I have done thousands of tests with cables in almost 18 years of time. The differences in stage and sound are big. They differ in stage depth and width. Also in how big instruments and voices are projected. Even in stage height there are big differences.
Even in sound the can differ a lot when you compare them. The mid freqencies sound even different. Timing in the low freq. are also an aspect what can differ a lot. Even the blacklevel is different when you compare them.
When you don’t know the properties of cables you will not be able to understand what they do to your set.
The stage and sound of a system is build by all the different properties of each part of your set and the acoustics. When you understand the properties audio becomes more easy to understand why the stage and sound is what you hear.
Audioquest has different properties compared to MIT. Kimber has similar properties compared to Audioquest, but the mid freq are still a bit warmer compared to Audioquest.
MIT and Shunyata own similar properties. The create a wide and deep stage. But within the stage voices and instruments are rather big in proportion. This means the individual focus of instruments is not that sharp.
You need to understand how music sounds in real. I learned at a friends house who owned a small concert room with a Steinway wing how small and direct voices and instruments are in real.
Even in the high freq the differences are big. Audioquest can give you much more details compared to MIT. I have done a lot a comparison between these two brands. Audioquest own more different properties, this makes it more complete and easy to use.
I sold Nordost for over 9 years of time and the properties are a lot different when you compare them with Audioquest or even MIT.
Which one is the best for you depends how good your reference frame is. Start visiting small concerts. Acoustic will be the best advice. When you understand how it sounds in real, it will be more easy to find the properties what will fit the best in your set. |
When you compare the latstest Wild en Wel cables to MIT Oracle, you will hear how big the differences are in details, height, timing and individual focus of instruments and voices. These silver cables can reveal details and also differences in height what the MIT are not even able to reveal. Audio is all about comparing and understanding the properties. Only when you understand the poperties they own ( d.n.a. of a cable) you know what they do in your system. Each part of a system; speaker, cables, source, amp, pre amp, conditioners own different properties how they build a stage and also own their sound. I work differently because I am addicted to music and audio since I was 6. I work and think by Tru-Fi. This means that my focus is the sound I want to hear and create. Tru-Fi is how music sounds in real. https://www.facebook.com/bobby.kingma/media_set?set=a.10156554423700083.1073741937.588405082&typ...https://www.facebook.com/bobby.kingma/media_set?set=a.10156573228780083.1073741942.588405082&typ...When you build an audio system by properties each system will be more complete and will own more emotion. The emotion is inside the music, you need an audio-system what can reveal all the parts which create the emotion of the music. When I audtion sets of new clients, shows, shops and at distributers all these sets have one thing in common. They are all incomplete, they always miss parts of Tru-Fi. They way people create their set by comparing part by part is a very ineffective way of selecting an audio set. I have proven for many years that focusing on Tru-Fi will outperform any set what is created by they way most people select their audio system. Because when I ask a simple question; When you change your speaker by a new speaker you would like to hear. Which properties you take out and which you will bring in? They don't know. Then it is not possible to understand how the sound and image is build of your system. When a system owns all different parts which are needed for Tru-Fi you will create an addictive and emotional sound. People use their set a lot more and longer in time compared to how long and often they used it in the past. At the end the quality and emotion of a set will decide the succes of it. |
You need to understand that the properties in sound and image differ a lot between MIT and Audioquest.
Beside this silver cables like Wild and Wel are a lot differrent compared to the Oracle copper cables.
In the last 6 years I sold a lot Audioquest to MIT owners. To be honest it was easy to choose for the Audioquest. They did win easily. The main reason is that they are more complete.
In Europe MIT is not that popular anymore. How is it in the US these days? |
The Sky was one of the weakest cables Audioquest had in the silver range. The balance of the cable was not right.
The current cables are a lot better ballanced. The new techniques who uses more airtubes make them a lot better.
You cannot compare MIT with Transparent because they have a totally different kind of individual focus of instruments and voices.
The only thing they have in common is that they both only use copper and they are rather forgiving in the mid and high frequencies.
Audioquest is not harsh or clean. People forget that the overal sound is based on all the properties of all the parts in your set and the acoustics.
I work by Tru-Fi, and all my clients have a very involving and emotional sound. I use Audioquest the most, I am dealer of Kimber, Purist Audio and Audioquest. Audioquest is the brand I use most.
You need to be aware of the image and sound properties of each part of your set to understand why the sound and image is what you hear.
Most people don’t even know this, this makes audio a big guess in what you do. The emotion is in the music. You need to understand what the properties are when you listen to live music. Beside this you need to understand how the emotion of people work when you listen to music.
