Lush^2 - Share your configuration experiences

[yellowblue]

I got curious and tried your third configuration and started with it (after 80 hours burn in). You should call it "the music is everywhere". This is pretty crazy! I listen with my Utopia headphones and the soundstage grew enormously, especially the height of the soundstage (which I always found the Utopias weakness). I needed half an hour to get used to it but I like it very much. Is it a realistic soundstage? I don´t know yet. I have to evaluate more. But this is really fun.

[elcorso]

3 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

OK, justified ...

 

 

This (above) is the standard JSSG configuration. What I recall of it, is that this sounds "better" than the Lush^1.

The nomenclature of this would be : 

 

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

Connector A : Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield) and Yellow connected to Red (Middle shield connected to Outer shield, both not connected to connector).

Connector B : Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield) and Yellow connected to Red (Middle shield connected to Outer shield, both not connected to connector).

 

 

 

This (above) is the one I went for, for a week or so. It is way better and super special (in my system !). I call it the Electric Butterfly configuration (it sounds like that over here). Dynamic Range is enormous.

 

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

Connector A : Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield) and Yellow connected to Red (Middle shield connected to Outer shield, both not connected to connector).

Connector B: Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield), Middle and Outer shield open at this end.

 

 

 

This (above) I am using for 4 days now, and it is so much different from whatever I ever heard, that I am contemplating almost continuously to change it, ... which I can't because it is too intriguing. 

 

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

Connector A: Black Connected to White Connected to Yellow connected to Red (all shields connect to the connector)

Connector B: Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield), Middle and Outer shield open at this end.

 

What I wrote about this config on the Phasure forum :

 

Well ... This is the fourth day that I am listening to this, always thinking it is wrong somewhere. But is it ? My initial impression is that it makes all too low on volume. Second thinking learns that again more dynamic range is at play. But it is not about this ... I have a continuous feeling that things play inside out for phase, or whatever it is exactly. And talking about a version of spooky ... this is now Twin Peaks sound in most of the tracks which lend themselves to that somewhat. I just played Roger Waters - Is this the Life we really want, from of track 06. All Twin Peaks stuff. And was it that before ? not that I recall. What I recognize with this config as well, is that the tone/frequency has a musicality. It is not as stable as I know it from familiar tracks. As if vibrato is added (not flanger). Very strange because I wouldn't know how that would work. Albums which, again, lend themselves for it, sound like 20 minute Edgar Froese tracks from ancient history. I never play them any more because it is always the same. So how come that a. such tracks now start to sound like that and b. it only intrigues ? Yesterday I played Neil Young's Zuma and Cortez The Killer never sounded so emotional (of Young) like this time. It was the very very best version of it I heard ever, and I play this for something like more than 45 years, maybe once per 2-3 months. I am serious. So why is it wrong ? I don't know ! But is seems to me and my ears that at times all fades away to too few of most (only leaving one profound sound of melody). Help ? Why is this the 4th day with this without the slightest idea of wanting to try the next config ?

And in a later post :

 

I forgot to mention something from the Zuma album and Cortez The Killer (or Danger Bird because I played that too) : talking guitars. I came at this right after I posted yesterday because I heard it again in an other song and we discussed it over here. So a guitar can talk to you (intentionally through its player) mostly via the wah-wah pedal; without it it can also be done to some extent. So all the "wah" ever so much comes forward suddenly. Try The Yes Album - Yours is No Disgrace and you have it almost throughout (if the lead guitar plays). The wah is a (fairly fast) change of pitch but also a change of clarity, mostly from dark to light (so to speak). Wait ... : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah-wah_pedal Maybe someone can make something of this. I will read it myself, later. I so much recall that the Neil Young track(s) suddenly were addressed to me and were loaded with an other dimension of data towards me, only because the play of the guitar was this other/new messenger. What I was also listening for yesterday, after posting, was whether this now again was another level of "analogue". Thus, more into that again. I didn't want to listen for that, but at some stage it happened that I heard it and from then on I started watching it. Right now (during this typing) I come to that again because of recalling distinctly that guitar speaking (to you) from a way long time ago. Thus, a fairly normal thing but it just has disappeared from my music playback. So, was that LP perhaps ? (and I am not talking about one with the hole not in the middle, that also changing pitch ... hmm ... ).

