I'm glad somebody's finally getting it. I've been trying to tell people over and over again that OCC single crystal wire is far superior then anything ofc. And anybody that spends 30-40 $50,000 for a piece of wire is a sucker as far as I'm concerned and you're getting taken to the cleaners by scammers. Harmonic Technology makes some of the best wire out there and it's not crazily priced like some of the other companies that are selling OCC single crystal wire. Neotech manufactures OCC wire and they're reasonably priced as well.
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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- 107 posts total
urbie19 I'm a fan of continuous cast wire also and used to have a loom of mid level HarmTech years ago in a different system.It's so interesting and at times frustrating how the exact same wire in different configurations can all sound different from each other. This Analysis Plus Solo 8 is so revealing that any changes upstream are apparent.So we continue to make changes to find the perfect balance.Next up for me is demoing Zenwave cables (Neotech wire) and finding just the right tubes for the Dac(Tubadour).The Teo cables which I had high hopes for did not work out at all,not a good fit.Which is ok because it helped me to figure out at what juncture a cable or tube change is needed. |
Conclusion: Caving in. After trying several combos (over many years in different systems) I’ve concluded I cannot run two pairs of the exact same brand/type/model interconnects (in my system) from source to preamp to amps and enjoy the music. Intermixing CAN allow for the right amount of salt and pepper and spice. Privately, a friend inside a well known manufacturer admitted this is something they realized can happen and now recommend people try it. Same goes for tubes as many leaned long before I did. Worth a try. I just proved this as a viable option (in my system) in both directions, and people with symmetry obsessions can stop reading here, just kidding, kinda... A) If I run two pairs of the AP Crystal Solos OCC RCAs, its too lean. B) If i run two pairs of my Cardas it was too fat on older versions and too lean on newer versions. C) INTERMIXING one AP Crystal Solo (OCC) pair and one Cardas Parsec pair works really well in my particular system. I have owned/tried many other Cardas models in the past.This led me to AP. Choosing "C". Your Mileage May Vary. Done listening to cables and compensating tube and cap changes for a while, now back to music. If you get stuck, give intermixing a try - it’s another viable option :) |
jtcf754 posts11-02-2019 11:26am@jtcf +1 Relax and enjoy:) Exactly what I'm doing now.Hoping to be able to post with my winning combo soon too. Good to know. Curious to see what you come up with. If my system had most tubes that were super laid back, somewhat veiled over, and speakers that were not not revealing, I could probably make two pairs of the AP Crystal Solos in series work. Yes, I do lose some sound stage size and depth and micro detail when mixing in other non-AP Crystal cables for the 2nd pair. That is the drawback. Kinda bummed as the AP Crystal Solos do so many other things really well, like no other cable I've ever tried in any of my current or prior systems. However the right mix of AP crystals with other type ICs in the signal path can produce a more pleasing tone and musical lushness. I ran into a similar situation with running two pairs of "Clear" Cygnus type cables with Cardas on loan. The lower version cables like Parsec worked out much better in certain spots, only at the source. Not doubled up. Same situation here. Perhaps its just finding that "window" in each individuals setup and hearing sensitivity at certain frequencies. |
- 107 posts total