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Review: Ridge Street Audio Poiema Interconnect

Category: Cables



I first heard and wrote a review about the Ridge Street Audio Midnight Silver Edition (MSE) Interconnects and Speaker Cables in May of 2003. This was followed up by a review of the MSE Gen. II Interconnects in August 2003, the MSE Gen. II Speaker Cables in October 2003, the MSE Gen. II Digital Link in December 2003 and the Ridge Street Audio Poiema Speaker Cable in February 2004. Since that time, Robert C. Schult, proprietor/designer, has developed what he considers his most revealing interconnect and speaker cable named Poiema. I have had two pair of the Poiema interconnects in my system for more than two weeks and have been extremely impressed!

I thought the MSE Gen. II interconnects sounded fantastic, I tried to imagine how Robert could improve the sound. Technically speaking, I have no idea what Robert did. However, I can definitely hear what I would call a 10% - 15% improvement in my tube and SS systems when using the Poiema interconnects.

The improvement I heard while using the Poiema interconnects was in the following areas:

1) After carefully listening to my dozen or so audition CDs and a few LPs, I was amazed at the improvement within my system. I noted more bass definition (which was crisper with more focus), additional 3-D imaging left to right as well as front to back, and additional extension and detail as if I was at a live performance.

2) Quieter background, which allows one to hear deeper into the recording. This allows greater details to become more obvious. I noticed richer-sounding and more articulate treble, mids, and astounding bass that I never heard that clearly before.

3) The music sounds even more lifelike, as if I was sitting in the same room with a live presentation. Just as the MSE Gen. II interconnects and speaker cables are extremely smooth, fast, neutral, transparent, and allow one to hear deep within the music and convey the force, speed and robustness of a live performance, the Poiema speaker cables and interconnects do so to a greater extent.

The Poiema interconnects are very well engineered and constructed. They are attractive to look at and are very flexible and lightweight. In addition, they have very easy-to-read, yet non-intrusive, directional arrows and are clearly marked Poiema.

I have owned the interconnects listed below under "Similar products" over the past years and enjoyed them all. Each purchase was made as an upgrade in improved sound to my ears. Obviously, I prefer the sound of the Poiema. The Poiema interconnect are a significant improvement in every area. However, for practical purposes, here are some specific examples:

The Poiema provide a more natural presentation of the higher octaves and timbre as well as clearer details than the Audience Au24, more articulate mids and larger sound stage than the Pure Note Epsilon Reference (I have not heard the most recent Pure Notes interconnect), and better-defined bass and imaging ability than the Cardas Golden Reference. In all case scenarios the entire musical presentation is more "lifelike."

In my opinion, the Poiema will sound great in a good system, but they are not designed to be a coloring device to change the sound of an inferior-sounding system.

In conclusion, I realize that audiophile componentry is system dependent, and what sounds good in one system doesn't always work well in another. In this case, the Poiema interconnects sounded excellent in my tube and solid-state systems, and I highly recommend you give it a try if you're in the market for a new interconnect. I don't think one could lose with a 30-day money-back return policy.

Associated gear
Click to view my Virtual System

Similar products
Cardas Golden Reference IC s and SC.
Maple Shade Clearview IC s
Silver Audio Appassionata IC's and Silver Symphony 48 SC.
Bear Lab Silver Lighting IC and SC.
Granite Audio # 470 IC
Audience Au24 IC and SC
HMS Topline IC and SC (not the brand new ones they came out with recently).
Pure Note Epsilon Reference IC s and S/C.
Midnight Silver Edition Gen. I Interconnects and S/C
Midnight Silver Edition Gen. II Interconnects and S/C
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vvrinc
323 posts
 
KP, I've noticed similar patterns with other manufacturers as well, but although some may be suspect, member, Lak, has written enthusiastically in the past about a large cross-section of cable manufacturers. In fact, it was reading one of his positive assessments of Pure Note cables (a company that when I got into this hobby, I knew very little about) that enthused me into purchasing 3 sets. After 2 years, they are all still in my system.

