Barto,
I own the HiDiamond 3-XLR, Diamond 8 speaker cables, power cords P-3 and P-4. It could take up to 500 hours to reach their full potential.
If your equipment is solid state you might want to run an AM or FM station through the system 24/7 or if possible use a cable cooker to achieve the breakin. The sound should mature, but you have to give it more time. I find the HiDiamond products produce a very natural sound. |
Hi Hak,
Thanks very much for your reply.
Was hoping someone would say something like that.
Does the balance or the characteristics of these cables in your system in any way indicate that in a system already somewhat on the warmer side would be to much?
Or are they in your opinion definitely open and transparent enough to mate well in a warmer system? |
Hi Barto,
Which model HD cables do you have? My understanding is the higher the model the longer the break-in. The D8 speaker cables I am using took close to 400 hours to fully open up. Initially and during the first 100 hours or so, I experienced the cable fluctuating between slow flubby bass to periods of stridency. It took quite a bit of time to settle, eventually creating a musical yet resolved presentation. My system, which is analog and tube driven leaves no want for detail.
The power cables took even longer. |
Barto,
Tuff question to answer because I think all systems are so independent of each other, and as listeners we have different likes and dislikes. With that said I think the HiDiamond products are open and transparent enough to mate well in a warmer system, but others might disagree and have better suggestions as to other interconnects and speaker cables etc.
Give them a chance to really burn in before you make a decision. Just remember that burn in could take a long time. |
OK, thank you Lak.
The cables I own are the model Power Carbon, it is a model discontinued a few months ago.
Don't know exactly with which recent model it was replaced.
Price range (in Europe) is about €1000 for the speaker cables and €500 for the interconnect.
My system consists of SF Guarneri Memento, McIntosh DAC and Pathos hybrid amplification.
The Memento's are slightly darker than most other speakers I've owned before, and with the DAC also being very full in tone I want my cables te be open and defined.
My amp though is lighter in tone.
I really like the fact that the Hidiamonds fail to produce any harshness or sore tones that impede listening pleasure and really like their relaxing balance.
Just wondering if they will open up some more, the are definitely improving though and feel that with a little opening up could funally be a long term choice after trying so much in the past. |
I have the D9 RCA(2 pair) and P3 PC's and thought the same as you at first. I came from the High Fidelity CT1 and thought the HD were a bit recessed at first. Definitely give them time and just enjoy. I just don't think about cables anymore after dozens of swap outs in the recent past. They are just a natural sounding cable IMO.
tony |
Forgot to mention I have the HD D7 speaker cables too :) |
Hi Tony,
OKay, thank you.
I am a little reassured now and will give them at least a few more weeks. |
Hi Barto,
As the North American distributor for HiDiamond Cables I thought I would give you a little insight on the exact model of cables you purchased on the used market.
The production run on the older Power Carbon series finished 4 years ago and was replaced with a complete new technology called 4VRC. The new 4VRC technology is much more open sounding because of the long process taken to purify the core cable. All current production 4VRC HiDiamond cables are better in every aspect than the previous Power Carbon Series. Although the older Power Carbon Series was very good for what you paid, unfortunately it is not a TRUE representation of HiDiamonds current sound or technology.
HiDiamond has been utilizing 4VRC technology for approximately 4 years and has no intention in changing to any other technology.
Cheers and I hope this helps. |
(And thanks for the other input of course) |
I actually bought this cable for about a third of the new price mentioned.
Concerning your reaction, being in the business myself I understand where you are coming from.
But they way I should take your reply is not very sure te me, I could understand that you want to defend the HiDiamond cables on this highly regarded forum plus would like new customers to buy the newer models instead of older used ones. (en thus earning money).
But maybe you are just being honest and giving me a heads up.
Are you in any way saying that compared to most other cables that sound very open the "older" HiDiamonds are not up to the task? |
I think the distributor is trying to tell potential customers that your criticisms of your cables have been addressed in their newer line. Whether or not the newer ones are better can only be determined by audition. |
Hi barto,
In my opinion you bought a great sounding cable and it might match up to your current system very well. What I was doing, was simply giving you information and letting you know that the cables you bought were older/different technology than HiDiamonds current technology. The new 4VRC technology is very different than the technology used in the previous HiDiamond cables you purchased on the used market. I noticed that the post were talking about current 4VRC cable technology so I just wanted to make sure you understood there was a difference between your recent purchase and HiDiamond's new technology.
If you look at my post, they are more about giving proper information than sales.