The biggest limitation of audio is when you miss essential parts which are needed to create the emotion of music. That is why I work by Tru-Fi.
When you build a system by Tru-Fi you always can outperform sets of others based on emotion and intensity. Because these sets are often incomplete and that is why the emotional feeling and intensity during listening is a lot less.
All people choose for an involving and emotional sound. I never met people who prefer a clinical set.
There are different parts who influence the emotion of people. You need to use these parts in your set to get the best result.
When you build a system what owns all the parts which are deeded for a maximum emotional experience you get an addictive sound.
This makes music like a full meltdown. And the addiction to listen for hours on and on.
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I give you an example. A client of mine owned: Wilson Audio Sasha, Audio Research 75SE, Wadia 381 and Spectral pre amp. He owned several MIT Oracle cables. He also tried the Momentum stereo poweramp.
He only plays classical music and visits classical live concerts. He missed many things and I visited him. I understood directly what he misses. This was based on many things what was not there or not fit in the right way.
These limitations in his set are based on the properties of all the different parts in his set togheter. |
It depends when people make remarks what doesn’t make sense.
Audio is all about properties. You need to understand them to use it the right way. This also counts for MIT.
The best cables also depends on how you use them. Because cable brands own a different sound, but also a different sound stage.
You cannot use MIT in each system. Listen to real acoustic music. You will find out that instruments and voices are a lot smaller and direct in real.
In the past and even these days many systems at shows with MIT are not able to give the right proportions. This has nothing to do with taste, but with facts.
That is why people should listen to real music. I can garantee you that this will influence your perspective about music and audio a lot. |
First of all I don’t hate MIT. I sold it for over 6 years of time and I even owned it. The world is already full of hate.
I didn’t say that you should not or never use it. This would be the biggest bullshit. I only said; you need to understand how MIT builds the stage and sound.
Because they only use copper, it will never sound harsh. But beside the sound each cable brand owns it’s properties in how the stage is being build.
When you compared many brands like I did in almost 18 years of time you know how big differences are in stage, individual focus, resolution. diversity in sound, differences in height, timing and dynamics.
This is why you need to understand the properties first before you can use them the right way.
For example in the beginning of 2002 I started to test powercabels. At that time MIT was one of the best in powercables. I was iterested in the properties they added to my set at that time.
I really don’t care what the name of a brand is. For me only the properties are important. They can add or change what you would like.
Audio is all about comparing and testing, this way you learn how the properties in sound and stage are. When you use more different brands you often add more properties to your set.
I started to do blind shootouts with different brands in cables. People preferd it all the time compared to the same set with cables of one brand.
It is my personal opinion that MIT is often used the wrong way. When you are more aware of how music sounds and instruments are projected you will get a different perspective.
I use live music by how I want an audio system to sound like. So I collect properties to create this sound. It makes audio so much more effective. |
Maybe english is not my first language. With my knowledge and insight in audio I have proven over and over again that it outperforms any other way audio is being used. Sound quality never lies.
The best and most convincing sound always will win, it is that simple!! |
Send me a message, I don’t think people would like to see advice about Audioquest overhere. And they are right.
I always thought that audio is all about personal preference. Until a client of mine said: you proved that Tru-Fi can overrule personal preference.
He is right for a part, but I still think personal preference also depends on the reference frame people have.
Beside personal preference you still can add properties into each system. These properties influence each person by emotion. This is how I use audio. I outperfrom other companies in audio by a more complete and involving sound.
A sound what is more deverse and complete will always be prefered by any other sound what is incomplete. Almost all sets I auditioned in shops, shows and new clients were incomplete. We are not taking about missing one part, often many parts.
By asking a simple question to these people gave me and also them a clear answer.
When I ask people even those who work in audio for a long time the following question: can you tell me the properties of the speaker you sell. And can you tell me the properties of a particular speaker?
They say; I can’t. Then it is difficult to understand how the stage and sound is being build of your set. You need to know it form each part of your system. They said I think you are right.
So I made the remark; then audio is a big guess? It is not about the question if I am right. People need to understand that they way they create a set is very ineffective.
This is the main reason why all the highend sets I visited in 18 years of time often sound limited and incomplete. This is based on the fact that people are not aware of the properties of each part.
It is almost impossible to create a stunning and addictive sound. Because when a set owns all the parts which can be created the sound will become addictive and involving.
Because music is all about emotion. You need a set what is able to show you all the emotion it owns.
The emotion is inside the music. |
It is quite easy to explain: I only sell a 3 dimensional intimate and papable image. I use all the parts what influences the emotion of people.