PS: What I also intended to write yesterday, with the Roger Waters album, is that it now suddenly was "ultimate psychedelic". Thus, while I find Roger Waters too much playing the sounds from the past (and for that it not being really new music) the added sauce now suddenly was Obscured By Clouds psychedelia in Twin Peaks format. Really a whole new level of presentation but so much of it, that I can't imagine that the shield of a cable is doing this. Let's not forget, this "wah" presentation is only since the latest configuration of the Lush^2. It has a directly connected inner shield and a middle and outer shield that connect at the source (PC) to the inner shield, while these two are left open at the other end. Hmm ...

 

 

I hope this helps and not confuses. I really can't tell at this moment (yet) whether anything of this will appear at random different systems. Please also see this in the context of me talking to mainly XXHighEnd users over there, that piece of software for various reasons sounding different to begin with. But with the Lush^1 it worked too, so maybe ...

Anyway, if possible, please confirm or debunk my description(s). If understandable at all, of course.

 

Peter

 

 

Hi Peter et all,

 

I'm now on >120 of burn-in (the Lush^2 not me !).

 

I still like more your second choice.  There is no boundaries in the soundstage, limited only by the recording itself.  The bass is correct as never, the mids are natural and lovely and HF clean as it should be. The level of silence (absence of noise) is as my place ambience noise is: Nothing, zero...  

Here is attached picture (form your post) to avoid errors:

 

 

 

 

Regarding your third suggestion I found it intriguing too, but closer to a binural recording, that I don't totally like  because I don't use headphones...

 

I like to add that in the burn-in processes (continuously playing music) I need to stop, more or less each 40 hours, shutting down the computer and disconnecting the USB cable for 2 hours or so, in order to establish the previous SQ.  I don't know is some kind of static built up (or capacitance "disorder") form the USB cable, or the USB chain: PC -> Lush -> DAC ???

 

For your information, my digital chain: Mac Pro Desktop 2013 (Out of thread but I find it much less noisier than the Mini) -> Lush^2 -> Holo Audio Spring DAC v3.x

Playing all PCM to DSD256 by Audirvana + 3.x

Playing DSD as the original music track is.  I mention this because A+ do not upsample DSD and if I play a 64fs track it will be played in 64 (not 256). The initial not clean enough HF (on DSD64) I noticed in my previous post went out after the Lush^2 burn-in.

 

My humble opinion, based on taste and gear,

 

Roch

 

 

[Lobbster]

9 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

I just received my Lush^2 today. 

 

You call this pic JSSG, isn't it the same as "All in Serial Mode" on the diagram?

 

The Default is shown as White to the red dot, and Black next to it with jumpers on the remaining 2 pairs. Mine came with the White/Black reversed at both ends (Black to red dot & White next to it), is this the same result?

 

I'll start with the way I received it, but is there any suggestions what is best configuration during initial burn in?

 

This should be interesting....

[fas42]

8 hours ago, yellowblue said:

I got curious and tried your third configuration and started with it (after 80 hours burn in). You should call it "the music is everywhere". This is pretty crazy! I listen with my Utopia headphones and the soundstage grew enormously, especially the height of the soundstage (which I always found the Utopias weakness). I needed half an hour to get used to it but I like it very much. Is it a realistic soundstage? I don´t know yet. I have to evaluate more. But this is really fun.

 

Yep. The "the music is everywhere" experience ...

 

It is "realistic soundstage" - it's the natural outcome of evolving a rig, especially with speakers, to the point where significant distortions are lowered in level enough for a full illusion, matching what the microphones picked up, to manifest.

 

Anything of a lower standard than this doesn't 'trick' the brain into unraveling the information it's fed well enough for a BIg Sound presentation to occur.

