Straightwire Interconnects advice

[yannaros]

Hello

I own Straightwire Symphony II Interconnects for my audio system that consists of Rotel RC1082 Preamp and Rotel RB1080 Power amp, Tuner and DVD.

I decided to change the connection of the preamp and power amp only with Straightwire Encore II. The rest are Symphony II Interconnects.

I use the Encore II now for about 12 hours and the bass is improved but the mids and highs are not the same like the Symphony II Interconnects.

The Symphony II had more detailed mids and highs and they were more toned and stronger.

Do the Encore II require more brake in period for the mids and highs to be reveled more? or the impression of the Symphony II was a colorization of the sound?

I would appreciate your advice on this

Thank you

 

[shadyJ]

I can't speak for Encore II's, but I did switch from Symphany IIs, which I found to be clinically detailed but lifeless, to Ackfelds, which nearly added a whole new spatial dimension to the sound of my system. Revolutionary! The difference left me breathless, and weeping for all the wasted years listening to music without them. You can learn more about Ackfelds here.

 

[mike c]

next time, please post one thread ONLY

 

[yannaros]

next time, please post one thread ONLY

Hello Mike

I am sorry about that
I was stressed about finding a solution

 

[Amherst]

Ackfelds, which nearly added a whole new spatial dimension to the sound of my system. Revolutionary! The difference left me breathless.You can learn more about Ackfelds here.

I heard these units have some, ehh, questionable shielding.

 

[JerryLove]

I'm curious: what modification to the electrical signal are these cables introducing? Has anyone hooked them up to an oscilloscope to check the problem that's causing variance in sound when changing wire?

I went ahead and found a picture of the inside of a Rotel Preamp (http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ZkDgli45Rys/Sdnhzu2jhFI/AAAAAAAAADE/R2Aipcuz68Q/s800/IMG_0184.JPG) and couldn't help but notice that, on the other side of that patch-plug, the signal is running over unshielded tin in a fiberglass board (like basically every preamp I've ever seen).

I suspect the inside of your source component looks like same.

So if that's *not* affecting your sound, and your interconnects are, I would say it's time to go buy some stock interconnects from Monoprice (or radio shack) and get rid of all that coloration you say you hear.

 

[davidtwotrees]

yannaros. Audioholics is an objectivist site. And many here believe there is no quantifiable difference in interconnects, power cords, or amplification, for that matter. What your hearing is all in your mind. Psychoacoustics. There is no difference in your interconnects. You are hearing things that aren't there because you want to hear them. If you have someone switch those Straightwire interconnects around without you knowing, you would never be able to guess which was which. Unless you are a subjectivist. Then you will insist that you can hear all kinds of things by chaninging wires around in your rig. My advice to you is to save your money and put it into speakers, not fancy colored wires that look pretty.............sounds harsh, but there it is. I should also note that I owned a sacd set of straightwire encore 2's and they were the best made interconnects I ever owned, with the prettiest red covering..........I sold them last winter in a fire sale for $190..............and I couldn't tell the difference between them and some AR interconnects I replaced them with for $40.

 

[JerryLove]

Actually: I will buy things for the sake of being pretty. There's noting wrong with that. Why else art?

 

[highfigh]

Here's what the Straightwire site says about these two cables:

"Symphony II: assists the presentation capabilities of better electronics.Its silky midrange and rich bass convey all the natural texture of vocals and instruments. Great for CD players!"

" Encore II utilizes the highest grade of foam insulation for astonishing midrange fidelity. Our most advanced Star-Quad design, Encore II outperforms all other cable designs in this price class and insures high compatibility with nearly all components. Discover the significant improvement a Level 3 cable can make with Encore II wired throughout your system."

Here's what was posted to describe the difference:

"I use the Encore II now for about 12 hours and the bass is improved but the mids and highs are not the same like the Symphony II Interconnects.

The Symphony II had more detailed mids and highs and they were more toned and stronge"

Re: break-in period- with low current voltage, what, exactly, is supposed to "break in"? It will either conduct, or not. We're not dealing with UHF frequencies here, it's somewhat less that 20Hz to somewhat higher than 20KHz. Any claims that they're flat to 100KHz are useless because that's too far above audibility to make a difference. I agree that limiting the response to 20KHz cuts off upper harmonics but if some sales brochure or salesman's description was the source of any expectations, it's not a valid test. This industry (all sales pitches, really) is full of "pre-selling" tactics when the results won't be measured.

I know someone who does development work in the automotive and marine industries for motors and electronics. Occasionally, someone from an oil additive company will show up and make all kinds of claims about how their product reduces frictional losses, etc. Funny thing- he asks for some samples so he can test it with a motor on one of his dynamometers and they never come back.

Sorry, but knowing which cable is being used makes the audition invalid.

I was appalled when I realized that I had a SoundQuest cable connecting my ReQuest music server to my integrated amp.

It sounds great with that one. Listen to the music, not the cables.

 

[Rickster71]

...what, exactly, is supposed to "break in"?

Of course it's the silkiness and the naturalness, silly.

Next you'll probably say the emperor doesn't have new clothes.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Actually: I will buy things for the sake of being pretty. There's noting wrong with that. Why else art?

