Hi,
Just adding to the positive experiences of others, many of whom I know from another forum and respect. I am very impressed with the new QSAL Discovery Veridion series cables. For me, probably the best bang for the buck cables. I have decided to optimize my network first which QSAL and others recommend too.
I had been contemplating QSA products and then some of the earlier series (Ultimatum etc.) from QSAL but many were either more than I was willing to spend or completely out of my budget. A few of my friends have bought and continue to use and praise these so I was intrigued.
I finally started with a QSAL DC umbilical cable (male to female). I would have preferred a female to female version for my particular application but for the price and with a 30-day money back guarantee, I thought why not. I was also sent a PC to try. First went in the DC umbilical on an iFi Elite PS for the switch that feeds the audio system and home theatre. I was shocked at the improvement. With the home theatre (my cable box is IPTV), better colour saturation and increased picture quality, especially text, was the first thing I noticed. In the hifi system, suddenly there was a real presence, a sense of realism, that I didn't even know was missing. Thinking back, I may have heard this before in much more expensive systems but it's so rare, it's like a unicorn. Adding the PC to the same iFi, just amplified this effect. With the hifi, typical hifi qualities improved including imaging and soundstage, bass, etc. For the price, hard to believe. And this is perhaps the first time I thought streaming was as good if not better than locally stored music.
Then I read that I should be prioritizing upstream, meaning the cable modem and router etc. I was going to wait until next year but then a BF offer came up. So I ordered a coax (for wall to cable modem), ethernet (modem to router), and a DC umbilical and PC for another iFi Elite that powers the Ubiquity 2.5gb switch which feeds the whole house. Unfortunately, my router only has 1 x 2.5gb port out but I need one for my computer and to feed the other parts of the house so require the extra switch right after the router.
I was quickly sent an email from QSAL that some of the ethernet cables were found to be defective which would affect performance. Another would be shipped to me next week. So along with the great price and performance, comes amazing service.
So the other cables went in and this was revolutionary instead of evolutionary. Bass lines were much easier to follow and the bass had tightened. Major increase in imaging and soundstage. Even more so that feeling that you're in the room with the artists wherever that may be. It's quite extraordinary and spooky as sound effects are coming from seemingly out of nowhere now. I was already getting a hint of this with some server software updates, but the QSAL further amplified the effect. Classical music really seems to benefit and a friend seems to think it's even broader, any acoustic music.
With the home theatre, suddenly faces have depth. It's hinting at a 3D effect, which was a fad with TVs, but this is quite evident on close-up faces and scenery. Picture quality again has taken a leap forward.
As QSAL likes to say, this particular line of cables helps to bring out the best in your system. And I really believe that's what I'm seeing and hearing. I'm fortunate to have the level of audio gear that I currently own and I was quite happy with it. But with the QSAL Discovery Veridion cables, I think I'm hearing its full potential for the first time.
I was also sent an HDMI cable to try so will post impressions of that once the other cables burn in a bit more. They do take quite a few hours to settle in, but the initial improvement is noticeable within a few hours.
