levinhhung

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I think most of the reviews on this site is not true
I bought this cable and it sound awesome with Rotel and Dynaudio 52
but after 2 years I suddenly found out these cales got corrosion badly
I was shocked
I thought I may upgrade to silver line but I did not
I bought Transparent super XL instead
Thanks AP for 2 years exellent service

slinder

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $347.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
These cables saved my thousands of dollars. I had grown weary of the harsh, grainy upper treble I was getting with my system. I was considering new speakers and/or a new CD player. I decided to give the Audio Analysis Oval 9s a try to see if my eight year old Discovery 123 cables might be the problem as the system sounded much better through headphones. The sound improved almost immediately upon installation. Lower midrange on violin strings was much better. As the cables broke in (I still don't understand why a cable should get better as it is used, but it certainly seems to be so), I felt the sound stage push back and the gritty, in-your-face sound of my old cables disappeared. There was much more "air" around those pesky massed strings when they are digitized. Over the past few days the bass has been improving daily. I really enjoy listening to my system now and can listen for hours at a time without fatigue. A real revelation! Highly recommended for the price.

Strengths:
Price Will really smooth out a bright system

ecclezia

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.50 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have been using a pair of single-wire Oval 9s on loan for three weeks as stand-ins for my Nordost Blue Heavens which are being re-terminated for single-wire connection. I estimate I have put in about 60 hours of listening time, so burn-in issues must be considered (though I don't completely buy the "not best until 500 hours burn-in" stories"). While I don't think these cables are entirely neutral (no cable is), I think they are excellent value. They image fairly well (wide enough though not very deep), are very good in the lower frequencies and generally provide a warmer overall sound than the Blue Heavens. I wonder if they are slightly more rolled off in the upper mids to highs than the Blue Heavens, as they don't seem to have the same air and space the Blue Heavens project. Nevertheless, the overall presentation is highly engaging and never fatiguing. I am also quite impressed with the terminations, which are chunky spades and seem to have been done with care. But the thick protrusions immediately below the spade ends did give me some problems when connecting the speaker ends, as my speaker terminals have "tap" handles which are partially obstructed by the AP spades. In our market, the Oval 9s retail for about one-third less than the Blue Heavens (this is comparing bi-wire Blue Heavens with single-wire Oval 9s, so the retail price difference between single-wire runs may be a less than 30%). With their performance and price, I could happily have settled for the Oval 9s if my Blue Heavens had to be replaced. As it is, I still think the Blue Heavens are marginally better (a little more transparent and slightly better on transients), but with the price difference factored in, I have to say I think the Oval 9s would be better value. My system comprises Krell KPS-20i CD player, KAV-250p and 150a pre/power amps (connected by balanced Blue Heavnens) and Sonus faber Cremona speakers.

Strengths:
Very high performance-to-price ratio, well terminated, flat(ish) and flexible for convenience.

Weaknesses:
Slightly veiled at higher frequencies, giving off a warmer, more laid-back presentation.

Similar Products Used:
Nordost Blue Heaven, Yamamura Milenium 1000 / 3000, van den Hul 79-strand.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from demo

Summary:
I'm in the process of demoing the Oval 9 along with the Oval 12. My existing cable is the Cardas Quadlink 5c. I also have some Audioquest type 4, for reality check comparison to budget cable. The Analysis Plus (AP) cabling is definitely a quality product and a good to excellent value. Having said this, I still prefer the Cardas. The AP is a bit leaner in the mids. It has a clean, apparently neutral presentation. The Cardas sound fuller, more fleshed out in the mids, dimensional. The Cardas is the warmer and more romantic sounding of the two. Bass was about equal, but my speakers don't produce the last octave. Treble was a bit cleaner with more sparkle with the AP. The AP may be more accurate and truthful. In my system though, the Cardas seems the more synergistic match. Perhaps, the AP is too revealing of flaws upstream. I can't say for sure, but in the end you have to go with your ears and what provides best sound to you. I liked the Oval 12 too and think it's a great value. It was a bit less revealing and didn't have dynamics of the 9, but it's pretty close for less money. If you've got budget gear, get the 12 it will work better. My budget pick is still DH Labs Silver Sonic.

Strengths:
Clean, detailed, neutral presentation.

Weaknesses:
Lacks a little body in the mids.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from 10 foot length

Summary:
Hmmm, one guy doesn't like them because they are too forward, another guy doesn't like them because the high end goes away. Welcome to the wonderful world of audio cables. I am not a golden ear with a bottomless pocketbook, but over the last year I have been upgrading my 15 year old system, and auditioning a lot of hardware, including cables. As I made judicious use of used and demo equipment, I didn't spend more than $500 for any one piece (though many components retailed for around $1,000), and I won't do so for my speaker cables either, so I can't compare them to any mega-expensive cables. So anyway, what about the Oval Nine? I think the bottom line is simple - these cables sound right. Nothing is over-emphasised, and more importantly nothing is missing either. Some of the comments of previous reviews are mystifying, I read them and disagree with pretty much everything they are saying. The only explanation I can find is they didn't break them in fully. I have heard 300 hours is needed, and after going through it I agree. These are not cables that will knock you out of your chair at first listen. They grow on you (quickly) until you realize the zing you heard in other cables is artificial and un-natural. For reference, my system resides at the upper end of the mid-fi spectrum: Amp: Rotel RB-990BX Preamp: Rotel RC-995 CD: Denon AR-1650R Speakers: Polk Audio Monitor 10B

Strengths:
Balanced, natural, full-range sound, detailed expansive soundstage, and yes, the bass is extraordinary in this price range.

Weaknesses:
Painfully long break-in period needed

Similar Products Used:
Audioquest Slate Audioquest CV4 Audioquest CV4 biwire Analysis Plus Oval 12 Monster Z1 Monster Z2 MIT 2