Taralabs cables

I believe that the Tara labs, The one with HFX ground station would better or equal the Madison audio labs best effort, there top model,The madison cable may very well be a bargain, maybe a giant killer in the industry against some offerings from other cable companys out there, I cannot believe a cable that is under $4,000.00 full retail, that Mathew Bond designed would be remotely compairable to Tara labs cables that have 6 cables that cost way more money that Mathew Bond designed as well, for a company he started and owns 50% of the total company that is Tara labs, the whole concept and looks of the madison audio labs cables are clearly a spinn-off from Tara labs!, madison even uses the same RCA/XLR and speaker cable spades as Tara labs, yes, I would love to make a comparison my self, However, It is silly to concieve comparing madison audio labs best cable model to any Tara labs like the one with HFX station, The 0.8 with ISM on board or with HFX station, The new 0.3 with ISM on board or HFX station, The new Zero Evolution interconnect and Omega Evolution speaker cables that only comes with the HFX grounding station, and finally, but not least, The new Grandmaster Evolution interconnect that comes with dual mono-block HFX ground station and Grandmaster Evolution speaker cables, That said, I would like to buy madison audio labs best model cable system or rent to listen to, I suspect they sound very similiar To Tara labs, If it is a bargain in performance, The cable would certainly be a keeper!, but thats all It would be to me, I have Tara labs Zero Gold and omega Gold interconnect and speaker cable that just got dis continued, how does these two models stack up in the new Tara labs offerings?, I am told by Tara labs that they are a clear third from the two new best models they have now, most people would settle for this, However, I am up-grading to the new Tara labs Zero Evolution interconnect and omega Evolution speaker cables that are a whoping 75% better for $2,000.00 more retail to retail, this is a very wise move to me, it's very cost effective for the first time in Tara labs History!, this is the Bargain!, cheers.

@ pops, Hi, please respond to the question here, I know you are busy, this is the third time in a few weeks I have asked you, are you still useing the Elrod power cords on your amps?, Hey, I really do not like most after market power cords any way, very hard to match to a particular piece of equipment, no matter the Brand or model of a power cord!, I am in your camp, I/Cs and speaker cables are most profound and easy to work with, Happy Listening.

@ Tboooe, How is your new Tara labs, The two with HFX ground station interconnect sounding now?

Audiolabyrinth I am not using the Elrod or any aftermarket PC. Haven't found one I like long term. Do they impact a system, absolutely! One cord can make a difference - I hear it and am not a naysayer. I just prefer stock cords in my system. I find PC's sweeten up the midrange and screw with the frequency extremes. They also make the background blacker which I think sucks the air out.

I find them enticing at first and not interesting long term. I am also not using any digital. I always had aftermarket cords on my digital rig.

Thanks for the call out Keith, I haven't been on the thread in a while.

@ Pops, Thankyou so much for your reply, interesting, I feel the same way about power cords as you do, Most noteable, Krell High-power amps, I have tried many power cords on a Krell FPB 200 solid state amp I use to own with terrible success, The Beldin power cord that came stock with that Krell model could not be beaten out by any brand or model power cord, I still, all the way to this day, never understood why?, when I do start to use the Tara labs cobalt power cord I have, I will give truthfull impressions on the sound with it on a digital player, Tara tells me, The cobalt performs best on power amps and pre-amps, but the cobalt is very exceptional on digital to, Jerry, I have listened to this Tara model power cord on a few systems, sounded great, that's why I bought it, Now, the both of us know, that does not mean it will be good on my sytem, Jerry, you must wish me luck with the Cobalt power cord on my system, when It comes to power cords, it's the worst gamble in audio that I know of!, thus, the reason I am not a big fan of them, have you made any changes to your system since we last talked?, how are the Thiel cs-6 speakers sounding now, I assume they are burned-in to your system now?, cheers.

@ audiolabryinth. I have heard the elrod power cables. They are the truth. Very thick but the truth. Serious cord. My dealer let me demo for two weeks. They are expensive but very very good.

