riderstrider

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $149.00 from Pure Silver Sound di

Summary:
I bought these IC's based on the strength of reviews here, and am very pleased. The sound is noticeably clearer and deeper than the Straighwire IC's I was previously using (sonata and encore II). MY whole system now has PSS IC's (Arcam FMJ CD 23, McComack Premp, McCormack DNA 125 Amp) and sounds superb. Very easy purchase over the phone -- no problems with order or delivery.

Strengths:
Clarity of sound, good bass, flexible, easy to use. A good value.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Several Straighwire IC's.

Price Paid:  $149.00 from puresilversound.com

Summary:
I met 'PSS Quartet' by chance. During my navigation on several audiophile sites, I've read '2002 product of 2002'. Fortunately, at that moment, I was searching interconnect cable! Something in my head made me order them (0.5m pair)the following day, which made me happy and made me buy another product of PSS - 'Octet Speaker Cable' as well as 'Integre Jumper Cable'. It's been more than 6 months since I've used those 3 product. So how do I evaluate them? Needless to say, those are the best, especially considering price!!! Good balance, beatiful high, tight and speedy bass! I don't want to say their strength again. Just please read whole reviews and try them! Thanks Frank! You made gorgeous product!

Strengths:
Beautiful High! Good Balance Tight and Speedy Bass!

Weaknesses:
Nothing! Especially considering price!

Similar Products Used:
Silver Bullet

Price Paid:  $180.00 from direct

Summary:
Bought after reading piles reviews on silver cabling. Took 6 weeks to get here and since my e-mails went unasnwered, I basically assumed they'll never show up. That's for the negative. The positives outweigh the wait and slow response time however. Positioning and timbre is clearly better. There is some improvements in details. There may be tad more bass in them but it can be just me. I run them between CD/tuner to preamp (TacT 2.0) and now also from preamp to poweramp (Stratos Monos) since I find that sounds better to. More specifically, I didn't listen digitally to my NAD541i since Groenbergs sounded stringent and lots CDs were too bright, with silver I went from analog to digital, it sounds better now than oversampled analog. Albeit many people say, silver is very bright on top, I found that the sibilance and stringency are gone, or rather sibilants are pleasantly 'sharp' now and the tops are nicely balanced. However, I listen through a TacT so I can 'shape' my frequency response. I played around with very expensive TosLinks (Audioquest), Groenberg, Monsters and some balanced cables in all variations and puresilvers licked them all, actually they sounded better alone than any other cable combination, even with an expensive jitter reducing device in the chain. 5 for value easy (180 per pair is a great price), 4 for slow leadtime and response time.

Strengths:
. instrument positioning . instrument timbre . maybe tad more bass . build quality

Weaknesses:
. long lead times . e-mails vanish into a blackhole

Similar Products Used:
Groenberg, Monsters, Audioquest

Price Paid:  $109.00 from Pure Silver Sound di

Summary:
I stumbled across Pure Silver Sound’s demo sale while net-slogging one evening and decided to purchase a couple of pairs of interconnects after having read many glowing reviews here. I was stunned at the improvement! I had been using a pair of my old Monster Cables and the difference was nothing short of amazing right out of the box. After the recommended break-in period they just got better. I used just about every kind of music I like and of course my favorite discs. With Bela Fleck and the Flecktones “Left Of Cool” I noticed bass speed, impact, and articulation is excellent. Deep and well controlled with weight and solidity I hadn’t been experiencing. Tone is well balanced from top to bottom. These cables are very neutral. Vocals are natural without being forward. I can hear vocalist drawing a breath before the next verse on many recordings. Treble is sweet and extended. Ride cymbals have a truly realistic ringing shimmer. Detail and resolution are a quantum leap better. Instruments are defined better. I perceive detailed nuances I had not heard before. On all of my Afro Celt Sound System discs, there is a new level of clarity, like veiling has been removed. On Windham Hills “Variations on Bach” acoustic instruments have much better resolution. I hear finger slides and plucking on guitar strings. Piano has a natural timbre that I had not been enjoying until now. On Sarah Vaughn’s “How Long Has This Been Goin’ On”, JVC XRCD, the last cut is “When Your Lover Has Gone”. Sarah is solo with just Louie Bellson on drums. Sarah’s voice is so clear and you can hear her draw every breath. Louie’s drums are about the most lifelike and natural I have ever heard this recording rendered. Copeland 100 and Mozart Piano Concertos No. 21 & 24 with Eugene Istoman, both Reference Recordings and HDCD encoded, are just about the most natural sounding classical CD’s I have heard. They both now come closer to analog than they ever have. I haven’t talked about soundstaging or imaging as I am currently doing all my listening through headphones. I look forward to the day when I have the big system setup and can hear what the PSS cables do for it. I have used Kimber PBJ, Hero, and Silver Streaks, Monster Cable, DH Labs Silver Sonic, and LAT International IC 200 MkII interconnects. The Pure Silver Sound cables smoke them all. I never did like the Silver Streaks (too hot on top) and the PBJ’s were just acceptable. The Hero sounded better in my system than the PBJ’s or Silver Streaks. The LAT International cables are next best sonically and also a bit less expensive than Silver Streaks, they seem a bit more laid back but are still better balanced than the Kimber cables. I am planning to sell all my other cables to go all PSS including a set of Octet speaker cables. Current setup: Adcom GCD-750 direct to Musical Fidelity XCANV2 via Pure Silver Sound Quartet 0.5m to Grado SR80 headphones

Strengths:
Smoother, sweetly exteded treble. Liquid midrange. Full rich bass with proper weight and impact. Top to bottom speed and clarity.

Weaknesses:
None in my system.

Similar Products Used:
Kimber PBJ, Hero, and Silver Streaks, Monster Cables, DH Labs Silver Sonic, and LAT International IC 200 MkII.

Price Paid:  $179.00 from puresilversound.com

Summary:
I ended (at least for now) my quest for silver cables with the Pure Silver Sound’s Quartet’s. I originally started my journey with the Silver Audio Silver Bullet 4.0's. I was very pleased with them, but as all audio quests are (nearly never ending) I couldn’t stop after my first shot. Turns out I did pretty good on my first try. Because my next 2 tries weren't nearly as satisfying. I tried the Kimber KCAG, based on Kimber’s reputation and the oft used but silly philosophy, more expensive is better, right? Well Wrong. They were not nearly as good as the Silver Audio’s and twice as expensive. Next was the slightly less expensive ($399 new versus $460 for KCAG, bought used for less) Harmonic Tech Pro-Silways. They were better than the KCAG’s but slightly less refined than the Silver Audios, so I gave those to my brother-in-law (he likes them by the way). I figured I went more expensive, so lets try less. I decided to try Pure Silver Sound’s Quartets. Well, lets hear it for cheaper is better. They had all the transparency the Silver Bullets had, but with an added clarity to the bass and even better sound staging. Needless to say I settled on the Quartets for over all sound and value ($179 vs. $225). The Silver bullets are good, but for me, I am an imaging freak and the better soundstage of the Quartets sold me. They have great transparency across the highs, mids and bass. The detail I get from these can’t be beat (well, at least it hasn’t yet). The bass was detailed and punchy, no boom here. Again though, it was the incredible sound staging and imaging that won me over. Instruments were well placed and the stage was very wide and deep. The sound coupled with the price is a winner. I can’t wait to try their silver speaker cables.

Strengths:
Price! Great soundstaging and imaging. Excellent detail across entire range with nice tight bass.

Weaknesses:
None that I can find

Similar Products Used:
Silver Audio - Silver bullet 4.0 Kimber - KCAG Harmonic technology - Pro-Silway Mk II