[PeterSt]

5 hours ago, Lobbster said:

You call this pic JSSG, isn't it the same as "All in Serial Mode" on the diagram?

 

Oh wow, you are right !!  Not smart ! I didn't even make a photo of the JSSG config, I now see.

I recall that "all serial" sounded strange. Muffled. Hardly any highs (and with way too much bass, which is almost the same as "hardly highs").

Btw, the "nomenclature" I put to that photo (A: B-W & Y-R, B: B-W & Y-R) sure belongs to the JSSG config.

 

5 hours ago, Lobbster said:

Mine came with the White/Black reversed at both ends (Black to red dot & White next to it), is this the same result?

 

Yes, result is exactly the same. I suppose that once you know how it works with the connections, you don't bother really what is where, because, well, it doesn't matter. Convenient for first understanding it is not.

 

5 hours ago, Lobbster said:

is there any suggestions what is best configuration during initial burn in?

 

Elsewhere I told that I suppose that the "all serial" would be the best for burn in, as all the current - if any  - will through each of the shields and it won't be spread equally over the three shields (or less shields because you don't connect them).

Otoh there could be the danger that electrons flow in an opposite direction of what you will actually use later. So what's special about this connection is that you force the electrons to flow in opposite direction for the middle shield.

 

 

... And I only now notice that there are obviously already 3 base permutations for the "all serial"; you can start with the Inner shield like you see here, but you can also start with the Middle shield or the Outer shield. But why not start with the Inner shield like you see here, while the return is not over the Middle shield but over the Outer shield and then back again towards the B connector over the Middle shield. So already 6 permutations for "all serial" ?

Unless, of course, you start to disconnect from the connectors. Then it's 24 (A floating, B floating, both floating and thus all connected). And I probably make a mistake because I already can't put the correct photo for the base JSSG.

[BigAlMc]

After a one week adventure/ordeal involving UPS delivering to my previous address, the concierge there and a dim-witted estate agent that took it upon himself to place the package in an unoccupied apartment (seriously WTF!!) I finally have in my possession two 70cm Lush^2 cables ?

 

Thanks to Peter for all his help battling with UPS (who lied and signed for the delivery on behalf of the concierge at my previous apartment despite having dumped it in the hallway ?). Great service there Peter and appreciated.

 

Anyway early days but 30 mins ago I replaced the Sablon going from TX-USBUltra to my DAC. First impressions are positive and the immediate thought was the soundstage sounded more 3D. I guess this is what others are referring to as better separation of instruments etc.

 

I then replaced the Lush original going from my Zenith SE into the TX-USBUltra. Can't say I noticed much of a change here. Certainly nothing like the first one.

 

Will let them burn-in for a couple days and hopefully do some critical listening and testing at the weekend.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

Ok after a mighty 6 hours burn in - Peter what have you done to my system?! It sounds all muddled and all over the place. Is this the normal burn in experience?

 

I have both configured as the All In Serial Mode option for burn in purposes.

 

Its hard to describe but the soundstage is big but the instruments are drunk and bumping into each other!

 

I'll assume burn in as was VERY promising out of the box.

 

Peter - probably an impossible question but for the Lush gluttony prone like myself with two in a chain (in and out of a USB reclocker) any thoughts on whether having both cables configured the same theoretically beats having two different configs?

 

Thanks,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

On 8/27/2018 at 4:12 PM, yellowblue said:

I got curious and tried your third configuration and started with it (after 80 hours burn in). You should call it "the music is everywhere". This is pretty crazy! I listen with my Utopia headphones and the soundstage grew enormously, especially the height of the soundstage (which I always found the Utopias weakness). I needed half an hour to get used to it but I like it very much. Is it a realistic soundstage? I don´t know yet. I have to evaluate more. But this is really fun.

 

Hey @yellowblue

 

By third do you mean Only Outer to A on the spec sheet?

 

And have you settled on this or another config?

 

Call me lazy (cause, you know, I'm lazy!) but I kinda just want someone to tell me the best config. Can see the old nervosa driving me batshit otherwise ?

