VenHaus Pulsar™ interconnects

Hi Sean-well, a few things have changed in the system, most notably I went back to an active balanced pre (kept the Ayre), so put the passive away. I just hooked up the Pulsar's in addition to the XLR's & listened on another input w/o having to disconnect anything, although I have plans for the Pulsar's in the not too distant future.

Offhand I would say the Pulsar's compare very favorably with my Silver Ref cables that cost almost 5 times the amount and the biggest difference I hear might be due to the balanced circuitry utilized by the Silver Refs. I didn't perform long term listening tests but started out going back & forth with a few songs from different CD's then played the entire CD. The Silver Ref had a tad bit more imaging precision & slightly bigger soundstage, along with somewhat better bass response but I've done this before with other SE vs. XLR cables & the XLR always win, as I'm running a fully balanced system. I have done the XLR/SE comparison with the exact same cables, so I'm confident in the systems ability in regards to its balanced operation vs. SE.

When I had the Pulsar's hooked to the passive, it was a different sound, as I not only changed both sets of IC's but the pre itself, so I couldn't really ascertain where the biggest change came from.

As for deciding on keeping a cable, if I like it, I'll use it somewhere & I'm definitely keeping the Pulsar's. My future projects include a TT I'm rebuilding, which should be ready by the end of the summer & there's also a DAC in the future, so the Pulsar's will either go the way of the phono or digital link.

As for the Pulsar itself, it has a very good over all balanced characteristic, which is smooth yet detailed in the upper freqs/mids. It is a well made & good sounding IC & reaching back into my memory, it has the smoothness of the Truthlink, which I really liked, except the Truthlink was rolled off on top, whereas the Pulsar is not rolled off at all. I've found cables that are smooth on top usually sacrifice the extension & conversely, those that have the extension tend to be brighter, which incidentally, I can't take. The Pulsar strikes a very good balance here & I feel like they could do well in a variety of applications. With the extreme top end smoothness, the nod goes to the Pulsar over the Silver Ref & I can only guess it's because of my long term bias against silver in favor of copper, although the Silver Ref. is the only Silver cable I've owned that has stayed in my system for more than a month. When you factor in the price, the Pulsar becomes an even better deal.

Driver,

I have the balanced Pulsars who the Rhodium Furutech xlr connectors. Below are my thoughts that I posted on Audio Circle (here is the whole thread: http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=11486&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) .

BTW, I did extensive comparisons of the Argent Audio Jaden Signatures (model below the Pursangs that I compared the Pulsars to) vs. the AZ Silver Ref I and II.

All my comments are in direct comparison to the Argent Audio Pursang (my reference ic's)

Here is the system:

VMPS RM 40’s w/ FST, TRT caps, and Analysis Plus wire
Jeff Rowland 201 Mono Blocks (Flavor 4 - gold option)
Electrocompaniet EC 4.7 Balanced preamp (Argent Audio Brujo power cord)
Electrocompaniet ECD-1 DAC (Sonoran Plateau)
Empirical Audio modified Sony S-7700 (transport only)
Argent Audio Pursang digital ic
BPT 3.5 Signature Power Conditioner
Argent Audio Pursang speaker cable on mid/treble
Sonoran Plateau speaker cable on woofers

I used the following music:

Rusted Root – When I Woke (bongos, drums, gourds, layered vocals, male vocals, soundstage (l/r and f/b)

Ben Harper – Fight for Your Mind (male vocals, acoustic guitar, cymbals, percussion)

Tori Amos – Boys for Pele (female vocals, piano, harpsichord)

Harry Connick Jr. – She (male vocals, piano, percussion, stand up bass)

Here are some notes I took as I listened. Reading back through them, I see consistency throughout the various cd’s.

Rusted Root

Drum Trip – This is an instrumental track that is mostly percussion with some background vocals

With the Pulsars the drums had more drive and slam than the Pursang. When a snare drum is hit, you feel the whack and its aftershock. The Pursang is more delicate and refined in its presentation. I can hear more small or low level details with the Pursang (all though not by much). The Pulsar does a very good job of separating out the various instruments and not getting confused or muddied, just not quite as good as the Pursang (again very close). The only real negative with the Pulsar is that there is a sheen to the high end (especially on cymbals). No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get rid of it. In all fairness, the Pursang is still the most natural sounding ic I have ever heard. Its highs are full of detail and spatial cues without being the least bit harsh.

Laugh as the Sun – lots of percussion (drums, bongos, gourds, tambourine, bass), layered vocals, guitar

The Pulsars again do a very good job. Imaging is excellent from side to side and front to back. Voices of the various singers are easy to place and have the correct tone. I can easily hear the breathy qualities in the female voice and raw power in the male singer’s voice. The Pulsars did a very good job conveying the rhythm and pace of the music. Detail was also very good. At the start of the song there is a strong bass line in the center with percussive instruments to the right and left. Everything is very clear and easy to identify. In fact, I feel like I can count the number of beans in the gourd!

