PS Audio Xstream Statements vs. RSA Poeima

Howard :Your welcome, wish I had a real answer for ya. If nothing else I would at least call Robert at Ridge Street and expain as best you can. He will do everything in his power to satisfy you. I have been in you exact situation and he helped me big time! Good Luck

Howard -

Thank you for your service. My best to you.

Sincerely

paul

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. Paul, I'm of the same mind as you. I think I'm going to stick with what I have now, and when I move this summer I'll renew my search, starting witht the cable loan program from usedcable.com.

Thorman, I will surely try the new Poeima as well, not only because of the cable issue, but also because I've read great things about the RSA Sason speakers, and will consider purchasing them when/if I get in to a permanent home and save up enough money to buy them. Purchasing the Sason is contingent on my leaving the military, however. I'm not about to lug 140-pound speakers from duty station to duty station! :O

Thanks again for your thoughts. I'll post more to this thread this summer or fall when I start trying more cables.

Aggielaw: I do think that no matter what cable you buy,wheather Ridge Street ,Vallhala,Kharma etc...they all have areas that you won't like in some system.Every wire/cable will react different under different situations and system.Some people loved line conditioners some don't.We are all made up differently.If you really like the Ridge street audio cables and have the "original" maybe you should try and new "P" or sig. to see if the improvemnets your looking for are there.If no send em back and try something else.Good luck

Howard
I feel your pain. I HATE trying cables. If I may say; It doesn't seem as though you've found 'the' cable for your system yet. (Is it too late to return the cables you now have?) You like some aspects of both cables, yet you feel as though you have to compromise. It's enough to make you wonder if you're missing something. I know I find myself wondering that. I know I also wonder, how far up the $$ ladder I have to climb to find "The" cable. I've given up for a while. Right now, I think what i have, is a pretty good compromise - for me.
My rules for me:
I will not buy new cables without a 100% return policy - minus shipping, of course. If there is a cable that i want to try, but the mfgr. has a flawed return policy - I just have to be patient, and wait for the particular cables, to show up used here on A'gon. This way, the dollar pain won't be quite as great, as when anything new is bought. Sorry I'm not offering much help. But, I really do feel your pain. Hope you can find 'the' cable soon.
best

paul

Interesting thought, Thorman. I have been changing cables frequently because I can't really remember how my system sounds once I stop listening to it. Sounds silly, I know, but it is what it is.

Clio, my RSA cables all have well over a thousand hours on them, I've made sure of that. :)

I'm getting irritated by the comparison. I think I'm learning what the phrase "inner detail" means. I suspect it is connected to transparency. With the RSAD cable in, I hear details like the echo in the studio. I barely hear it, if at all, with the Statements. I prefer the RSAD to the PS Audio for Jazz and classical.

So that's it, I like the RSAD better. Not so fast. The reason I started looking into new cables is because there is some coloration with the RSAD, I think. Piano never quite sounds "right" - it's like a little film/haze is in that area. I hear it with electric guitar most of the time, too. Interestingly, the Poeima projected vocals a little more up front than I'd like until I inserted 85Hz filters on the inputs to my amp; now vocals are almost too recessed. Why that filter made that change I have absolutely no idea.

The PS Audio statements are livelier, seem to be a bit "weightier" and I like them better for rock and country, but I know I'm missing that "inner detail" I guess, because I don't get the feeling I'm actually there in the studio hearing the reverberations like I do with the RSAD. The PS Audio reminds me of mid-fi equipment in that it sounds great with material that isn't recorded well or doesn't contain alot of nuances. Not that I'm knocking it for that, because it isn't that the PS Audio Statements are mid-fi quality - quite to the contrary, I think they are remarkable in that they give a solid, well-defined soundstage and the music sounds great. I really enjoy just sitting back and listening to the music with the PS Audio. With the RSAD, I always feel like I'm doing "critical listening" trying to hear all the details the RSAD is capable of throwing at me.

I still haven't figured out how I can call the RSAD both "smooth" and "detailed" at once, but I guess other RSAD owners, at least, know exactly what I mean.

I do think I hear some rolling off in the highs with the PS Audio cables, and I will explore that quite a bit tonight, since the cables will stay in my system for another week while I bring in a new sub (ACI Titan arrives tomorrow) and try to set it up properly over the next few days.

So now I'm wondering if I'm hearing what some here have suggested: that there is no absolute best cable even for a given system, and that all cables will have some shortfall that you just have to live with. We'll see.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and recommendations!
Howard

You need to let the RASD break in a bit more. Robert puts them on a burn-in device for about 48 hours before he ships them, but recommends you let them run at least another 100 or so hours before making any judgements.

In my case, I'm comparing the RSAD Poemia!!! ICs against a pair of Auricle Audio Signature. I also feel the RSAD is a bit more relaxed, especially for a silver cable, but I actually think that is a good thing in my system. The Auricle Audio might actually provide a bit more detail, but they do seem to be a bit brighter as well. The RSAD cables were in my system for 200 hours, then I switched to the Auricle Audio which is approaching 200 hours. The differences are truly neglible, except in cost. The Auricle Audio cables are about $450 less than the RSA. I may be sending the RSAD ICs back just on fact alone.

The RSAD Z-der block on the other hand is an incredible little device, but that is for another thread.

Is it possible that it is not your cable ,maybe something else is causing this effect. I have Poeima wires and don't hear what your describing. Anytime you change cables you should let them settle in a bit.If you keep going back and forth your scrrewing with your brain and not letting your self relax and realy listen. Keep either in for a week or so and then make the right judgment.You can throw in 20 different cables and you'll get 20 different sounds.None are better just figure out witch fits your taste best.Don't rely on others to do your listening,trust your own ears!