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What Does Holographic Sound Like?

And how do you get there? This is an interesting question. I have finally arrived at a very satisfying level of holography in my system. But it has taken a lot of time, effort and money to get there. I wish there had been a faster, easier and less expensive way to get there. But I never found one.

Can you get to a high level of holography in your system with one pair of interconnects and one pair of speaker wires? I don't believe so. I run cables in series. I never found one pair of interconnects and speaker wires that would achieve what has taken a heck of a lot of wires and "tweaks" to achieve. Let alone all the power cords that I run in series. Although I have found one special cable that has enabled the system to reach a very high level of holography -- HiDiamond -- I still need to run cables in series for the sound to be at its holographic best.

There are many levels of holography. Each level is built incrementally with the addition of one more wire and one more "tweak". I have a lot of wires and "tweaks" in my system. Each cable and each "tweak" has added another level to the holography. Just when I thought things could not get any better -- which has happened many times -- the addition of one more cable or "tweak" enabled the system to reach a higher level yet.

Will one "loom" do the job. I never found that special "loom". To achieve the best effects I have combined cables from Synergistic Research, Bybee, ASI Liveline, Cardas, Supra and HiDiamond -- with "tweaks" too numerous to mention but featuring Bybee products and a variety of other products, many of which have the word "quantum" in their description.

The effort to arrive at this point with my system has been two-fold. Firstly, finding the right cables and "tweaks" for the system. Secondly, finding where to place them in the system for the best effects -- a process of trial and error. A lot of cables and "tweaks" had to be sold off in the process. I put "tweaks" in quotation marks because the best "tweaks" in my system have had as profound effect as the components on the sound. The same for the best of the cables, as well. For me, cables and "tweaks" are components.

Have I finally "arrived"? I have just about arrived at the best level that I can expect within my budget -- there are a couple of items on the way. In any case, I assume there are many levels beyond what my system has arrived at. But since I'll never get there I am sitting back and enjoying the music in the blissful recognition that I don't know what I am missing.

I should mention that there are many elements that are as important as holography for the sound to be satisfying, IMO. They include detail, transparency, coherence, tonality, and dynamics, among others. My system has all of these elements in good measure.

Have you had success with holographic sound in your system? If so, how did you get there?
sabai
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,389 posts
 
TO all the high end audio vendors out there that sell expensive (or modestly priced even) stuff and leave it up to the listener's ears to decide if the product works or not, as opposed to explaining how it works to those interested like most normal products that normal people would buy:

Meh!

I'd rather spend my time and money trying something for a reason other than because someone else said to or that it is good. I advise my kids to be their own person and do what is right, not what someone else does or tells you to do. GOtta walk the walk and not just talk the talk, especially when it comes to raising kids.

Hows that for a good explanation of why certain esoteric tweaks do not interest me? IF they interest you have at it. You should not care what I say or do if you do not agree.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Mapman wrote,

"I'd rather spend my time and money trying something for a reason other than because someone else said to or that it is good. I advise my kids to be their own person and do what is right, not what someone else does or tells you to do. GOtta walk the walk and not just talk the talk, especially when it comes to raising kids."

Good luck in your quest to protect gullible audiophiles (and apparently children) from those bad bad tweak manufacturers, the evil doers, the ones who are trying to control their minds. Have you seen any suspicious looking people lurking outside your kids' school, presumably to sell them esoteric tweaks? "Here kiddies, wanna buy some quantum chips?" Just Say No. Ha ha ha!
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Seriously. How did the children enter this thread? Did I mention desperation back there somewhere? Get real! Keep talkin.
csmgolf
897 posts
 
I have heard one system that I would say produced truly holographic sound. It belongs to a friend and it does not have one esoteric tweak in it. When heard, the effect is mesmerizing. All he has is excellent components and cables that are well matched going to a pair of time and phase coherent monitors. His philosophy matches Mapman and it works. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

I have tried multiple tweaks over the years in my system including Bybees at multiple different times. I have tried the rca bullets, xlr tails, speaker tails and power cable tails. I never had more than one in my system at a time. They definitely produced an effect, but to me they detracted from the musicality in my system. I tried them over and over hoping to hear the epiphany others kept reporting. To me they made the background blacker, but they also truncated the natural decay of instruments. Believe me, I wanted them to work. Fortunately, I was able to sell them without losing money on them. Granted, these were all earlier versions, but I could see no point in spending more on a newer version of something that didn't work for me in the first place. I am not here to argue about the merit of the Bybees. If they work for you, that is all that matters. It sounds as if you have put a great deal of effort into getting your system the way you want it and have used some unusual methods to get there. I applaud you for experimenting and finding what works for you. I certainly would not try to convince someone to not try the Bybees for themselves, but IME they are not the be all and end all. If you search the archives, there are others that feel the same, though more people like them than not. YMMV
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Note to self: Remind Sabai that Bybees are controversial.
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