Well, I've heard the Transparent vs the Kubula and the Transparent on my system kicked the crap out of the Kubala. I am simply amazed that the Kubala can sell for so much. I was not at all impressed. I've heard cables at 1/10 the price of Kubala that I thought were just as good.
Transparent , Kubala , Luminous , or RS Poiema
Hi everyone. I am looking to potentially recable my whole system and would love to hear your thoughts on the following cables for interconnects, speaker wire, and digital cables...
Transparent
Kubala-Sosna
Luminous
Ridge Street Audio Poiema!!
My current gear is the following...
Ayre V-3 amp
Krell Showcase Pre/Pro
Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures and VCC-1 Center Channel
Cardas Golden Cross I/C and Digital Lightning 15
Alpha Core MI 2 Speaker Cable
I have heard the Transparent Ultra and Premium digital cable and think they are quite good, but they are very expensive and I have seen glowing reviews on the other cables as well. I am prepared to pay if necessary, but would prefer not to if I can find something comparable at a cheaper price. I know that cables are person and/or system specific and am going to try to audition each, but wanted to hear other thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Please advise...
Transparent
Kubala-Sosna
Luminous
Ridge Street Audio Poiema!!
My current gear is the following...
Ayre V-3 amp
Krell Showcase Pre/Pro
Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures and VCC-1 Center Channel
Cardas Golden Cross I/C and Digital Lightning 15
Alpha Core MI 2 Speaker Cable
I have heard the Transparent Ultra and Premium digital cable and think they are quite good, but they are very expensive and I have seen glowing reviews on the other cables as well. I am prepared to pay if necessary, but would prefer not to if I can find something comparable at a cheaper price. I know that cables are person and/or system specific and am going to try to audition each, but wanted to hear other thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Please advise...
63 responses Add your response
Kmiller5.....to be honest i went straight to the cosmos line of the prana cables..at that time i was interested just in joe's speaker cables which,as it turned out,were better then i could have imagined. they are, by a long shot, the best speaker cables i have heard..in my system.i have since bought 1 of joe's new 'samadhi' pcs which, like the speaker cables,are the best i have heard. i plan on buying at least 2 more of them in the near future. |
I have heard great things about Kubala...but recently purchased the Prana Deva speaker wire. The speaker cable is truly special, very musical, high resolution and quiet. Some of the most natural sounding cable I have ever owned. I am taking delivery of the interconnect with Bochinno xlr's late this week and will post findings then on the interconnect. I know cables can be system dependent....but highly recommend at least trying the PRANA before making a final decision. They are VERY musical. It's just so natural sounding. The timing of the highs and low end, combined with the resolution is really nice. Plus, I notice that there is a noticeable increase in dynamics. You can turn up the volume the system just cruises right along! |
i also agree with hifimaniac regarding the pranawire cables...i have their 'cosmos' speaker cables and their 'samadhi' powercords and find them incredible..much better then transparent..valhallas'...purist audio venustas...and others..joe cohen is a pure professional gentleman and also allows auditions of his cables...do not buy any others until you try his cables.. |
Go Kubala or try PRANA wire. I just swapped out my entire Transparent Reference and Reference XL cables for the DEVA series PRANA and feel sorry for those saving their hard earned money for overpriced Transparent MM (more money) when the PRANA blows it away in every way for a fraction of what Transparent charges. And this is coming from a die hard Transparent owner the past 12 years! Prana is a newer cable but those who have heard it are raving. Good luck. |
I greatly prefer my Kubala cables to the Transparent cables I owned before. Granted the Kubala's are top of the line and the Transparent stuff was upper-mid-line, but overall it was not my cup of tea. I used the cables with Bryston amps and later with Rowlands, and with Maggie 3.6's then Aerial 9's and Rogue preamp later Aesthetix. No experience with Luminous or Poiema. Good luck. |
You didn't request this information, but I would add Xtreme Cables to your audition list. They bring my system closer to reality, offering phenomenal soundstage performance, notable weight, and resolution right up there with the best. I personally won't be looking any further for performance improvement from the cable category after discovering these. Xtreme Cables Website Under Construction |