Gabriel Gold IC's are they really this good?

Philjolet,

Makes perfect sense. I find myself taking the lazy man's way and listening to Pandora radio, fed through a (soon to be gotten) Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 and on to my Candela tube preamp. I also will play an occasional CD on the Meridian. So, the IC's will go from pre to amps.

I can't wait until the GG's get here! I think I'll try the speaker cables first and then add the IC's.

Try it on both dac to pre, and then on pre to amp, you be the judge.

I have two pairs of Reflection- best I have found is dac to pre...

Hey you Tweaker!
I have yet to find a better ic than the gabriel gold line.....even the entry level leaves a lot of competitors behind. I would say to my ears and in my particular system, but I just too a pair of Rapture r's and a pair of Passions over to a friend's place who has a less refined system (and completely different from end to end...although all ss like mine) and he was transmogrified into a cable believer. He was blown away, both joyous and saddened at once as his paradigm of aftermarket cabling making no difference crumbled. And, he couldn't stand the Raptures because they were too revealing of the shortcomings in his system. His words, not mine! He loved the Passions, but wants to build his system to accomodate the Rapture R's.

That was his experience...and mine has been very little different. The Rapture R's raised the sonic bar as have all of Steve's iterations to this date. I hear and see music pouring forth in a nuanced and meditative way that is transporting. It's weird, but I can't wait to get home to listen. FWIW, I use Rapture r sc's and ic's and they just catapult each other into a realm of natural sonic reproduction and stage that is so satisfying that I just don't tire of it.