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Liveline interconnects – Asian Premiere Report
Cables – weakest link in the hi-fi system ?
I have seldom written on the subject of interconnects as my past experience with different brands and types have been a mixed bag. Cables are basically an undesired ‘equaliser’ in our hi-fi system, if we can do without them i.e. go wireless, then we get transmit pure signal from our source to the amplifiers and speakers.
Having just had the biggest shock in 2008 (indeed a very nice one) of receiving the Zanden’s custom-made 211 tube-based mono amps 2 weeks ago, I finally got 3 pairs of interconnects made by Franck Tchang of Acoustic-System-International fame, no introduction needed here for Franck’s acoustic resonators and speakers, however, just very recently, he has ventured into the hi-fi cable market and started making some very special RCA and balanced cables for his own use as well as expanding his product line (I believe this is horizontal integration in business sense !)
Let me digress a little from here, of all the many hi-fi folks I have encountered all these years, Franck and Yamada (Zanden Audio), in my opinion, have the best hi-fi ears (hearing). A person either has an inborn good hi-fi hearing or he trains himself later on when he steps into the hi-fi world, my hi-fi hearing only really developed in last 4 years but it is nowhere near as good as these gentlemen. Yamada-san can hear if the polarity of your system or CD/LP you’re playing is wrong after 5-8 seconds of listening and Franck can hear the undesired sound/noise from your windows, hi-fi equipment, the inaudible hum fm your fridge in the kitchen as well as tension of the sound coming from your system.
Franck was ultimately dissatisfied with the many different cables (power cords, interconnects, speaker cables) he’d been using all these years and after gaining many years of how metal used in the hi-fi chain can alter (for better or for worse) the sound of your system, he finally decided to use his knowledge to build interconnects. The folks at 6moons had a more detailed report of his Liveline interconnects and after reading the rave review there recently, I could not wait to lay my hands on them.
3 pairs ( 2 RCA and 1 XLR) finally arrived last Thursday and my acoustic master told me to charge them for 24 hours b4 giving them a proper listening. I duly followed his instruction (as always). Because of its ‘purist’ design approach of not using any shielding in the cables, some users may have problem in using them straight (yours truly included). The 2 pairs of RCA for CD and phono amp proved to be problem-free but the XLR (from pre to power amp) exhibited noise and hum problem (my own XLR cables did not have such problem), however, this noise problem was finally solved today by AE’s resident technician Master Wei, I mentioned this in case a minority of users may encounter similar problems and get unduly upset by this. Anyway, as I have mentioned many time b4, hi-fi is never plug and play, Master Wei said to me after he had listened to Take 5 that the Cessaro horns sounds very good without requiring much positioning (this is really nothing further from the truth from his statement).
After making pain sticking efforts to make my system sing in last 2 weeks (after hearing Midori’s playing of Brahm’s violin concerto – she has been using the same Guarneri Del Gesu violin known as the ex-Bronislaw Huberman which once belonged to Ruggiero Ricci since 1999 and Alison Balsom’s Hummel’s trumpet concerto), my system can now reproduce both the metal and wood element with a very natural balance. The employment of the 2 pairs of RCA Liveline really makes music sounding more real with better dynamic contrast and faster transient in the bass, all in all, as the name of these cables suggest, the sound from my system is sounding more like live music (Franck is a live jazz musician). My comments are made without the use of XLR as they require at least of 2 full days of charging and playing.
To sum up, although these cables are the best I have used (and do not be put off by its very basic finish), I can safely declare they are the ‘best in the market’ within its own price range, I can’t say whether they are the best in the world. I hope they are not as I still can not hear the very rich tonal colour of the sound of the metal and wood element (nor from any other brands I have heard so far) which always exist in the concert hall. I said to my acoustic master, the Liveline series to my ears are equivalent to his silver resonators and once you move up to his gold special and platinum series, then you’ll definitely hear the richer and more natural sound of your system.
I am almost certain all cable designer never makes just one model from the start, more and better ones will appear later on, so I am equally certain that Franck, once he listens to his cables in my finely-tuned system will know exactly what to do.
Cables are definitely the weakest link in the hi-fi system, without some very exceptionally good ones, they will not reproduce your system with the natural rich tonal colour and unlimited dynamics inherent in live music. The Liveline interconnects are one of the best around and for the price they command, should give other brands run for their money and if Franck does make the platinum series wires in the future, I may need to re-mortgage my apartment to get them !
Mr Z
I have seldom written on the subject of interconnects as my past experience with different brands and types have been a mixed bag. Cables are basically an undesired ‘equaliser’ in our hi-fi system, if we can do without them i.e. go wireless, then we get transmit pure signal from our source to the amplifiers and speakers.
