any experience with kimber select cables and revel?

thesaint519 November 16, 2005 20:56

I haven't heard the Frey in my system yet, though I expect to within the next month or so. When I heard the Nordost demo at RMAF, I thought the Frey seemed to be the best deal in the line. To my ears, the jump from Heimdall to Frey ($200ish jump for interconnects) was much bigger than Frey to Tyr ($1000ish jump), and this was confirmed by one other person I've heard from. I expect the Frey to be much better than Valkyrja, and Valkyrja would have been a huge upgrade from the SPM and QF for me.

Right now I'm trying to decide between keeping the King Cobra V2 on my Capitole, or switching to the Python VX. I have both here right now, but haven't had a whole lot of time for comparisons yet. My initial impression is that the KC has more weight and body, but may be a bit euphonic... the Python, on the other hand, is more open, maybe a little faster, maybe a little more detailed, but at this point kind of feels like it's a little light... I think that's just because I've been listening to the King cobra for about 6 months in this system.

steve01s4 November 15, 2005 06:49

Did you ever get the frey cables? If so, how do they compare to the SPM/QF combo? I'm dying to know as I am interested in sampling them for my system.

thesaint519 November 05, 2005 15:54

Hal123:

Thanks for the advice on cables. I'll keep my eyes oen for those, especially the VDH. I'm still leaning towards the new Nordost stuff It seems that it will be the best short term solution for me, based on what I've heard. As long as they're better than the Quattro Fil and SPM I'll be happy for long enough to get my analog setup started. Having heard them compared to Valkyrja in the Nordost demo at RMAF05, I think that's a pretty safe bet. If everything goes according to schedule, I should be adding a line stage next Spring. I need to take care of cables and a rack first. For the rack, I'll definitely be using a Rix Rax, and fine tuning it with HRS products. IMO, there's not a rack made that is in the same league, visually, as the Rix. As for their sound, they're very well built and provide a solid platform for any vibration control. I can visualize the rack I'm going to have built already, and it will be worth every penny.

Elberoth2:

I've heard a fully burned in SE, but not in my system. I'm pretty happy with the current state of the player, and if I upgrade I'll probably just make the jump to a Prestige or the emmLabs stuff. I almost purchased an SE isntead of the player I bought, but I decided I didn't have any need for analog inputs at the time (oops). I hadn't heard any reports on the sound quality yet, so I thought it best to assume it would be the same and just make my decision based on the features.

steve01s4 November 03, 2005 15:03

Steve,

I belive that Golebe Marketing is putting the same caps in their SE upgrade pack, together with cryoed tubes and some dampers. It is a little bit more expensive at $700, but you will not loose the warranty.

My player is now completly burned in, and sounds nothing short of stunning.

elberoth2 October 26, 2005 01:42

Steve, I have revel studios too. I am driving them with KR enterprises VT250 solid state (200watts/channel), I too drive my studios with cd player without a preamp; I am using levinson 39. I tried numerous cables like
For speakers: Transparent-ultra bicable, Siltech-38, VDH-SCS2, Nirvana-SL-X, Musical Fidelity-Nu Vista.
First of all didn't tried Valhalla but I am quite familiar about the sound of Nordost Cables that I liked lot. But let me say that there is one cable that is very interesting that is VDH-SCS2; maybe it's hard to find in states VDH brand but if you find it give it a try. It definately opens everything; bass comes more thight and definitive, mids comes more real and uppers more detailed than ever, but most of all soundstage, more depth and wide and even layers are audible in full spectrum. It's a quite expensive cable and really stiff; here cost 1500USD/mt. (you should use the same for negatives). I appreciate if you give me an info if you tried preamp into the line. I have more experinece also on interconnects, that is another story.
Happy listenings

hal123 October 25, 2005 12:56

Elberoth -

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm hesitant to mod te player, especially since it's still under warranty. If the upgrade is really significant, though, I may have to consider doing it next year.

steve01s4 October 23, 2005 09:13

Steve - yu have to replace the Hovland caps in your Captole with teflon V-Caps, as I did. They put the Capitole in another league. The mod costed me $150 ($80 for 2 caps, and 70 for the labour by local technican; it takes about 30 min to replace them).

elberoth2 October 22, 2005 16:07

Islandear,

Thanks for your compliment. I didn't have the chance to compare the 1.1s and 2.1s. My dealer only had the 2.1s, and they're definitely good enough for me. If I had to replace these, I'd most likely go with 1.2s, but the 2.1s sound so good that they're the last thing on my list to upgrade.

steve01s4 October 22, 2005 15:43

Steve, what an attractive system. I'm assuming you went with the Lamm 2.1s for the extra power. Did you audition the 1.1s - or the 1.2s - in your system? Like to hear the system, digital or analog...enjoy!

