maxg Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Well I finally got around to colecting the van den Hul M.C. D 102 Mk III Hybrid interconnects that have been waiting for me at my local suppliers for an age. Nicely he insisted I take them home and try them out before I pay for them (especially nice considering I ordered them from him - he didnt recommend them - actually Tony did). Anyway I got 2 pairs one pair in a 1 meter length (to connect the phono stage to the pre-amp) and one pair in a 2 meter length (pre-amp to power amp). These replace a locally made pair I had for phono to pre duty and a pair of Mogami (2475?) cables for pre to power. I was quite keen to try these out as, if not for any other reason, I use VDH cabling (D - 352 HYBRID) for my speakers and loved what those did. Anyway I got them in last night and managed to grab about 2 hours listening. Test record of choice was Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat. First play: Track one, side one (first we take Manhatten..)- opening German male voice seems slightly more shifted towards the center as it comes in than I am used to and then drifts out to where I expected it to be. Her voice comes in and seems dull. She fluffs the start of the track anyway but gets back on course quickly enough. This doesnt sound right. Its overly sweet and the impact has gone. Track 2 has, normally, a fairly hard hitting bassline at open but it is defintely missing here, its all too muted although that sweetness is growing on me. Tracks 3 and 4 pass by seeming to get a bit stronger in the bass and impact. by the time the Joan of Arc track is playing I am really getting into the swing of the music and as Jennifer and Leonard Cohen himself are oscilating the vocals back and forth the hairs on my arms are standing to attention as they do normally. End of side one. I am about to play side 2 when I change my mind and replay side 1 again. German voice comes in as it should (in the right place this time) and stays there. The fluffed start is more obvious this time and the voice is definitely closer to what I remember. Track 2's bassline is now more pronounced, but I think it was still stronger on the previous cabling. The sweetness is still there, quite beguiling now. By the last track the music seems the same as it was the first time through. At the end of the side I finally switch to side 2 and listen straight through without taking notes this time. This is definitely different. Parts of the music that usually move me dont whilst other parts I breezed through now come to the fore. Nonplussed! Just dont know what to make of it. Switch Genre's. Classical. Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody. Perfect - spot on. All the pace, dynamism and action I remembered and then some. Switch again - Dvorak symphony No. 9 second movement - swwwwweeeeeeetttt. Gorgeous. Drift into a reverie and forget I am supposed to be evaluating the cables. Fall Asleep. Wake up with the usual dub dub dub of the needle on the run out groove. Swear at myself. Put on DSOTM at volume. Wife comes in. She too swears at me. Baby wakes up. Try to explain to her about the muted bass as we calm Dezzy (my daughter). She listens for a second and agrees it is slightly muted, but it will be fine when they play it at my funeral. Music off. Baby in pram well wrapped in a blanket and I am sent out into the winter cold to walk her till she falls asleep. Contemplate the results on the walk. Really not sure yet. Need more testing. I like the added sweetness but will miss the bass. Hopefully bass response will improve as the cables run-in (if they do that - dont know yet). Will continue to test over the coming days and may try switching back the replaced cables one pair at a time to find out what stole the bass. All irritatingly inconclusive. Whilst the supplier will take them back if I want him too I would really prefer not to impose to hard on him. Still $170 is $170 and I really dont want to waste the money. Bugger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 run 'em for a couple of days with or without the speakers running. This may sound silly but you need to chase the evil anti-music electrons out of the cables and replace them with happy, musical electrons (they have little smiley faces on their sides). At least, that's what I understand. There is some quantum level stuff going on there that uses words like smiley face to describe same. Important point is not to listen to them during the breakin, lest you are accused of simply becoming accustomed to the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I agree with Randy here. I've been using VDH cables for nearly 10 years now, and really like their smooth and natural character. let them burn in for a while. maybe, by running them from a tuner (pink noise between stations). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted December 30, 2003 Author Share Posted December 30, 2003 Randy, You are trippier than me and I thought I was pretty far gone!! Exactly how do I run in the cables between the pre and the amps without the speakers playing?? (I assume at zero volume nothing is going from the pre-amp to the amp - or is it that there are little positrons running up and down the cable shouting "dont play that" to the amps?). I think I am just going to have to take the risk that I get used to the cables rather than they breakin. On the other hand if I still dont like them after breakin have we proved they dont breakin or that they do and I dont like the result? Confused? Me? At least we know whatever breakin does occur it will be for the better... (will look down the length of the cable for smiley faces tonight) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 ---------------- On 12/30/2003 9:13:40 AM maxg wrote: Randy, You are trippier than me and I thought I was pretty far gone!! Exactly how do I run in the cables between the pre and the amps without the speakers playing?? (I assume at zero volume nothing is going from the pre-amp to the amp - or is it that there are little positrons running up and down the cable shouting "dont play that" to the amps?). ---------------- Max, Just play a cd, turn the volume all the way up, and DON'T power your amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 breaking in cables between the pre and power amps is hard to do w/o volume. I think even with low volume and pink noise like Guy suggests the electron flow is initiated. If the speakers aren't in a main room just leave. Otherwise if possible have speakers face each other at a close distance, run them out of phase, and hope the sound cancels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted December 30, 2003 Author Share Posted December 30, 2003 Thanks for that guy - I may try it out tonight. To be honest I am not all that bothered as to whether I adjust to the cables or they run in. I just want to get more enjoyment out of listening that I did with the old interconnects - others can worry about which, actually, changed. I wonder if your smoothness is my sweetness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigma Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Do you guys really belive "burning a cable in" changes anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Not really rigma, we just like to type a lot. But we value your opinion. In fact, I think you've changed my mind. I'm going to Home Depot to buy some lamp cord right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Randy, Please buy some of that lamp cord for me too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafuta Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Please forgive my curiousity,but why are you selling the Air Tight? I have never heard one,but it is supposed to be very good.Not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 congrats on your new cable purchase. I picked up my set for my 2.1 system today as well; MIT AVt 3 series, 2 pairs of interconnects and 1 pair of the 8 foot speaker cable. right out of the box they sound better then my generic target stuff, and I'm leaving them running for the next 3 or 4 days while I'm out of town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Just plug those interconnects into a wall socket, that'll burn them in. They do make cable burners, BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 ---------------- On 12/30/2003 1:16:59 PM mafuta wrote: Please forgive my curiousity,but why are you selling the Air Tight? I have never heard one,but it is supposed to be very good.Not? ---------------- It is indeed, very good. But, for some reason, it doesn't match well with my Altec speakers and matches much better with the 87db, EPOS ES14. I really love the Altecs so I plan to find a more suitable amplifier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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