Mega IC Shootout

[Fantastic]

You must never forget your cunning brain !
If you listen to something long enough , you can get used to the sound !
For example, add a little ( maybe just 3 db ) boost at HF and LF to your system and listen to it for a few days. Then suddenly switch it out . The sound will now appear to be dull and lifeless for some time till your ear again gets used to the original sound ( without eq) .
In many cases, burn in could be just that ?

 

[jls001]

Two new cables came my way and I had the opportunity to compare it with my current cable, so I've decided to append the comparison to this thread.


Having just won the dealership of the famous Mogami cables for India, Ali of SoundFoundations was kind enough to send me two of his new cables from the house of Mogami - Z1 and Platinum. The Z1 and Platinum cables have uncannily similar sound signature. Compared to my own Mogami 2803 cable, both the Z1 and Platinum have a softer sound which contrasts against the all-out attacking sound of the 2803 coupled with its mighty bass.

The 2803 connects my phono preamp's output to the DCB1 buffer, and also CD player output to the DCB1. The DCB1 to power amp is also connected via a pair of 2803s. So everything except my tonearm cable is 2803.

Replacing the Mogami 2803 between the DCB1 buffer/preamp with Z1 does a few things to the sound:

1) first and foremost, it enhances the clarity of the sound by a few notches.
2) It brings a sense of effortlessness, calm, flow and relaxation to the music.
3) It brings out more micro/inner details.
4) It improves tonality
5) It improves the midrange
6) It improves the bass texture

On the flip side, compared to the 2803 one loses bass weight. But all is not lost - the Z1 has way superior bass texture though sheer quantity is quite a bit lesser. The highs with the Z1 also sounds less etched compared to the 2803, while retaining the sweetness. Mind you, this is not to say that the 2803 sounds in any way bad - we're talking shades and subtle degrees here.

Which cable works for you will depend on what you want to achieve in your sound. The Z1 is the more mature and open sounding and will strain you much lesser over extended listening sessions, though it loses a bit of the excitement that the 2803 brings to the table (if that's what you're looking for in your music). The 2803 is definitely more adept at enlivening proceedings. BTW, the Z1 is a balanced cable though my sample is wired as a single-ended cable. I have a feeling it will be brilliant in balanced configuration. I could put it to the test but I will have to change connectors and there will also be a change in the electronics in the chain, so I'll leave this to others who use balanced chains. Ali can confirm whether he plans to offer balanced cables or not. My personal take is it will sound great with the Neutrik XLR (gold plated pins with black barrel, and not the more commonly found chromed pins with chromed barrel). Of course an Oyaide or Furutech XLR wouldn't hurt.

And where does the Platinum stand in the current scheme of things? It is Z1 Jr. - very similar sonic signature, but a tad less resolution and lower on the refinement scale. It also lacks the ultimate sense of effortlessness and relaxation that the Z1 has. It has about the same bass weight as the Z1 (which is to say it is lesser than the bass weight of the 2803) but loses out on bass texture.

I have not clocked too many hours on either cable though I have put in decent hours on both. If my experience with the 2803 is anything to go by, their sonic character may undergo further changes as one puts in more hours (say a 100 at least). For example, the bass on the 2803 was quite underwhelming initially but improved drastically as one puts in more hours of play. In fact now it has stonking bass weight, and will be quite suited to setups that need additional bass weight.

The Z1 will be a very fine upgrade for the discerning listener looking for refinement and openness in the sound. I, for one, am upgrading to the Z1 as soon as the KLE Innovations (Keith Louis Eichmann Innovations) Silver Harmony RCA plugs become available through SoundFoundations (PS: SF has recently won dealership for this legendary connector brand.

The Platinum cable looks like a worthy upgrade from the near-legendary Mogami W2549. If you have followed this thread, you will recall that the W2549 is a very fine cable indeed. Platinum is available in unbalanced configuration.

Thanks, Ali for the opportunity to listen to the new cables. And best of luck in your new endeavours

 

[captrajesh]

Compared to my own Mogami 2803 cable, both the Z1 and Platinum have a softer sound which contrasts against the all-out attacking sound of the 2803 coupled with its mighty bass.

Replacing the Mogami 2803 between the DCB1 buffer/preamp with Z1 does a few things to the sound:

first and foremost, it enhances the clarity of the sound by a few notches.

It brings out more micro/inner details.

The highs with the Z1 also sounds less etched compared to the 2803

Thank you for posting your experience with the Mogami-SF.

Going by your description of the Mogami 2803 and Mogami-SF Z1, it appeared that the 2803 are brighter of the two and the Z1 are 'softer'and 'less etched' in highs though they improved 'bass texture'

But the above parts of the description, which are highlighted in Green and Blue are not gelling and are in fact contradictory IMHO. I'd be glad if you could elaborate.

 

[jls001]

Going by your description of the Mogami 2803 and Mogami-SF Z1, it appeared that the 2803 are brighter of the two and the Z1 are 'softer'and 'less etched' in highs though they improved 'bass texture'

But the above parts of the description, which are highlighted in Green and Blue are not gelling and are in fact contradictory IMHO. I'd be glad if you could elaborate.

OK, how do I explain this better? :sad:

Overall clarity improves with Z1. Music gains greater focus, as if the background has been somehow cleaned up.

