Mine are on order Check out the reviews @ soundstage.com and stereotimes.com |
prior to the OVAL 9,MY entire system was wired with CARDAS golden cross,I have since wire my system with oval 9 on the speakers and silver oval between components.THE OVAL 9 works excellent with solid state or tubes,THE CABLE IS SO SMOOTH, AND GRAIN FREE,it's the best buy in high end cable.PERIOD. THESE CABLES WHERE CREATED BUY ENGINEERS,not some person out of there basement,with no credentials,selling mass produced cable with fancy jackets.TRUST YOUR EARS. |
Ditto above. These cables are soooo neutral, I don't think it really matters what components you have in your system. |
Just got these in my high res system. They replaced Harmonic Tech Pro-9 Plus which I own for about a year. Not zippy/bright, or 2D sounding as Harmonic. These are neutral, smooth, well balanced, more likelike (soundstage depth) and natural sounding. Bass if more defined with Oval Nine. Worth every penny. Also received Silver Oval speaker cable and will report results. |
OVAL 9 ARE INCREDIBLE,EXTREMLY SMOOTH AND NEUTRAL. AS MENTIONED BY FONSY66,IT'S A NO NONSENSE CABLE. |
Guess I'm the only one that thinks they suck. I'm OK with that, and I believe you guys are liking what you hear, too (I never doubt anyone's observations in their own systems). I'm just saying I've compared them to the competition, like 8TC, T-3, T-2, besides several WAY upmarket ones, and the Oval 9's have been my least favorite. Slow, blurred, colored, and only passable in a narrow band in the midrange. Everybody talks about how network terminated designs have a rolled off treble. Well, these cheap MIT's sound like Spectral electronics compared to the Oval 9, and their timbres are smoother, more neutral, mnore detailed, more dynamic, with wider and deeper soundstage. It's not a system interaction, either. I submit that it would have to be a weird system interaction that would cause these Oval 9's to actually work at all. Just my opinion, we all like what we like... |
Or maybe, our hearing backs up the computer simulation done to design these cables. |
Thanks for the comments everybody. It was starting to sound pretty good up until Carl's review! Hey Fonsy66- interesting that you HAD Cardas. I love the airy richness of the Golden Cross interconnect, and am keeping it, but curious- do you find the Oval 9's have any 'air' and close to as gig an image as the Golden Cross?? Sutts |
Sutts, if you like Cardas Cross series you will like Oval 9. Similar sound, relaxed smooth detailed midrange, not quite as detailed on top as some more expensive cables especially silver ones, but this may be blessing for most systems. 3D soundstage is excellent, wide and deep near reference quality, amazing considering the price. In my system did not have deep bass extension but about average. To sum up excellent cable for $299 8ft, and competes with more expensive cables, if you read Soundstage review Nirvana SL was prefered over Oval 9 but it costs @$1200 8ft. Again don't listen to me or Carl or anyone here, Call Cable Co and arrange for home trail to see how it sounds in YOUR OWN SYSTEM.......regards Sam |
So Carl, I guess you didn't like these cables. You had said a while back you were doing a comparo of several cables and I guess you have not posted that yet?Anyway,surprised you think they "suck". Have never heard a bad word about them before. People that really liked HT have swithed to these quite a few times.Strange?,But like ya say,"In your System!" |
SUTTS,In trying to answer your question,The golden cross is excellent cable,But i prefer the midrange and treble extension of the OVAL 9,The soundstage is bigger and wider when i use the OVAL 9,while keeping more on the warm side.THESE are the improvments i hear in my set-up,which is all tubes except the cd player.GOOD LUCK. |
Fonsy lets not forget the big difference, price!!!! Cardas Golden Cross not listed by Cable Co. but I believe 8ft pair will cost @$1200 or more. You could buy double runs of Oval 9 for bi-wire and still save 50% over Golden Cross single set. If you had Golden Cross for your tube set-up I can see why you like Oval 9, both have non fatiguing, relaxed sound. I would think the best fit would be solid state, especially very detailed speakers like planars and electrostatic models (like Soundstage review). Many of these systems use Cardas Cross cables to make sound more relaxed. I believe Totem line of speakers Stutts has are in general very detailed and slightly bright sounding and Oval 9 would also help balance things out. |
