Reaching The Audio Promised Land

[cma29]

I just wanted to share that yesterday I installed a pair of 6-meter WireWorld Eclipse 7 XLR interconnects between the K-03 and amplifiers and the sonic results were astoundingly positive.

Since late 2012 I've been upgrading and tweaking my system looking for that great, natural, lush, life-like sound. After most changes I was getting closer, but deep-down I knew that my system sounded very, very good, but not quite where I wanted it to be or where I knew it could be. It was frustrating spending so much money and effort and not reaching that elusive sonic goal of life-like music in my room.

It turns out the bottleneck holding back all my system changes and tweaks was my old 6-meter interconnect driving the amplifiers. As soon as I replaced them with the Eclipse 7s in everything seemed to fall into place immediately allowing the detail-rich signal from the Esoteric K-03 reach the 20.7s seemingly intact and uncorrupted.

All the orchestral transients and micro-details were there clearly laid out. Most impressive is that instrumental fundamental tones and overtones are clearly audible making the music have a lot more character. I listen to classical mostly and wind instruments sound so much better now. For example, the brass has much more of that complex and sweet "blatt" sound. Also, secondary melodies are much easier to follow in the context of complex orchestration. I've played several old favorite recordings and everything seems fresher and more nuanced. It's a small improvement, but huge in terms of my connection to and enjoyment of music.

I now feel my system has reached its potential (it sounds superlative to my ears at least) and that by trail and error and learning from you guys I have been able to crack the code to reach that seemingly elusive audio goal of producing fully satisfying life-like sound in my listening room.

I'm getting WW Eclipse 7 speaker cables and a Silver Eclipse 7 power cable next week from Ivan. I can't wait to see what they can do, but regardless all system tweaks from now on will be to improve an already superlative sounding system rather than trying to get my system to that elusive combination that did not materialize until yesterday.

I'm happy.

[Masterlu]

Carlos... Nice review; more goodies are coming.

[jameslrock]

Originally Posted by cma29

I just wanted to share that yesterday I installed a pair of 6-meter WireWorld Eclipse 7 XLR interconnects between the K-03 and amplifiers and the sonic results were astoundingly positive. Since late 2012 I've been upgrading and tweaking my system looking for that great, natural, lush, life-like sound. After most changes I was getting closer, but deep-down I knew that my system sounded very, very good, but not quite where I wanted it to be or where I knew it could be. It was frustrating spending so much money and effort and not reaching that elusive sonic goal of life-like music in my room. It turns out the bottleneck holding back all my system changes and tweaks was my old 6-meter interconnect driving the amplifiers. As soon as I replaced them with the Eclipse 7s in everything seemed to fall into place immediately allowing the detail-rich signal from the Esoteric K-03 reach the 20.7s seemingly intact and uncorrupted. All the orchestral transients and micro-details were there clearly laid out. Most impressive is that instrumental fundamental tones and overtones are clearly audible making the music have a lot more character. I listen to classical mostly and wind instruments sound so much better now. For example, the brass has much more of that complex and sweet "blatt" sound. Also, secondary melodies are much easier to follow in the context of complex orchestration. I've played several old favorite recordings and everything seems fresher and more nuanced. It's a small improvement, but huge in terms of my connection to and enjoyment of music. I now feel my system has reached its potential (it sounds superlative to my ears at least) and that by trail and error and learning from you guys I have been able to crack the code to reach that seemingly elusive audio goal of producing fully satisfying life-like sound in my listening room. I'm getting WW Eclipse 7 speaker cables and a Silver Eclipse 7 power cable next week from Ivan. I can't wait to see what they can do, but regardless all system tweaks from now on will be to improve an already superlative sounding system rather than trying to get my system to that elusive combination that did not materialize until yesterday. I'm happy.

Carlos: For the 2 channel system I am total new WireWorld Series 7 Silver from power cords to XLR's to USB to speaker cable. Ivan took care of me on this as well. I too have realized the potential. I could go next to Platinum and may in a few years but for now and beyond I believe all is in place and as it should be. It is a great feeling to have done all you can at a given point in time and have no reason to look back. I am sure you will be very pleased with the result as you add the speaker cables and power cords. Looking forward to hearing your findings. Enjoy!

Sent from my iPad using A.Aficionado

[jdandy]

Carlos.......I am happy for you. I know the feeling well and it is thrilling. The new speaker cables and power cables will boost performance even further.

[cma29]

Thank you, guys.

I must admit I was skeptical about cables raising a system's performance, but really what they do is let other components reach their potential.

I'm a believer

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[Yamaki]

Carlos...Congratulations on another great step forward towards the Promised Land!

I totally concur with your findings regarding the improvements to be had with a cable upgrade. I purchased a WW Gold Starlight 7 AES/EBU from Ivan for my streamer to DAC connection and was amazed at the improvement.

Good luck with your next step!

[cma29]

Hi, guys. A quick update on my evolution.

First, I moved my sources closer to my amps so that I no longer need a 6-meter IC run. Ultimately, an audio system is an electrical circuit and the shorter the connecting runs, the better the performance in terms of minimizing resistance and capacitance no matter how good the cables are.

Second, I "borrowed" some cables from The Cable Company and settled on 1-meter WireWorld Silver Eclipse 7 XLR ICs. This change has added to the sonic benefits I described after migrating to the Eclipse 7s (but the big step-up in sound improvement was going to the Eclipse 7) and I think it has helped me approach even more to the full capabilities of my system.

So, yes a good move to use short runs and to upgrade to Silver Eclipse ICs. Things are getting better all the time.

I wonder how Silver Eclipse 7 speaker cables would improve things even more...

[chessman]

Carlos, the Silver Eclipse 7 speaker cables (if they act like my Silver Eclipse 6's did) will be a marked improvement. They do need some break-in time during which at some point you will say "My Gosh what have I done?!" It is the agony and then the ecstasy. Here was mine:

http://www.audioaficionado.org/wirew...ng-coming.html

[cma29]

Originally Posted by chessman

Carlos, the Silver Eclipse 7 speaker cables (if they act like my Silver Eclipse 6's did) will be a marked improvement. They do need some break-in time during which at some point you will say "My Gosh what have I done?!" It is the agony and then the ecstasy. Here was mine:

http://www.audioaficionado.org/wirew...ng-coming.html

Excellent. Thanks for the advice, Randy. I enjoyed ready your journey through the break-in process and the ultimate excellent results. The Silver Eclipse SC seem like a natural next step when I'm ready. Then I will have a complete Silver Eclipse cable loom.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

Excellent. Thanks for the advice, Randy. I enjoyed ready your journey through the break-in process and the ultimate excellent results. The Silver Eclipse SC seem like a natural next step when I'm ready. Then I will have a complete Silver Eclipse cable loom.

Congrats Carlos, that is great news! You're getting the double whammy of a better interconnect in the Silver Eclipse, plus a much shorter run. I bet your system is sounding prime. Let us know your thoughts if you decide to audition the Silver Eclipse speaker cables.

Best,
Ken