islandear October 20, 2005 17:57

I've decided to make some changes in the direction I'm taking the system recently. When I got this whole thing started, I was going to stick with digital... it seemed to make more sense at the time. The only problem with that is that I've listened to some good analog since then. I'm now planning on devoting my resources to moving towards adding a turntable as soon as possible. Rather than go with Valhalla/Indra/Anaconda or whatever top end cable is out there, I'm going to go for some more reasonably priced stuff... most likely the new Nordost Frey with Shunyata Pythons to get me by. Next step is a rack, then preamp(s), then finally a turntable. It should be an interesting journey.

steve01s4 October 19, 2005 21:16

When it comes to cables, I have tried them all in my system. Hands down, the winner IMO for everything--interconnects, speaker cable and AC power cords is Nordost Valhalla. Forget about Shunyata and try the Valhalla power cords as well. They will bring your system to the top of the mountain.

Have a look at mine

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1049587927&read&3&4&

oneobgyn August 21, 2005 07:16

Thesaint519,

I haven't heard Valhalla in my system yet, only comparisons at my dealer's so far. Sometime within the next month or so I'm doing a big cable audition here, with all of the current contenders for interconnects, cables, and power cords, in my own system. I'm leaning heavily towards Valhalla speaker cable as my next step, followed by Indra interconnect, then Shunyata Anaconda VX for the Capitole, and Anaconda Alpha for the Lamms, but of course will wait to make my final decision until I hear that combination.

The Valkyrja certainly took the sound of my system up a level. There was a naturalness that was missing with the SPM/QF I'm using now. Vocals improved to such a degree that I was able to finally understand the lyrics on some songs I'd been listening to for quite a while. The improvement was greatest during more complex passages. The parts of instruments became more apparent. For example, when listening to an acoustic guitar, it became easier to distinguish the contribution to the sound from the strings from the contribution from the wooden body and the air resonating in it. These parts never sounded disconnected from each other, but gave the impression of a much more accurate portrayal of the instrument.

In comparison (but not in my system), the Valhalla makes the Valkyrja sound "hi-fi". The Valhalla is much more natural and relaxed than the Valkyrja. Valkyrja sounded incredible on its own, but Valhalla improved on just about every aspect, and showed a few weaknesses in Valkyrja that I hadn't noticed before.

As for Nordost with your Levinson stuff, I'm not sure it would be the right way to go for my ears... but then, if you do like the way the Levinson stuff sounds, Nordost might be perfect for you. I think the Nordost cables are very neutral, so they're going to show you exactly how your gear sounds. This can either be a really, really good thing (I've found it to be great in my system) or a really, really bad thing. The only way to know is to try it out.

Just another note... I haven't heard the top end $30k Transparent stuff, but any networked cables I've heard have bugged me. I don't like the concept of them, so it's possible that my dislike of their sound is psychoacoustic, I don't know. If the Nordost isn't to your taste, you might want to look for some cables that are more "musical" (AKA euphonic) than the Valkyrja. I haven't looked into cables like that, but the Dominus Artg recommends would be a place I'd certainly start.

steve01s4 August 20, 2005 20:55

Saint
I had a 390S and some valhallas (and some valkryjas). The Nordost stuff (in general) might be little lean in your system. The Revel and ML gear (i think) might be better served with a *slightly* more rounded cable, and the Oracle is that - as is the Purist Dominus, and a few others.....

Anyway, not to say the Nordost stuff isnt good (it is), but it's so highly reolving and unforgiving, that a cable with more body (IMHO) might serve you better...

artg August 19, 2005 20:36

Hey Steve -

Nice digs, man. My system is:

Levinson 390S
Levinson 33H's
Revel Salons

I am in the market for new cabling. The front runners are MIT Oracles or Nordost Valkyras. Am not sure which ones yet. Any info that you did not include earlier about the nordost combo you have listed here would be very helpful. By the way, have you upgraded to Valhallas yet? If so, what difference have you heard? Thx.

thesaint519 August 19, 2005 15:13

David,

I've heard lots of amps with the Revels over the years. Mark Levinson 33, 33H, 333, 336... Krell FPB700CX, KAV-300IL, Aragon 2007, Music Reference RM-9, Linn Klimax, and a few more I can't think of right now. The Lamms are unquestionably the best match I've heard yet. I have no problems with bass response, though I've found that Shunyata powercords on the Lamms improve things significantly. I like the big Krells with the Studios, but felt that they were lacking some soul. The Lamms, on the other hand, have an amazing organic quality that really shows through with the Studios.

To make a long story short, my amp search is over for the forseeable future. I am not aware of anything at any price I'd choose over my Lamms, except newer Lamms. If you do get the chance to listen to the combination, I think you'll be as impressed as I am.

steve01s4 August 11, 2005 22:34

Hi,

I own a pair af Revel Studio and I'm lokking for a great amp for them. This is the first time I see them with Lamm's amp.
Is it a good combination ? Do they have enough power to drive the bass ? What other amp have you heard with Revel ?

David from France.

