Lush^2 - Share your configuration experiences

[TJHUB]

I received a 1.5M Lush^2 from a friend to try, so here is my 2 cents:

 

The cable was shipped to me set up as A:B-W-Y-R  B:B-W-R

The cable sounded beyond strange.  Very diffused and smeared sound stage, and just odd after about 24 hours.  So I moved on to what you are calling "PNF."

 

Set up the cable as A:B-W+Y-R  B:B-W

This immediately sounded better.  The imaging was at least what I'd call good, the bass was much more present and punchy, and the treble was fine, but grainy and sort of distorted on some of my test tracks.  So this is where I decided to listen for at least another day; today...

 

Listening today, the treble cleaned up and sounded nice if not maybe too aggressive.  But today's listening wasn't what I'd call great in any way.  This configuration has a hardness in the lower treble/upper midrange area, that when combined with the slightly aggressive treble is just not good for my setup.  The midrange is a bit thin and lacks texture and tone.  The bass is too punchy and comes off as slightly congested with lower bass lacking.  Overall, just not impressive sound.  So time to try something new.

 

Set up the cable as A:B-Y+W-R  B:B-Y

I got this configuration from much earlier in this thread (I haven't made it though but page 9 or so).  I was able to change the cable configuration without unplugging the ends, so I'm not sure where that leaves any needed or warranted break-in.  Regardless, this configuration is a HUGE step in the right direction.    Every test track sounded significantly improved.  Big picture, the treble settled down and has a delicacy to it, but it maintains a nice metallic sound and presence.  The lower treble/upper midrange hardness completely disappeared.  The midrange gained some nice tone and texture that brought a richness back to Cassandra Wilson's vocals.  The bass settled into nicely defined with less of that obnoxious punch and the lower bass was more present.  The imaging further improved and the sound stage was clearly wider.  The overall transparency and realism was greatly improved.  As such, the sense of depth and dimension was also nicely improved.  Basically, everything just sounded very "right."  I was now impressed with the cable.  So why not try something new?

 

Setup of the cable as A:B-R+W-Y  B:B-R

This was even better!  It's like I got more of everything from the previous configuration.  The sense of depth and dimension is fantastic, and imaging was more spacial with singers and instruments having 3D sides to them.  Everything sounds very balanced top to bottom, and tone and texture is also fantastic.  There is a noticeable increase in clarity and micro-detail.  Music just appears as if from nowhere.  Very nice!  So why not try something else?

 

Set the cable back to A:B-W-Y-R  B:B-W-R

So it's obvious that some break-in happened between yesterday and today as this configuration sounds much better.  There's no weirdness to the sound, but the sound stage is still sort of diffused sounding.  Singers and instruments have a place, but it's not a very defined place.  Things are just sort of blended together.  On the good side, there seems to be an interesting change to tone and texture, but it's not really all that much better than my previous configuration.  There is almost no sense of depth and dimension, so this configuration is just awful to me.  There's also some splashiness to the treble that is not good either.

 

So this concludes the newbie's initial impressions.  I'm not sure if the cable will improve with further hours; I hope so.  I'm going back to A:B-R+W-Y  B:B-R to run up the hours before I try anything else.  That said, this is the nicest sounding USB cable I've tried.  I've had a couple versions of Paul Pang USB cables,  Wywires, WireWorld, Curious Cable, and my most recent favorite; a $20 .5M Pangea.  Yes it's true, in my setup, the cheap Pangea is quite impressive.  It has a VERY similar tone to the Lush^2, but is more analog and liquid sounding.  Where it falls short of the Lush^2 so far is detail retrieval, bass definition, imaging, and slightly better sense of depth and dimension likely due to the increase in clarity.  For the record, I used to think the Pangea was awful until I was forced to use a Schitt Eitr SPDIF converter and moved to JPLAY Femto.  Audio is a VERY complicated and strange thing! 

[TJHUB]

10 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

A: B-R & W-Y, B: B-R ...

Yes, I think this is a keeper.

 

Yesterday was my 4th day with this configuration, and I don't recall that even the slightest disturbed me, throughout. Instead somehow again more detail comes forward in everything, while at the same time there is even more palpability. Highs splash very nicely and the older (uncompressed) music comes forward as never before.

Bass roars mysteriously (with the proper music for it, of course).

 

Great stuff, this cable. Haha.

 

 

Peter:  Thanks for trying this configuration.  If nothing else, it's nice to have one's findings validated in this very confusing and highly subjective hobby.  Everyone's system can certainly perform differently, so you can never say any particular component (or setting in this case) will work for all.

 

I had actually not found time to really listen since my last post.  I have been running the PC and DAC as much as possible, but no listening time until yesterday.  It didn't take but a few tracks to find the sound thin and not very engaging.  I was disappointed to say the least.  I thought maybe the cable had finally settled in, and I would need to revisit various configurations.  Then I remembered something.  I changed the configuration at the end of my last listening session!

 

I was reading posts and wondered what would happen if I tried the JSSG360 version of my configuration.  Basically I just changed the B side configuration from B:B-R to B:B-R & W-Y.  I don't remember really hearing all that much of a difference at the end of my listening session, but I did not remember hearing what I was now hearing.  So I swapped it back by just pulling the W and Y wired off the B side.  Boom!  The amazing sound I remembered was back.  I am completely shocked such a seemingly tiny change affects the sound SO much.  Crazy!  

[TJHUB]

1 hour ago, RickyV said:

Tried A: B-R, Y-W B: B-R, Y-W for about 20 seconds but there is something wrong in the mids with that config.

 

Nevermind...

[TJHUB]

Everyone is most welcome for my lucky find.  It is comforting to know this configuration works for more than just my setup.  I wish I had any listening time, but I don't.  I loaned the Lush^2 to another friend, and we have another big fan!

[TJHUB]

43 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

 

We could send you 10 or so more ?

 

Maybe... 😎