You don't have to have the volume turned up when burning in. I created a mp3 playlist enough for 12 hours. Left it playing in a loop overnight or when not actually listening during waking hours. 200 hours is like nine days. Trust me, it is worth the effort.
High Fidelity Cables CT-1designed by Rick Schultz
In December 2011,I wrote that High Fidelity cables led by cable designer Rick Schultz was putting together a new cable.The cable came to market as CT-1.The CT-1 has FINALLY made it into my system!I had obtained a version of the prototype that Rick had been working on.It blew my previous reference Genesis by Virtual Dynamics.I thought I had finally found my end with this cable.This prototype delivered to my ears "Nirvana".Could I be at the end of my quest for the ultimate sound?
No. I received two pairs of CT-1 to replace my prototypes.They went into the system this past Friday.Unable to dedicate time until Sunday listening,I stole a few moments,ducking away from company with anticipation.My guest could tell even with the music set for"ambiance"something was intriguing and I was in for a treat!
The experience:
First off,CT-1 was very user friendly.Installation was simple;the cable is very nice and light.The female RCA fit beautifully unlike any I had found in other cable.It was secure and reliable.It seemed much thought was dedicated to developing a designer fit to an aesthetically stunning RCA connector.Install entailed a few wiggles to ensure what seemed like a compression fit on my RCA.
It was 2-3 hrs. for the 1st step of break in to be complete.At that point I had something different!Today,although they only have 10-12 hrs. on them,I can`t put into words how much my system has transformed.Believe me,I loved my prototypes.However....there is simply no comparision.
The clarity and sound is so natural.
The soundstage is like nothing I ever heard.Resoulution is breathtaking and inner detail is simply hard to believe possible.
The sound has transended and now it simply does not seem as thought I have speakers.
My system is musicians playing music.
I am told with time they will improve and I trust that as it was revealed with the prototypes.I wanted to share my thoughts with you that now.
Unequivocally,a testament to High Fidelity,as the name declares.
High Fidelity Cables for me,the last word on it,after 12 hours!
Truly Amazing
Al
No. I received two pairs of CT-1 to replace my prototypes.They went into the system this past Friday.Unable to dedicate time until Sunday listening,I stole a few moments,ducking away from company with anticipation.My guest could tell even with the music set for"ambiance"something was intriguing and I was in for a treat!
The experience:
First off,CT-1 was very user friendly.Installation was simple;the cable is very nice and light.The female RCA fit beautifully unlike any I had found in other cable.It was secure and reliable.It seemed much thought was dedicated to developing a designer fit to an aesthetically stunning RCA connector.Install entailed a few wiggles to ensure what seemed like a compression fit on my RCA.
It was 2-3 hrs. for the 1st step of break in to be complete.At that point I had something different!Today,although they only have 10-12 hrs. on them,I can`t put into words how much my system has transformed.Believe me,I loved my prototypes.However....there is simply no comparision.
The clarity and sound is so natural.
The soundstage is like nothing I ever heard.Resoulution is breathtaking and inner detail is simply hard to believe possible.
The sound has transended and now it simply does not seem as thought I have speakers.
My system is musicians playing music.
I am told with time they will improve and I trust that as it was revealed with the prototypes.I wanted to share my thoughts with you that now.
Unequivocally,a testament to High Fidelity,as the name declares.
High Fidelity Cables for me,the last word on it,after 12 hours!