 

Cheers,

Alan

[yellowblue]

@BigAlMc it was this configuration 

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

Connector A: Black Connected to White Connected to Yellow connected to Red (all shields connect to the connector)

Connector B: Black connected to White (Connector connected to Inner shield), Middle and Outer shield open at this end.

The third configuration Peter was describing when he showed pictures of three differnt configurations. 

 

It is worldclass with my Utopia-headphones - but I miss some sparkle with my HE-1000. I am sure that more burn in will do wonders. After 10 hours the Lush^2 sounded worse for me than with 0 hours, but things will begin to change after 20 hours.

[yellowblue]

Here is the picture (always easier to understand)

[PeterSt]

17 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

I have both configured as the All In Serial Mode option for burn in purposes.

 

... But then better not listen to that. I recall that (All Serial) didn't stay for 30 minutes.

 

Burn-in, I think, is quite serious.

 

19 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

Peter - probably an impossible question but for the Lush gluttony prone like myself with two in a chain (in and out of a USB reclocker) any thoughts on whether having both cables configured the same theoretically beats having two different configs?

 

No, I don't think so. The normal Lush already changed position (by maybe everyone) in such a chain because of burn-in. This, IMO (!) can indicate that the shielding is relative to the device behind it and the device in front of it - the device in itself being a unique matter for behavior. 

My advice ? start with your Lush^1 at its original position and from there work out the Lush^2. Done with that ? (say in a month of time with the help of more people who now also start receiving their ^2's) then change position of the both (^1 en ^2) and try to determine the difference and how to now set up the ^2 at the other end to make it sound the best again.

Now configure your 2nd ^2 as the other one in its respective place and sit tight until that one has burnt in. Or maybe assemble that in some dummy system to let it do that.

 

Anyway, it seems clear that the serial config is not going to cut it. Add to that what I told before : it could even be plain wrong to let it burn in like that because later you will be changing the "electrons direction" of at least one shield (assumed a current flows to it).

 

Glad that the delivery finally worked out !

Peter

[yellowblue]

My observations with the third "the music is everywhere" configuration (or could we say Q-sound-configuration?):

The craziest thing of all is that my Utopias now have a larger soundstage than my Hifiman HE-1000 wheras  the HE-1000 normally are regarded to have a much bigger soundstage. But the Utopias are able to render the signal (through the Lush^2)  in a way that sounds kind of binaural with instruments rendered spooky real and far out on the right or left side (in a way Sony did with its Q-recording process - as in Roger Waters - Amused to death). Even the seperation of instruments/voice in the soundstages depth is phenomenal, but only through the Utopias (and even through my Omega Alnico monitors). The HE-1000 has a wide soundstage but never reaches the extreme levels and the variation of the "Q-soundstage" of the Utopia.

 

Maybe I even though will try other configurations with the Lush^2 in the future. Only the Utopias work for me with that configuration (and I don´t regard the soundstage to be artificial with them, just spooky real). The tonality of my Audeze i4 and the HE-1000 has changed in a way that I like far less, also because of their muddier bass.

[BigAlMc]

2 hours ago, yellowblue said:

@BigAlMc it was this configuration 

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

Connector A: Black Connected to White Connected to Yellow connected to Red (all shields connect to the connector)

 

2 hours ago, yellowblue said:

After 10 hours the Lush^2 sounded worse for me than with 0 hours, but things will begin to change after 20 hours.

 

Thanks mate. Both of those reassure me.

 

I'll leave it to burn in for a couple days and then play around with the next config.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

15 hours ago, yellowblue said:

Here is the picture (always easier to understand)

 

 

Impatience got the better of me and I've ditched optimal burn-in in favour of optimal (hopefully!) set-up.

 

The SQ was less muddled already but still odd.

 

I implemented this config on both cables and resumed play. There's still a bit of muddle / smear - dunno what to call it. There's something odd going on with the bass. But there is just something very compelling about the soundstage. Will let it play for a few days and then see how it compares to the Sablon & Lush original. 

