IC for Moon/Revel


Need an advice for ICs. Present system is:
NAD C541i
yet some old-cheapo-Monster-interconnects
Moon i-5
AZ Satori
Revel M20

Both Moon and Revels are quite revealing and on neutral (some cold) side. When I got Satori, I experienced more pleasant bass, and a little (not enough though) softened highs. I want to extend Satoi's effect a little more, especially in regards to highs, which are still a little (I mean a little) too bright. Some warmer sound would be appreciated, but I don't want to sacrifice resolution /details /soundstage for warmth.
dmitrydr

Showing 3 responses by nighthawk

I tried the Van den Hul First Ultimate from the Cable Co. and was not impressed. Tonally not bad, but extremely grainy.

For your application I'd try Cardas Neutral Reference or Audience AU24. Both are basically neutral, but very slightly warm. The AU24 rolls off the highs a little more than the NR. The RCA versions of both of these run about $200-250/meter used. I've found both of these cables very easy to listen to.
Dmitrydr, yes both NR and AU24 can be perceived to lose some details if your system is already on the warm side. If your system is a little bright, however, they might be exactly what you need. It is pretty hard to "soften the highs" as you requested, without cutting the details somewhat. I would say NR preserves the details a little better than AU24. All I can say is try it. I've found you have to try many cables before you can be certain you have the best one for your system.

If you do try Cardas NR, be sure to give it at least two weeks for break-in. It sounds very compressed at first, but opens up over time.

Luminous Audio Synchestra Signature is a copper cable that is extremely neutral and has great soundstaging and low-level details. It won't warm up your sound, though.

Another possibility that might work for you is Kimber KS1030/1130, but it is quite expensive. This is the best IC I've heard. Very tonally neutral, but still lets you hear very low-level things clearly.
Dmitrydr, have you considered that the cheapo Monster Cables you currently are using are probably warming the sound up somewhat? Monster tends to be warmish. If you get a neutral cable like Cardas NR, you may end up with a BRIGHTER sound than you have now.