ASI Liveline...Burn-In Experience


Hello Friends,
I just bought a pair of ASI Liveline interconnects. It has done just about 10 hours. While its very detailed and tonally rich but I find the sound to be a bit forward and the background is not very clean. Is it because its not burnt in ? Would like to know from other ASI users, how their cables behaved when new and after burn in ?
Also typically what would be the adequate hours the cable should undergo to burn in ?

I cannot imagine a cable thats so well reviewed and accepted and in fact a giant killer to have a sound that is not clean. Kindly share opinion on this cable.
pani
What do you mean by the background is not very clean?

The reviews are spot on!

I have 100 Hrs. on mine and the first 10 hrs was pretty bad sounding. Around 30/40 hrs things got better and by 100 Hrs, well, I am getting the SC.

Take two patience pills a day till you have 100 Hrs. on them and write back to us.

10 Hrs. LOL.
The background will clean up nicely. I find them more lively and forward sounding than other cables, but all told they are excellent. Give them some more time.
Why do you only have 10 hours on them? Leave your stereo running 24 hours a day and you'll have the hours in no time.
I have broken in and am using a balanced pair and an RCA pair of the interconnects. In my system I saw the same characteristics for both. Initially they were tonally correct, but restricted on the bottom end. At about 100 hours the bottom end was there, but the sound was slightly congested. At 150 hours they click into place with small gradual improvement there after.
Guys, your replies are definitely encouraging. Yea, I will wait till it approaches 150 hours.
But I am curious to know, do you guys find the sound to be a bit forward (even after burn-in) ? In my system, with ASI plugged in I find as if I have moved 3-4 rows ahead. I also compared it to an Audio Magic Sorcerer 4D (which was burnt in fully) and it was clear that compared to AM, the ASI was definitely forward. I do not know whether this will settle down or will it stay that way...you guys would be in a better position to tell that.

I am also planning to buy a Digital cable...I have ASI in mind but in case that also is a forward sounding cable then it may be too much for my room. Have any of you guys tried their digital cable ?
I would recommend waiting until the 150 hour point to make your decision. You should have a good idea by then if it's what you are looking for. For me personally, in my system, this cable has made an emotional connection unlike anything I have heard to date. Enough so that I pulled the trigger to purchase the speaker cable tonight. But that is me in my system. You need to make the call if it is what YOU are looking for in YOUR system. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with LiveLine. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
Did you try it in the other direction too !!!!!!! You can use the interconnect as an digital too. It's the same cable. Always try it in both directions. One of them is always the better sounding. Clean, clear, open, LIVE and yes it brings you closer to the performance ( a few rows ). I like it a lot. Power and LS is great too.
It really doesn't take that long to burn in. Let it play for an hour before you judge it. That's all.
Why do some Agon members start a thread and never finish it? Hey, Pani! How're the Liveline interconnects sounding? They should be past their 150 hour break-in by now, I'd imagine.
He sold them and is trying something different.


Running out of patience pills is costly.

10 hrs. LMAO
Glory, doesn't look like Pani got rid of his ASI. Read the second ASI thread below this one. Pani's posting of 08-18-09 has nothing but praise for the ASI.
ASI was sold long back. I tried it for about 200 hours and finally could not take the extra edge and somewhat artificially boosted high frequency shine of the cable. My final impressions remain pretty much the same as mentioned in the beginning of this thread. It is not a cable with "neutral" "natural" sound. It does things to enhance few things which I call hifi-sh and in a system where it such things are required or desired, this cable would be a great addition and a steal for the price.
Hi Pani,
This is a good example of how opinions can greatly differ depending on the listener,system and expectations.
My objective is to produce the most natural, pure and realistic music reproduction(organic and emotional) that I can without sacrificing resolution and nuance.

Every component I own currently was selected based on reaching that goal. The ASI Liveline loom is simply outstanding! It is for me the epitomy of 'natural' uncolored, vibrant and preserves purity of tone and timbre.It`s utterly open,transparent and yet there`s an overall sense of ease and liquidity.

It just demostrates how no component or cable will universally satisfy eveyone,ASI works brilliantly for me but was`nt right for pani`s taste and system.
Regards,
More than taste I think it is system dependant. I cant think we both would define "natural" sound in so vastly opposing manner. Its the system !!
In my system the ASI XLR Livelines are spectacular. But I use them in a special way that elevates the performance far beyond using them alone. Here's the set-up from Berkeley Alpha DAC to Marantz PM-15 amplifier (original 1994 model):

Bybee Quantum Force XLR purifiers -- in series to Synergistic Research Acoustic Reference XLR ICs (using the standard MPC -- the Galileo MPC was overpowering) -- in series to ASI Liveline XLR ICs.

The sonic results are simply stunning.
Hi Pani,

Sorry, but I am a it perplexed. Perhaps you could explain.

On 08-04-09 you stated on this thread:

"I cannot imagine a cable thats so well reviewed and accepted and in fact a giant killer to have a sound that is not clean."

But on 08-18-09 (on another thread) you stated the ASIs "do everything right":

"These are, I would call one of the best cables on the market today. They are neither cheap nor expensive. A pair of IC costs $995. But they just do everything right and sonically correct for most systems...regardless of price."
Well, all I can say is the more ASI Liveline cables I add to my system the more amazing it gets. I have had great success with Bybee and Synergistic Research cables and tweaks and I still use their products in my system. The ASI Liveline cables put the system over the top. Spelled T-O-P. The sound is absolutely stunning.
The problem with threads like this (as I have stated before) is that the person starting the thread does not provide system information. That way I could possible understand why something interacts in a particular system. I am no expert but I remember reading something that Fremer wrote years ago saying something sounded stressed. I could not understand what he was describing until I tried the review piece in a similar system. That is when I heard what he was hearing, confirming what he heard.

Charles1dad is using a DHT preamp and his system probably requires something different than other systems.

Happy Listening.
I have had the liveline interconnect and power cord in various systems for a few years now. Initially I thought the liveline was very good better than my ref cable at the time the jaden pursang s. a few months back I bought a set of Grover huffman's interconnect for fun and at 150 it wasn't to risky. I had 3 systems at the time and was just messing around trying different cable combinations. Overall I like the GH cable better on all systems and I was shocked to find the liveline sounded downright bad on my bedroom system. It sounds pretty good on my main rig but comparing the two cables in my bedroom system with a simaudio integrated amp it was no contest the GH cable was much better. Seems crazy that a cable 1/8 th the price could be so much better. Seems like the GH cable for whatever reason works well in all systems where the liveline cable for me on shined in one of 3 systems I tried it in. I can see why the opinions on this cable vary so wildly. It's definitely a YMMV cable in my opinion.