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Monster Sigma Mythology - Need Answers

Back in the mid 1990s I fell into spools of Monster M Series M1500 and M2.4 Biwire. The M2.4 does not have the network terminator and I had to terminate the M1500 (don't do this as it takes forever, and ever, and ever). Before I knew it I had an entire system cabled with the much maligned Monster products and there they've stayed all these years, but now I have a 1 meter pair of the mythological M2000 Sigma interconnect in route.

I write this due to the complete lack of information on the net about upper end Monster cables. The new retro cables actually have some discussion on the net, but then you'll see claims that the old M2000 Sigma was better. Similar controversy may exist with the speaker cables with the old M2 Sigma.

The M2000 Sigma interconnect I purchased in ignorance thinking it was using the newer generation, low capacitance PEX dielectric first found in M1000i and the M2.4s biwire Speaker cables (cables are nearly black whereas older Monster M Series is gray.) I’ll update the table below with its capacitance which is likely frighteningly high. In searching I saw an Ad for M1500i, but without visual confirmation I belief this is a myth. (Or does M1500i exist?)

I am hoping the Agon community will help fill out this thread with details on the various monster top offerings. I'd like to keep this to M1000 and above interconnects and M2.2s Speaker cable and above. So some tabular info follows including capacitance which is a big issue for tube equipment (we can update values if anyone can provide missing numbers by measuring with capacitance meter)....

Interconnect (1 meter pair):
MODEL VERSION YEAR PRICE CAPACI NOTES
M1000 Laboratory Ref
M1000 Sonic Ref. Std.
M1000 Mk. II Sonic Ref.
M1000 Mk. III Sonic Ref. $200 162pf Isotec
M1000i PEX
M1000i Ultimate (PEX) PEX
M1500 $400 278pf
M1500i
M2000 Sigma $800

Speaker Cable (8 foot pair)
MODEL VERSION YEAR PRICE NOTES
M2 Sigma $2000
M2.4s Biwire $800 Best?
M2.2s

Decided to leave out Retro in table. Please discuss your sound experience with these. Monster has a bad name with audiophiles, but these cables were designed with technology licensed from Bruce Brisson of MIT fame. The earlier interconnects are extremely capacitive and that would account for their dark sound with some tube equipment. You do not want excess length! All of these are well liked to my knowledge except perhaps the M1000i ultimate which an Amazon reviewer said sounded more rolled off then his old M1000. M1500 considered sizeable step up from M1000. M2000 is not as big a step up. Until the Retro Gold, I don't think Monster put out anything above M1000i with the lower capacitance PEX dielectric.

On the speaker cable front I left out the older Monster stuff except the outrageously priced Sigma M2. The M2.4s is really, really good even at retail and can be had used easily enough given the Monster reputation among audiophiles (most of whom would be embarrassed to have it in their system). Don't be shy Monster lovers!
meles
meles OP
42 posts
 
Yes, apparrently the Dutch dealer repair of the mesh involved ripping out the shielding at the repair which disconnected the shield along the whole cable. With the shield connected the capacitance jumps up to a normal reading.

I will also add that these cables need connectors for 11mm cables. The cheapest I could find were some very nice silver over copper Wireworlds. I'd thought to salvage out a factory like half meter and then a shorter piece with the Wireworlds, but the $100 a set wireworlds are too much of an investment in time and money when 1/2 meter Sigma pairs can be had for not much more these days.

The repaired Sigma is quite nice and I have another 1/2 meter pair on the way.
meles OP
42 posts
 
I've seen mention that some preferred Sigma M2000 to the newer and more expensive Retro Gold. Here is some more detail from Art Shiparo of Positive Feedback from an interconnect review: "All critical interconnects have been Monster’s penultimate cable, the M-Sigma 2000. When the Manleys arrived, I did a lot of experimentation using my own and borrowed cables, propping up the amps on a workstand in order to make use of the many different one-meter interconnects I had at my disposal. The Sigma 2000 continued to be the product of choice in this system. Unfortunately, it is no longer in the product line, and the folks at Monster couldn’t come up with a two-meter pair for me, though they did provide their top-of-the-line Sigma Retro interconnects. These are much warmer cables than the Sigma M2000, and they pushed the system to just about the limits of acceptability in the dry-to-warm spectrum."
I've seen a lot of positive reviews of the Retro (which was designed for SET tube amps, etc.) and now we can see why Sigma M2000 might be considered superior by many. I must say the imaging on DTS-HD material is exemplary and is quite an improvement over the Monster M1500. The difference is quite stunning.
meles OP
42 posts
 
I just got a big order of Sigma M2000 in and some Retro interconnect. First, I will say that the Sigma Retro is inferior in many ways to the M Series M1500. The 0.5m Retro is decidedly rounded with inferior response at the extremes. The M1500 had much better impact on bass rumbles and higher range percussive sounds. Even on my midrange amp, the muted signature of the Retro comes through. The difference head to head with M2000 would be more extreme in the bass and treble areas as it exceeds M1500 in these very areas. Unfortunately I don't have any 0.5m Sigma M2000 pairs yet to compare directly (two weeks and waiting on shipment of one pair.) I was quite disappointed with the Sigma Retro interconnects.

I put in a 1.5m pair of M2000 on my subwoofer system and it did not seperate itself well from the M1500. I believe this is due to the M2000 being unused so I am waiting for it to break in before formally comparing in this position. (On the front end the Sigma M2000 outclasses the M1500 sounding like a cable that should have cost twice as much.)
meles OP
42 posts
 
On the technical side. I have also discovered we now have six different style connectors: The early black, the pewter/chrome, the pewter/chrome with black band by the gold rca contact, and the pewter with grey shading (latest and nicest looking style). That is four standard connectors and there are also the "ground control" style connectors which look like a y connector and go on the amp side (I've seen these in black and pewter/chrome). The Y allows a spade to be connected from the RCA to the ground of the amps speaker terminals. (Does anyone understand what this is for and what it does, etc.?!?!?)

I now have in my hands three at least three different Sigma M2000 wires. They all have the same writing on the outer jacket below the mesh (see above). My pewter/chrome 1.5m cable measures 618pf (~410pf per meter) and my pewter grey shading 1.5m comes in at 483pf (~360pf per meter). That is a big difference. My original black band meter pair measures 370pf. And a newer shaded pewter pair comes in at 335pf. So for now I'd call that three types, the latest measuring 335pf per meter, then we have ~365pf per meter cable and then the ~410pf early cable. I will compare the 1 meter cables eventually.

Warning: the M2000 Sigma connectors are tight (I just ripped the RCA jack out of my Eagle 2a in rechecking measurements for this update.)
meles OP
42 posts
 
I am waiiting for the newer 1m pair to break in as it appears to be unused cable (I did not hear a massive difference between this and the older 370pf pair on the change.)
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