Dalby’s latest entry level power cable Meda QF. The quality is however far above entry. The aesthetic foretells the substance. QF stands for quantum flow.
Now that I'm one of those crazy guys who went all in on an Ethernet cable (the Dalby Meda Carbon Gold) a couple of weeks ago I guess it's time to share some thoughts. First of all let me highlight that this is the most expensive cable in my system and as such it can be deduced that it must be one of the most impactful ones. Honestly if you had told me even 2 months ago that I would purchase something like this I would have put the implied probability way below 5% but that's another discussion...how did I go this far so quickly??
Anyways back to the story:
I only stream Tidal so I guess my source is the cloud. This seems to separate me from a large number of other members of this forum who as I understand primarily use some form of physical media as source (LP, CD or NAS/SSD) and presents me with a unique set of issues in order to optimize my listening experience.
Given that it seems my road is the one less traveled and I can't just copy and paste other solutions (nor would I want to to be fair) I go about this optimization process in a 100% empirical manner. So far this has led me to run multiple switches in series. It has also led me to conclude that ethernet cables have as much impact on my setup as pretty much any other cable (power cable to amp being the other main one). Interestingly even the second ethernet cable (between second and final switch) has more impact than the USB cable (between streamer and DAC) in my setup. I'm very curious if anyone else with a streaming based setup has had a similar experience? Please do share as I've gone about this methodically and purely empirically and I would love to know if this is an isolated thing or I'm closer to mid-market...
So in my case the Dalby is the final cable to run into the streamer and philosophically speaking I want the cables that are source to be as neutral as possible (whatever that may mean). Comparing it to a number of other cables I've had the chance to audition in my setup (all of which cost <50% than the Dalby though) it outperforms all of them in every sort of audiophile dimension. The Meda never had a "wow" effect in any particular metric - the more time I spent with it the more it became apparent to me that it just is better than the other cables by noticeable amounts in every dimension. In particular I would like to highlight what I perceive as being a very natural and organic tone that has brought me closer to purely acoustic and classical recordings. There is a sense of texture and body I've come to enjoy very much.
Another point about Dalby cables in general that I personally really like is the look and feel: they are beautiful and well made but not extremely stiff or hard to deal with when routing them. The design doesn't call attention to itself but if you look at it more closely you will see some nice details and a personal sort of touch - I'm a fan of his work!
In summary I believe this cable highlights what is to me the core philosophy of AE: less noise means more music! The Meda Carbon Gold must be a quiet cable indeed...
Jerwo, ethernet cable is more important than USB cable nowadays. It is my experience. Probably streaming reliant so much on Ethernet cable transferring data.
In response to the new arrival of the Dalby Meda Quantum Flow (QF) Ethernet cable, Speed Learner, Mr Dynamic and myself spent over 3 hours to compare the various Ethernet cables in our possession:
Dalby Meda QF Dalby Meda old version
Ikigai Kangai
Goebel
Vertere HB
Ediscreation reference
A Japanese brand
Each one of us has selected a music familiar to our own comprising a Cantonese vocal, a live recording soundtrack of vocals and a soundtrack by a full orchestra.
To summarise,
Dalby old version is transparent and crystal clear on the treble but bass control has a lighter foot. Tonal balance is therefore slightly tilted upward.
Dalby meda QF is much more balanced with a higher degree of richness and coherence. In comparison, it sounds more natural and organic than the its predecessor.
Ikigai is tonally the most attractive to me. Whilst it doesn’t produce the sparkles and shines like Dalby, the solidity and flamboyance of mid range is more pronounced. Mid to low has a stronger register comparing to Dalby.
Goebel carries the authority which all other cables doesn’t have. It doesn’t showcase the shininess and openness on the treble. The power and energy in the mid to lower bass makes it a very good match with Dalby. From switch to server it may not have an edge over Ikigai or Dalby. From router to switch, the others may not have an edge over Goebel either.
Vertere HB is quite flat in tempo although it gives sufficient resolution details. When the music demands for temporal surge, Vertere appears shy lacking in transient burst in energy.
Ediscreation is THE strongest contender in today’s comparison considering its price which is the lowest amongst all. Although it is not an ultra quiet and resolute cable, it excels in transient responses and dynamic contrast. It has the highest cost effectiveness performance score. It really caught me in a pleasant surprise!
The Japanese cable is quiet at the expense of a limited dynamic range.
I will let Speed Learner and Mr Dynamic to chip in their comments.
Comments
Anyways back to the story:
I only stream Tidal so I guess my source is the cloud. This seems to separate me from a large number of other members of this forum who as I understand primarily use some form of physical media as source (LP, CD or NAS/SSD) and presents me with a unique set of issues in order to optimize my listening experience.
Given that it seems my road is the one less traveled and I can't just copy and paste other solutions (nor would I want to to be fair) I go about this optimization process in a 100% empirical manner. So far this has led me to run multiple switches in series. It has also led me to conclude that ethernet cables have as much impact on my setup as pretty much any other cable (power cable to amp being the other main one). Interestingly even the second ethernet cable (between second and final switch) has more impact than the USB cable (between streamer and DAC) in my setup. I'm very curious if anyone else with a streaming based setup has had a similar experience? Please do share as I've gone about this methodically and purely empirically and I would love to know if this is an isolated thing or I'm closer to mid-market...
So in my case the Dalby is the final cable to run into the streamer and philosophically speaking I want the cables that are source to be as neutral as possible (whatever that may mean). Comparing it to a number of other cables I've had the chance to audition in my setup (all of which cost <50% than the Dalby though) it outperforms all of them in every sort of audiophile dimension. The Meda never had a "wow" effect in any particular metric - the more time I spent with it the more it became apparent to me that it just is better than the other cables by noticeable amounts in every dimension. In particular I would like to highlight what I perceive as being a very natural and organic tone that has brought me closer to purely acoustic and classical recordings. There is a sense of texture and body I've come to enjoy very much.
Another point about Dalby cables in general that I personally really like is the look and feel: they are beautiful and well made but not extremely stiff or hard to deal with when routing them. The design doesn't call attention to itself but if you look at it more closely you will see some nice details and a personal sort of touch - I'm a fan of his work!
In summary I believe this cable highlights what is to me the core philosophy of AE: less noise means more music! The Meda Carbon Gold must be a quiet cable indeed...
用Dalby Meda QF 網線從流媒體和NAS聆聽每一首曲目，我有深刻的感動和感覺！
Dalby Meda old version
Each one of us has selected a music familiar to our own comprising a Cantonese vocal, a live recording soundtrack of vocals and a soundtrack by a full orchestra.
To summarise,
十分同意 Marvel 兄的睇法，事實上 Dalby 的高音一向是毫無疑問，而自 QF 系列後，Dalby 對低頻的處理已日趨成熟，Attack 和扎實感也是前所未見，在比試當天，我認為是最全面的一條。