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High Fidelity Cables CT-1designed by Rick Schultz

In December 2011,I wrote that High Fidelity cables led by cable designer Rick Schultz was putting together a new cable.The cable came to market as CT-1.The CT-1 has FINALLY made it into my system!I had obtained a version of the prototype that Rick had been working on.It blew my previous reference Genesis by Virtual Dynamics.I thought I had finally found my end with this cable.This prototype delivered to my ears "Nirvana".Could I be at the end of my quest for the ultimate sound?
No. I received two pairs of CT-1 to replace my prototypes.They went into the system this past Friday.Unable to dedicate time until Sunday listening,I stole a few moments,ducking away from company with anticipation.My guest could tell even with the music set for"ambiance"something was intriguing and I was in for a treat!
The experience:
First off,CT-1 was very user friendly.Installation was simple;the cable is very nice and light.The female RCA fit beautifully unlike any I had found in other cable.It was secure and reliable.It seemed much thought was dedicated to developing a designer fit to an aesthetically stunning RCA connector.Install entailed a few wiggles to ensure what seemed like a compression fit on my RCA.
It was 2-3 hrs. for the 1st step of break in to be complete.At that point I had something different!Today,although they only have 10-12 hrs. on them,I can`t put into words how much my system has transformed.Believe me,I loved my prototypes.However....there is simply no comparision.
The clarity and sound is so natural.
The soundstage is like nothing I ever heard.Resoulution is breathtaking and inner detail is simply hard to believe possible.
The sound has transended and now it simply does not seem as thought I have speakers.
My system is musicians playing music.
I am told with time they will improve and I trust that as it was revealed with the prototypes.I wanted to share my thoughts with you that now.
Unequivocally,a testament to High Fidelity,as the name declares.
High Fidelity Cables for me,the last word on it,after 12 hours!
Truly Amazing

Al
alpass
theaudiotweak
1,793 posts
 
Placement of the right material in the right place that has the right mass is crucial. I prefer to use materials that are of similar reactance that have much the same transfer rate and mechanical impedance and are of similar sonic character. Brass and certain grade of steels are my preference.. Soft materials including lead are actually high impedance and will store energy and when placed around or on other materials greatly influence energy flow and therefore character. These soft materials are mutes of sorts and dynamic structure will change. Adjustable material reactance is the key much like tuning a musical instrument.

Dave I would propose to you that you purchase some heavy duty zip lock bags that you fill these with different materials and weight and experiment with the tuning of your cables or chassis. If your try materials that are the same, the size of that material affects their reactive value and you can easily hear this as well. So the material choice could be the right one but it's initial choice of size maybe the wrong one..You have to try a few of the same family to get it most right. This test can be easily changed, compared and repeated and may be fun for only a few but may add value to your broad audio experience. Tom
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
That's weird. I found lead to be one of the most harmful materials, evicerating the bass frequencies and generally just making the sound, uh, sound funky.
ddraudt's avatar
ddraudt
602 posts
 
Thanks Tom, interesting ideas that remind me of my approach and teaches me more. I have used hundreds of freezer zip lock bags over 3 decades in weights from a few ounces to 50 pounds. I have found only one size and one type of lead shot works well and the rest do not. Hint; if you haven't tried #6 chilled, you haven't heard lead at its best. I have tried a number of materials as well. the choice is endless so I haven't tried them all. Do you have any specific items to try?
At times, with lead, I must place another material between the lead and the item to be damped to prevent overdamping. I listen very carefully to Not lose"air", "space" and hi fq. detail.
I still use 11 VPI bricks also for weight and to pull magnetic fields away from circuitry.
Example: Inside my amp I have 3 vpi bricks, 4 lead filled wooden blocks, 5 tiny slivers of wood, a dozen squares of plywood, 15 various
size bags of lead, some Rf If shielding and maybe more i have forgotten about. The amp sits on layers of isolation devices.
With virtually every component in the amp damped, shielded and isolated, sound I hear is wonderful to my ears. (and other ears as well)
best system I've ever heard. So, pretty good then;-)
I love experimenting but about parameters, The human mind can think up more things to try than a human can do in a lifetime.
My never-ending list just gets bigger with time. That is why sharing is
vital. Thanks everyone.
P.S. I could use 4 more VPI Bricks if anyone knows of some for sale.
Dave
ddraudt's avatar
ddraudt
602 posts
 
Tom, further thoughts on damping.. You may see by my last post that I have experimented with different size and types of the same material to find the right one. Took trying a lot of different lead shot to find the correct size and the correct % of antimony additive in the lead to sound best. I also use lead bars. I have worked with many metals, woods and mixes of materials. inside bags and inside wooden blocks of different woods. I have even found one static shielding bag that sounds better than plastic bags in some applications. I've never gotten steel shot or sand to sound good and brass has always sounded brassy but there are thousands of other sizes, shapes, amounts of materials I have used, or haven't, that I could try if I live forever. I also have spent years working on every part of my power
system, years on room acoustics, years on speaker and component mods. I test new components, tweaks, cables, power inlets and outlets, filters, shielding devices and I build a lot of power cords.
I do a lot of listening to music also so time for damping tests is limited. 20 years ago I realized that I would never run out of things to try. I am about to try… HF UR cables, new wire for my 7 power cords,
more Stillpoints, bell bronze heat sinks, a few new CD's, a better set of speakers, some different size iso platforms, advanced equipment rack tuning, a new amp and to find a lot of money to continue my audio madness. I'm thrilled to be busy with my audio dream.
Enjoy the Music
Dave
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Theaudiotweak, Ddraudt, and Geoffkait, perhaps it is my age and long experience with trial and error improvements, but I resent the time I have to commit to dampening, coupling, demagetizing, removing static interferance, etc. Heaven knows I have done a great deal of this. I do value my limited findings, as well as the success of some companies with their efforts, such as StillPoints, Star Sound Tech, Rightway Audio, AudioTop, Essence of Music, Zilplex,TriPoint, cable charging by Synergistic Research and Exemplar, and of course, High Fidelity Cables, among others.

Carry on guys; I will always listen to demonstrations and hopefully know when there is an improvement.
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