Kubala-Sosna & Meitner Emm Labs Gets my top Vote


Kubala – Sosna Cables “ Gets my Top Vote “
WOW-24 Hours, Burn–In time only

My System:

Meitner-EMM Labs DCC2 + Phillips cdp D.O.M (Truly Amazing ) 10/10
Sistrum SP-101 , under Transport
Neuance Platform, under Meitner DAC
Kubala Emotion cables, all cables (***** Truly Amazing ) 10/10
Omiga Audio AES-EBU, Digital
Walker Velocitor, ( Great Stuff )
Infinity MTS Preludes, 6 Ohms ( working on a change )
Townsend Super Tweeters, (Great Stuff )
Krell FPB-600, ( will be auditioning others )
Sistrum SP 101, under Amp
Apple ipod 40 Gig, 10/10 ( Great Stuff )

Just a quick note for the Meitner–Emm Labs owners, I wanted to share with you,how magical these Cables are,.I am using their Power Cords on both the Philips Transport and the DCC-2 ,it's a match made in heaven, Harmony started the minute I hooked up these 2 Power Cords. Absolutely Stunning. I tried many PC combo and nothing beat the Kubalas. I had to add this paragraph because, these 2 items that I have purchased in the last year, has brought fidelity & harmony to my listening room: The Meitner gear and the Kubala-Sosna cables,The best investment Ive made in 18 years.

I would like to share with you some interesting cable auditions,I have encountered over the past few years. It has been tons of fun with some moments of frustration. Very time consuming, especially when it takes 200-300 hours to burn-in each cable. I’m in it for the pleasure of listening to my favourite music, which consists of Jazz, Classical, Pink Floyd ect.

I’m only offering what’s IMO,and so, some may benefit from what is to be said, and other may be offended. It is not my intention to degrade any cables, as we know that cables can be,very much system dependent.

I have been toying with many different cables, mostly Speaker and interconnects, with later some Power Cords.

A few years ago I bought some Transparent Reference speaker cables,and, was very happy. Then I started to think It would be nice to hear better piano and better sounding strings,( Orchestra)so I tried out some IC’s first thinking that’s where my problem was, I tried some Ridge Street Audio MSE , Pure Note Version 4, Siltech G5 , Meitner’s XLR, and last Valhalla XLR. I found this being lots of fun with some frustrating moments. I kept the Valhalla and did buy some Pure Notes and Ridge Street Audio MSE, IC’s ( Now Sold ).
The Siltech G5 , were not my cup of tea, the Pure Notes Version 4 ,I thought of as baby Valhallas, good for Jazz and Rock but lacking Orchestral music sound, Ridge Street Audio , excellent Jazz , Classical , but a little thin on the bass, loved Robert service’s and attitude, excellent product for the $$$$,keep him in mind.

I’m using the Valhalla’s IC’s and Transparent Reference Speaker cables. Not a bad match, seem to work for me.

So now, I get into some speaker cables, Ridge Street Audio, Supra Sword, Ensemble, Valhalla, Siltech G5.
Ridge Street Audio, somewhat thin for me, I believe that they have a new line out now called Poiema probably worth a try, Supra Swords,best piano I had ever heard but lacking speed, Valhalla,bass thieves, Siltech G5 to thin, not my signature sound.

Well after hours of burning in cables(250+,hours each ) and sitting there getting to know some of my CD’s better wasn’t able to better the Transparent Reference. I still think a good cable, but very expensive.

Until I tried the Jena’s Valkyre, They seemed to have excellent bass extension,the midrange is where these really opened up , I was Sold.
Great stuff but mighty pricey.

After a week or so I called the guy who sold me the Jena Valkyres and asked him, what did he replaced the Valkyres with. I figure he’s got my money. He may share his new cables secret with me. The man says sure , I got the New Kubala –Sosna cables. So I started to thing what he said, and decided to call him back and find out where he got them.

I called Bob at Rhapsody Music & Cinema , really nice guy, friendly he really know his stuff, and best of all,very honest man. So I ordered some cables. http://www.rhapsodynyc.com/

In the mean time I’m trying out my new Elrods Signature 2, latest, on my transport, and was I blown away how good this PC was.

But was it the best.

