Can someone give me some insight.


This is sort of annoying and I need some help here.I have been auditioning different interconnects.MIT,Nordost,Synergistic Research to name a few.I thought I had a winner with Synergistic but what I am finding is when listening I am loosing volume in lead guitars and lead vocals.I have some Monster interconnects that I am trying to replace.If I just use the Monster IC's the voices and lead guitar is strong and open but there is lack of clarity..When I use any of the above mentioned IC's the lead voice and guitar are toned down a few db's and now seem more in the background.
I will admit that with the above mentioned higher end IC's everything is so much nicer.Are the Monster IC's over blowing the top end.I do not understand why this happens.
Last night I had the Nordost Red Dawns from pre to amp and was listing to and watching Roger Waters in the flesh-live.All sounded really good except Roger Waters voice was subdued and when it came time for some lead guitar it was also subdued and more in the background.This was being feed to my pre by hdmi and bitstream.I then changed to Synergistic IC and it was the same.Then the MIT and still the same.Then the Monster and the lead guitar and vocals returned to being upfront and in your face.
Since all the above higher end IC's exhibit this toning down the vocals and lead guitar I am starting to wonder if that is the way it is supposed to be.This also occurs when listening to cd's via analog direct or digital.
My system is Rotel 1069 pre.Rotel 1075 amp,Rotel 1072 cdp and B&W 683 speakers and bluray ps3.
Any thoughts on this would really help me out as I do like a lot of the IC's I have auditioned.Thanks.
shaunp

Shaunp

I think what I said was the mids could be recessed or made more prominate (marginally so, yet noticeable) by playing with the imp sw. Not louder or softer, although it might appear that way to some.

... and yes, other aspects of the sound do change too by moving that sw about. it was an eye opener playing with that sw. Teaching me the importance of properly matched and improprerly matched cabling, and what it can do to the sound, if the imp is not right or even close.

AS the Tech alluded too, those numbers aren't 'live or die' figures... given he pointed you to another settings. Their Spectral gear likley does very well on the lower pos.

I did post a review of some ICs, look there for more info as I simply can't recall exactly.

I've had mine set to where I like it so long now I don't recall exactly what all is affected and how, but those results are at your fingertips now, so do investigate.

it'll get more complicated when or if you go to XLR. They have two switches.

I sold my Magnums and now have Shotgun S2s. I use them off my rec into my tube pre for the rec's tuner and cable box radio stations, till I can find another pr. that suits me better. I would like to have again a magnum 1 or maybe a 2, albeit, not to supplant the S2, but to use elsewhere.

More playing time will show you still more resolution, and that buttery smoothness might fade some and morph into a bit more dazzle. it's probably due to the connections within the MIT cabling, as there are more in them than in most other cables.... and there's those components too. that all adds up to lengthier run in or re-run in times. or such is my exp.

Some say around here, simply leaving the upstream item on and the downstream item off, can aid the run in some. Not sure if that is applicable to MIT though... and my exp doing just that shows the effect as quite marginal at best There's no replacement for conducting a signal. IMO

In the end, that switch needs be where YOU need it to be in your system for your preffs. it's your dime, so you make that call. period.

Lastly, as imp varies, maybe this will show you more on that mechanism's worth. Say you add or mix a SE preamp, with a Balanced amp. Now what? The amps input imp is shown to be 50K. usually that means 50K total using XLR cables or both legs of the XLR interface. Or 25K per leg as RCA.

My exp says, it's either one of the two closest to the rated downstream input imp. the mid point usually is the one size fits all, selection... with some exceptions, and why the tech said use it.
Thanks again for your help.Part of my problem is probably the 9 dollar ic from monoprice that I have from cdp to pre so looking to get another S3 for that and or a S2.Not sure which would be better.I read your review with interect and maybe missed something so will re-read again.Also is it safe to use the switches without turning the system off?
I do like the medium setting as it does give a more fuller soundstage and without the edge that the low setting gives.I am running in the low setting now as you said once you change the setting ,that setting has to be run in.Although the low setting is nice it reminds me of the Nordost Red Dawns but with more edge and could be due to not being burned in.If I put one of my warm Monster ic,s from cdp to pre it takes the edge off but also removes some of the clarity.Thanks again.
Also you say..."My exp says, it's either one of the two closest to the rated downstream input imp. the mid point usually is the one size fits all, selection... with some exceptions, and why the tech said use it".Should it not be set to the UPSTREAM components input sensitivity or the end point.I have the cable from pre to amp so would it not be the amps Sensitivity?Thanks.