speaker wire here.

The CT1e would have a Wave guide magnet added. They would be trying for magnetic effect vs. resistance, but has always wondered about the effects of higher resistance.

Btw, I love mine and have no loss of volume.
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