Back on the Gon reading on the forums again, about witch is best out there, elrod or harmonix,it seemed like there was some controversy where some guys were saying I sold all my Elrod’s and gone with Harmonix, and on the other hand, some guys were saying, sold all my Harmonix and now have all new Elrods, little battle of thoughts going on, so I ordered the latest version of the Harmonix Master PC,and was amazed that the Harmonix was much better in my system.

Now the Kubala–Sosna, show up,

First I put in the speaker cables .

“WOW” again excellent bass extension, much deeper and tighter. Midrange open up even more,very detailed. A very natural sound,uncoloured,almost like the instrument was in the room.
Only 24 hours break in time. (Jena Valkyre SOLD)

I was looking for the best,and the Kubala are now in my system, truly amazing.

Then the Power Cords , I figure ok they got the best speaker cable,lets see what they can do here. Usually these cable companies can make a good speaker cable, and sometimes a good IC ,but what about the Power Cords.

First on the Krell,then on the transport. I couldn’t believe my ears, everything came alive, the most natural sound with all the bass and detail,and then Last but not lease the IC, yes they are superior to my Valhallas,
(Valhalla SOLD), the Kubala’s are much more detailed and offer a much darker background.

I ordered 2 more PC and when they arrived they were also a significant help to the whole sound quality. (Great Synergy)

I couldn’t of ever believed that I could have all the same cabling from the same company. I’m impressed.

IMO the Kubala–Sosna Cables are in the Top 1% of all cables on the market today regardless of price. The good news is they sell @ a fraction of the price of others. They are IMO an incredible value.

I don’t know how they did it, all I can say is give them a try in your system,

“I’ll bet, you will not want to give them back “ They do have several other lines , not shure what there names are.

Emotion Line
Speaker Cables 10/10 : Incredible Value , better than cables, worth $20K

Interconnects XLR 10/10 Best detailed sound & Extremely Dark Background

Power Cords 10/10 I’m amazed, “Absolute State of The Art “, PC

Digital AES-EBU I think Kubala may now have it out now.

I do have an Omiga Audio, AES/EBU Digital cable using between transport and Dac, using 5%-10% of the time , very good UK product, actually all there cabling surpassed Valhalla IC’s, and Elrod and Harmonix PC. But was a notch or 2 below Kubala Emotion Line. Tone, also a great guy, with excellent products.

If you are in the cable search, I believe that Kubala –Sosna is worth trying on there 30 day free trial. The Emotion line is there Top of the Line, and is being sold for a fraction of the prices of some of the cables auditioned here.

If you got any questions on prices or want to audition these Kubala cables ,call Bob , great guy, judge for yourself, the guy is friendly, always there for you, extremely understanding, and I think the most professional guy I have spoke with for awhile, Bob @ rhapsody audio 212- 229-1842
Or look up. http://www.kubala-sosna.com/

I have no vested interest or affiliation with either Kubala- Sosna or Rhapsody Audio, I’m only sharing my thoughts with you, and hopefully you may also enjoy your music better with these cables.

If anyone has these cables, please feel free to share your experiences.

Again I hope this has been useful,as many have been asking me on my other thread about the Kubala’s

Enjoy

macallan25
Phillips cdp D.O.M are you talking about the Meitner transport? about the Sosna IC how much is it for 1 meter balanced cable?
This review is right on the money. At the recent NYC Stereophile Home Entertainment Show I had the opportunity to meet Joe Kubala, and hear the top of the line Kubala-Sosna Emotion wiring in a variety of excellent sounding rooms. So many fine, established, companies would not have entrusted this newer company to maximize their system performance unless Kubala-Sosna was capable of letting them sound great.
Joe Kubala is a fine gentleman, and if any of the dealers here on Audiogon would want to audition this product line, I think they might be surprised how something so good is still available for them to decide to sell in their area. Like Connecticut, hint, hint.
I have not yet heard the more moderately priced items, but there are unique design features in each of the products from this company.
Mejames

Not the new meitner Transport ( I wish ) but I'm using the Philips 1000 with the EMM Labs upgrade.

And on price for the Kubala-Emotion 1 Meter XLR, I think it best to call Bob @ 212-229-1842.

