Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8...OMG!!

A buddy picked up a set of the AP Crystal Solo interconnects too. He's now in his 3rd week of use, letting them play and settle in. 

He too reported they are notably more open and detailed than his prior copper ICs he used from Belden and others. Maybe a tad less full sounding due to no rounding off of the high freq or mids now.

Reporting as I go...For a few days this past week it seemed like the solos sounded full, then the next day not, and maybe a week later back to more neutral.  Kind of a roller coaster during the first month of burn-in and settling.  

Both of us are liking the AP Crystal Solo ICs and how they tend to separate individual instruments - but also going back to now messing with tubes in our preamps and tubes in our DACs to pick up some of the fullness.

The AP Solos definitely have a larger and deeper sound stage for sure compared to other average copper ICs.  How they manage to not blend or not blur individual instruments on some tracks is quite interesting compared to all the other cables I've tried before... Hmmm.  

Same here.  Rollercoaster ride.  One day, full and fantastic, the next a little dull...  

I think that the separation of individual instruments and being able to easily follow any one instrument or how they all fit together is a stand out feature of these cables.  I read somewhere that it has to do with not smearing any particular freq. response.  I’ll look for the link later when Im not at work!

@decooney- You mentioned having a quad of the early Sylvania VT-231. Do you install all four(cathode follower and line, both channels) or- blend just one, with another brand or 6SN7 iteration, in each channel? I suppose that question would apply, with any tubes in your stash. ie: Mix pairs or all one brand and version, in your four octal positions?

I confess that I can't hurry up and wait either:-)One thing that was bugging me about the speaker cables (which finally almost disappeared)was a particular high frequency note that was really prominent.It would show up on a certain high note on piano,flute,even vocals.I tracked it down on a piano lesson video and it was the D key farthest to the right on the key board.It might even be a resonance in the speaker cabinets or could be tubes.Of course now I listen for it dammit!It's 99% gone now though.

I have a newish Tubadour lll R2R but haven't messed with the tubes yet.I'll probably swap some in the amp this week just to experiment a little.Then I'll try out the Teo cables next,switching them for the WireWorld and keeping the Crystal Solo in.I'm also wondering what a really good power cord would do for my amp.I have several lower cost cords I've played with which have small differences but nothing profound.
Back on topic,I didn't notice any loss of lushness with the AP ic.But I only have the one rather than two.My nervousness was because the AP cables were too dark initially.But you know....different systems.They way the instruments are separated IS truly amazing.Hearing all the background vocals and two more guitars that were never there before is just so cool.Now that we have really tapped into our system's potentials how far can we take it?
BTW I have a pair of QS mid monos that I keep for back up duty.Maybe I'll hook them up this week and compare.My favorite tubes with those were GL KT 88.

@rodman99999 
I've not mixed N7s lately with this setup, and plan to again soon, and exactly..will do. I parted with my last good sets with my prior amps I sold, and recently purchased a few others recently.  Will retry  in a few weeks. But, came across a new idea today with feedback from a friend who tried running yet a different tube in our same DACs and he kinda struck gold.  I may follow suit on that front. He says he's "keeping the AP cables now for sure", got it settled down a bit. Sounds promising. May try that too. One tube in DAC vs. (4) 6SN7s or (2) pairs mixed in my preamp. 

@jtcf yes, my buddy kinda solved it on his system today. We kept talking about going back and "messing with the source". He tried it, pulled out a brighter GE 5670 and went with a Tesla he had from his box, put it in the DAC and he said the issue is immediately Solved for him. Says the tone and presentation sits right about half way between the GE 5670 and the WE396A we've been running with our DACs. He likes this solution a lot.   Back to DAC tubes for me too, makes more sense to try this next. Will give it a go.  Will have to order this single tube soon. I sold my big Cary amp to a friend and working to get the big QS monos to sound how I want them, and taming the KT150s is a double-edge sword, it was much easier with my prior-prior amp with GL KT88s. That was a neat sound. Hang on to those QS monos, with the upgrades apparently they can be pretty darn sweet.  Good fun.  The AP cable experiment was to see what the amps would do at their best. Now for some fine tuning to smooth things back out, just a tad. Or, grow some more patience I guess :)                  

@b_limo   
Yes, if you find that link on "separation" AP Solos, Please post here.Good stuff. Thx. Glad to learn you guys are hearing the same in your rigs, cool.