That is a prefect reason to buy stuff, or for the art lover

 

[mtrycrafts]

....
Funny thing- he asks for some samples so he can test it with a motor on one of his dynamometers and they never come back.

Sorry, but knowing which cable is being used makes the audition invalid.

....

Yep, it is funny and at the same time sad state of affairs that we have to put up with such bs, myths, voodoo

 

[mtrycrafts]

Of course it's the silkiness and the naturalness, silly.

Next you'll probably say the emperor doesn't have new clothes.

No, only that it is so transparent.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome, I hope
Hopefully most of the posts have helped you with your stress issues. While we are not doctors to prescribe drugs for you, not over the net anyhow we have great deal of info for you to consider and follow to eliminate those present and future stress issues

 

[skers_54]

Welcome, I hope
Hopefully most of the posts have helped you with your stress issues. While we are not doctors to prescribe drugs for you, not over the net anyhow we have great deal of info for you to consider and follow to eliminate those present and future stress issues

When I graduate from med school, I plan on making my money writing prescriptions for all the good people on this board. Imagine the damage Alex and Pdawg could do with some Vicodin or Adderol at thier disposal

jk, of course, for the record

 

[highfigh]

Of course it's the silkiness and the naturalness, silly.

Next you'll probably say the emperor doesn't have new clothes.

I was afraid someone was going to say that break-in of cables is like unwrapping the sound so it's more 'chocolatey' (I have actually seen this used to describe sound).

 

[highfigh]

Yep, it is funny and at the same time sad state of affairs that we have to put up with such bs, myths, voodoo

He said making it clear that he can actually test for what they claim caused the guy to just start stammering and walking backward. Eventually, these little visits stopped. Apparently, the word got out.

 

[yannaros]

next time, please post one thread ONLY

I finally decided to keep the Encore II and I am very happy of what I hear
Thanks for reading

PSlease close the post.

 

[njedpx3]

Another Cable discussion

Here's what the Straightwire site says about these two cables:

"Symphony II: assists the presentation capabilities of better electronics.Its silky midrange and rich bass convey all the natural texture of vocals and instruments. Great for CD players!"

" Encore II utilizes the highest grade of foam insulation for astonishing midrange fidelity. Our most advanced Star-Quad design, Encore II outperforms all other cable designs in this price class and insures high compatibility with nearly all components. Discover the significant improvement a Level 3 cable can make with Encore II wired throughout your system."

Here's what was posted to describe the difference:

"I use the Encore II now for about 12 hours and the bass is improved but the mids and highs are not the same like the Symphony II Interconnects.

The Symphony II had more detailed mids and highs and they were more toned and stronge"

Re: break-in period- with low current voltage, what, exactly, is supposed to "break in"? It will either conduct, or not. We're not dealing with UHF frequencies here, it's somewhat less that 20Hz to somewhat higher than 20KHz. Any claims that they're flat to 100KHz are useless because that's too far above audibility to make a difference. I agree that limiting the response to 20KHz cuts off upper harmonics but if some sales brochure or salesman's description was the source of any expectations, it's not a valid test. This industry (all sales pitches, really) is full of "pre-selling" tactics when the results won't be measured.

I know someone who does development work in the automotive and marine industries for motors and electronics. Occasionally, someone from an oil additive company will show up and make all kinds of claims about how their product reduces frictional losses, etc. Funny thing- he asks for some samples so he can test it with a motor on one of his dynamometers and they never come back.

Sorry, but knowing which cable is being used makes the audition invalid.

I was appalled when I realized that I had a SoundQuest cable connecting my ReQuest music server to my integrated amp.

It sounds great with that one. Listen to the music, not the cables.

The have been lots and lots of cable discussions, but the bottom line is copper wire is copper wire and there are very few physical properties you can alter. The gauge of the wire ( lower number is bigger), lowers resistance but most people overdo even that, whereas 14 gauge is normally sufficient for any speaker run 50 ft. or less, many people use 12 or 10 gauge for much shorted runs. The only other factors are the physical quality of the cable, cable sheathing, quality of eletrical connection to end connectors and end connectors themself- mostly a moot point because unless you have really cheap cable or a broken end connector the electrons flow the same. About the only real difference in cables is the asthetic looks and the braggabilty/impressibility of touting how much the cables cost $$$. Even that can't defy the laws of physics and cause the electrons to move any faster than 186,200 feet per second.

Monoprice ( as mentioned earlier) or Blue Jeans Cables make excellent, inexpensive, high quality cables. Maybe not as impressive as to your friends and peers as "Straight Wire" or supposedly the very best: Pear Cable Corporation's ANJOU speaker cable. Pear reports that these cables “allow new levels of sonic accuracy to be explored.” Supposedly, this exploration is accomplished by “proprietary hybrid geometry,” “ultra low electrical reactance” and “fully annealed 99.999% pure oxygen free Copper.”

But with these expensive audio cables you approach the realm of audio listening that only an expert in pyschoacoustics could even attempt to address.

Later,

Forest Man

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I sell drugs so we are already all set......

When I graduate from med school, I plan on making my money writing prescriptions for all the good people on this board. Imagine the damage Alex and Pdawg could do with some Vicodin or Adderol at thier disposal

jk, of course, for the record