Macallan25 you positively must use the AT&T glass optical connections between your Meitner modified Philips transport and your Meitner dac you haven't been getting the full performance possible by using the AES/EBU connection. see this thread below for more information
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1073325733&openfrom&1&4#1
must use the AT&T glass optical connections between your Meitner modified Philips transport and your Meitner dac

I did not realize there was an option here. When this combination was purchased, were all the pieces for this mode of communication supplied by default? Were the AT&T S/T boards inside the player and the two glass connecting "cables" included in the price? Or was there an option to say one did not want these?

Regards,
Yes I'm using the AT&T Glass Optical 98% of the time sometimes I try the AES/EBU for testing different CD sounds, it is different but interesting.

And yes the Emm labs upgrades the AT&T board & all the AT&T Optical glass cables were included. EMM Labs are very orginized company.

I also ordered the Meitner 1 Meter XLR cable (copper) hand made to use between the DAC and the AMP, it was amazing, for I think $300-$400 not sure now excellent value, now have changed to the Kubala Emotion.
I completely agree with Macallan25's review of the Kubala cables. I've been using the Emotion line exclusively for 2-3 months and its the finest wire I've ever used....bar none.
MichaelWwolff: I have personnaly owned and done lengthy comparisons of the Kubala Emotion cables against both the Nordost Valhalla and Tranparent Reference XL and Reference MM cable sets. This comparison was done on solid state electronics driving Wilson Watt Puppy 7 speakers and tube electronics driving Kharma 3.2FE's. I've also compared them to numerous lower priced cabled that I will not mention here.

I have not heard the Siltech's or Purist's in my system so cannot offer a credible opinion.
I compared the Kubala-Sosna top-of-the-line with Purist Dominus Rev C, running from Atma-Sphere MP-1 to MA 2.2 (mod) driving Kharma 3.2s with Dominus S/Cs. The Dominus was more refined and mellow, with the same dynamic range, equally tight bass, but sweeter and warmer. I listened carefully to see whether there was roll-off at the top, but couldn't detect any. The Kubala was slightly harsh/bright to my ears and in my set-up. I preferred the Dominus as did one other listener.
Springbok10

Which cable did you compare, was it all of them including the PC or just a speaker or interconnect cable. The Power cords do add a great synergy to the system.

When I was doing my audition, I found the Speaker and Power Cords to be an instant winner.
But with different PC in the system it didn't perform as smoothly,nothing harsh or bright.

The synergy happened when all the Kubala PC were in.

Maybe it is one of your power cords that work better with the Purist than the Kubala. I had that happened to me, it was on the transport, didn't know what the problem was until I instaled the last 2 Emotion Power Cords. I was trying to make the best of 3 different type power cords, it was OK but, much better with all the KS- PC

Also are we comparing Apples to Apples, may I ask what the Purist are worth $$$$$? let's say for the speaker cables for examples.

I'm sure if you try the Transparent Opus , they may also be better @ 10 x the price.

Mind you from 1 of the post here, it sounds like the Kubala-Emotions was better than the Transparent Reference MM @ I think $18K

It is very interesting, what you have shared here.
Rcupka, thanks for that information. I was wondering what you had tried previously. Having owned all Transparent Reference XL for several years, I found them to be extremely rolled off at the top frequencies. I would say the Valhalla and Transparent are soemwhat noted for being complete opposites of each other.
I use Pure Note Cerulean now which I feel is just in the middle and great performers. And also a heck of a lot cheaper than the two aforementioned.

Enjoying the music,
Michael
Macallan25, I just tried the interconnects. PCs, S/Cs all kept the same. Direct switch of Purist Dominus 2.5 m XLR for Kubala-Sosna Emotion XLR 2.5 m.
The price differential is approximately 3:2 - Dominus approximately 1.5X price of Kubala.
I would like to thank you all for sharing your experiences with Kubala-Sosna cables!

The time and efforts to explore the performance envelope for any product and share it in this manner helps everyone (audiophiles and manufacturers) appreciate where it fits in the audio marketplace.

Good Listening!!
I will make this review more brief than the comments I posted about five months ago after first receiving my newly purchased Kubala-Sosna cables and interconnects. My system is comprised of a Krell TAS five channel amp and HTS 7.1 preamp/processor, Wadia 301, Lexicon RT-10, Dynaudio Confidence C4 mains, C1 surrounds, and Confidence center channel, and Richard Gray power conditioning. With the exception of my surround channel cables and interconnects (I use the Kubala-Sosna Imagination line for these), I use the Fascination line of cables, interconnects, and power cords throughout the system.

