If anyone has been checking out the thread: “Anyone Tried the Silver High Breed Avatar Interconnects?” they will see that I have recently contributed.
I purchased the SHB Synergy and then the Synergy 2 versions last year in a quest to squeeze some more life out of my system.
I came across a discussion on (dare I say it?) another forum and thought that for the price they were worth a try.
Both versions got the thumbs up; a greater clarity and sense of space was achieved almost immediately.
The Synergy 2s were a definite improvement over the earlier version, lending greater weight and refinement and taking the edge off the higher end.
I was well happy.
The Chord Crimson, DNM and Van Den Hul The Name I/Cs I had accumulated early in the year were relegated to lesser duties or worse, the spares box.
Then, this year, I finally splashed out on a DACMagic and, in trying to wrest the limpet-like grip of the Synergy 2s from the CDP, managed to cause a stress fracture in the right-hand I/C connector – aaaaargh!
The Synergy 2 (bless it) remained functional but wounded so I went onto the SHB site for a replacement.
Wot?
No more Synergy and what was this Coherence I had missed since mid 2009?
Instead there were Metaphor 2 and Avatar versions.
Ah well, might as well give them a try (and that’s when I came across the WHF thread – looking for any feedback on them).
So, after the prescribed 50-60hrs burn-in period I tried the various SHB components and came to the conclusion that the Metaphors seem (to me, on my system) to be the most cost effective solution.
The Fleabay route looked like the fate of the other I/Cs unless put to use among the other pieces of kit.
And then I did it…I decided, for some obscure reason, to remind myself of why the VdH The Name had disappointed in comparison with the SHB products.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
I started the whole swapping in and out process over again last night.
The verdict: I prefer the VdH sound – the clarity, detail and soundstage are still there but the overall sound is easier on the ear.
I see they currently retail for a very approximate £50 which makes them more than twice the price of the Metaphor 2s and roughly £17 more than the Avatars.
So, as usual, what price do you put on your listening improvements?
I was lucky; mine cost less than £25 on Fleabay.
A glutton for punishment, I then went on to try the DNM I/Cs – close, but maybe a little lacking in weight.
What about the Tandy Gold Patch cables I purchased for about a tenner back in the late 20th century?
Worryingly up there and competing but not quite cutting the mustard.
I have yet, with trepidation, to try the Chord Crimson again.
Which all begs the question: what has changed?
Prime suspect is the combination of the DACMagic and the Atlas Compass coaxial from the CDP.
Have these managed somehow to level the playing field? Do they make everything sound good once they’ve worked their combined magic? I certainly recall that prior to introducing these to the mix that the VdH The Name seemed too warm and lacking in the right level of clarity and detail.
At the same time I found the DNM cables much too bright after listening for a while.
The Chord Crimsons lay somewhere between the two but still fell short of what the SHBs were offering.
This all goes to confirm what some folk say: change one component and the whole balance [potentially] shifts.
It also suggests that flogging bits and pieces on Fleabay or such isn’t always a good idea – you never know when they might come into their own once more after a period of exile!
I don’t have time to pursue the matter further due to the imminent return of someone who won’t appreciate hi-fi bits all over the living room, but rest assured I will take another look before the year is out.
Dammit! Now I've got to change my signature again!
I purchased the SHB Synergy and then the Synergy 2 versions last year in a quest to squeeze some more life out of my system.
I came across a discussion on (dare I say it?) another forum and thought that for the price they were worth a try.
Both versions got the thumbs up; a greater clarity and sense of space was achieved almost immediately.
The Synergy 2s were a definite improvement over the earlier version, lending greater weight and refinement and taking the edge off the higher end.
I was well happy.
The Chord Crimson, DNM and Van Den Hul The Name I/Cs I had accumulated early in the year were relegated to lesser duties or worse, the spares box.
Then, this year, I finally splashed out on a DACMagic and, in trying to wrest the limpet-like grip of the Synergy 2s from the CDP, managed to cause a stress fracture in the right-hand I/C connector – aaaaargh!
The Synergy 2 (bless it) remained functional but wounded so I went onto the SHB site for a replacement.
Wot?
No more Synergy and what was this Coherence I had missed since mid 2009?
Instead there were Metaphor 2 and Avatar versions.
Ah well, might as well give them a try (and that’s when I came across the WHF thread – looking for any feedback on them).
So, after the prescribed 50-60hrs burn-in period I tried the various SHB components and came to the conclusion that the Metaphors seem (to me, on my system) to be the most cost effective solution.
The Fleabay route looked like the fate of the other I/Cs unless put to use among the other pieces of kit.
And then I did it…I decided, for some obscure reason, to remind myself of why the VdH The Name had disappointed in comparison with the SHB products.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
I started the whole swapping in and out process over again last night.
The verdict: I prefer the VdH sound – the clarity, detail and soundstage are still there but the overall sound is easier on the ear.
I see they currently retail for a very approximate £50 which makes them more than twice the price of the Metaphor 2s and roughly £17 more than the Avatars.
So, as usual, what price do you put on your listening improvements?
I was lucky; mine cost less than £25 on Fleabay.
A glutton for punishment, I then went on to try the DNM I/Cs – close, but maybe a little lacking in weight.
What about the Tandy Gold Patch cables I purchased for about a tenner back in the late 20th century?
Worryingly up there and competing but not quite cutting the mustard.
I have yet, with trepidation, to try the Chord Crimson again.
Which all begs the question: what has changed?
Prime suspect is the combination of the DACMagic and the Atlas Compass coaxial from the CDP.
Have these managed somehow to level the playing field? Do they make everything sound good once they’ve worked their combined magic? I certainly recall that prior to introducing these to the mix that the VdH The Name seemed too warm and lacking in the right level of clarity and detail.
At the same time I found the DNM cables much too bright after listening for a while.
The Chord Crimsons lay somewhere between the two but still fell short of what the SHBs were offering.
This all goes to confirm what some folk say: change one component and the whole balance [potentially] shifts.
It also suggests that flogging bits and pieces on Fleabay or such isn’t always a good idea – you never know when they might come into their own once more after a period of exile!
I don’t have time to pursue the matter further due to the imminent return of someone who won’t appreciate hi-fi bits all over the living room, but rest assured I will take another look before the year is out.
Dammit! Now I've got to change my signature again!
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