Cheers, |
Chayro, whilst I agree that certain products are overhyped and certain manufacturers (Synergistic Research comes into mind) have "new" products every 6 months, my experience with the current range of HD products is very positive. I have not cheap cables, a.o. High Fidelity Cables which rides on a high wave of very enthusiastic users and the HD D8 speaker cables (IME 100h burn in required) holds its own against them (compared to CT1E). The HD P4 power cord is reference quality. |
Barto,
Find someone who has a cable cooker and cook them for about 5 days and implement them back into your system for 96 hours and you'll hear them at their best. A cable cooker makes a big difference and drastically reduce burn-in time... |
Ok, clear.
Will give them some more time and otherwise continue experimenting, thanks. |
Barto,
If memory serves me correctly, I gave mine 300+ hours of burn-in after cooking and they were very good right out of the box but improves with time... |
I find that the cable sound when first put in the system is pretty close to the sound you get after it breaks in. The sound goes south after a few minutes and restores after a few days. |
With cable burn-in, if it is better than your old one then you will hear it straight away. If it is not as good then you will hear it become better after XXX hours because by that time, you will have forgotten how the original cable sounded like! |
Friend, we are dealing with this cables and I would advise around 300-400 hrs of burn in. |
It was already three months back that I posted my question here I see..
My system has changed a little in the meantime, (other loudspeakers) my new amplification was powerwise not up to the task to let de Guarneri's really do their thing, especially in comparison with my previous power amps.
I kept experimenting with cable's though and compared to my "guarneri system" it was more or less a one brain side improvement.
My system sounded technically a lot better, but did not touch me as me previous system did.
The HiDiamonds I owned back here kept crawling back in my memory and after some time I just took the shot and ordered a combination of HD7 sc, ic and power 3 cables.
I am not going to repeat everything that is already mentioned so many times on this forum but man.. Mr. Worldwidewholesales you were right!
Everything I had before is technically dwarfed by the sound of my new system, and even more important, emotionally it touches me as never before.
Beating my beloved old Guarneri's at their own game in every way.
I have finally found peace, what started as a nice experiment (trying out different brands of cables) became frustrating after to many tries.
Who knew my answer was found in a price range less than a third of some others I tried. |
Congrats, Barto. Same here. After trying out quite a few different other brands, I'm at peace with HD cables. Other than maybe playing around with my digital cable a little more, I think I'm done for awhile now with the cable game. I'm sure there're better, but at the price point that HD is offering, it'll be hard pressed to find a brand that let you just relax and not think of the cables. In the end it's about the music we all love.
Do me a favor, try one HD P4 power cord at some point (best place in my system is from wall to power regenerator/conditioner. I now have 3 P4's), your HD loom isn't complete without one P4. |
Ow trust me, I will!
My next investment will be another P3 and one P4 power cord.
The first place I will try the P4 is indeed on the wall, will also try it on my DAC but as in most similar cases in the past I think it will end up on the wall. |
Barto, the P4 is another league compared to the P3 and suits indeed best on the wall or on power amps. I've tried more expensive PC and find that HD offers great value/money, esp if you want a relaxing sound. I have relegated the NordOst Valhallas and the P4 combo to my 2nd system and am (still) very pleased about the result. |
Hi Jazz thanks, completely agree about the value of the HiDiamonds.
In one of your systems I see an Audience Powerchord e interconnect.
Do you own a Powerchord e or an Audience interconnect?
I would be very interested in comparison of a Audience power cord e to the HiDiamond P3. |
@Barto, I presume you mean the powerChord E power cable (not IC). In general, I like Audience and their (passive) power conditioners suit me best (they are the among the very few to provide individual filtering on each outlet and caps do make a lot of difference, IME, they make or break the sound of an component, e.g. coupling caps in a tube amp, together of course with tubes et al). HD P3 is not that revealing so you may experiment with something like the powerChord E or SE or, as I did, paired NordOst Valhallas (used Brahma, if you can get one, represent an excellent value) with the P4. A "natural" sounding and not crazy expensive brand is Silent Source and I have in my 2nd system the Silent Source Musical Reference which I prefer slightly over the powerChord E for source equipment. |
Yes, I meant the powerchord, but in your setup I saw the text "Audience powerChord e Interconnect" so I was a little confused.
I've owned Nordost Valhalla, Brahma and Vishnu and although I liked some aspects of them they did not do it for me.
Especially the fact that they made sounds supernaturally large in my system, and the imaging of my system somewhat diminished because of that, sounds did not have an exact and realistic position any more.
Silent Source is a brand I have never encountered over here (the Netherlands).
The Audiences have been on my radar for a while and might try some in the near future.
THanks |