Truly Amazing
Al
Showing 16 responses by cheapbob
As the "Affordable Audiophile" I own a set of the HFC Magnetic Adapters. "100%" is a modest measure of the improvement. My findings: Magnetic Adapters will create a Holographic Soundstage, eliminate the noise floor, and expand the musical presence after 200 hours of signal, burn-in. This test was conducted with a vintage receiver, and a pair of 40+-year-old Advents, using the cheapest Monoprice interconnects they offer. (Digital coax and RCA interconnects). I challenge anyone to test out a set of Magnetic Adapters on ANY stereo system, and if you don't hear the same improvements, you may have hearing issues. I tested an HFC Titanium interconnect ($6K) for 72 hours, and I can honestly say that the synergy of the Magnetic Adapters came very close to the level of improvement I experienced with the Titanium. I have also heard the improvement that Rick's CT-1 Ultimate Power Cable had during a brief visit. I will be testing the newest CT-2 interconnects, on my system with Reveal speaker cables replacing my Nordost Valhalla Reference Speaker cables, and a Reveal Power cord, as neither the speaker wires or stock power cord have any HFC influence. The point is-- Magnets Make More Music, and More Magnets Make even More Music. In the last century, Tesla and Edison fought the nasty AC-DC battles. Most folks could not understand the science of a filament light bulb making light, but when hooked to this "electricity" it made a dark room light. Magnetic Innovations and the inventor Rick Schultz are similar to Tesla...misunderstood by the masses, yet anyone who has heard the Magnets will agree...there is an improvement in Sound Quality, Soundstage, and Transparency. Any stereo, no matter the price, will be improved by the use of HFC Magnetic Innovations. Period. Drop the Magnets. |
"In an experiment utilizing an RCA cable with one connector 100 at each end of the cable, nickel and gold plated neodymium magnets were used for the active signal pin in the RCA connectors. Upon inserting the cable into an audio system, there was a noted performance enhancement that provided the listener with increased musical detail and clarity, when compared with a using an RCA cable with standard RCA connectors having non-ferromagnetic, non-magnetized pins made of, e.g., copper, silver or brass. Potential benefits of using a permanent magnet in the circuit path with active (data or power) signal contacts such as pins and sockets may include improved signal to noise ratio, lower total harmonic distortion, lower intermodular distortion, an increase in low-level resolution, lower losses in the cabling, lower resistance in the connections, and a potential increase in energy efficiency, for example." -- https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160219701A1/en?oq=20160219701 |
"This will never be true of ANY product." Have you ever heard the Magnetic Adapters implemented on a 20-year old receiver, hooked up to 50-year speakers? And the interconnects were the CHEAPEST ones sold by Monoprice. Probably not, or you would not make such a sweeping generalization of every know tweak from Magnets to Tiptoes. Based on my experience, not speculation, the deployment of HFC Magnetic Adapters on my digital coax, and RCA audio interconnects elevated the sound quality of my Affordable Audiophile Reference system to a level commensurate to a system costing thousands of dollars. And I throw down the proverbial glove and challenge you to give them a try on your own system. If you don't hear an improvement in Soundstage, Transparency, and Detail, then report back. I am confident that ANY stereo system will be improved by the HFC Magnetic Adapters. |
@jay23It has been my experience, personally that the improvement is so noticeable, no one who has experienced it has disagreed. Now whether different is better, the same or worse, is an entirely different question. I am more prone to hyper hyperbole than gross generalizations. I heard them, I heard them improve over time, I bought them, no regrets...other than that, to each his own. |
Okay. I am excited because I have heard an improvement on a very modest entry-level system. I heard it immediately. And over 72, 200, and more hours, it continues to come into song. As for my literary style...I was a Sports Editor in a prior life. Audio review isn’t much different. Folks defend their Audio positions like rooting for the home team. We build alliegence, and argue with Home team enthusiasm. |
From the Sweetspot - 31JUL18 "The Jazz Side of the Moon-The Music Of Pink Floyd" I have been awestruck by this recording. I am already into the third cut before I could form words. We have all heard "interpretations" of the Pink Floyd Classic "The Dark Side of the Moon", some better than others, but I had never heard a Jazz rendition. This is a Chesky Records production and it is well worth tracking down on Spotify. It is done well, it is done respectfully to the intent of each passage. Imitation may be a sincere form of flattery, but only if done well. This is the Best cover of Pink Floyd I have heard. I am shaking down this iFi Audio micro iDSD BL, letting the signals flow through the magnetic conduction devices 24-hours a day. Burn-in time with Magnetic Conduction is the secret sauce. You