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

[PeterSt]

18 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

There's still a bit of muddle / smear - dunno what to call it.

 

Alan, maybe you missed it, but for me too the config you are currently trying is an odd one. But maybe I am as compelled to "something" to let it stay, which is unusual for me because I normally should ditch something sounding like this right away. But it attracts.

 

Generally, if you don't like a config, hop over to the next (but indeed, after some burn-in). I skipped 3 others wight away just the same, but it was three only (among which the All Serial). Out of 3 others. So 50% chance for me, the one but last at least normally sounding, but temping to try a next one (the one you are using).

Just don't stay around too long with one when you don't like it. It would be good if we all would perceive the exact same, but I don't think this can be done. And headphones might be a great exception - or a world within itself ?

 

Peter

 

 

[BigAlMc]

Hi Peter,

 

What config do you think is the best so far?

 

I was just aware of the posts saying the All Serial wasn't great so figured why stay on it. I'm working from home today so will have music playing all day when I'm not on the phone. Figured I may as well test the suggestion kindly provided by @yellowblue.

 

It's definitely an improvement.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[simonp]

I use a USPCB adapter before and after the iso regen. I also had homemade usb cables wich where very nice but the USPCB had more detail. 

Does anyone replaced a USPCB by a Lush cable and in what way did this improve?

[d_elm]

17 minutes ago, simonp said:

I use a USPCB adapter before and after the iso regen. I also had homemade usb cables wich where very nice but the USPCB had more detail. 

Does anyone replaced a USPCB by a Lush cable and in what way did this improve?

I ran a microRendu into an Ayre Codex with USPCB.  Changing to Lush^1 gave me the same detail but easier to listen to.  I now use the Lush^1 with JSSG360 between a SOtM tx-usbhubex and a Meitner MA-1 V2.

[simonp]

oke thanks. Maybee a should try a JSSG360 USPCB first. But I would like to try the Lush.

[PeterSt]

I posted this on the Phasure forum (if you think it is too long, skip down to the last part with the config mentioned in bold :

 