Simply put, they are the most natural, transparent, and musical cables I have ever encountered. I continue to be astonished at the timbral accuracy and life-like imaging/detail they produce. I have heard top of the line cables from Transparent, Audioquest, Nordost, Siltech, Synergistic Research, Nirvana, and Cardas. To my ears, these Kubala-Sosna Fascinations outperform all of them in the most important realms of transparency, life-like weight and realism, soundstaging, and pure musicality. I can only imagine what their top two lines (Emotion and Expression) of cables and interconnects must sound like! Maybe someday I'll be able to make that move, but in the meantime, it is my understanding that through trickle-down technology found in the Fascination line, I am able to enjoy many of the same sonic breakthroughs heard in the top two lines. By the way, if you have not checked out their warranty and trade-up policies, go to their website and take a look. In my experience they are unique and the best in the industry.

I encourage any fellow audiophiles who are interested in Kubala-Sonsa products to audition them and judge for yourselves. If you hear what I hear, you won't be disappointed; indeed, you'll be amazed.
I also own the Fascination speaker, interconnect, and power cables. This was a huge step up for me in price, and the first cables I actually bought new. I have Joseph Audio 25MKII's, a Manley Stingray integrated, and a Sony XA777ES sacd player. I was previously using Cardas Golden Cross all around, and boy, what a difference! Like night and day. Liquid and smooth are the best terms I can come up with to describe the sound. There's a flow to the music that I hadn't heard before.
Recently I replaced my Wasatch speaker cables and interconnects and a couple of my Shunyata power cords with the Kubala Emotion cables and the difference has been tremendous.

I'm currently listening to Avantegarde Duos powered by Wavelength Cardinal amps with a Conrad Johnson 17LS preamp and the BAT V5-SE CD player. The noise level dropped significantly and the sound has much more heft than before. It only took a couple of days for the cables to burn in. I was quite impressed. Bob at Rhapsody Music and Video in NYC recommended them to me and let me try out a pair before purchasing and he was right on the money.
I have gone from Transparent Opus to Nordost Valhallas, and now to the Kubala-Sosna's Emotions and I cannot believe the improvement. Tonal and timbral qualities are vastly improved as is the amazing transparency and gigantic soundstage. These are the most natural sounding cables of all time. Transparency like the Valhallas but with body and bass. My congratulations to Kubala and Sosna.
Thank you all again for the kind comments, and for the positive comparisons to some of the best cables available ...
Yep, the Kubala Emotion ICs are very fine, with extraordinary bass. They left my former Cardas Golden Refs (a good cable) in the dust. I own 2 pairs.
I'm sure the original poster is quite happy with his cables. However, any search of a lot of cable brands either here or on AA will produce the same gushing responses; example: Pursang or Purist Audio.

The manufacturer's WebSite is highly uninformative... 5 PC's, all described the same. No clue on price brackets or connectors. No photos. Nothing to differentiate the various catagories. Same for all the lines, except the top 3, which have a patent pending. In the plus column, is a very user-friendly trial/exchange policy.

And, sadly, here come the shills, excluding the original post, of course. How many can you count in the above posts?
Shasta, I agree with your observation regarding the website. I have interest in learning more about these cables myself but do not see much usefull info on their website. They should at least give you some pricing information.
Yes, and at the risk of sounding like a sock puppet, I'd offer Luminous (non-owner) as an example of an informative cable WebSite, w/o excessive hype. Same for Chimera (owner) and Ven Haus (owner).

I'll cut K-S some slack for being new, but...If I were to consider entering the audio cable market, I'd hit the ground running w/a fully developed Site. Either sell direct, or post a dealer list and skip the call-this-number for dealers in your area aggravation.