Having just had the biggest shock in 2008 (indeed a very nice one) of receiving the Zanden’s custom-made 211 tube-based mono amps 2 weeks ago, I finally got 3 pairs of interconnects made by Franck Tchang of Acoustic-System-International fame, no introduction needed here for Franck’s acoustic resonators and speakers, however, just very recently, he has ventured into the hi-fi cable market and started making some very special RCA and balanced cables for his own use as well as expanding his product line (I believe this is horizontal integration in business sense !)
Let me digress a little from here, of all the many hi-fi folks I have encountered all these years, Franck and Yamada (Zanden Audio), in my opinion, have the best hi-fi ears (hearing). A person either has an inborn good hi-fi hearing or he trains himself later on when he steps into the hi-fi world, my hi-fi hearing only really developed in last 4 years but it is nowhere near as good as these gentlemen. Yamada-san can hear if the polarity of your system or CD/LP you’re playing is wrong after 5-8 seconds of listening and Franck can hear the undesired sound/noise from your windows, hi-fi equipment, the inaudible hum fm your fridge in the kitchen as well as tension of the sound coming from your system.
Franck was ultimately dissatisfied with the many different cables (power cords, interconnects, speaker cables) he’d been using all these years and after gaining many years of how metal used in the hi-fi chain can alter (for better or for worse) the sound of your system, he finally decided to use his knowledge to build interconnects. The folks at 6moons had a more detailed report of his Liveline interconnects and after reading the rave review there recently, I could not wait to lay my hands on them.
3 pairs ( 2 RCA and 1 XLR) finally arrived last Thursday and my acoustic master told me to charge them for 24 hours b4 giving them a proper listening. I duly followed his instruction (as always). Because of its ‘purist’ design approach of not using any shielding in the cables, some users may have problem in using them straight (yours truly included). The 2 pairs of RCA for CD and phono amp proved to be problem-free but the XLR (from pre to power amp) exhibited noise and hum problem (my own XLR cables did not have such problem), however, this noise problem was finally solved today by AE’s resident technician Master Wei, I mentioned this in case a minority of users may encounter similar problems and get unduly upset by this. Anyway, as I have mentioned many time b4, hi-fi is never plug and play, Master Wei said to me after he had listened to Take 5 that the Cessaro horns sounds very good without requiring much positioning (this is really nothing further from the truth from his statement).
After making pain sticking efforts to make my system sing in last 2 weeks (after hearing Midori’s playing of Brahm’s violin concerto – she has been using the same Guarneri Del Gesu violin known as the ex-Bronislaw Huberman which once belonged to Ruggiero Ricci since 1999 and Alison Balsom’s Hummel’s trumpet concerto), my system can now reproduce both the metal and wood element with a very natural balance. The employment of the 2 pairs of RCA Liveline really makes music sounding more real with better dynamic contrast and faster transient in the bass, all in all, as the name of these cables suggest, the sound from my system is sounding more like live music (Franck is a live jazz musician). My comments are made without the use of XLR as they require at least of 2 full days of charging and playing.
To sum up, although these cables are the best I have used (and do not be put off by its very basic finish), I can safely declare they are the ‘best in the market’ within its own price range, I can’t say whether they are the best in the world. I hope they are not as I still can not hear the very rich tonal colour of the sound of the metal and wood element (nor from any other brands I have heard so far) which always exist in the concert hall. I said to my acoustic master, the Liveline series to my ears are equivalent to his silver resonators and once you move up to his gold special and platinum series, then you’ll definitely hear the richer and more natural sound of your system.
I am almost certain all cable designer never makes just one model from the start, more and better ones will appear later on, so I am equally certain that Franck, once he listens to his cables in my finely-tuned system will know exactly what to do.
Cables are definitely the weakest link in the hi-fi system, without some very exceptionally good ones, they will not reproduce your system with the natural rich tonal colour and unlimited dynamics inherent in live music. The Liveline interconnects are one of the best around and for the price they command, should give other brands run for their money and if Franck does make the platinum series wires in the future, I may need to re-mortgage my apartment to get them !
Mr Z
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Comments
Regarding the Liveline cable's noise issue , I found out becouse some tube amps have high value input resistance ( as the Liveline are already a high value resistance cables , why cause noise ) , it's easy to solve by changing a lower value resistor at input section if someone wants to use this cable and has noise and hum problem .
With transistor amps , the cable has no problem at all .
I don't want and don't need to compare to which or which brand of cables , just did my " homework" under my view and let people take thier free choice and appreciation .
After all
Vivre la musique
From Paris
It is hard to find word to describe the value of Franck made product, it was quite different with others in the market(I mean the comprehension on music). It may missing some Hi-Fi effect, but it will draw your attention by its naturalness & lively sound. More listening to them, more understand to Frank's musicology. Although, product not in big yield yet, and I m really feeling they are developing their own class in this business.
I m confident enough & understand what it is doing, But my question include the order was hang on every time before I sent to AE, because of my own problem(too many stuff acturally....)For sure will try it later. Enjoy it buddy!
發哥, 以備不時之需??? Can i borrow it?