There has also been (it seems) a significant amount of other members here that have shared his views about Ridge Street products which has lead me to look upon whatever liason between him and RS as purely coincidental. His amount of reviews may have hurt his cause a bit though, because we do live in a cynical world and are cognizant of the manipulation that exists in some business enterprises. But then, I can't belittle enthusiasm and passion in anyone—I sincerely hope that those qualities are what his many posts about RS represent.

A manufacturer without enormous amounts of ready cash to invest in advertising must survive on banner-carriers to a certain extent in order to gain a foothold in this transient business of audio. I know I'll praise Pure Note cables, and have done so quite often, as well as manufacturers (whether large or small) of other gear which has performed well for me.

Concerning manufacturers answering their reviewers: I don't know quite how I feel about that yet. Yes, initially, it struck me as a bit over-the-top (“gee, thanks for telling me I have a nice ass and I thoroughly agree with your conclusion—this thong’s for you”). I've just tried to read the comments of other members concerning the product and to pay very little attention (if any) to (some) manufacturer's bravado that may show up in the midst of a thread. The donnybrook that erupted in the “Indra” thread over Bob Crump's comments (a bit of primal, but harmless, chest-pounding that afflicts some males) really got out of hand and became painful to read. Maybe Audiogon will institute codes to identify “cats and mice” in the future.

(The biggest surprise of this thread–so far–is that no one has yet weighed-in on Viggen's salvo above. IS there an exposé looming in the horizon? Who has the rights to the movie? Who'll be playing Robert from RS?)
killerpiglet
374 posts
 
we do live in a cynical world and are cognizant of the manipulation that exists in some business enterprises

Well, you nailed it. After my post, I surprised myself at what I'd said, as I tend to steer clear of this sort of "consumer advocacy."

My thoughts led me to this:

I find that the community in general (and myself in the specific) is becoming more and more cynical. How many times have we read "the changes were not subtle," "I'd never heard music before?"

And not over gear, but over "accessories" like cables, tweaks, etc.

You'd think by now sound would be transcendental. But no, Version 2.01 is always just around the corner. More clearly transparent, more excitingly dynamic, more revealing of the truth, more excellent. When you have exhausted superlatives, the taken superlatives and multiplied them by other superlatives, where do you go? How much can the language take?

I must admit I have bit of a pet peeve over manufacturers chiming in willy-nilly or coming down on subjective criticisms.

And yet, yes, enthusiasm is so much of this hobby. I often do not join in certain topics, as I'm afraid that saying the something (regardless of any qualifiers) more than occasionally would water down what I say. Now that I think about, most of my discussions regarding audio and the vast majority of my discussions with others regarding music take place over email not on the forums.

“gee, thanks for telling me I have a nice ass and I thoroughly agree with your conclusion—this thong’s for you”
Admit it: visions of Viggen's pebble encrusted strip tease are lingering in your retina.

KP
vvrinc
323 posts
 
KP, the audio marketplace is taking its cues from the political and business worlds. Give it enough spin and you can elect anyone or sell anything. (Sometimes both?)

You've been a bad, bad, very bad little piggy for sharing your Viggenoscopic apparition. I'll be suing for emotional and physical damages as I am now in need of extended psycotherapy and large doses of Retin-A to fix the furrows on my face from laughing my rocks off.

Keep up the good work.
sonic_genius
528 posts
 
I just saw this post and had to respond. Since some folks believe that LAK and I are shills for Pure Note and RSA, the bottom line is these companies are offering fine cables for the money. Try both and decide. In the end the audiophile wins!
sean
6,231 posts
 
Having dealt with Larry aka LAK on a personal basis several times, i would find it hard to believe that he was shilling for this company. My guess is that he's simply sharing his enthusiasm for a product that he thinks works well within the confines of his system. I know others that have listened to the Ridge Streets, both in his system and in another system and they share similar points of view. That is, they really liked the cables and thought that they held up very well in head to head comparisons.

While only God knows what is in Larry's heart, as far as i know, i don't think that he has any vested interest in Ridge Street products. Sean
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