robster Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I just bought a used Crystal Piccolo silver IC off Audiogon,took 5-days to get it from New Zealand. It's my first silver IC,strings and some vocals sound a tad bright. Do silver cables burn in? Cheers, Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Yes. However, silver does tend to be on the bright/more detailed side. There should be some break in, how much I do not know. Give them some time and give your ears some time to adjust also. I use siltechs between my amps and preamp and like them a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robster Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks Gary, I'll give it some time,sure is a pretty cable! and I'm not a cable guy,LOL! Cheers, Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Rob, I don't know about burn in, but to my ears, the silver ICs also were on the bright side. I actually didn't mind the added sense of detail. I found that to be fairly pleasing to my ears. What troubled me was that the bass dropped off. I don't use them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I lost a touch of bass also but I had plenty to spare. To me, the Siltechs were a definite improvement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I also believe there is a bass drop, but that the increased clarity can be worth it if the overall balance is good, as Gary has found. The Siltechs have have a great reputation and are my IC's of choice. I've been told that not all silver is created equal, though. Also, silver's break-in is deadly long, so give it at least a month or two of regular playing! Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I too use silver ICs--Silver Audio "Hyacinth" and "Silver Breeze (tonearm). They are just a HINT of sparkle to this "dark," lush sound I am so fond of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I have used silver ICs in the past and didn't care for them due to the extra brightness and a little less bass. My cable of choice now, which BTW is the best sounding that I have had in my system so far are these MagWire Naked ICs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Rob, you say you picked the cables up used. Seems like any break in that was to occur would have done so during the prior owners usage. I find that expectations can have a great impact on sound perception both good and bad. Having to wait so long for the package to arrive only heightens the experience. (I find seeing the glow of a 2a3 improves the sound, as does watching the bouncing blue meters on some mac gear - go figure) Give your mind some time to adjust, but, IMHO, the silver in your cables is the same today as it will be in 5 weeks. Peace, TommyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Yes, perception is a funny thing. My system always seems to sound best in the early morning on weekends when I'm the first to wake up. I go down to the basement and turn it up just loud enough not to wake anyone from the bedrooms 2 levels above. Something about a dead silent house that seems to make my system shine (at least that's my perception). Letting your ears get used to a particular change is also important. If you give it a couple weeks then swap back, you'll know for sure. For me, certain changes just can't wait that long. If I do something to my system that I really don't like, I can't wait more than a couple days to go back.If you decide you can't live with them, let me know. I might be interested in a pair for my cornwall system. I already get plenty of bass (maybe too much) and wouldn't mind giving silver a try.Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I use Kimber silver RCA ic's and a pair of Goertz (Alphacore) XLR silver interconnects between the pre and power amp. I think that the difference that silver makes is that it's not "grainy" sounding. It smooths the response, giving it a richness or a "liquidity" - at least that's how I would describe the effect. Funny that some complain of brightness with silver cables - I just used silver cables to tame some shrillness that I had on my midrange horns from the crossover! I find it the other way around - the copper stuff is too "bright" and "grainy" to me. But if I can muddy up the waters a bit more, I also am running SS Mc gear, and I think SS gear is far more touchy about interconnects than - say - a tube preamp seems to be. A 6ft copper IC sounded just as good on a Conrad-Johnson PV10 as the much more expensive C-40 (SS) does with 1/2 meter silver XLRs! Now THAT's something to think about! DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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