New Zu Mission cable

12-01-10: Artmaltman
Why are all the comparisons in this thread only within the same brand? Have none of you ever tried any other brand? How does Mission compare to other brands of cables that many of us have tried?
Thanks,
Art

Since the thread was about Zu Mission, many of us were responding with our best frame of reference--other Zu cables. It's particularly significant to Zu customers because the new Mission line covers maybe three of their former lines, seems to be considered better than their previous top line while costing much less.

In response to your question, I have used so many different cables it's hard to recount. My past speaker cables includ MIT 750, PS Audio XStream Reference Biwire, lower level Audio Magic, Monster M1000, Tara Labs, Belkin OCC PureAV Silver series, Cobalt, and StraightWire Ribbon 8. ICs include Kimber PBJ, Timbre, and several pairs of Hero, AudioQuest Blue Racer and Black Mamba, and some Tara Labs and Monster and StraightWire's original The Conductor.

The PS Audio Xstream Biwire had a list price of $1500 for an 8' pair, is 2" in diameter, and weighs 2 lbs. per foot. Unwieldy doesn't begin to describe it, but it's neutral, clean, fast, and weighty. Easily the best speaker cable I'd ever had, including a double run of the MIT 750H. I would say the Zu Libtec I got this past May is easily the equal in all ways to the PS Audio, but is even faster, more dimensional, more coherent and focused, more extended, all while having about a 2" bend radius and barely 1/2" in diameter.

So why wouldn't I be going nuts about it? I'm not hyped up on Internet buzz. My enthusiasm started from personal experience and is based entirely on putting the cables into my system after over 20 years of trying many brands of cables in various configurations and with different components.

Google for Kimber Hero and it's been the longstanding darling of budget high end, even being either component of the year or budget component of the year at bot TAS and Stereophile. And after 5 years of using Hero in my home theater system and another year in my analog-based 2-channel system, the Zu Wylde ICs are as extended while being faster, cleaner, and even more coherent.

I find the Zu's to generally be fast, clear, coherent, and yet full-bodied and extended. I was seriously considering getting a little subwoover for my 2-channel system ... until I swapped out the cables for Zu Libtec speaker cable, Wylde interconnect, and BoK power cable. My enthusiasm reflects the value I perceive that I got out of their cables.

If people are skeptical, that's great -- I'm that way myself. Once you've been around awhile you see a lot of hype and products come and go and get replaced by the 'next greatest thing'.

I'm using various Zu products in my system currently, but it has come over time and went something like this:

Got a great deal on a Zu DL-103 phono cartridge. Tried it following years and years of searching for the 'right' cartridge which included other Denons, Grado, Dynavector, Shure, Audio-Technica, etc. Simply put it was the best cartridge I've had the pleasure of owning and it's strengths are really strong and it's weaknesses are fairly minimal. This made me curious to try a Zu cable since I felt these guys obviously know something about good sound.

Tried one pair of Zu Wylde ICs and they too were awesome. Bettered others I've tried by a significant margin including Cardas, Audioquest, VH Audio. Got another pair.

At this point you could say I was a happy customer. All came with 60 day guarantees, which I didn't need to use but for the skeptics like myself it helps.

Then I tried the Mission speaker cables. Wow. Great cable and I concur with the remarks Johnnyb53 made about the Libtec and Wyldes in his system. Fast, articulate and musical.

Now I have a new pair of Soul Superflys in my system. Only a few days here but I like them. A lot.

The point of my post isn't to review any of these products - obviously I'm not attempting to do that. But you can try one of their products risk free in your system and see if it works for you.

Thanks for the comparisons Johnny. And also I see that with Zu having completely upended their speaker cable line, a thread on this topic would tend to compare old vs new models.

I just received a B-stock Mission IC in the mail today and have it sitting between my Jasmine LP2.0SE phono pre and upgraded EE Minimax Preamp and out of the damn box they are impressive.

I bought a Zu Bok some years ago for a source and hated it, so I didn't know what to expect from their newer cables (own speakers and a Zu103 no other cable experience with their stuff) but I'm pleased off the bat.

A no brainer purchase during this stoopid cheap 75% off deal. I'll be eagerly awaiting the '200 hour' burn in marker.

I don't get that. Why after launching a new brand a few months ago with great fanfare do they now have B-stock at 75% off? Also the Event line, which seems to have been launched guerilla-style and is better than Mission, also has B-stock at 75% off? Weird marketing strategy.