@decooney I think we have similar tastes.I like a lush and organic sound also.I feel I'm 95%of the way to my goal of an organic detailed sound.I'm going to try a Teo gc junior next week and see what happens.If that's too over the top euphonic then something more detailed and neutral,maybe something from High Fidelity.Analysis Plus Silver Apex sounds intriguing but $$$!It's against my thrifty midwestern mindset to invest that much in wire but it may be inevitable:-)
Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8...OMG!!
I seriously can’t believe what these cables are doing to the sound in my rig. I had them awhile ago and couldn’t justify the price (used) so I pulled back and returned them. I grabbed them again yesterday since my local stereo shop still had them hanging there.
Well let me say that I’ve always been a believer in cables making changes to the sound because I can hear it but I’ve never had speaker cables that changed the sound as dramatically as this. The way it’s untangling the music, the way its making everything sound real, the way it’s full top to bottom without any harshness is pretty crazy.
This is on a system that isn’t highly resolving yet all of these differences are completely noticeable. I’m not talking about a little more resolution here, a little more top end sparkle there, fuller bass here... I’m talking about did I just get a different amp, this can’t be the same dac, these can’t be the same speakers, kind of changes.
I’ve had this sound in my systems before but that was with higher end gear for sure... it makes me wonder how much I was leaving on the table without these cables in my rig at that time.
Have any of you had similar experiences with the Solo Crystal 8’s as well? I’m thinking that these are end game cables for me.
Well let me say that I’ve always been a believer in cables making changes to the sound because I can hear it but I’ve never had speaker cables that changed the sound as dramatically as this. The way it’s untangling the music, the way its making everything sound real, the way it’s full top to bottom without any harshness is pretty crazy.
This is on a system that isn’t highly resolving yet all of these differences are completely noticeable. I’m not talking about a little more resolution here, a little more top end sparkle there, fuller bass here... I’m talking about did I just get a different amp, this can’t be the same dac, these can’t be the same speakers, kind of changes.
I’ve had this sound in my systems before but that was with higher end gear for sure... it makes me wonder how much I was leaving on the table without these cables in my rig at that time.
Have any of you had similar experiences with the Solo Crystal 8’s as well? I’m thinking that these are end game cables for me.
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jtcf700 posts re: Break-in / Burn-in of new or used AP Crystal Solo Interconnects. I had to check myself and wishful thinking. A colleague just picked up a set of used AP Solos ICs too. He said his were a tad bright at first, and they started to settle after some play time. And, I just found a post by a member on AudioAsylum who's experience was identical to mine and yours (even with already-broken in cables). I could see a new set needing some cable relax time but was not quite onboard at first with used AP cables needing a setting in period. I do know on many of my former Cardas they seemed to benefit after just sitting and relaxing for 2-3 weeks as in less tension after being coiled up for a while. Still comparing the APs as time runs on. |
You know,I've always felt 25 hours was enough time for a component,cable,or tube to show most of it's final sound then improve in small increments.I was so wrong.The paper in the box with the Crystal Solo 8 cables said 300 hours for final break in.I'm taking their word for it.Some will claim that it's simply becoming acclimated to the sound but that's not what's happening at all.I keep the sound very low and only listen for about an hour each day,always something different.Every few days I have a couple of specific tracks that I listen to see what's changed or not.After the leap in SQ after 50 hours I've been mesmerized by how clear percussion nuances are becoming.I can almost see the drum kits. The Teo ics are in route but they're not going in until these APs are fully settled in.I had no faith and got ahead of myself.I'll have to check that thread at AA.Thanks! |
jtcf706 posts09-25-2019 8:41pm Jtcf, I'm stupidly still trying to figure out why the AP Crystal Copper Solos (OCC) sound so much more open and deeper sound stage compared to the (OFC) Copper oval ones just below them. The Cardas Clear Cygnus were similar but $300 more a pair, ouch. Tried both Oval Ones and Crystal Solos from AP. The Solos are much more detailed and transparent than the cable one below it, and an engineer at AP told me the it's not just the design layout and "dialectic" but it's also the type of ultra pure "extruded copper used in the Solo". I saw a photo of the broken grain in OFC vs. OCC, quite different. OCC looks like is 90% solid with little fractures. OFC is all little bits and pieces in under a microscope view. Maybe thats part of it. IMO, the Crystal Solos sound a bit closer to silver interconnects than other OFC copper (or) in comparison to many other high grade copper cables I've demoed, tried, or owned. A buddy with triode amps and a major tube roller called me after running his recently acquired Solos this past week and told me he really likes them "a lot". He is now going back and re-rolling tubes in his amps, preamps, and more just to really hear the added benefit of the AP Crystal Solos - and he is a total anti-cable guy who only bought studio grade Belden, Mogami, Morrows prior. Not now, another AP convert. Works well in some systems and maybe not others. He noticed a rewarding difference too. One pair is really good in my system. Two pairs end-end-end I'm still getting use to it or maybe more burn-in and settling time is required. It's almost too open and transparent at times, if that makes sense. Not sure yet.. got some 100+ hours to go I guess. Keep us updated on your progress over time too. |
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