Mikeg and Urthere, I only report what I hear in my system. Square wave tests can be scewed to show whatever the tester wants them to show (they certainly show how infereior a tube circuit is to a solid state circuit, and you believe that, don't you?)..............................You mentioned the Harmonic Technology cables. I just feel that it's a matter of the reviewers always liking whatever the newest thing is, until the next new thing comes along. Certainly nothing wrong with my hearing, which is better than yours, no offense. Perhaps it's just that my room is dialed in to where I can actually hear what cables are doing in my system. I've read many of the Oval 9 reviews, and noticed that the reviewers aren't very professional, and don't have properly treated rooms. |
And, I've not posted my comparisons yet, but will in the next week or two. |
And about the reviewers: Case in point, Stuart whats-his-name (was a reviewer at Positive Feedback) was selling a preamp last year, and I had occasion to speak with him at length on the phone. The subject of cabling came up, and he was just gushing sugar and sweetness about ALL of the Harmonic Technology line (and had gotten them all for his own personal use, for like dirt cheap). That's back when they first came out. Now, he likes Analysis Plus. I'm glad I don't just follow whatever these little weenie reviewers like. I like the big time reviewers, and I still don't just automatically like whatever they like, either...but at least they're more consistent about what resides in their "reference" systems. |
Carl there is reason to be dubious about sudden conversion to AP Ovals, when last year Harmonic Tech was the greatest for these online reviewers. Although Stereophile and Absolute Sound have also endorsed HT cables giving these reviewers some added credibility. Stuart has good system, although Clement Perry has even better $50,000+ system which he says certain speaker manf. claim is best they have heard, hmmmmm. I can understand where Ovals may not sound good to all people, their relaxed nature means they may not be dynamic enough for some people, depends on each persons idea of "good" sound......Regards Sam |
Yes, but it is also murky, closed in, and distorted. Frankly, I only care about what I hear, and wouldn't care if every manufacturer literally publicly kissed the butt of whoever designs AP cables. They still don't measure up to even the cheapest Monster Cables. "Smoothness" doesn't count in my book, if you have to omit all resolution, and substitute veiled distortion. The AP stuff is just yet another bandwagon line, in my opinion. 6 months from now, "Infinite Contimuum" wires will be all the rage, and you'll all wonder how you could have ever bought Analysis Plus! |
I know I'm off this tread, but has anyone listened to the Alpha-Core Goertz MI2 Veracity. I have yet to hear these but they will be going between an Ayre V3 and Maggie 1.6's bi-wired? Just thought I would ask. Thanks in advance for any feedback. |
I hate to admit it ... Carl was right. The Oval 9s are not as clean as Harmonic Tech but have their own positives such as 3D soundstaging and tone (IMHO). But, good news, the Silver Ovals are in a whole different class not exhibiting the negatives heard in the Oval 9. I also substituted the new Nirvana SX interconnect for my Harmonic ProSilway MKII (between SACD player and EVS attenuator). This cable reveals the distortion in the HT interconnect. It extremely revealing with better soundstaging - big upgrade (price is $1295 vs $399 for HT). |
What do you mean, you hate to admit it? I have nothing personal against you, so why should you against me? |
And where do you get EVS attenuators? |
Carl- You can get EVS attenuators fron Rick Schulz at tweakaudio.com.....if your into passives he's the man. He also does mods on certain stuff and has lots of very cool tweaks. |
Gary, OK, thank you very much! |
Nothing personally meant toward you Carl. Its hard to admit my first impressions of the Oval 9 were wrong. No big deal. Gold point also sells attenuators at goldpt.com. I looking to change mine since I changed my amp from McCormack DNA2 to Bel Canto EVo (100K vs 20K input impedence respectively). Looking at which product is better designed. |
OK, no problem. Yeah, I just thought the attenuators would be neat to try, but I don't think there's any "auditioning" with the EVS ones. I'll have to check out these Gold Point ones. What's their website? |
Responding to Gary's query : I cant say enough good things about Goertz MI2. Used with both my Acoustat 2+2 'stats and Totem's Sttaf speakers and Bryston electronics, the Goertz totally surpasses any other wire that I have ever tried. It has the ideal combination of detail and warmth with no apparent colorations at all. [Sadly I have not tried A+ yet. But then again I no longer feel the need.] |
Barry- Thanks for your feedback. Everything you mentioned is what people have been telling me about this cable. I can't wait to get it in the system. |