I have seen this band half a dozen times live and I can say the Pulsar nails it. I preferred the Pulsar over the Pursang b/c this song is all about pure emotion and raw power. I had the system cranked up to 100+db peaks and the Pulsars continued to shine!

Ben Harper

Another Lonely Day – male vocals, acoustic guitar

Pulsars allowed in a great amount of detail (can easily hear Ben’s hand work on the guitar) and made it sound like Ben was in the room playing. The guitar notes has texture and depth to them. They seemed to hang in the air, but not in a way that each note overlapped the previous one. Ben’s voice was a little deeper with the Pulsars and the notes maybe a tad richer.

Gold to Me – male vocals, cymbals, bass, triangle, tambourine, acoustic guitar

Pretty much the same results as with Rusted Root songs. Excellent drive and dynamics. A more forward and aggressive presentation than the Pursang (but not in a bad way). Since this song has lots of treble energy, the Pursang really shined.

God Fearing Man – male vocals, slide guitar, bass, percussion

Opening slide guitar just pulled me in and grabbed my attention. Pulsars again let you hear the finger work and the better bass gives a more solid foundation to the music. This might have been my best experience with this song and I have listened to it probably 1000’s of times!! Only area that holds it back from being the 100% champ is the top end again.

Tori Amos

Horses – female vocal, piano

The Pulsars presented piano very well and gave it the weight and heft it should have. Notes were delicate/powerful when they should be. Tori’s sings in a breathy, sultry style at times and the Pulsars did a good job portraying this. You could easily hear her intake for breath and little shudders as she sang. Very enjoyable.

Way Down – vocals, piano

Tori sings dead center and the piano plays off to the side. The chorus is behind her. With the Pulsars I can hear the individual members of the chorus and they aren’t just one big blob of sound.

In the Springtime of his Voodoo – vocals, drum track, piano, percussion, harpsichord

Very big sounding with the Pulsars. Images are more lifelike in size when compared to the Pursang. Midrange and bass are well balanced and articulate. East to identify the various instruments and their placement on the soundstage. Harpsichord has the appropriate bite and presence. First attack on the notes is excellent.

Harry Connick Jr.

She – stand up bass, percussion, male vocal, guitar

WOW!! The stand up bass is sooooo good. I can clearly hear the individual notes and there is such weight and body. Drums are tight and clearly defined. Bongos are very musical. Harry’s voice is clear and powerful. Cymbals are good but have that little bit of sheen.

That Party/Booker – male vocals, percussion, piano, guitar

Great dynamics with such a big image! Underlying bass line is well defined and creates a solid foundation for the rest of the instruments. Very good imaging. Music just jumped out at me and said “Listen Up!!” Piano is crisp and clear.

Conclusion

Chris, outside of the slight treble glare these are outstanding!! In terms of macro dynamics, they are the best ic have heard in my system. They produce a large image that is a little forward and aggressive (in comparison to the Pursang), but in a good way. I found myself tapping my foot and really getting into the music when the Pulsars were in the system. They have lots of detail without being too obvious about it. They are well balanced and very clean.

I know the Gallos very well and they have a very extended treble, do you notice any issues there in your system? Since I haven’t heard your ic’s in other systems, I can’t be 100% certain it is the ic’s, but since I have heard the Pursang in multiple systems, I can say that the top end of the Pursang is the best I have heard.

As things stand right now, you have made an excellent ic that will compete (and beat) against much more costly competition. If you can somehow refine the treble a bit (less glare and maybe get it slightly more extended) you will have a world beater IMHO.

I hope this helps give you an idea of what I think.

For me personally, I can't ignore price (the Pursang is more than double the price of the Pulsars). The Pulsars are staying in the system.

George

Hi Zybar-I read your review & your comments about the high end glare duplicate the results I've experienced when using rhodium connectors, so would venture a guess that this is where it comes from.

With the excellent results from the Pulsar's I'll have to put the XLR's w/gold connectors on my short list.

I noticed just a wee bit of upper midrange "hardness" ( some would call it "glare" ) with the Pulsar's initially, but it was quickly and easily subdued via my cable burner. Having said that, this is a cable that seems to repond to burn-in relatively quickly as compared to some other silver or silver / copper hybrids that i've tried. There are some phenomenally well reviewed silver cables that i've tried that i could never get to sound "smooth" or "full bodied" no matter what i tried. For a point of reference, all of my experience with the Pulsar's has been with RCA based connections. Quite honestly, i have no idea how the coaxial design of Pulsar could be used / configured in a true balanced / xlr type design. Maybe the XLR based cables are actually using a slightly different design / conductor geometry. Sean
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