Day before yesterday I thought to change my as of then config A: B-W-Y-W, B: B-W because no matter how greatly surprising it could be at times, I felt it had to be "wrong" but also and merely, the highs were a that too smeared for my liking. I mean, I know of better situations (regardless Lush^2) with the highs, and then also the conig prior to the just mentioned did that, but too much of it (too white). So in I went with a fairly random but "just another" A: A: B-W & Y-R, B: B-W-Y-R. Thus at the source (A) Inner connected to connector, and at the target (B) all connected to the connector. Well ... No. Maybe I am wrong. but from the few similar permutations I tried, I recall that everything which connects at the target end but not on the source end, is odd for sound. Thus, something like : what is connected at the target's end but is not at the source end, kind of literally backfires towards the source end. Mind you, this is a line of thinking I adopt now, hoping for some logical reasoning. The sound of this is super short and super dry and possibly it could have something, weren't it that the basses become unrecognizable of it and the highs show raspiness (like interrupted 200 times per second). My notes (and you should keep notes too !!) tell that there's also a whole lacking "lower highs" area. And oh, it is the first time on this forum that I am compelled to talk about "lower highs" (whereever that exactly is). Then a next one came in soon, A: A: B-R, B: B-R. Aha, look, you can see that I now start to think from mere logic reasoning. Thus, instead of working with the Inner connected to the connector(s) I now thought to for a first time use an other - the Outer. Thus, at both ends the Outer connected to the Connector and that's all. It showed. This should be the most similar to the original Lush, at least to my ears and remembrance. Maybe a tad less special than what I heard from my original Lush, and/but for me outside of the Mach III Audio PC (but I am using the Mach III). Anyway, better than the proposed and supposedly theoretically best Lush^1 resemblance - using the Inner to connect to both connectors. Theoretically because nothing much physically changed to the Lush^1 now, except for all the additional layers of Shield and Isolation. After hearing this - nothing wrong with this and people should start out with this (read : we should ship the Lush^2 with this, perhaps), I can reason that the setup of the cable could resemble the Lush^1 because the Outermost shield is the one which is connected. So indeed, for the Lush^1 this would be true too (because there is only one shield it would be the Outermost, right ?). I listened to this config for the next two hours, before the say was over. My idea about it : nothing wrong with it, but most certainly also nothing special with it. Then yesterday came. Long before the playback session of the evening I had already written down a new A: A: B-Y & W-R, B: B-Y & W-R. And with this, I forced nyself to find configs "with reason". And well, this one is about the thought of balance, and how the Middle shield connects to the both connectors, that shield in itself protected by and surrounded with the two other shields. The "protected by" is quite explicit, because if those two, Inner and Outer would also connect to the connectors, it wouldn't be protective (in my electrical view and thinking). Thus, both the Inner and Outer shields just open ended at both sides, BUT connected to each other and thus not to the Middle shield. And really, at the first hit (I am serious !) you can hear it is right. This one, so far, has it all. It shows superb bass which also sings (see earlier post). It has highs which are "normal", but which somehow manage to squeeze out even more detail all over (read : actually continuously and not only "occasionally"). All, really all contains new sounds while at the same time music as such is playing (this latter is THE task). The electric butterflies are there, meaning that the spookiness is all over there again, but this time never in a way that you'd think : right, nice, but this has to be wrong. What is completely new is what I think exactly lacked at the first config I wrote about in this post : an area of lower highs which now is profound. It makes electric guitars show a super steadiness, opposed to flanger (hopefully it is clear what I mean here). It is also the area where leannes could happen - as I now learned. Something like : if there's a profound top end but right under that there's a relative nothing, we might experience this as lean. Make that the other way around and the sound becomes full, with as key the top end still being there as much as before (or otherwise the stuffed ears feeling becomes profound). Somehow this config not only comes across as correct all over and balanced all over (which would be the same thing) but also as technically behaving consistently over the whole (audible) frequency range. This in itself would be the same as "balanced" but this latter is only the expression of the behavior (and how we perceive it). Thus, while this shielding is somehow attacking frequency areas, this config attacks all areas similarly, or, does not inluence them similarly (this is about what actually is the culprit in there - which we or at least I don't know yet). If there is one thing that could be improved upon - after my observation of 3-4 hours of listening to this - it is mentioned now more profound lower highs. I mean, I like that very much, but the toilet test shows that exactly these frequencies are heard best being in the toilet, behind two closed doors down the road. I will listen to this for several days now (unless something starts to annoy) and for those who like to experiment faster than me, my next one undoubtedly will be this one : A: A: B-Y & W-R, B: W-R. This disconnected the Middle from the target (B) connector and leave it open. The "protection" of the other two shields remain as they were. Peter

 

If possible, let me know your thoughts, because we could be seeking for behavior which expresses the same with everybody. On that matter I also mentioned the not-at-all working config (beginning of post).

 

 

 

 

 

[BigAlMc]

1 hour ago, PeterSt said:

Then yesterday came. Long before the playback session of the evening I had already written down a new A: A: B-Y & W-R, B: B-Y & W-R. And with this, I forced nyself to find configs "with reason"

 

Hi Peter,

 

Any chance of a picture?

 

Thanks,

Alan

[PeterSt]

44 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

Any chance of a picture?

 

Hi Alan - no time for a picture (must rush); At both ends of the cable, of the 6 pin connector, put the pair like B-Y on the first two pins and W-R on the 5th and 6th pin (the last two pins).

You can put the jumper in the middle for protecting pin 3 & 4 from "shortcutting" to anything (but the connection the jumper will make does nothing).

 

Kind regards,

Peter

 

[BigAlMc]

4 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

Hi Alan - no time for a picture (must rush); At both ends of the cable, of the 6 pin connector, put the pair like B-Y on the first two pins and W-R on the 5th and 6th pin (the last two pins).

You can put the jumper in the middle for protecting pin 3 & 4 from "shortcutting" to anything (but the connection the jumper will make does nothing).