I wouldn't quantify 2803's highs as bright or harsh, but when listening back to back with the Z1 one gets the feeling that 2803 highs are harsher, while the Z1's highs are much smoother. This doesn't mean that the Z1 lacks extension - it just sounds more refined, though it may sound softer on initial listen, but that kind of treble grows on you. Personally, I prefer it.

Also the Z1 digs out more details than 2803, and presents a more relaxed tonal colour.

Does this clear your doubt?

 

[jls001]

Joshua, Is Z1 priced higher compared to 2803?

Thanks.

Ali can answer this. Do PM or call him, please.

 

[magma]

The Z1 is a balanced cable
and hence the noisefloor would tend to be lower than the unbalanced 2803

this is probably what JOSH is experiencing and probably cant put in words

@yogi
yes there is a pretty considerable price difference
(it is justified to my ears - but since i am commercial now i dont post reviews or pen my opinions or thoughts anymore)
it is what you pay when you want a refined cable

Stark detail can be brought about by many cables in the world
correct tone is done by only a handful
it is these handful of cable brands/models who charge more - and justify their extra cost

( You will never know this till you havent heard them - i mean the tone and presentation part )
and hence you will always believe one cable is better VFM than the other (just by looking at reviews and prcing)
obvioulsy thats not the way yo choose a cable

You can actually only truly prefer or choose a cable ONLY after you hear it

NOW its a matter of justifying the extra cost

for example
Person A would pay 5000 rs for say a 8-10 % improvement
Person B may NOT find that VFM

 

[BLASTO]

Bulk of cables on my way. Thanks Ali.
I will post by observations here.

The barracuda elite power cable which Ali sent for review never went back. :yahoo: Review pending.

 

[jls001]

Completed terminating my Z1:

One side is Neutrik XLRs:

The other side is REAN RCAs as it is used as balanced to unbalanced:

Kept a 10 ohms resistor in series with the shield as advised by someone knowledgeable. Earlier I used to use a 100 ohms in series with cold lead. Both seem to work without issues, but the latest one makes more electrical sense.

Dressing it up:

 

[Nikhil]

Kept a 10 ohms resistor in series with the shield as advised by someone knowledgeable. Earlier I used to use a 100 ohms in series with cold lead. Both seem to work without issues, but the latest one makes more electrical sense.

Great stuff Josh. Just curious as to why you need the resistor in there?
Sorry to ask a very basic question but electronics is a weak area for me ...

 

[jls001]

Just curious as to why you need the resistor in there?

Supposedly matches the impedance mismatch.

There's a similar, but way more elaborate, scheme to be used when doing XLR to RCA for AES signal. I can share the same if anyone's interested.

 

[magma]

heres the
Zeus
Eichmann Z1 Silver buller

 

[Nikhil]

Ali,

Does Mogami Platinum with Eichmann Silver bullet RCA = Zeus?

Regards.

 

[magma]

INTERCONNECT

Zeus = z1 Eichmann silver bullet - top of the line balanced IC cable and connector from KLE availble in RCA-RCA
RCA-XLR and XLR-XLR
Olympus = mogami platinum - factory terminated with amphenol - base cable is a mogami cable with changed dielectric used by the 900$ audience AU 24 - IC
Apollo 1 = white jacket cable with Amphenol - OEM for soundfoundations
Apollo2 = mogami gold cable with Aphenol
Athena = Oem cable and connector ( NOT mogami )


Speaker cable
Coliseum - MOgami refernce speaker cable 8AWG used by TARA labs and XLO
Symphony - MOgami speaker cable for SoundFOundations

 

[Dr.Bass]

Good stuff Joshua!
I have been using Mogami 2803 for the last few months. Its difficult to go back to the 2549 now. The 2549 sounds hazy and bloated to an extent. It still has great musical flow but lacks the clarity. The 2803 is a nice and simple end of the road IC for any system at any price.

BTW, did any of you try the 2804 speaker cable ?

 

[jls001]

BTW, did any of you try the 2804 speaker cable ?

No opportunity yet. Was sorely tempted to buy along with the 2803, but in the meantime I heard another speaker cable in my setup which I really, really liked and I am in two minds now.

Right now I am trying out another Mogami speaker cable (being distributed by SoundFoundations) which shares a similar geometry as the 2804, but is of higher gauge than 2804. I will post impressions.

 

[Dr.Bass]

Ok. Are there any sellers of 2804 in India ?

 

[Kushanava]

how are these Mogami 2803 IC priced ?

 

[jls001]

how are these Mogami 2803 IC priced ?

Please contact magma by email (ID available on his website) or by PM.

BTW, I just learned that SoundFoundations is in the process of adding the factory terminated 2804 speakers cables to their portfolio (very soon).

 

[Dr.Bass]

Please contact magma by email (ID available on his website) or by PM.

BTW, I just learned that SoundFoundations is in the process of adding the factory terminated 2804 speakers cables to their portfolio (very soon).

Are you going to try the 2804 ?

 

[jls001]

Adding another contender into the fray:

Coax, 75 ohms, braided outer copper shield, carbon inner shield (it's not some thin plastic film coated with a conducting metal like on so many double shielded cables, but a proper layer like the outer insulation layer, though not as thick), 22 AWG multi stranded core. Highly flexible and soft insulation to avoid microphonics. Meant for connecting electric guitars to amp.

It has replaced the Mogami 2803 from CDP to buffer, and I'm not missing anything. It is at least the equal of the 2803 in all departments, and may better it in some areas. Will do brief shootout between the two after I've put in more hours to figure out which one sounds better in my setup.