Taralabs cables

One other thing in common: I am currently using Tara Labs RSC Master Gen 2 interconnects from Ayre preamp to DR-9 amps. Way old but excellent ICs. The "other woman" to the SR cabling (wife) in the rest of my system. lol

Best to you audiolabyrinth,
Dave

Hi dlcockrum,  I use to own the same taralab's cable's you have,  that's incredible that your taralab's cable's has lasted that long, had any issues with them?, I have seen many cable's by other brand's have a short,  or just come apart, my buddy has some virtual dynamics  cable's,  you basically have to move the interconnect around till you find the sweet spot for the left channel to work,  your cable is alot older than his,  if you bought your taralab's RSC master gen 2 new, you likely got your cable's in the early 90's.

Hi audiolabyrinth,

Due to my overall preference for XLR ICs (my Ayre preamp and Krell amp are both fully-differentially balanced), the single-ended RSC Master Gen 2’s have seen little use between the initial purchase period and the recent re-introduction into my system due to the recently-added DR-9s sounding so much better via SE vs XLR. I always liked the sound of these cables, so they have survived the many transitions of cabling over the years. Sort of a reference for me I suppose.

I try to treat my cables tenderly, but it is very hard with stiff XLRs (SR Apex for example) since different source components have different orientations of the XLR males on the rear (Ayre CX-7eMP vs Sony SCD-XA5400ES). I have to let the Apex re-settle for a few hours (even overnight) after switching between the two due to the twist required to accommodate the 45 degree difference in XLR plug orientation between the two players.

No issues as of yet with the RSC Master Gen 2 with the exception of two of the screw-down RCA locking collars loosing their ability to fully tighten down on the RCA females of my Ayre preamp and DR-9 amps.

Thanks for the heads up on the delicate nature of these ICs. I would hate to inadvertently damage them as I have no plans to replace them as this point.

What exactly do the small wires that connect the L & R cables on the RSC Master Gen 2s accomplish? Common shield ground?

Best to you audiolabyrinth,
Dave

Hi dlcockrum,  The Master Gen II is constructed from RSC (rectangular solid core) conductors, each conductor is insulated w/ TARA’s proprietary Aero-PE. Several of these thin gauge RSC conductors are helixed around an air tube.There is a thin wire about 3 inches long that comes out from the source-end RCA connectors. One of these wires has a female connection & the other a male. Once the interconnect is inserted into the source electronics back panel, the user is to connect these 2 wires together. What this basically does is that it creates the same ground potential for both the L & R channels i.e. it creates a common-mode ground voltage. The ground voltage is, of course, obtained from the preamp. However, if there is any disturbance on the ground voltage (called “ground bounce”) this disturbance is seen by both L & R channels so it appears as a common-mode potential to which the electronics has a high attenuation factor. 

Thanks for the extended explanation audiolabyrinth. You remind me, well, of me. lol

I thought as much re: the "thin wire about 3 inches long". My Ayre preamp’s L &R outputs are on the exact opposite end of the back panel, so I had to "rig" a small-gauge generic wire connecting the two leads. Okay?

The OCD side of me, although partially defeated over the years, wants me to worry about existing ruptures of the delicate-sounding conductors in the cable. But they sound GREAT, so I am choosing not to worry (or, at least, to make the attempt).

Best to you audiolabyrinth,
Dave