hear an immediate impact, just plugging in, but NOTHING like you will hear after 3 days (72-hours) or 9-days, which is over 200 hours. This is what they call the "introduction to the potential"-phase. Each day it sounds better than the night before. like the gift that keeps on giving. I have been told that 400 hours of signal (17 days) is the "official" break-in period, and the further up the design chain, the longer the break-in period. New CT-2 technology begins to "come into song" after 400 hours of burn. I am sure the R&D folks have realized that there is no end to the improvement. Think about it. The effect is immediate, but it gets better. By what mechanism does this process "shut off"? Logically, it would be when the magnets begin to fail, right? Exactly right, you get the gold star. These magnets will fail someday, and we hope that the slight loss of Sound Quality will not be significant...you see these are Permanent Magnets, and yes, in 10,000 years, they will have lost <1% of their magnetic power. Okay, I get it...as long as the magnetic adapters are attached to the cable or MCT device, they will just keep getting better? Well, the Lab boys say I cannot make that claim, as we don't have the technology to age a device for 10,000 years. Alright, enough of the run-around, how long do I need to break in a High Fidelity Cables Magnetic Conduction device? Let me answer in the most honest way I know how, and mean no disrespect---they will still be burning-in when you can no longer use them, if added to the Will, will keep on sounding good well into the future. I am not a scientist, I am an audio writer, I have no way of telling how long, but 400 hours Minimum for maximum effect. |
Sound improves nightly...GnomesAFFORDABLE AUDIOPHILE·MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018Monday morning-- 20AUG18 From the Sweetspot I cannot seem to find my groove in song selection. I have gone from Knopfler to Gabriel, and now Phish...Music and audio writing like any other "job" requires some work. You would think with an extensive library of great music, deciding what to listen to would be the easy part. Quite the opposite. As a reviewer, we talk about the emotion of the music, the engagement of the Music. It is for this reason, the decision on what we listen to really is the election of the mood I am in, or the mood I am seeking. If I wake up rather ambivalent, the choices are often difficult.I thought the solution was to build playlists of music that I like to listen to. Obviously, any playlist will be themed. I put a lot of effort in picking songs that when they come on, I want to listen to them. My problem is remote controls, short attention span, and infinite choices. I will be listening to an album while writing or reading, and a song will make me think of to have another song, and so I go searching for that song, while still listening to the first song, and so it goes, all day. Some days are better than others, I think myself a better programmer than the folks at the radio station. And then there are days like today, Monday."Pink Floyd? meh! James Taylor? No, his son Livingston Taylor, hmmm, maybe, what else first?"Bear in mind, I am listening to a great stereo playing every song I selected to perfection, and the above-cited conversation is going on inside my head. Then I push back the keyboard, relax and crank up the volume. I want the Music to Move through me, to make me the Music. Total engagement. Hit Save, and see you later-- this Phish has hit my spot! I don't believe in coincidence. I hit save, and pulled up the Audacious playlist, the song the Phish was performing as I was writing the above: 'You Enjoy Myself' on "Junta" by Phish. All things in their time. I have an hour of decent music. My impression on the High Fidelity Cables loom after 100-hours of active signal-- there are glimpses of what is to come. At this point, the magnetic adapters are fully burned in, and I am sure to have been carrying the water for the past few days. Of course, there is always the initial improvement upon plugging an MCT device in. That is a given. The Reveal Power Cable has made a significant improvement in the sound, along with the Reveal Speaker Cables. How can you delineate the improvement, from the Synergy? That is a good question, and my answer would be called "circumstantial evidence" in law. You see, I replaced a 6-foot run of copper lamp wire with a $999 Reveal Speaker Cable. Therefore, an improvement is not only logical but an expectation. In the case of the Reveal Power Cable, also $999, it replaced the 99-cent mass-produced stock power cord that was included with the unit. Ditto above. Therefore, if we could discern that actual source of improvement, circumstantially, the sound is better because there is $2,000 worth of technology at work here."Yes, we can reasonably conclude that the gun found in the man's hand is the one he used to shoot himself," answered the Detective to the attorney's direct question. But what about the CT-2 Technology? Well, that too is a very good question. It is totally ineffectual. All improvements are due to magnetic adapters, not CT-2. But, but, applying the same logic as with the Reveal cables...? No, that doesn't apply, even though the new CT-2 Technology costs $2,500 for