Calvinj, I am not saying the Elrod power cords are not good, I am saying, No matter the brand or model of power cords, power cords are most difficult to match to a componet, there are audiophiles that go through 10 or more power cords before they find a cord that works with what they are useing it for, speaker cables and interconnects are not as difficult to match, I understand Elrod power cords are one of the very best out there, no matter, It is all about system synergy. Enjoy the music.

Keith - the Thiels are sounding great. They bite when asked to bite and the are mellow when asked! I will be anxious to hear your impressions of the Cobalt PC.

@pops. Which thiel a do you have

Jerry- It may be a while longer before I do get to listen to the Tara labs cobalt power cord on my system, It's been a while, way to long, I will have a digital player this lawn season, I am also working on getting The zero Evolution interconnect and Omega Evolution speaker cables in a years time,I am absolute focused on getting the audio I have mentioned here, I am not playing, Jerry, Go to the Tara labs site, hit the link that says products, then hit the link that says, Extended Band-width interconnects, look for the New Zero Evolution interconnects, hit the link there that says more, read all that, and then go to the speaker cables link and go to Omega Evolution speaker cable, this is the matching speaker cable for the Zero Evolution interconnect, then, read all the info on the Grandmaster Evolution interconnect and speaker cables, this is the new flagship cable from Tara labs, The model I am shooting for is the second from the Best of the new Tara labs cable models, Tell me what you think pops-Jerry.

@ pops, Wow!, I just read on another thread you sold your eggleston works andrea 2 speakers, did you sale them in march?, those cs-6 Thiel speakers must be kicking ass to sale the Egglestons!, do you like the 6 better than the 3.6 speakers?

Yes, the CS6 moves more air so it is more dynamic. It also has a different tweeter/midrange design so it is a little more forgiving than the 3.6. It is also a little easier to drive. Still plenty revealing.

I lived with the Eggy's for a while and could never get the thiel sound out of my blood!

Pops, I really like the way the Thiel cs6 looks, very attractive speakers!, I bet the cs-6 is one of the best Thiel speakers of all time, I read Jim Thiel kept a pair of the cs-6 speakers after he came out with the new 3.7 speakers before he past away, mmmm, That says volumes about the cs-6 speakers!, Are you using any speaker spikes like still-points or anything else under the speakers?

@ waxwaves, Hi, have you made any changes to your system?, did you get all the mac equipment back?

@ calvinj, Tell me about the Marantz pre-amp you got there, is it burned-in, used, new?,what model is it?

@ pops, Do you have any Tara labs cables you want to sale you are not useing?