Audio is comparing, first I explain how I work and what my sound is. After this you give a demo with the people their own music. After this I send them to many other shops as possible. Because I want audio to be as open as possible.
Then they come back, often you hear the stories about how low the other demos are. Most sets in audioshops are always 2 dimensional. These are facts again.
In all shootouts I did ( hundreds now) between 2 and 3 dimensional sound each person chooses for 3 dimensional sound. This is only a part of Tru-Fi. But an important part for how music influences our emotion. I never met any person who prefers a 2 dimensional sound.
I n 2007 I started to use all the parts which are important for highend in the mid price range as well. This has become very succesful. |
You don't understand what I mean. First of all it is not about recommendation.
I sell a sound, this means that the parts in a set builds the sound what I want to create, The sound is the main thing.
I am only interested in properties what each part owns. For example I use the properties Audioquest can give. This way it is a different way of using audio.
I prefer Audioquest and Purist Audio over most other brands because I use their blacklevel for my sound. They both are exeptional in individual focus of instruments and voices. The same about differences in height of voices and instruments.
I compare many brands all the time. But I focus on all the properties you judge sound for. With speakers, amps and sources I do the same.
But at the end I have a more complete sound with a lot more emotion. It makes audio a lot more effective. Each part o your set owns properties and togheter they create the sound and stage you hear at home.
When you understand the properties you can use audio so much more effective. |
Most speakers and even amps and sources are very limited in building stage depth and width. Even when a cable is exeptional in this part, it is not able to use this property it owns.
That is why you need to know the properties of your speaker, amp and source before you can choose the brand of cables.
I give you an example: I have test and done many shootouts with cables. Also between MIT against Audioquest and Purist Audio. Most people who use audio as a hobby are often not able to listen to all different parts you judge audio for at the same time.
So what I do is using a number they know well and take one part you judge sound for at the time. This makes audio a lot more easy to understand for people who use it as a hobby.
Purist Audio powercables are one of the best in the world. They outperfrom any powercable of MIT. I have proven this over and over again. The are more open in the mid freq. than any other brand. They have the best blacklevel you can create with a powercable.
Beside the deep and wide stage, instruments and voices become more palpable.
When I compared the MIT interconnects with the Audioquest Wild and Wel, it became clear that the Audioquest can reveal more details and have a much sharper and individual focus of instruments and voices.
Beside this you could hear a better separation in depth and also more diversity in heights as well. There was one part we prefered of the MIT Oracles. It was more pleasant in the mid freq. But.......this I can adapt very easily with other parts of a set.
At the end the Audioquest and Purist Audio are more complete and more precise.
The Wel and Wild both revelaed more decay and more space around instruments and voices compared to MIT Oracle.
Instruments and voices become more intimate compared to MIT. This part influences our emotion also a lot. There are different parts what influences the emotion of us.
That is why I use all the different parts what music can own. |
The problem in audio is that at shows, shops, distributers and at clients sets are incomplete all the time. This has nothing to do with personal taste.
What is missing is not there. These parts are essential for the emotion of music. That is why I use different kind of numbers to explain to people what each part does with your emotion.
Another example; Last years I was in Munic at the Highend show. Most sets were 2 dimensional. This is the quality of audio what people can create these days.
In Munic I asked the people who gave demos if they could tell me the name of an artist? Often they didn’t know. Audio is not about music anymore, but only about selling.
Even when you ask simple questions they can’t answer it
anymore. In 2015 I met many people who were screwed by other shops. Over 10 years audio will be a lot smaller than today.
People who work in audio lost their connection with music and also the passion for audio. This is a sad thing to see. Last year I talked to a person from England and he had the same experience as I have.
How is the knowledge in audio in the US compared to the past? |
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha......I piss my pants!! |
When we go to audio shows we always have a lot of fun. They don't take audio serious ( people who give demos), so we don't take them serious as well.
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And still people make the same mistakes over and over again. If you read exactly what I wrote, you know that it is not about a brand.
You still want to compare AQ against MIT. First you need to understand the properties before it makes sense to buy a brand.
People create their set by buying brands and parts. But when I ask a simple question to all these people: can you describe all the different properties of all the parts in your set?
The answer is: No.
This means that it is a big guess how the sound and stage is created. That is why I have done thousands of tests since 1998 by finding out all the different properties of each part.
This makes audio so much more effective. At the end you always will have a more complete sound with a lot more emotion. I can garantee you that every single person will choose this. I have proven this for many years now.
Colorado is as cable what is out of production for 2 years now. You need the latest cables. Because the new cables use the technique of the latest Wel.
