Interconnect help

[idc]

SteveR750: So, for the jury is still out, its by no means clear cut yet...

That sounds like a vote for the SHBs as the cost difference to the Chords is about £20. Have you experienced the 'burn in' that the seller reports is needed to get the best out of the SHB?

 

[SteveR750]

idc:
SteveR750: So, for the jury is still out, its by no means clear cut yet...

That sounds like a vote for the SHBs as the cost difference to the Chords is about £20. Have you experienced the 'burn in' that the seller reports is needed to get the best out of the SHB?

The SHB's have been running about 30 hours. Earler I decided that the Cobra III's were better, bigger soundstage, better positioning, warmer alance. I'be since put the SHB's back in they do have a sweeter clearer top end, but to my ears a slightly nasal quality. I really can't decide which sound I prefer. The difference is not however night and day, a million miles from the jump from a NAD C352 to the K2, or the 541 to the Cyrus. Then again, we are talking about £20. Bear in mind that Will says he won't be selling these cables at £23 once his website goes live, indeed his speaker cable will be £35/metre, which is somewhat more than Carnival SS. Maybe indded they just don't suit my system, but I'm only describing what my ears hear, and I know from other experience that I don't have odd hearing or deafness. I have to say I do wonder about the placebo effect of rave reviews - after all anything second hand that was a 5 star WHF winner will sell, even it really is outdated and outclassed (and maybe wasn't as good as made our originally, after all this is a subjective appraisal), perhaps I am simply being too sceptical!

 

[SteveR750]

Got another set of IC's (free) with speaker cable, which are noticeably better despite being twice the length at 1m, so maybe a problem with the first set. The soundstage has returned whilst retaining that same clear top end. The speaker cables however are a revelation. They have really opned up the spendors, now i can really feel what the hi hat is doing, where its is being hit as well as how hard etc. I can hear the small bass guitar notes over one of the Maroon 5 songs which previously I thought was just the kick drum..and all this using the original QED cable as jumpers as the new ones are just way too thick to get two cores into the LF binding post, so will need some terminals soldering onto them. I'm very pleased with the results (remember the caveat: my ears with my system in my lounge) so far after about 5 hours of continuous low level playing, they certainly work well in my system compared to the cheap QED multistrand I was using.

 

[Anonymous]

The seller has slightly upgraded his ICs with thicker cables (20 awg compared to 22awg) so this may be why the new one sounds better. He reports that the new ones are quite a bit better.

 

[Anonymous]

SHB better version? I can feel my paypal account opening!

Interesting about the speaker cable.......hmmmm.

 

[Anonymous]

A la Grado et Naim, the seller calls the new cables Synergy 2i. I should be getting mine soon (i originally bought 0.7m but now getting 1m but of 2i). Will report back.

 

[SteveR750]

I have now installed the jumpers and the speaker cables, and there is a very pleasant improvement over the old QED stuff I was using. I was listening to ABBA Gold ( fully clothed and not a postman in sight

) and I was thinking how well crafted Mamma Mia is, the song is completely driven by a simple but oh so effective bass line; all of the multilayered vocals are just that, only I can make out individual voices, not just a white (wall of) noise. Whether the cables are better than even budget stuff like Carnival SS I don't know as I was starting from a low base. I can really appreciate the open clarity of the Spendors, its as if they have been injected with some adrenalin, the sond has really opened out.

 

[vinod_david]

I'm planning to buy SHB2i after all your reviews, actually i currently have QED IC and SA XT speaker cables, so will it bring dramatic improvement from QED, this SHB2i? - the seller said 2i uses thick wires, so running-in will take ages, is that true ?

Am from different part of world, so can i close my eyes and just buy it, pls see my setup in signature, is SHB ok for me ? or SHB is only for warm and laid back sounding setup ?

 

[Anonymous]

When I tried SHB2 it sounded good out of the box, so I didn't feel it needs a long burn-in.

SHB is a bit forward sounding with crisp treble but if you are suffering brighness or harshness it may be a bit risky. Vinod, I'd be really careful as both CA and MA RS6s can be a bit on the forward side.

 

[bay24]

chainrock:
When I tried SHB2 it sounded good out of the box, so I didn't feel it needs a long burn-in.

SHB is a bit forward sounding with crisp treble but if you are suffering brighness or harshness it may be a bit risky. Vinod, I'd be really careful as both CA and MA RS6s can be a bit on the forward side.

hi, I was just about to get some shb interconects when it was mentioned that it may not suit cambridge audio kit. What do you think in my set up? Would it be better than the merlin Bach I have? Read in another mag that chord camealion goes well but others here have said the shb is much better (and cheaper)!

 

[Anonymous]

I have no experience with neither the Bach nor the AVIs you have, so maybe others can offer advice. If memory serves me right, AVIs have a soft-dome tweeter so that may help.

I wouldn't say SHB is much better than Chameleon but the fact that it may be just as good at a fraction of the price is amazing.

 

[idc]

Hi bay24. Just got my S2is today and initially I would agree with the tends to the bright side. But it is a tiny tend and you can always make use of the no quibble returns policy.

My initial impressions, having listened to my tester tracks are;

Massive Attack 'Angel' - almost complete loss of bass distortion and the miaow sound at 41 seconds is clearer than before.

Both Gomez 'Whippin' Picidilly' and New Order 'Regret' sound a bit more open. On both treble is a bit clearer and sound stage has widened slightly. With 'Regret' there is a bit more vocal sibilance with Bernard Sumner's voice, but the cymbols are easier to define. I have not noticed any effect on the bass at all.