Hey, what happened to the Empress cable WebSite?
In response to blakecito's 8/04 comments on the Kubala Sosna Fascination cables, I agree with his very positive comments in detail. I have much less experience with auditioning cables than he does, and in fact have only listened to two others: the old Audioquest Midnight+, and the new Audioquest CV-6 (all double biwired). That having been said, when I put the demo Fascination speaker cables on (the ICs are not Fascinations) the music came alive as never before. So much more of the potential in my system was unlocked. I found myself lining up several CDs to listen to a cut or two, and liked the sound so much I'd just sit there and listen to the whole CD. Specifically impressive were the accuracy, imaging, clarity and depth, and especially the musical tone. The musicality was simply beautiful. They increased my enjoyment of the music by a large amount. So I've ordered some.

I do agree with some of the criticisms of the website, especially the lack of pricing information.

My system is Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers, a Theta Dreadnaught amp (the original, with two 200-watt modules), an Aesthetix Calpypso preamp, and an Ayre CX-7 Evolution (i.e. with the upgrade) CD player, and Augioquest Jaguar ICs.

Again, my cable listening experience is limited, and I suppose it's possible that in the future I may hear something much better for the money. But I'd be very surprised if that were the case. I'd definitely suggest considering these. My question now is, would the next two cables up the line be worth the money. But before that I'd probably replace the ICs with Fascinations. For what it's worth.



Your comments were especially helpful because I have little experience in listening to speaker cables. Thanks again for your good comments. They’ve reinforced my confidence in my purchase decision.
...and to top this off, I already got the results of Kubala vs Poiema. The outcome was a smashing victory of one over the other.

***
It's virtually impossible for an *extruded* cable to beat a properly designed, naturally insulated silver cable...

***
anyone have a price list for the Kubala line interconnects, and speaker wire.
anyone have a price list for the Kubala line interconnects, and speaker wire.

if you have to ask, ask them!

steve
I was at a dance when he caught my eye
Standin' all alone lookin' sad and shy
We began to dance, swaying' to and fro
And soon I knew I'd never let him go

Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna with its magic spell
Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna that he did so well
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
But then it ended up a big romance
Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna
The dance of love

(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(Or the stars above?)
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(Now was it the tune?)
Yeah, yeah, the Kubala–Sosna
(The dance of love)

Now I'm glad to say I'm his bride to be
And we're gonna raise a family
And when our kids ask how it came about
I'm gonna say to them without a doubt

Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna with its magic spell
Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna that he did so well
Oh, it all began with just one little dance
But then it ended up a big romance
Blame it on the Kubala–Sosna
The dance of love

(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(Or the stars above?)
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(Now was it the tune? )
Yeah, yeah, the Kubala–Sosna
(The dance of love)

(Now was it the moon?)
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(Or the stars above ?)
FADE
No, no, the Kubala–Sosna
(With apologies to: "Blame It On The Bossa Nova")
Eydie Gorme
(Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil)
Good one Albert!

PS: I am still looking for my file that has the goof on user names you did a while ago. I know I told you I would send it to you when I saw you in NY, I didn't forget, it's just not as accessible as I thought....
Slipknot, believe it or not, I think it was deleted.

Audiogon wrote me with kind words about it's playful view of Audiogon members names, but I guess it had to go for some reason. Maybe if you ask them they could find it in the archives. I would like to read it again too, I did not save a copy on my computer.
Albert,
I think I DID save it. That's what I'm looking for. (I also switched computers)
Heres the site:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue19/he05nack.htm#top

Can anyone compare the fascination with cardas golden reference? It seems clear that the emotion is easily a better cable than the cgr, but what about the fascination compared to the cgr?

.
Macallan 25..if you can, upgrade the transport to Meitner's ...it makes world of difference.
I think the Cardas golden reference is slightly better than the KS fascination... the KS has a better rhythm and timing, has a more warm and rounded bas and the mids are slightly coloured...the cardas has more depth and space, has more detail and sounds more natural...If you want to improve : go for the KS emotion!
..it's been almost 3 years since you posted...i was wondering if you are still using the k-s 'emotion' cables or have you found something you like better?....as a former 'emotion' owner i did find a cable that, in my system, is much better...just wondering where you are now in your quest?
...all jps 'aluminata' except for prana wire 'cosmsos' speaker cables...i just finished auditioning the 'aluminata' speaker cables against my prana wire 'cosmos' cables and i find the cosmos' more musical with a more rich sound. the 'aluminata' tended to be slightly bright and lean compared to the 'cosmos'. but the jps..especially the pc's are..in my system..much better then the k-s's were...just my experience...