 

Kind regards,

Peter

 

 

Thanks Peter,

 

I'll give it a go.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

So I spent some time this morning doing some critical listening and tried to compare the Sablon to the Lush^2.

 

For those not familiar with the Sablon there are threads on CA and WBF where users gush over how amazing it is. It's VERY good and it displaced the highly acclaimed Curious cable in my system. 

 

I lined up a few trusty tracks on Roon and played up to 60 seconds before swapping the cables, the Lush^2 and the Sablon, and then playing the same 60 seconds of the track.

 

The obvious question is which is better? Well, I honestly don't know that I could say one is 'better'. They are definitely very different but I suspect some folks would prefer one and others would prefer the other.

 

The Sablon is very analytical and very accurate. There's a great sense of control.

 

The Lush^2 is slightly grainier and has slightly more life where the Sablon was more analytical. Slightly more texture but perhaps at the loss of some of the accuracy the Sablon conveyed. 

 

BUT. It then dawned me that my methodology was totally flawed. ?

 

My setup has two USB cables. One from Server to TX-USBUltra, and one from TX-USBUltra to DAC. I was swapping the last cable from TX-USBUltra to DAC for comparison purposes. But that meant I still had a Lush^2 is the chain from Server to TX-USBUltra. Therefore how could I reasonable compare the Sablon to the Lush when there was still Lushness in the chain.

 

So I fished the Curious cable out of the storage box of odds and ends and replaced the Lush^2 between Server and DAC. This was done solely so that I could compare the Lush^2 and the Sablon without any upstream Lush contribution but whoaa! I wasn't expecting such a significant change.

 

The Curious has a reputation for having a large soundstage that I've heard described as forward to the point of being brash. The Curious into the TX-USBUltra with it's large brash soundstage and the Lush^2 going into the DAC with it's better bass, separation of instruments/voices and more 3D soundstage is something special (in my system at least!).

 

I repeated the listening tests with swapping the Lush^2 and the Sablon with similar but more obvious results. The Sablon very clear and very analytical. The Lush^2 just more musical and more compelling to my ears anyway.

 

I tried putting the Sablon between the Server and TX-USBUltra with the Lush^2 then into the DAC. This sounded very good but there was a crackling sound that occurred on two separate tracks that I know as well recorded. Like the static on a record player. I swapped the Curious back in and the crackling stopped and it sounded great again.

 

I then asked my girlfriend for her second opinion because whilst she could not care less about cables she does have good ears. I played the Lush^2 first (without telling her) and then went onto the Sablon. She was immediately intrigued as she said straight away they were very different. I repeated the same order with a different track and then asked her to describe each (still without telling her which one was the new cable).

 

She described the Sablon as slightly louder and more clear.

 

She described the Lush^2 as having much better bass and having different tones for the instruments where the other one seemed more like everything had the same tone.

 

So once again she nailed it!

 

I asked which she preferred and she asked me to play both again. I did so and she picked the Lush.

 

In summary when Peter announced the Lush^2 I ordered two as I wanted to get as much JSSG360 shielding protection as possible into my system. But this testing led me to stumble upon a completely unexpected find that the Lush^2 and Curious cable seem to have a great synergy in my system. On paper I'd have expected the Sablon & Lush^2 to be a better combo but aside from that crackling the Curious edged it.

 

I'm going to have to play around more, especially as I try other Lush^2 configs, so I don't think this matter is settled at all. But the Curious and Lush^2 tag team are kicking ass currently!

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

The above got a bit long but I realise now I neglected to mention the other comparison I did. Lush^2 versus the original Lush. The Lush^2 sounds more 'lushier' than the Lush. That same added musicality, smear, texture that we've known and loved with the original Lush but just more so. Obviously the Lush^2 config might well impact that with other configs changing the distance between the two.

 

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@BigAIMc, in my system the Lush^2 wasn´t fully burnt in until 150 hours. Did you try Peter´s last configuration A: A: B-Y & W-R, B: B-Y & W-R? If so, would you mind to take a picture (as Peter is so busy).