Transparent Super MM2 Vs Zen Satori Speaker Cables


Here are some highlights of recent a recent shoot out with the Acoustic Zen Satori Speaker Cables that I have had for years and the new damned expensive Transparent Super MM2 speaker cable.

Of course, the cable left standing is the one that sounded best to me and offered the best combination of detail, bass, midrange warmth, soundstage, dynamics, 3D background, delicate yet open highs, and all of that in my speaker system.

Years ago, I had one of the better equalizers around. I ended up abandoning it because it imparted a digital sheen to the music and robbed some of the natural tonal harmonics typical of a tube stereo system.

My favorite sonic balance for ideal sound with that EQ, was to created what looked like a highly sloped bell curve which rose quickly in the midbass toward a midrange that was pushed forward about 6db above the zero midline. It then sloped down in with a slower slope toward the treble region, which at at the very end of the treble, crossed the zero point midline to about 2db below.

It seems that I have found a speaker cable that does some similar sonic sculpting - without robbing the natural tube richness of the sound and did not induce a digital sheen at all like the EQ did.

The Transparent Super MM2 (latest version) speaker cable has added another level of analog warmth to my stereo system. No it is not perfect. By nature it takes a hint of the shimmer out of the voices, drums, and cymbals, although, not that much. In fact, when I compare the Transparent Super MM2 to the highly rated and prior favorite Acoustic Zen Satori cable, the shimmer that comes with the Satori, also takes on a perceptible cast of slight noise. That is to say, the Transparent Cable has a slightly blacker background, granted because some of the information is taken out of the highs with the Transparent Cable. Yes, I loose a little intonation in the highs with the Transparent Super MM2 over the very open natural sounding (prior favorite) Acoustic Zen Satori with the Transparent cable, yet also loose the slight tin like sheen that comes with it.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Transparent Super MM2 speaker cable and do not hear the overly blunted and dull sound that I heard with the Analysis Plus Oval 9. The highs are still open, just in a way that is more than balanced with a big return in net sound in the bass and midrange.

I really think that almost all components already impart their own sound bias and that you are always dealing with trying to balance and sculpt the sound by combining them. I think that is primarily why you have so many options in equipment and why people, often not realizing that, are often mistaking the sound of a component as superior, when in reality, all the component is really doing is balancing the sound of the stereo system in relation to the other components toward a net sound preferred by the owner. For a system that needs to be opened up a little the Zen Satori may be the best, and for a system that needs to be a little less forward sounding, the Transparent Super MM2 may be the best.

So, I choose the Transparent Ultra MM2 speaker cables as my favorite in my system without denying any sort of neutral audiophile imperative (that never really existed in the first place). My SET amp and stereo system, now sound like I thought it always should with the richness I want and have always been searching to acheive - without loosing much openness and detail. Now that search for the best balanced speaker cable in my system withing budgetary constraints is over.

Of course these transparent Transparent Super MM2 speaker cables, if coupled differently with speakers warmer than my Zu Druid or an amplifier less revealing and warmer yet, might sound dull and terrible. In my system, they are wonderfully synergistic for producing a lovely special rich yet still open sound. I gladly give up that slight extra nuance of treble detail and the tin like noise that came with the Satori (compared to the MM2, you would not notice otherwise), for a warmer bass and midrange and the detailed yet delicate highs that I have now with my much warmer, more analogue sounding system with the Transparent Cable.

I can only justify the expense of the cables in relation to what I have already spent in total and the beautiful transformative sound that they impart to my stereo system overall. I feel the need to think of them as putting my savings on the shelf where I can use them.
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For what it is worth, I feel the Acoustic Zen Satori to still be one of the best speaker cables out there. I feel that comparing them to the Transparent Super MM2, is an apples an oranges proposition. The Acoustic Zen Satori, sound a bit like the very neutral Anti Cables. Anti Cables are little more than commercial magnet wire that you can order on ebay. You can easily make your own by using a dremel tool and removing the outer enamel coating and using bare wire or some nice gold over copper spades (CMC on ebay make budget gold over copper spades which are best, as brass are not as good sounding).

Magnet wire (or its commercial clone anti-cable) is simply pure copper wire meant for transformers which is unique by having a non conductive enamel coating on the exterior which limits oxidization of the outer copper where most of the current flows, allowing for a very revealing and dynamic pure copper speaker cable. The Acoustic Zen Satori in comparison use special geometry and zero crystal copper to achieve a smidge more warmth, and let the music flow in a very open dynamic, warm and revealing way without sounding harsh. To me they are one of the very best speaker cables available.

So too are the Transparent Supper MM2 cables. However, the Transparent MM2 over a different sonic pallet leaning in a warmer direction.

You always get something and loose something along the way. Which of the two cables is best, is really dependent on how it resonates in a synergistic way with your personal preference and the net sonic inclination of your system.

However, in my opinion, they both represent a top tier alternative sounding speaker cable. The better being a matter of system matching and personal preference.
One more addendum, the Analysis Plus Oval 9 is a very nice cable. All I am saying is that in my system, it warmed the sound a little too much. In other words, if the Transparent Super MM2 speaker cable does not seem warm enough to you, the Analysis Plus Oval 9 will provide even more warmth in a rich soncially satisfying way, at half the price.
Just giving others a heads up and being helpful by sharing information. It seems that is what these forums are about and my time is well spent.

A substantial investment in speaker cable like the transparent and the significant impact on my stereo system demanded some serious time and listening. Since people who make speaker cable depend on their sales for their livelyhood, I felt it necessary to clarify what I was saying.

In fact, I have been going back and forth between the two cables, finding that each has much to offer and debating which to keep, the Analysis Plus Transparent MM2 or the Acoustic Zen Satori. Some shimmer and detail in the highs with a reduction in imaging on top is lost with the Transparent, yet the Transparent richens the mids and bass in a lovely way without sounding dull. I am still not totally sure which is best, yet I am leaning toward the Analysis Plus MM2 over the Acoustic Zen Satori. Both are at the pinnacle of the genre of music that they present.

I began my audio journey back in 1995 with Levinson separates and Dunlavy SC-5 speakers. Transparent Ultra we're my cables! Since then I have owned just about every type of cable available including giant killer bargain alternatives to 20k worth of MIT! I have put my latest system together and considered my past misadventures carefully. I chose Transparent Reference Gen 5 balanced interconnects and Ultra spkr cables. I also use Transparent Reference power cords and conditioning products! Why? Because they let the music breathe and come alive with maximum dynamic impact and weight just like live music. Low level detail retrieval is also beyond reproach...by removing the noise in your system the music gains power, definition, presence and accurate tonality!
I also have started using Transparent Super cables in my system. I now have Music Wave Super interconnects MM2 technology balanced that have replaced Synergistic Research Resolution Reference balanced interconnects.

I also changed to the Music Wave Super speaker cables also MM2 technology. They replaced Signal Cables silver reference speaker cable. The change has been very significant. No placebo affect here. Like other owners the first thing I noticed was the silence in the system when playing music. My sound stage has expanded and the bass is tighter than before. The midrange now has a "sweetness and warmth" that was lacking before in my system. It sounded much "harder" in that region before the switch.

I believe some of this is due to the lower noise floor which in turn has brought out much more lower level detail. Very pleased. I still have to change my pre-pro to amplifier connection. Not going to be cheap since I run long balanced interconnects to my amplifiers but worth it to have just one cable brand instead of mixing and matching as before.