聖HIJIRI Users thread

@pokey77 

Yeah, the LTA Ultalinear+ I have is the integrated, and it's terrific, especially with the Baltic 3. I believe Linear Tube Audio uses this combination at some audio shows, and I can certainly see (and hear) why. It's a dynamite combo.

As for the cables, my advice is do not listen to a Takumi unless you intend to buy it. Once you know, you know, if that makes sense. The Obsession has a very dynamic sound with excellent soundstaging and detail retrieval, without sounding the least bit "hard," strident or clinical. I would say the Nagomi is more nuanced and does take some getting used to, especially if you are accustomed to cords with a bolder, more forward sound. The sound stage of the Nagomi at first seems to emphasize the mids and back off a little on the extension of the higher frequencies, but that sensation may just be relative to what I have been used to. It is a very musical cable that draws you in more than it blows you back. But for me it represented a paradigm shift that took me a good while to get used to.

Both are very fine cables and are still in service in my system. TWL has upgraded the Obsession to a new "Statement" series that I have not heard, but may try later in the year, along with the mid-tier Hijiri cable that falls between the Takumi and Nagomi. I'm in no hurry, though. My system has never sounded better!

For whatever it may be worth to anyone, I agree with members who are speaking highly of Colin. A few months ago, I auditioned some $15K speakers from Gestalt, which were excellent, but--in the end--not for me. He did not hesitate for an instant to refund my money in full when I informed him I was going with a different speaker. In fact, he was a perfect gentleman, even though he had invested quite a bit of time conversing with me about how to set-up the speakers I was auditioning to get the most out of them.

With all due respect, it is the dealer who is taking the bigger risk in these auditions. Even with a credit card number as "insurance," a buyer can always fabricate a reason to do a charge back and leave a dealer in an untenable position if gear is damaged, etc. I do not deny there is some mutual risk, but it has also been my experience that most dealers require purchase with an agreed-upon window to return for a full refund. That works for me, as long as the dealer has an established track record and excellent feedback from respected longtime members, as is the case here.

As others have indicated, you can deal with Colin with the utmost confidence.

Based on the enthusiastic recommendations here of the Hijiri cables, I overcame a little bit of skepticism and quite a bit of sticker shock and decided to audition the Takumi power cord in my system. I'll hold off until I have had more time to fully process what I am hearing, but I will say this much: do NOT audition this cord unless you are seriously considering buying it. Once you hear it, you cannot "unhear" it.

Frankly, I have tried a lot of cables over the years and consider a lot of the breathless praise one often reads to be hyperbole, especially when people say a cable change is as transformative as a component upgrade. Not anymore. The Takumi has forced me to reconsider all of my previous assumptions of just how big a difference a cable can make.

In short, I am gobsmacked.

Ozzy,

I paid for them with a 14-day trial.I have already said that I auditioned speakers that I also paid for, but then returned for a full refund.

I've enjoyed and appreciated your posts over the years, but your posts and behavior in this thread has been an embarrassment. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass what you believe. But your questioning the integrity of longtime members is pathetic.

Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension, then.There is nothing there that would warrant such an inference on your part. If the cable didn't work for me, I would have sent it back, plain and simple, just as I did with the aforementioned speakers.

I guess you and me are different. I could not care less about reviews (unless I respect the reviewer) or flowery website descriptions. I have always been more interested in actual owner experience, especially if the owners are audiophiles with an extensive track record whose tastes more or less align with my own. That's it. But by all means, you do you. Just don't assume that anyone here owes you an explanation, especially when you're handing out insults. Try it, don't try it. Whatever. But get off your high horse.

Glad to see the thread getting back on track. I regret my part in needlessly raising the temperature. I get that the cable is expensive, there's not a lot of information out there on it, and the looks are somewhat unassuming, especially compared to some of the competition in its price range (without mentioning any names). All of that is understood. But the only way I know to decide whether a cable (or any piece of gear) lives up to what is said about it is to try it and see how it sounds. If other factors are more important than the sound, then so be it. This cable may not be a "show pony," but its sound is extraordinary, unparalleled in my experience.

This review captures the magic of the Takumi pretty well. I'm still trying to get a handle on appropriate adjectives, but it has a spooky realism that is just hard to believe.

@pokey77 

Glad to see this thread carrying on with continued sharing of experiences with the excellent Hijiri cables. I have been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride with the Takumi. As I reported earlier in this discussion, I was utterly transfixed by the difference it made on my Boulder 866, but then I auditioned a Linear Tube Audio Ultralinear+, which turns out to be a fanstastic match for my Fyne F704 speakers. At the same time, I bought a Lampizator Baltic 3 and found that I preferred the combination of the Baltic 3 and Ultralinear+ to the Boulder.

Fine, but there was a catch. The LTA integrated does not really seem to care what kind of power cord is on it (a consequence of the David Berning design, I am told). While the Takumi elevated the Boulder to breathtaking levels, it made little to no difference on the LTA. So I relunctantly put it up for sale...which turned out to be premature, I think.

For kicks, I tried it on the Baltic 3, and--boom--the magic was back in a big way. I already had tried excellent cables on the B3, including the Nagomi and a TWL Obsession, and both were terrific. But the Takumi on the DAC has taken my system to an unprecented level of musicality, leaving those two very strong other cables in the dust. Clarity, layering, tone, decay, and impact were all significantly improved with the Takumi on the DAC.

I have had several offers on the Takumi, but I just do not think I am going to be able to sell it after all, barring some other unforeseen twist or turn. The "whoa" factor is back!