Transparent Audio is anything but Transparent

@marshinski15 

I feel your pain on both points!  I don't start posts much anymore as so many people pick up on one aspect and start off on a tangent and the actual question is ignored.  This lead to others responding to their topic and the OP is left scratching their head lol

Now to your post.  I had the exact same experience when I started my Transparent journey last year.  I emailed their support email asking for comparisons across both generation and level.  They have 10 levels that almost exactly doubles in price at each jump.  I think it is fair that anyone considering or currently using would wonder how Reference MM2 compares to Ultra Gen 5, for example.  Ian politely told me they simply do not ever attempt this.  All he would say is that each level up is an improvement and separately each generation is an improvement.  

I spoke with a dealer and his advice to me was that Gen 5 was a significant upgrade across the board for Transparent.  He suggested I not consider any level below that if I was starting with Transparent.  He also said that Gen 6 was not impressive and worth the extra expense unless you were in the top 3 or 4 levels.

I believe Transparent could be more open with their clients and offer similar advice.  I am also an Audio Research fan and have similar conversations with them where they were very open about cross-generation and level comparisons.

I suppose at the end of the day you/we never know until we pull the trigger and just try something.  FWIW, I ended up going with a mix of Gen 5 Super and Ultra simply based on how used opportunities presented themselves when I was buying.

Good luck.

@marshinski15  I called and asked “how do MM2 Ultras stack up against the G5 Supers. I was literally told that they don’t give out that information.

It seems like they could have shared their impressions on the improvements or difference in sound quality of the G5 Supers vs. MM2 Ultras?  However, their opinion probably wouldn’t mean much to you until you hear it for yourself.

I purchased used Cardas Clear Light speaker cables and interconnects a few years ago.  I shipped the speaker cables to Cardas to have them shorten the length and re-terminate them.  They confirmed the authenticity and gave them a new authentication number after they serviced them.  I later upgraded to the Cardas Clear cable loom as I like their sound and customer service.

I don’t see how Transparent Audio would be able to authenticate cables by looking at photos that you sent to them?  Would you be comfortable with them authenticating by photos?  I imagine they would confirm authenticity if you physically shipped them to Transparent.  

Dude, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The whole thing is a lie, the whole industry is one big lie. One day it will all become apparent! And even then people will not believe that it’s all a big lie. Shame shame shame as Gomer Paul used to say!

Op Padagon audio has transparent cables try calling them .

This thread has had some good comedy, thank you all.

I think I would be a bit wary of buying used cable brands like Cardas and Audio Note that use rather plain looking outer sheaths, they just look too easy to forge.  Not that cables need to have a lot of bling but I'm guessing the counterfeiters won't bother trying to reproduce a unique cable jacket.

I believe Cardas will at least look at photos and identify an obvious counterfeit for you, which seems generous of them, even though that is not an outright authentication.