There has been some discussion about the frequent use of Gabriel Gold cables with Ayon. I'm running Raptures between my CD-2 and amplifier, and it's awesome.
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With the quality and directness of the CD-5/integrated combo you will have a plethora of options, many very good. I have written about the Wireworld and MIT brands in conjunction with Ayon players. I also reviewed the CD-5 and am using it now as my reference Redbook player. I have also been running several CD-5 to amp/integrated options for a while now. You can see one such option in my Audio Blast article about the modest overachieving Peachtree Audio Nova. With the Gain feature of the CD-5 this integrated performs very admirably. However, if you own the CD-5 you know about the Gain feature already. You have used it, haven't you? If not, you need to read your manual and learn what it can do. If you haven't used it yet you're missing out on a large portion of what the CD-5 can do - and what equipment can be paired with it successfully. What Integrated are you using? This may have a bearing on the cabling selection. I certainly would want to know that prior to concluding which cable would be preferable. There are other considerations which should be taken into account, and other options which can be implemented having huge impact on the results. I discuss such things in my reviews of cables. For instance, I would not simply consider the Interconnect as an independent choice, but only in connection with the other cabling in use. It is rather a hit or miss proposition to slap an IC into a system when the other cabling is not used in a systematic way to attain the optimum results. One can certainly do so, but it's not the best way to get premium sound. Now, this being a second rig, you simply may not care. But the CD-5 is such a good performer that you should care. Putting the "wrong" cable into the rig will seriously restrict performance. It literally can be the difference between sensational and nice sound. I would be interested in knowing the geometry and total gauge of the Gabriel Gold cables. I did not see any info on their site. Is this revealed in their literature? Anyone care to share? |
I'm only using the Ayon Spirit II, no Ayon CD player. My system consist of a Denon DCM 290 changer plugged into a Valab DAC via stereovox digital IC then from the Valab to an Eastern Electric Mimimax using the Silent Audio Appollo ICs and also Apollo's to the Spirit II. Huge soundstage with very delicate highs, nice midrange and full bass. My speakers are the Legacy Classic and the cables are the Bogdan silver early issue. Right now I'm waiting for a new pair of ICs from SoundSilver. I'll post the results at a later time. |
I received the Soundsilver dual silver interconnects cable last Friday and I'm very, very impressed. The cables are very well made with two runs of pure annealed silver. No copper or gold coating here. The presentation is slightly in front of the speakers with good highs, mids and tremendous bass. The mids are very focused and articulate. You can understand whispers when playing movies on your system. Overall, this is an incredible surprise at the introductory price of $49. The cables are very quiet too. I'll continue to use this cables to see if they continue to break in and also to figure their character more precisely. The owner of the company is a very nice guy to work with too. No affiliation here, found this cables in my never ending quest to find good cables at very low prices. So far, this is the most bang for the buck I've ever experienced. |
Not an Ayon owner myself, I'd just like to throw this in for additional information. Ayon used to offer a series of (expensive!) cables under their own brand name until a few years ago, the "Ayon Dragons". These cables were actually made by HB Cable Design, a less renown but very high quality manufacturer. It is probably justified to suspect some synergy between these cables and Ayon/Lumen White gear. Meanwhile the Dragon series (enhanced versions) are now marketed directly under the manufacturer's HB brand, perhaps a worthwhile consideration? http://www.hb-cable-design.de/english/f_dragon_series.html |