As I said earlier I planned to post my thoughts on the Jade cables once I spent sufficient time with them. I find that initially when one compares components, the differences are noticed and if one likes these differences, one becomes pleased and excited. The true test is to later go back and hear the original component and see if what you initially thought still is true. Well, I did this process several times with the cables and now feel comfortable sharing my thoughts with the community.
I have spent some time with various cables and have found that I definitely have my preferences. I chose Purist Venustas, Aqueous Anniversary and Jena Symphony as my preferred cables. This is because to me they sound tonally correct, place things in space correctly, are not thin or bright but not too full or rounded.
I have in my posession both the Gold and Vermeil cables. I have had them for almost two months. They were burned in extensively both on a cooker and in my system. My initial reaction to the Vermeil has changed because its character changed slightly after a hundred hours. Here it is.
I found the Jade Vermeil to be more transparent, dynamic and detailed than my preferred cables. This was not in any "in your face" way. Some cables attempt to throw detail at you at the expense of musical enjoyment. The detail in this case is more a kin to removing a slight haze that was not apparent before.
Next was better separation of individual instruments, massed instruments, and more deliniation of multiple vocals. This was both heard and perceived in space (soundstage). A much greater sense of immediacy and presence was also apparent and improved treble extension and clarity. As for the bass, there was more of a difference than an improvement. The bass was slightly tighter and more defined but less full than the Purist.
As for the Gold, most of what I said above holds true for the comparison of the Gold to the Vermeil but in less so. The improvements were slight but apparent. Where the Gold excelled over the Vermeil was that it is more natural sounding, especially in the midrange and definitely more dynamic. It is also slightly more satisfying at lower volumes and had slightly better pace. I felt more drawn into the music when cabling was the Jade Gold. The Gold is excellent at revealing those subtle nuances that are too often lost. Music simply flows like nothing I have ever heard. Remarkable.
The system is in my opinion very neutral and dynamic. It consists of a Basis 2500, Vector arm, DV XX-2 cart and Tom Evans Groove. EAD T-8000, Bidat and Bitsream Dacs (modded). Lamm L1, Wyetech Topaz and Coincident Total Victory II. Great care was put into placement of the speakers and taming room issues.
This is my first attempt at any sort of review. I tend to dislike a lot of the "audiophile cliches" but I tried to explain as well as I could what I perceived in terms that everyone could appreciate. This is more of a general impression I get from my experience. I used a wide variety of music, (classical, jazz, folk. blues. rock) and this would be a very long boring review had I tried to describe it all.
There you have it.
Chris