@audiolabryinth. It is used. They don't make them anymore. It is the sc7s2 marantz preamplifier. It is in champagne color and it is absolutely the most beautiful piece of equipment I have ever purchased. It is heavy and built like a tank. It is in pristine condition with no scratches on it. It sound great. It is warm and very musical. It gives you a mid hall perspective however I put some cables made by a European company vovox on them along with the tara labs 2 ex with ism interconnect with my clarus crimson speaker cable and it sounded great. It brought the sound stage up more to my liking. The sound is one that is musical. It is very non fatiguing. The highs are a little rolled off slightly but they are well extended and you don't lose detail. This piece is unique because it is slightly warm but you don't lose transparency or detail. We went to my friend golden sound house first. The first system we tested was with gato pm6 speakers, atlas mavros speaker cables, nordost Tyr interconnect, tara labs 2 ex ism interconnect, mark levinson amplifier 532 h, parasound cd1. With the ear 868 and using telefunkins as tubes. The ear has a glorious midrange and the voices were great but it sounded like there was a glow in that area compared to the marantz. It was a great sounding glow but to me it's not realistic sounding. It has kind of a faux jump factor in the midrange. Its great for vocals but the Marantz sc7s2 does more in terms of long listening sessions with my quartet jazz. It won't wow you it just takes in what you feed it and gives you back sweet music that you can listen to for long extended periods. I used the marantz sc7s2 with the parasound cd1 and the Macintosh mcd301. The parsound was a great listen and is the better player out of the two in the ear 868 combination. However the Macintosh mcd301 sounded better on my marantz sc7s2 with the vovox cables and we tried some mit hd 50 RCA interconnects as well that sounded great. However in my system with the marantz the Macintosh mcd 301 sounded better than the marantz parasound cd1 combination. With the ear 868 the parasound cd1 was great it gave the music great organics and widened the soundstage. When we put the parasound cd 1 in with the ear 868. It easily beat the other player hands down. However on the Marantz sc7s2 the cd1 does not mate together well. So I left my friends house and I took the marantz home to try in my system. I use vienna acoustics beethoven baby grands symphony edition/ classe ca 2200 amplifier/ clarus crimson speaker cables/ vovox textura interconnects / tara labs 2 ex with ism on board/ oppo 95 CD player /marantz sc7s2 reference preamplifier. With this combination at home I had a 6 hour listening session with cecile mclorin salvant, Gerald Clayton, terra lynn carrinton, chris Botti live in boston and Miguel zenon. I got a great sound out of this combination the tara labs 2 ex gave it some separation and live feel with Great organic layering. The vovox gave it body and separation and extended the highs and fleshed out the midrange and voices more. It did not have the glow of the ear 868 but it was a pleasing sound that didn't just spotlight one area. You paid more attention to the musicians as opposed to the female vocals. I also got great performance out of the oppo 95 as my source. This oppo 95 player benefits greatly from great balanced interconnects and great power cords if you can add them. I used a cable from the uk from clearer audio called the silver line Optimus. The parasound cd 1 also sounded great but I liked the oppo 95 more in this system. The parasound cd 1 with the ear 868 in the other system hit home runs but in my home system using the marantz sc7s2 I was very happy with the oppo 95. I got a 6 hour listening session in so that tells you that you have some secret music sauce cooking to listen that long. In closing, the marantz sc7s2 is a keeper. Remember however, it's all about system matching. Some equipment and cables will sound better in other applications. It is all system dependent. Changing one major piece can change your whole sound. A different amp, pre amp, CD player or source and/or a speaker can change what you hear. Also look at your room acoustics, speaker placement and seating position. These are othe factors to consider. I hope this extensive review helps someone.

Audiolabyrinth - I do not, only have 1 pair and I am using them, the 0.8EX..Are you looking for some?

pops- not really, however, I talk to others all the time that are looking for some Tara Labs cables, one way are the other, waxwaves is one of them looking to get a deal on a model that is better than the ones he has, He said he like to have The model "The one" or another cable model up the cable food chain, do you have any speaker spikes of some brand under your cs-6 Thiel speakers?

Calvinj, where are you?

Grey9hound, If you find the time, this is the thread to post on that is the new home for all of us, you are welcome Here.

Hi guys sorry for not responding sooner. I was on vacation. My The 2 + HFX has about 150 hours on them and is sounding much better. The thing that really strikes me is how organic the music sounds! The soundstage is also clearly defined horizontally with instruments precisely placed. Finally, I am also hearing more fine nuance to the music, adding the sense of realism. Overall, I am very happy with these interconnects.

@ Tboooe, you enjoy the vacation, where did you go to for vacation?, The Tara Labs-The Two with HFX grounding station will even be better at 300 hrs, after that, the cable will have small changes here and there, on the most part, everything will be broken-in at 300 hrs for that model, I enjoyed reading your discription of your impressions, I knew if you gave the interconnect some time the sound would improve dramatically, are you useing the jumper cable leads between the pig tails that come out the cable and the HFX grounding station?, and have you used the componet ground from station to a componet's screw to lower the noise floor?, congrats Tommy, welcome to the Tara Labs family, of course you can talk about anything on this thread, Do you have exsperience with tube equipment?

@audiolab, got your messages too. Sorry for not calling back. I just got back and have been buried at work. Yes, I am using the jumper cables as you recommended and the ground lead is connected to a chassis screw on my cdp/dac. Another thing I failed to mention about this cables is that they are very dynamic with very good bass. The music notes are punchier and more crisp. I am interesting in trying a Tara Labs digital cable next.

I have not been a tube guy though many of my friends recommend that I consider a tube integrated for my Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution speakers. Two brands I am looking at are Line Magnetic and EAR. I want to audition these in the near future.

