Mapleshade versus Stealth

OK: I received the Mapleshade Double Helix digital cable yesterday and have been running it for 24 hours (with very little sleep:-) - First impressions are that of jaw dropping musicality combined with fine detail. If you have not viewed the micro cables in person they are scary at first sight. The conductors are smaller than horse hair and are enclosed in a clear material thet looks like it is made out of sandwich bags (cheap thin, one use ones). The casing is not round but is flat and looks like you flattened out the packaging from a Slim Jim. I had to construct a protective shield for the cable out of a cardboard TP roll due to the fact that we have a thermostat switch in close proximety to the back of my player where the cable attaches. It is very fragile. That said they sound super off the bat and time and further comparisons (to other cables) will tell how they stack up. I am using them from a CAL Icon II to a Bell Canto DAC 1 (new in my system), the analog IC's are Homegrown Super Silver and the speakers are Reynaud Twins (also new, but broken in). Sorry, I can't say much more about the cable as I need to get aquainted with all the new gear. I also tried the new rig with my old (and familiar) Castle speakers with great results, but the new DAC makes is difficult to get a grip on how much the cable is contributing. However, I can safely say that it makes mincemeat out of the borrowed Canare digital cable that it replaced and makes me ROFL in regard to the all digital cables sound the same thread that is still active.

Dekay! All right, man! I'm glad you like those Mapleshade ic's. The speaker wires should be worth a listen, huh? And a DAC1 one too? Man, I like you more and more all the time. [:)] Seriously, folks. For you big ticket guys, maybe you could keep these little gems in mind for your "bedroom" systems. Money-back 30-day guarantee! Charlie

Danvetc: I apoligize for allowing passion into my post. It's funny in that when I hear something being touted as being musical (such as the Mapleshades) I always fear that the product will not be detailed enough, which is not the case with this cable as it has both qualities in my system. I will have to switch the silver analog IC's out with my HT Truthlinks to see how much the level of detail drops. That is as soon as I am over the shock of truely liking something for a change. I cannot use their speaker cable because my runs are too long to get the most out of them, but would like to try the analog IC's when mo money is available (they are twice the price at $240.00). I just made another barrier this afternnon in between the top of my cabinet and the wall to block access from cat paws and claws that could destroy the cable with one fell swoop (or swipe). There was also a less expensive version of the digital cable (just called Ultrathin) that was $32.50) that might do well for the powder room or the maids quarters. I have also not noticed much burn in on this cable (not anything like the silver IC's that were a horror to behold for the first 100 hours or so) if anything the LF has become a little less prominent and more integrated since they first went on.

Dekay, apologize for passion? I thought that's what made us tick! I had posted in another thread similar experience with the Mapleshade speaker wire. Even without burn-in (that's another thread) it replaced some fine XLO speaker wire costing 3-4X the price of the Mapleshade. I think if I look hard enough there is a small scar where my jaw met the floor. I'll have to play with the Mapleshade ic's very soon. Enjoy! Charlie

Danvetc: Ah yes, it's all coming back to me, your post sparked my interest in these still mysterious Mapleshade cables. In regard to break in, the cables are directional and are marked (though cryptically if you do not read the instructions). Pierre at Mapleshade mentioned that the cable had to be "treated" when we were discussing the time frame as it was not ready off the shelf. I wonder what the treatment was? There is nothing in the brochure in regard to this that I can see. I am not complaining mind you, if they want to improve over the course of the next 200 hours or so, I can handle it at this point. LOL.