you got it VD. I hopefully will have the sytem up and running next week.

Outlaw Audio 1070
Denon FVD 3930CI
Alon 2 Mk2 loudspeakers
HSU VTF-2 Mk2 sub
Ascend 340C (classic) center
M-Audio Revolution 7.1 sound card from PC into the 1070 via a 35 foot digital coax

Future: PS2 hooked in via Outlaw PDO
Ascend HTM-200 Rears
Explorer 4250HD tuner

My comparison with components to cables from the same timeframe was to highlight that you couldn't gauge how things sounded until you auditioned at home and that the many nuances that seperated the sonic qualities of gear were not captured in the specs' themselves.

As to cable burn-in, I'd have to see if I can find some technical basis for how that works. All I can relate is from my own and others' personal experiences, but I've noticed that doesn't seem to resonante with many people around here. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I do know many of the cable manufacturers advise a break in period and there are several so called "cable cookers" out there that consumers and manufacturers can and do use to expedite the process.

Lastly, if CR's were based on listening tests, I stand corrected. I can only tell you that the folks that walked in with one of those mags' tucked under their arm were challneging customers. Once they made up their mind on a product that had one of those red dots next to it, they weren't receptive to trying anything else.

I hear you Videodrome. I know that all silver IC's can be harsh and too revealing. I will compare the Signal Cable Silver resolution (has Bullet RCA) with the Outlaw PCA (locking RCA) for the stereo outputs from the Denon to the 1070. I will have to let the Silver cables butn in for no less than 50 hours befor I can beging to judge them. Should they be fine, I will hear more air and the instruments with be in their own sound space.

Including those things you mentioned, you may hear a variety of improvements: On vocals, the head of the person may appear smaller and instruments more precisely placed in the soundstage as things tighten up. You may also get more front-to-back depth. Lastly, things may appear less veiled. You'll know what I mean if and when you hear this, because it's like someone removed a thin gauze blanket off the top of the music.

Lastly, though silver [i]can[i/] sound bright, it doesn't always, depending upon how it works with your system. If your components are already on the harsh/bright side, it can exacerbate the problem. But in many cases, it just extends the highs in a smoother way. So paradoxically, you can get more extension on the top end, but without the brittle edges.

That very things happended when I upgraded my Monster M1 speaker cables to the DH Labs T-14 (the T-14s are sliver coated OFC). The M1s had a reputation of being rolled off, which they were, but they also had a glare in the upper-midrange that disappeared with the T-14s.

The other phenomenon that has happened since upgrading my cables is that a few recordings I thought were bright or harsh really weren't, they just sounded that way because of the glare problem with the older Monster product. That's one of the reasons why it's interesting to see what happens when you throw in a CD you've found fatiguing to listen to.

You've got quality speakers, so I think the tools are there to reveal one way or another what's going on between the cables. I've good things about the Alons. How do you like the II's? The only ones I've read about are the Lil' Rascals, which seem to have a cult following.

VD,

I will let you know. I am hoping to get two channel, plus sub working next week. A buddy is helping me build shelves into the wall.

I thought I would quickly add some experience I've recently been through. I have purchased .5 meter versions of some different cables and listened, then sent them off to a colleague for him to do the same.

I had him report back his experiences without telling him mine, so as to not as little influence as possible. A couple of months passed between my tests and his. We tested a solid silver cable made by CatCables (SilverCats with Rhodium RCAs), a Copper cable also by Cat (BlueTigers with Gold RCAs), and a set of PCAs. I also tested some Monster 350i, and he tried some Hosa (cheap pro cable), and some ixos cable.

Quick and dirty, we both preferred the silver Cat cables the best. Personally I thought the difference between them and the copper Cat cables were extremely subtle, so much though that I easily could have been making it up. In my colleagues opinion the worst was the ixos, which isn't surprising as it was dirt cheap and questionable to start with. We also both agreed (and I'm prepared to get some angry responses to this) that the Outlaws were on the bottom of the list as well. For me the Outlaws also did worse than the Monster, which are also double shielded, but they were pretty close overall.

Why did we have these results? Our first guess, and we have done no further testing thus far, is that all the cables we liked the least are fully shielded, and in the case of the Outlaws, double shielded.

Our favorite, the Silvercats are not shielded, I'm not sure about the copper Cats, but if they are shielded it is not fully shielded (just copper strand, not braided, etc). Very likely we prefer the non-shielded cable due to the difference in capacitance affects.

Obviously if either of us tested in areas with significant RF issues that may have changed our opinions!

Personally I like the build quality, look, and service I have received from Cat so far. After getting the test samples I was impressed enough from the build/look that I ordered several of their cables to redo much of my system when I installed my 1070. If I needed to get more analog connects, I would probably go with the BlueTiger series (their cheapest copper, and what we tested), unless I magically had a huge pile of extra cash to go silver, then it would be the Silvercats.

For those looking into bias, I really, really, wanted the PCAs to come out on top, as they are 1/2 the cost of the Cats, and significantly less cost than the SilverCats.

These are just my experiences, opinions, and guesses. So please take with a grain of salt, and understand that different people hear different things.

We also decided that depending on what equipment you have Silver may be a waste as some equipment just isn't putting out a signal nice enough for Silver to even make any difference, and in some other equipment it brings out harshness, that even in small amounts, can be unpleasant.

For those curious about that, yes I find the 1070 to be deserving, if you can justify the cost.

The Silver Resolution IC's have arrived along with the subwoofer cable, both with Eichman bullet RCA's. I am hopeful to get the fronts and sub up on Friday afternoon/evening.

More to come.....

We'll be looking forward to the full report!

Similarly, I enjoyed reading Shawn Parr's comments about his A/B comparisons between cables. I'm glad to see some first-hand reports from the field beginning to crop up on this thread.

Hello,

I am stil breaking in the Silver Resolution ICs with the bullet RCA plugs. I had to use a hair dryer on the HOT setting to heat up the end to get the plugs on the components.

My Denon 3930CI (see my posting the 1070 Forum) sounds like crap when using the CD input on the 1070. After speaking with Steve, I change the inputs to the 7.1 DVDm placed the toggle switch all the way up, hid DVD on the remote then the 7.1 button.

Just a change as simple as that has made world of diffence so far.

More to come.

Liz

Wow. I've never heard of connectors being so difficult to get on. Were they Eichmanns?

Be careful when you remove them, I remember we sold a brand of ICs (Distech, I believe) that fit so snugly, some people ripped the metal sheathing off the RCA inputs when they pulled them off their components. Not an issue if the RCA inputs are solid metal (like Tiffancy, etc.) but if the are metal-sheathed plastic, try rocking them a bit before pulling back.