Curious Cables Configiurations Connections and Conversations (about)...

[HumanMedia]

My impressions of a 40cm CC?

 

First some context. I am a USB bottom feeder - I have only really experienced 'low end' USB cables (Wireworld Ultraviolet, Chord SilverPlus, Kimber CU with ferrites removed, Supra). So the Curious was a step up in price and expected performance. I have had it for three weeks and it is still unexpectedly changing subtly with burn-in. The change is that the good effects are more pronounced.

 

Good points are an unbeatable mid range - strong, clear with great soundstage and fantastic harmonics.

 

Negative points are that it sounds like the midrange is pushed too much. There is definite roll off in the highs and deep lows. At first the CC cable seems to clean up the top end. My previous favourite, the lowly Supra has far more air on the top end and much more linear bass down to 30hz. (I have 12" woofers) But the Supra has a more crunchy lower treble. Or that's what I thought. After swapping them around a few times, the Curious is just as crunchy in texture but the whole upper treble is diminished so much that the crunchy treble is just pushed out of 'sight' and the listening focus moves to that rich midrange. Then the bass. The CC bass sounds good on smaller speakers, but seems to have a push from 90-130hz. Below 80hz seems diminished, or does it seems that way because it's elevated around 100hz?

 

Anyway cycling through the cables above there is almost no standout winner for me, and each has its good and bad points. Wish I could have a combination of the Supra extension with the Curious mid range. All In My Opinion of course.

 

Of course for other people's musical tastes and requirements it might be the perfect cable.

[HumanMedia]

Just to clarify my conclusion (I was on the train and 30 minutes expired so I couldn't edit my post). I didn't mean to imply that all of those budget cables were equal (eg the Ultraviolet is a non contender) only that each of the cables had good and bad points that the others didn't. Even that bottom of the range Kimber has a great harmonic mid range second only to the Curious!, only the Kimber is more murky and plodding.

 

Also note that I do have a Regen, but I am also in the minority who find it inferior to a direct connection.

[HumanMedia]

one and a half: very interesting your initial comments since no single media reviewer or myself had those immediate disappointed results but I would still be interested in your comments after the recommended burn in period.

 

I had exactly the same experience as "one and s half" just one page back. It's like I had changed my speakers to single driver speakers. Great clean midrange but roll off below 80hz and upper frequencies. Didn't get any better frequency wise after 4 weeks. It was almost a relief to back to a Supra and get lows back and air in the high frequencies.

 

I'm thinking that the data lines need to be thinner, lowering the inductance and evening the midrange.

[HumanMedia]

Another couple of points, the Curious does considerably boost mid-bass 100-130hz, it's just below 80hz it is lacking. On another forum a physicist using the moniker 'Johnny Neutron' talked about increasing the gauge of power cables and analog interconnects (thus increasing the inductance) as being a major contributer to differences in cables in the 100-130hz range. And that exactly what I hear in the curious. Thus I am guessing that reducing the gauge might make the Curious more balanced in sound, to these ears in my system at least.

 

Another observation I have never noticed before is cable 'warm up'. Swapping the different USB cables around I noticed that cables with months of burn-in that are out of use for a few weeks weeks still needed two hours of use before they sounded normal. This was so consistent in the cables I tested that I always let the system play for a couple of hours before evaluating them.

[HumanMedia]

Richard: Excellent points. This is getting very weird like 3am after hour clubs.

Human Media: What exact system to do you have perhaps it's not quite audiophile grade level to appreciate?

But your harsh criticism which is fine certainly doesn't match the experts..

 

HumanMedia system:

* Transport is a LAN connected modified Squeezebox Touch (full complement of low ESR caps, replaced oscillators and timing board (for SPDIF output).

* DAC is a Chord 2Qute

* Preamp is a Modwright 36.5, factory modded to take EML 5u4g (takes the amp to a new level IMO)

* Power amps are Channel Island D-200mkII

* Speakers are Spendor SP-100

 

Linear power supplies for any component which needs DC, including an Uptone JS-2 supply for the DAC. No switching supplies on any of these circuits.

 

DAC supply is on a separate circuit on an an isolating transformer, power amps and transport are on separate passively filtered circuits (x-caps with snubber resistors)

[HumanMedia]

Nice system.

What about cables and power cords?

Interconnects

Speaker cables: VHAudio Chela with WBT Spades (beat every AudioQuest I borrowed from a dealer including an $1800 Transparent)

DAC to preamp: VHAudio Spectrum Cu single ended (with Eichman bullets, sounded better than WBT!?)

Preamp to Power: VHAudio Symmetry Balanced with Furutech XLRs

 

Power

Wall sockets - a mix of Oyaide and Furutech

Balancing transformer - rewired with VHAudio Flavor 2

Linear supplies - a range of shielded and unshield VHAudio Flavour 2 with a variety of Hubbell, Acrolink and Chinese red copper plugs and IECs

Power Amps - there is an unexpected synergy with the Channel Islands amps and the Pangea AC-9 cords. They are too cloudy on other components but ironically bring delicacy and clarity to the Channel Islands. They replaced much more expensive Black Sands cables.

 

Back to the Curious. I completely understand if my experience is a system synergy thing. 1.5db lift in the frequency range of one component might never be an issue, but coupled with another component with 1.5db lift in the same place may make the combo unlistenable. If matched with other components they might be completely fine. And I always felt that the Chord 2Qute had a midrange emphasis. So maybe 2Qute and Curious are too much together?

 

Rob is going to check out my CC 40cm for issues as my findings don't sound right to him. So maybe it's something else. Or maybe just a synergy thing.