Acoustic Zen I-1010R Silver Reference Interconnect Cables
Acoustic Zen I-1010R Silver Reference Interconnect Cables
USER REVIEWS
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[May 06, 2006]
rsmcphee
AudioPhile
Strength:
Smooth,detail, midrange is sweet and tight bass
Weakness:
none outstanding cable. I have owned NOrdost, Kimber select, MOnster cables, Straightwire, Tera labs and so far I love this cable. The highs are extended and the bass is tight. The midrange is to die for and will keep you listening for hours. I have highend equipment consisting of Anthem avm50, Simaudio Titan amp, Simaudio orbiter, and Simaudio Supernova and wired with these cables. The sound coming from my Martin Logan Vantage and Martin Logan Theater i is just fantastic. I cannot imagining finding a better cable
Similar Products Used: nordost, kimber select, audioquest, monster cable, straightwire cable, Tera Labs |
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[Jul 24, 2002]
Chester
AudioPhile
Strength:
High frequencies
Weakness:
Cable strees relief boot can't handle the weight of of the cable. Over priced. Bought these because of the hype, but feel they're just over priced Harmonic Technology Cables. They were thin on the bottom end and fairly smooth on the highs. Now I find out that they've come out with another version for the third time in less than two years. This doesn't make me happy. Compared them to the HT Magic and found that the Magic was way better in my system. |
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[Jun 15, 2002]
audiotrust
AudioPhile
Strength:
Neutral timbre, spacial resolution, temporal resolution, low noise backdrop, size of soundstage in all dimensions, freedom from hardness and glare.
Weakness:
No artificial smoothness or warmth, not a deficit unless system deeds it. Occasionally we audiophiles all hit the wall. After years of everything from bank breaking major upgrades to an endless myriad of fine tweaks, we sit there listening to the monster we’ve created and find ourselves dreaming about a double play we almost pulled off in an after school baseball game. Its not that the sound isn’t good; many would call it great. It’s simply not alive. What emerges from our speakers has all of the polish and pristiness of a new Corian countertop. What we came to hear was the life and intrigue of African granite. It was precisely at this point that I was about to feel my heart pounding in my chest like a concert bass drum. Still moping in a blue lethargy of reconciled disillusionment, I carefully disconnected my Transparent Audio Ultra interconnects from my CD player to my preamp, and again from my preamp to my monoblock amplifiers. In their stead I plugged in the Acoustic Zen Silver Reference interconnects that I had borrowed to audition. Dutifully, I sat back in my listening chair and restarted “So What”, from the Miles Davis classic, “Kinda Blue.” A shot of adrenalin coursed my veins when, unexpectedly, Bill Evans’ piano had moved back about 15 feet. The notes of his pensive backdrop were not ending when they were supposed to. They were decaying into each other, caressing each other. I didn’t blink. When Miles took the lead with his trumpet, I could have reached out and grabbed it right out of his hands, except that I would have had to walk 30 feet from my chair to get to it. That was when the concert bass drum in my chest started up. Now completely intrigued, I tried a few tracks from Diana Krall’s “When I Look in Your Eyes.” The pinpoint focus of every instrument was remarkable. The sonic decay was impressive. The blackness from which everything magically emerged was new. But one thing was absolutely riveting. The strings were splashing off of the walls and ceiling of the recording room, painting a visual picture of the acoustic environment so vivid that I found myself seeing everything as though I were there. This isn’t a multimedia system. I have no huge front projection screen. I have no video at all. But I was seeing the musical ensemble, the room, the piano, everything. How could my Acoustic Zen cables convey so much information that my old cables blocked? That’s right, I said my Acoustic Zen cables. Take my Volvo 8 |
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[Jul 21, 2001]
Mike
Audiophile
Strength:
Use an audiophile adjective and these cables have it in spades. Music sounds sooo pure through these cables.
Weakness:
none in my system Over the past couple years, I have had the opportunity to try many different cables in my system. Acoustic Zen cables are the best I have come across, and not by a small margin. They have easily beaten others in my system that cost 4 times as much. I listen to more music now than I ever have, and the only change has been the cables. A must hear! Similar Products Used: Harmonic Technology, Nordost, Cardas, Analysis Plus, just to name a few. |
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[Sep 19, 2001]
jimmy james
Audiophile
Strength:
Sweet highs and mids
Weakness:
Diminished bass response Had these cables in for a demo and really wanted to like them. A lot of buzz on the web about these cables. What they do for mids and highs is very nice but at the cost of low frequency response. A sweetening of the mids and upper registers but the ultra low bass guitar notes were almost gone. Pricey. Similar Products Used: XLO Signature |
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[Jan 05, 2002]
Dave
Audiophile
Strength:
Resolution, top end perfection,refinement, clarity, soundstage, dynamics, smooth!
Weakness:
To nit-pick, probably a slight leaness in the bass, as with all cables of pure silver nature. However, it could be a good thing in some systems! These are very good cables indeed! They are very high resolution, very smooth and refined sounding from top to bottom, and not a hint of irritating qualities (even from break in!), only detail, detail, and very clear! The cables have a smoothness athat's not often associated with pure silver in my experiences!(could be do to latest purity silver upgrade...?) I've used the Matrix Ref from the same company, and it's an interesting difference. The copper/silver Matrix has a more contrasty soundquality, while the Silver ref has a more smooth textured "one-ness" to the sound. The difference is kinda like the differnce in overall sound/pressentation one would expect to hear with an ultra high end "single bit" digital DAC vs. a multi bit DAC! The singles usually have a "one-ness"/more unified sound, where the "multi's" tend to have a more contrasted presentation. Overall, I think system choices will decide between the two. Similar Products Used: AZ Matrix Reference, Audio Quest Amazon, Harmonic Pro Silway, SPM Nordost Ref |
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[Sep 19, 2001]
Glen B
Audiophile
Strength:
Neutral, grainless, detailed, excellent imaging
Weakness:
None Jimmy James whose review appears below is correct, there has been a lot of "buzz" on the Web about the Acoustic Zen Silver Reference, meaning a lot of the paparazzi (i.e., buzzing insects) wax poetic about these cables. Where Mr. James goes wrong, unfortunately is in his review of these fine cables and has to be the first and only person to find fault with the Silver References. In the review he claims that the cables cause a "sweetening of the mids and upper registers but the ultra low bass guitar notes were almost gone." How can a neutral cable "sweeten" the sound or "diminish" the bass ? Further, the guitar does not produce "ultra low" bass. I am sorry, that instrument does not go down that far, pipe organ yes, but not string bass. The reviewer does not list his system so that we can take his review into context. I suspect that there may be some deficiency in his system that was being being revealed by the neutral Acoustic Zen cables. In my system, I had no sweetening of anything and the bass was allowed to come through untouched. These are very revealing cables. Similar Products Used: AudioTruth Lapis, Goertz TQ2 |
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[Oct 10, 2001]
Big Johnson
Audiophile
Strength:
Musical, detailed, dynamic, excellent value Jimmy James, you are a fool. That's all there is to say. Why don't you try burning in the cables first. Just a little tip from a Big Johnson. Similar Products Used: Transparent, Harmonic Tech, Cardas |