Ash 'Oh Yeah' - a slight brigtening of the sound, but not much difference at all.

So overall the higher up into the treble the more difference. But I have noticed that the cable I had before is not quite the cheapo get you going one I thought it was. It is a Choseal from China, who also make some pretty high end silver and copper interconnects.

 

[JoelSim]

I'd like to test them against these

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/tomjlive

One of the feedbacks compares them to a £600 cable.

I have one on order and will test against the Chord Chameleon I use currently and I could test against a vdh D102 III.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

For those asking about CA kit, I have a 740 A and C and found them a little zingy with a silver Java interconnect. I changed it over for an Atlas Equator mk 2 and was dead impressed. It has really taken the edge off the sound without losing the attack and detail.

I think its a copper cable which helps. Either way, I strongly recommend this interconnect with CA kit. Got one for 39 quid at www.hificables.co.uk Sorted!

 

[Anonymous]

High purity silver vs silver-plated copper - interesting! Look forward to hearing your feedback Joel. Also this one is solid wire rather than multi-strand, which I think Chameleon is.

 

[vinod_david]

bay24:chainrock:
When I tried SHB2 it sounded good out of the box, so I didn't feel it needs a long burn-in.

SHB is a bit forward sounding with crisp treble but if you are suffering brighness or harshness it may be a bit risky. Vinod, I'd be really careful as both CA and MA RS6s can be a bit on the forward side.

hi, I was just about to get some shb interconects when it was mentioned that it may not suit cambridge audio kit. What do you think in my set up? Would it be better than the merlin Bach I have? Read in another mag that chord camealion goes well but others here have said the shb is much better (and cheaper)!

Where it was mentioned that SHB and CA don't go well? - pls show me so that I put off this IC buying itch

The seller tells me that SBH 2i are very neutral ICs, so that might round off the treble if any and produce a detailed sound.

 

[bay24]

idc:
Hi bay24. Just got my S2is today and initially I would agree with the tends to the bright side. But it is a tiny tend and you can always make use of the no quibble returns policy.

My initial impressions, having listened to my tester tracks are;

Massive Attack 'Angel' - almost complete loss of bass distortion and the miaow sound at 41 seconds is clearer than before.

Both Gomez 'Whippin' Picidilly' and New Order 'Regret' sound a bit more open. On both treble is a bit clearer and sound stage has widened slightly. With 'Regret' there is a bit more vocal sibilance with Bernard Sumner's voice, but the cymbols are easier to define. I have not noticed any effect on the bass at all.

Ash 'Oh Yeah' - a slight brigtening of the sound, but not much difference at all.

So overall the higher up into the treble the more difference. But I have noticed that the cable I had before is not quite the cheapo get you going one I thought it was. It is a Choseal from China, who also make some pretty high end silver and copper interconnects.

I have just ordered some! The the free trial makes it well worth a goI e-mailed them and he said not a single person has sent them back which if true is quite impressive!

Love your test tracks by the way idc made me put on republic when I got in, such a good summer album!

 

[idc]

bay24, I have been using those test tracks for years, along with Pink Floyd's 'Summer '68'. Each has its own characteristics and even just background noises which mean I can listen to one bit of kit and then another a few days later and I am sure I can make a very good comparison.

I have just looked up Choseal on ebay and it is there selling some very good looking and not too expensive cables. HK-gadgets is the seller; http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/hk-gadgets__W0QQ_armrsZ1 . The cable I had is not there. It has a simple grey plastic sheeth and nice connectors with finger grips on them, which is a good idea. So I would guess that they are in the £10-20 range and for that they are really good.

So this excellent thread has found cables from Chunky, Silver High Breed, Choseal and the one Joel is getting!

 

[idc]

Three days, a good 20 hours plus of listening and the SHBs sound great. When I said before the cables sound bright, that is still the case. My band of choice at the moment is The Durutti Column. I have been listening to them pre and post SHB. The sound change that I noticed the most was an increase in detail and space between instruments. In any case I like a bright forward sound.

I imagine this upgrade as if you listen to your music through lots of thin curtains. Ths SHBs have removed some more of those curtains.

 

[Anonymous]

As I said before, the drastically cheaper SHB Synergys compare very well, and are not over shadowed at all by the far more expensive wires!
My own set up isnt exactly what anyone would call a budget outfit, and I would not use anything that lowered its sonic quality, so being made aware of the SHB, and consequemtly purchased 2 pairs,Synergy 1 and 2's, and the 10 awg speaker cable, it has made the system sound as good as it was when using the £600 Black Rhodium Oratorio, and expensive prototype Chord Signature speaker cable.

 

[Anonymous]

I recently bought some Chunky interconnects instead of the SHB and really like the Chunkys. Has anyone tested the differences between these and the newer SHBi

 

[Anonymous]

I recently bought some Chunky interconnects instead of the SHB and really like the Chunkys. Has anyone tested the differences between these and the newer SHBi ?

 

[Anonymous]

? Im certain that I posted about Cambridge Audio and SHB gelling well together, if a Cambridge and SHB owners findings are anything to go by ( Gazjam)

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:
I'd like to test them against these

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/tomjlive

One of the feedbacks compares them to a £600 cable.

I have one on order and will test against the Chord Chameleon I use currently and I could test against a vdh D102 III.

Hey Joel....has this arrived yet?????

 

[JoelSim]

Arrived today, but I'm out tonight so will try them later in the week.