interconnects? There is NO WAY the CT-2 is any more than just fancy interconnects, that have fully broken-in Magnetic Adapters. No different than the Monoprice interconnects. Hey, Affordable Audiophile guy, you can't say that! Well, I have said that magnetic adapters improve any cable, from the cheapest Monoprice $1.99 (with gold plated RCA) to "more expensive" audio cables. Plus, EVERYBODY knows that the CT-2 effect doesn't occur until 400 hours of burn-in time. And I mean Everybody! So the magnetic adapters and the new speaker wire and power cables are doing all the heavy lifting, while the CT-2 Technology in the RCA and SPDIF interconnects are just lounging about. "I don't even think about sounding good until at least 400 hours," said the CT-2 to the MC-01Pro Power conditioner... Neither wants to work until after Labor Day weekend. While I am happy to go on flights of fancy, at this point, mid-day Five, I think everything is just perfect, just the way it is. I have full expectation that the wee people will return, despite my efforts to secure the floor vent where I found the tiny wrench, and they will play with my stereo again tonight. And tomorrow, I will wake up, get a cup of coffee, and turn up the volume.Damn those Gnomes! (I will NOT be shouting.) In the place of my Schiit Modi Multibit, SPROUT100, and the loom of HFC cables is an entirely NEW sounding stereo, that looks identical to the one I was listening to last night. But, it doesn't sound at all like that one last night. Five nights in a row, those fairies, gnomes, whatever they are--they have pulled off this stunt. Rick Schultz--you never told me about the gnomes....damn expensive nightly service calls, I might add. https://www.facebook.com/notes/affordable-audiophile/sound-improves-nightlygnomes/2106467576339868/ |
Thanks, @ddraudt . I hate to admit this, but I will. In my haste and excitement, I placed the CT-2 RCA interconnects in the wrong direction. What is the only thing an audiophile can do wrong with HFC? Yes, fail to follow the instructions, arrows go in direction of the signal path. So everything will have 400 hours on Saturday, September 1, except the CT-2 RCA interconnects, who will need an additional 200 hours to catch-up... I was wondering why I wasn't getting all the "Gee Whiz", and discovered the error quite by accident. Otherwise, I would have been blissfully ignorant, and just kept on listening.... |
What? Well, that could be any number of famous acts. It could be: Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Dead & Company, Grateful Dead, Humble Pie or in this case, Derek and the Dominos. (And that is not a complete list, just what I have on file.) Indeed a popular venue for those bands. I am listening to a standard quality CD, and it sounds much better than I can recall hearing this, before HFC Magnetic Conduction. It would be fair to say that Rick Schultz has impacted the Time and Space Continuum. Audiophiles speak in terms of "Pre-MCT" and "After-MCT", and our periods of time are based on 100-hours. Every time we upgrade a cable or unplug an interconnect, we sigh, and say "Four more..." The 24-hour solar clock- it only affects volume levels, when the neighbor and small baby are home. With the sustenance of a few boxes of Oatmeal and jugs of drinking water, a true audiophile can listen for hours on end to his stereo, in the "A-MCT" period, when "P-MCT" was marked by short, unsatisfying encounters with Music... A True Believer in Magnetic Conduction Technology may become a bit over-bearing when guests visit, peppering the guest with questions like, "Have you ever heard this CD like this before?" while providing them with cold oatmeal and water. The guests commonly respond, "Yes, it sounds good, turn it up and shut-up for the next two songs..." Electromagnetism bends space and time in Audiophile Sound Systems. One poor fellow adopted the Evangelism of door-to-door missionaries. Rejection, although infrequent, is sometimes a nasty affair. Bless his Heart. Fortunately, an ad hoc support system has developed on a long-running forum thread, where fellow MCT-devotees can meet, greet, drink lots of coffee. Some have been around since the first post, back in 2011, some have over 16 MC-0.5s on strange configurations of three-way plugs and short extension cords. Occasionally, a reluctant Audiophile shows up on the Forum and espouses view which goes against the commonly held beliefs. They either hear the difference or they don't. A person has a pre-disposition to noise-free high fidelity music reproduction, but many are in denial. You see them getting their music from their phone, and earbuds...sad. If only I could bring them to Magnets... Okay, it may not be that bad, but it is eight days into a 17-day burn-in. Yeah, sure, the stereo sounds great, but if only I could just help one Audiophile make the Decision which will change their lives... As I have said before, you can only say, "Wow, this Stereo Sounds Great!" in so many ways. I think this is where some audio reviewers go off the rails, maybe they suffer from a writer's cramp of the brain. That's why there are still turntables and vinyl. That is two reasons why the Computer Audiophiles wear garlic and make the sign of the cross with their fingers when someone mentions analog or vinyl.. |