Ok fellows the Tara Labs Air 1 ics are here and playing in my system now! The first thing I recognized was a couple of small tears running out of the corner of my eye and down my cheek when I heard them....
LOL...Just kidding, there is no crying in audio!
Ok seriously, the Air 1 do sound very very nice in this system! The first thing that I recognized as being different was a nice ripe, round quality to some seriously solid & deep bottom end. Then I realized that I was experiencing better clarity and definition of middle bass frequency stuff that was simply not heard before. The Air 1 is not forward sounding at all, in fact it imparts a much more recessed soundstage when compared to SoloCrystalOval. With the Air 1 in the system, midrange and top end information does sound accurate, tonally correct, and without loss of detailz! The background is also extremely quiet and this is usually a sign of a better cable. The speakers are doing an even more convincing "disappearing act" and the soundstage has stretched out wider! At this point, I already feel pretty confident I will enjoy this cable more than the Solo Crystal Oval.
I got some "juicy" sounds oozing out of the Hales Rev 3s and I like it! Thank you Keith! I'll give more impressions after these babies run in for a few hundred hours. So far, the Tara Air 1 gets a BIG thumbs up from me!
Grey9hound, these are my first impressions of the Air 1 ics. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this cable to you based on what I have heard thus far!!! But... I must also recommend for you a McCormack amplifier. Probably a DNA-1 so you could keep your biamp thing going(using both sets of binding posts).
I used Emotiva amps for 6 or 7 months and the McCormack sound just beat up on the Emo in every way! Definately another level of refinement with DNA- 0.5 Deluxe or the DNA- 1 Deluxe in my system. I have also had a Rev. B+ DNA-1 Deluxe in this system and am still kicking myself for letting it go!!! If you can find one jump on it. Have fun and best of luck to you!
LOL...Just kidding, there is no crying in audio!
Ok seriously, the Air 1 do sound very very nice in this system! The first thing that I recognized as being different was a nice ripe, round quality to some seriously solid & deep bottom end. Then I realized that I was experiencing better clarity and definition of middle bass frequency stuff that was simply not heard before. The Air 1 is not forward sounding at all, in fact it imparts a much more recessed soundstage when compared to SoloCrystalOval. With the Air 1 in the system, midrange and top end information does sound accurate, tonally correct, and without loss of detailz! The background is also extremely quiet and this is usually a sign of a better cable. The speakers are doing an even more convincing "disappearing act" and the soundstage has stretched out wider! At this point, I already feel pretty confident I will enjoy this cable more than the Solo Crystal Oval.
I got some "juicy" sounds oozing out of the Hales Rev 3s and I like it! Thank you Keith! I'll give more impressions after these babies run in for a few hundred hours. So far, the Tara Air 1 gets a BIG thumbs up from me!
Grey9hound, these are my first impressions of the Air 1 ics. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this cable to you based on what I have heard thus far!!! But... I must also recommend for you a McCormack amplifier. Probably a DNA-1 so you could keep your biamp thing going(using both sets of binding posts).
I used Emotiva amps for 6 or 7 months and the McCormack sound just beat up on the Emo in every way! Definately another level of refinement with DNA- 0.5 Deluxe or the DNA- 1 Deluxe in my system. I have also had a Rev. B+ DNA-1 Deluxe in this system and am still kicking myself for letting it go!!! If you can find one jump on it. Have fun and best of luck to you!