Tboooe, I enjoy both tube and solid state, I mix them, you have good tast their with the line magnetic and Ear, However, I do not recommend tube amps at all!, you can get all the tube sound you want with a tube source or tube pre-amp to solid state amp, my opinion, tube amps have way to many problems and to many tubes, I have seen tube amps with 18 tubes in it!, Imagine the bill on tube rolling that,LOL!, I have also seen tubes blow and take out important componets inside the amp, so no, I do not want those pain in the ass scenerios, do what you like, I am just saying what's best for me, man, I am so glad you are useing the cable properly, I love reading what the Tara Labs-The Two with HFX grounding station is doing for you, Awsome!, waite untill you get 300 hrs, your notes will have a natural decay like a real piano, most other brands of cables does not have that attribute, remember what the interconnect sounds like now, when you get 300 hrs, you will get surprised for the better, I may attempt to call you this coming week-end, will this work for you, or do you have plans?

@tbooe, audiolabryinth. The E.A.R stuff is the truth.

calvinj, How many hrs of burn-in time do you believe you have now on your Tara Labs-The Two with ISM on board interconnect?, Has the sound improved since you first gave some early impressions?

@calvinj, do you have experience with EAR products? Which models have you heard? I am interested in the integrated models. Any feedback would be great!

@audiolab, yes I will be around this week. I look forward to speaking!

It's great. I'm happy with them. They are the same but that is a good thing. I love them how they are.

Hi folks, hope everyone is having a Happy Easter weekend. Just for the record, I am so pleased with my Tara Labs RSC Air 1 cable. I have the digital coax, the rca interconnects, and the speaker cable. Yes, I am curious about "the One" ics and sc, but I am very happy with what I have now. The Air 1 mate nicely with the vintage McIntosh tube equipment I have been using. There may be an improvement between the One and my Air 1 but I doubt it would be extreme, nor worth the extra $$ spent. At this point, I am taking time to enjoy the music and have turned my attention away from the "gear". By the way, I will be in attendance on June 27 @ the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC to see the wonderful Neko Case perform with her boyfriends. Tickets are still available if any of you would like to meet us there.

Need an HFX box... any sellers?

Damn Jebsmith73, That would be like looking for a needle in a hay stack, tring to get another HFX grounding station from some one, The only way I know to get one is from Tara Labs, ask for Devon scott, He will hook you up, cheers.

Tboooe, Have you considered Atmas-Phere tube amps?, Ralph is the designer, owner, He talks on these threads quite often, A very down to earth gentleman, these amps are very good, cheers.

@ Tboooe, I enjoyed talking to you on the phone, thankyou for calling back, I was very supprised that you have been doing computer audio for 10 years!, you made me feel old fashioned, LOL!, I know who to come to for that set-up, I will do computer audio too, have you tried some of the audiophile software out there for this application?, If there is anybody out there that may chime in on the subject of computer audio for the High-end, please post some opinions on this thread, this is a subject we should talk about, cheers.

@ pops, Hi, I went to a friends house this past week-end for the first time in 15 years, He had at his house the magico q3 speakers, retail $40,000.00 he got used for $27,000.00 here on audiogon, His right channel mid-range driver is not working, this happened over the last two years, his room mate over drove the speaker when he was not at home, what a bummer, however, I am helping him to get ready to send to factory in californa for repair, he offered to pay me, I said, No way!, I want to listen to these speakers buddy!, I keep all of you up-dated on this, it may take a while to do, The good news is, he is rich, so he will get the speaker right back,LOL!

@auiolab, PC audio is yet another rabbit hole! There are a lot of things you can do with a purpose build audio pc that will improve the sound over a standard pc. Things like power supply, USB implementation, OS (Server), and optimization software is essential. Right now, I am very happy with my PC set up though (as with all things in this whacky hobby) I think I can improve the sound by building another audio PC with some upgraded hardware. I plan to do this new build at the end of this year.

Tboooe, How many interconnects do you use on your system?

@ waxwaves, I remember a while back, you said that you do not know if The model, The one, would be alot better than your current cables, Adam, yes, they would be a big jump, if you ever did the whole loom over time, I believe it would be the end game for you with cables with your systems, you would not need any more performance than what These Tara Labs cables offer, just my opinion, what are you up to any way?