Even the ’new’ Water is more precise than the ’old’ Colorado.
If you use AQ the right way, it will give you more different properties to use. But....the problem in audio is that people don’t know the properties, so they will not be able to use them all.
The latest Wel Signature is the best interconnect I have tested in almost 18 years of time in many aspects. The big difference with the best Oracle cables is that silver is better in timing but also reveals details which are not there with the Oracle.
With intimate acoustic recordings you also hear the big difference in ’blacklevel’ There is more space around voices and instruments and they are better papable as well.
I never auditoned any interconnect what is able to let you hear such an accurate difference in height of instruments and voices. This also effects the harmonics of 2 or more voices togheter. The latest Wild interconnect was the first interconnect were I noticed this part.
The Wel goes a lot further in this part. The Wel also let you hear more reverb details and the space of a room compared to the Oracle cables of MIT.
When you compare the individual focus of instruments and voices between the latest Wel Signature and Oracle cables the differences are huge. The presence of voices and instruments is with the Wel so much sharper and stand more loose from eachother.
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I didn't say that cables who are older are not good. The new ones use techniques what has some big advantages over the older ones.
At this moment the biggest way to loose accurate tone and timbre is using a separate DAC with USB. Even the people who developed separate dacs for brands agree this part.
At shows this mistake is made over and over again. There is almost no diversity in the middle frequencies.
Most sets sounds clean without any emotion. This is based on the fact that by using USB you loose diversity in the middle freq.
In 2015 I had contact with a few technical people who develope DACS. They said; USB is not a good choice for audio. And you never will get a clean transport of 0/1. This is what you can audition very easily.
This is the main reason why many Highend owners still use a CD player!
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A well balanced system is based on focussing on all parts in a set. In 2015 we did a lot of research in electricity and smog. Even in these parts we made big improvements in sound.
Only when you are aware of all the different properties each part of your set owns you are able to use them.
Insight in properties of cables is important as well. You need to understand why the stage and sound of your set is what you hear. |
When you know the properties of each part in your set, you will understabd why the sound and stage is what you hear.
This makes audio a lot more easy to understand. Most people change a part and don’t know the properties of the part they change. And even don’t know the properties of the older part.
Then audio always will be a big guess. When you bring in those parts which are missing, each set will be more complete. And will sound better.
Audio is all about testing and comparing all the time. And doing this over and over again. This way you collect information about the differences between all the parts. And which properties they own.
When you are aware of the properties of each part of a set, it is much easier to create a more balanced set.
This set will outperform any set which is incomplete. This has nothing to do with personal tatst, but with facts.
Because each set what owns all parts what influence the human emotion is prefered by each single person.
That is why I give a demo and send these clients to listen to other sets. They always come back with the same information....over and over again.
When you are not aware of the properties of each part your set is in almost all situations incomplete. For me it is very easy to explain this to people.
Just by using their well known music and focussing on 1 part you judge sound for. Just part for part. Then it becomes very clear for each person.
I understand that this is a different approach to audio. But I can and have proven that this is far more effective than the 'old fashion' way of creating an audio set! |
Thanks Dave. If we all would be the same, it would be very boring here at Audiogon.
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Thanks Jafant, greetings Bo |
To be honest I think it is time audio becomes more open and transparent. This is the only way people will get more value for money.
Beside this new a new perspective and techniques can give many people a much higher result in sound and emotional intensity during listening.
At the end it is not about taking things for yourself, but giving them to others |
The big advantage with Cardas and the older ones especially you never can go wrong.
In the past I visited different people with Wilson Audio speakers. Many played with Krell amps and preamps. They played best with Transparent.
Because the speakers and amps needed these cables tot get the control over the mid and high frequencies. Even with Kimber cables the overall sound was less compared to Transparent.
At that time I sold a lot of Nordost. Even in the Wilson Audio with Krell sets you got a much faster and controlled low freq. And even more details in the high frequencies. But......the lack and loss of the involving middle frequencies was unacceptable. So Transparent was the best choice.
But I wanted to let them look further. I hope you understand that you loose in the low and high frequencies details which are there. When you use different amps and speakers you would not have these limitations. That is why you can create a superior endresult when you know all the properties. You can think 3-4 steps further to make decisions earlier.
People often test and buy cables at the end. And use it for tuning. I use it as a part of the whole set. This way they even become more important. I gave shootouts to make people understand that you can create a much higher endresult when you use a much better cable. Even with less expensive amps and sources.
When you know the properties of amps and sources as well, you also will understand ealier which cable brand you can use.
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