[email protected] August 08, 2005 02:24

Not at all suprised about the BDR+HRS combo, as I also have had great reults with my AA Captiole.

I will onceagain stongly recommend you try the stereovox IC's. I know two people who sold their Indiras for the less expensive sterovox (which btw, is on par $$ with the Valhalla). You may not find a local dealer, but if you want, I could recommend a dealer who might be able to allow a home audition. Emaim ne if so - if not, no sweat - all those cables are damn good, but I still recommend the stereovox's - they're that good.

artg July 04, 2005 11:02

Last week's update... did some vibration tweaking on the Capitole. I had HRS Nimbus, Couplers, and a Damping plate, in addition to the Capitole's stock BDR cones, and the Aurios (and, of course, the duck...) A non-audiophile friend and I went through just about every possible combination, and agreed that the Capitole with the BDRs on it sitting on top of the HRS Nimbus setup was the best sounding. The Aurios, which were spectacular under my old tube amp, had a couple of tradeoffs with the Capitole that the HRS stuff didn't have.

This week's update... I'm auditioning some Shunyata power cords on the amps... Python Alphas at the moment. Wow. The improvement was stunning... dynamics increased significantly, bass gained weight and slam, upper midrange to treble opened up totally... I can't wait to hear the Anacondas. I'm also interested in trying the Valhalla power cords.

I did a comparison at my dealer (Audio Federation) yesterday, starting with Valkyrja, and moving up to Valhalla, then Stealth Indra... As much as I really didn't want to like it, the Indra seemed to be the clear winner there, and I think it was even good enough to justify its price. I wonder if it will be that good in my system too, or if I can "go cheap" and get Valhalla. The Valhalla was as big of a step up from the Valkyrja as the Valkyrja was from my current cables. Also looking forward to hearing those here. And then there are the Jormas....

I can't even imagine how good the system is going to sound once I buy all these things I'm auditioning and put them all together.

steve01s4 July 04, 2005 10:54

I have the Audio Aero (SE version), and both power cord and isolation are critical. I have the elecraglide epiphany PC, and its all that people say it is. I used the Aurios as well, and it was a little brash, but I only realized this after I placed a Stillpoints componnent stand under it. The same guy who designed the Aurios designed the stillpoints.

I also have a Harmonic Reolution Systems M3 coming in, and it will be interesting how it compares to the current reference stillpoints. One of these fine stands will be under the CDP, the other under my tubed linestage.

As for IC's you really have a wonderful system and shoudl give the stereovox cable a listen. I had Valhallas at one point, and while it is a very good cable, it did not match the stereovox's sheer naturalness. The stereovox is very open and fast, like the Valhalla, but tonally its much more natural. In my system, it was no-contest.

Best of luck, and most of all - have FUN! Art

artg June 27, 2005 07:48

Go with tht Oyaide outlets. Best by far. Alan at audioexcellenceaz.com double cryo's them as well. Not cheap, but a very nice, not subtle, improvement.

scotty333 June 27, 2005 07:36

Steve01s4,

Get your AC outlets from Albert Porter here in Audiogon. Dirt Cheap & very effective. I was using an Elrod EPS-2S power cable on my Audio Aero. It elevated its performance to a very highl level. You can find them used here as well. I will probably be buying a few more in the near future.

dgad June 26, 2005 20:46

I'm currently experimenting with cables and vibration control.

I'm auditioning Nordost Valkyrja this week, though I definitely don't need the full week to know my opinion of them. The Valkyrja is significantly better than the Quatro Fil/SPM combo, in all aspects. Soundstage increased in all dimensions and became more focused, and things sound much more natural. I'm also planning on checking out Valhalla, but looking at the price tag I'm not sure I want it to be as big of a step up from Valkyrja as Valkyrja was from QF/SPM. I also plan on checking out Jorma speaker cables.

I'm messing around with a pair of Aurios 1.0s that I've had for a few years. They do make a big difference under the Capitole, but I'm still undecided whether that difference is actually an improvement. I don't think it's a step backwards in sound quality either... just a change. The sound became much more detailed with the Aurios in, but I feel like I lost some soundstage depth, and the soundstage has been shifted up a few feet... it may be slightly compressed vertically, but the strange thing is sounds that used to come from very low (floor or below) come from ~2-3 feet off the ground, and the soundstage goes up from there. I'm not sure if I like this perspective or not, so I'm going to keep messing with it.

My dedicated lines should be here before too long. Any recommendations for AC outlets? I may just go with the Hubbell hospital grade outlets for now, and experiment with cryo treated stuff later.

steve01s4 June 21, 2005 20:14

System edited: Hung the painting, which significantly reduced the slap echo I was hearing in the room.

steve01s4 June 14, 2005 21:41

excellent choices! very interesting and tasteful setup. i imagine your system sounds very musical and revealing. how big is your room? keep us updated with room treatment. congrats!
scottie

szutinglee June 14, 2005 21:13