@ pops, did you read my last post to you?

@audiolab, I have 1 interconnect between Dac and int amp. I also have a USB cable and digital interconnect. I like to keep things simple (and less expensive).

I suethe Tara Labs Air 1 series 2 from pre to amp on the Bass sections of my L/R speakers. I really like the Bass that they deliver in that spot. Speakers are Source technology 8211Hd . They will soon be replaced with the Source 2268 speakers.
I shipped my speakers (8211 Hd ) back to John Sollecito for a tweeter upgrade (Dyna silk). Well Fedex %&#ed them up .
They were insured for the original purchase cost .
So, to make a long story short, I will be getting the new 2268 thanks to FEDEX.
Thanks again FEDEX!
@Tboooe- How do you like the jRiverMedia? I am also using it with the McCormack DAC-1 Deluxe .
I like it a lot

Gee i need to work on my typing skills

Welcome to the thread Grey9hound, gee, I was beginning to appear like I was talking to my self here, LOL!, you have bad luck with fed-ex, I have the same luck with ups!, they crushed a pair of Bose 901 speakers back in 2012, never got the speakers replaced!, At least fed-ex is making things right for you, I had to force E-bay to get my money back from the seller, He packed the speakers so poorly, that ups insurance did not cover nothing, oh well, I did get my money after a month, go E-bay!

@ waxwaves, I left a msg on your phone, I gave you the wifes phone # so you can resend the picture text msg to that number, My phone cannot send or recieve picture or video text msgs, I flashed the rom on the phone a while back to give it twice the internet speed, this was the trade off when you tamper with smart phones, please send whatever you was tring to do, thanks Adam.

@ Grey9hound, how long does it take to break-in the new speakers you are getting?, will you do a full review for us here on the speakers?, Are they Bi-amp speakers?, tell us some of the specs on them, Thanks Dennis.

@everyone. Just ordered EAR 868 pre amp fellas. I also had a wonderful listening session this weekend with Rick Schultz from high fidelity cables. His ultimate reference cables and power cords are off the chains.

congrats calvinj on the pre-amp, will you do a full review here when it is done breaking-in?, hey, the more we learn, the more we know, I should have my new cables in a year to year 1/2,, then I am going to rent the high-fidelity ultimate reference cables from the cable company to do a A/B comparison on my system!, The Zero Evolution interconnect and Omega Evolution speaker cables by Tara Labs, BTW, Is only the second from the top of the line new cable system, I am very confident in Tara Labs new technology, after the comparison, I will do a full review of my findings Here, cheers.

Hi there keith,im curious on how the cobalt powercord worked out for you,I hope you don't mind me asking.Iam currently eyeing up a rack,its hard parting with so much money,but Ive come so far,and most people seem to leave this to last.I know they do make a big sonic difference,some say a component in themselves.

Hi Misternice, I listened to the Tara Labs Cobalt power cord for a couple of years on different systems before I decided to buy it, I have not used it on my system yet, I believe I will with-in the next two weeks, this power cord will not sound special at all untill 150 hours of playing time, then it gets way better at 300 hours, then small, but noticeable improvements all the way to 600 hours,However, when you get to 300 hours, LOL!, you will not care, the sound is very satiesfying at this level of the burn-in of the power cable, one thing you need to know, I will be useing my power cord on the digital player to excellent effect, it will work great there, however, Tara labs said this power cord works best on pre-amps and power amps, if you get one of these power cords, get the cobalt power cord with the oyaide terminations, it's worth the extra $450.00 ,, it sounds way better than the cobalt with the stock watt gate terminations, make sure you do not get one longer than 6ft and you will be fine, if you can use a 3ft power cord, this will have more resolution according to Tara Labs E-mail to me when I asked if there is a difference in sound with different lengths, I look forward to your reply, cheers.

@audiolabryinth. I hope the cables are broken in. Also I heard a full loom of them this past weekend with the the new high fidelity power cables. This was an all tube system featuring pre amps and amps from raven audio. It sounded great. Remember in our system there are usually 12 to 15 factors and connections and the focus has to be putting an entire system together that works in unison. I heard one this past weekend featuring all high fidelity ultimate reference cables.