Oursblanc, which dac are you using now? Kindly share more. I agree your feelings on Boulder. I have no chance to audition or see the real Heritage dac. Where did you listen to it? On the other hand, I am so happy to have FMR running with Boulder dac. I try to use on Boulder preamp, the result is also stunning. I probably will need another one.
I'm using the LavryEngineering DA2002 Dac now. I love its real and natual sound. My personal taste is bias to the non-oversampling/non-upsampling dacs. DA2002 only used the low order oversampling/upsampling which is relatively acceptable to me.
I had my audition of the Heritage dac at PT's place.
In the upsampling/oversampling camp, The Boulder dac and Heritage dac adopt two different direction. They are the state of the art product. I could not say Heritage dac better than Boulder dac. The boulder dac place the music elements in front of you but the heritage dac draw you into the the musical scene. When PT played the Eason Chan's life concert, I immediately felt concert atmosphere around me. It is wonderful experience to audition a high end product like Heritage dac. If you have a chance to audition it, don't miss it. If you don't have a chance, please try to make one.
Is the Esoteric flagship packed with a black wooden box? I used it 2 years ago when it was first launched and I still recalled getting it through my friend in Japan at JPY300,000. I cannot remember the model but it was mentioned that 8N copper is used. I didn't have any Esoteric gear to use it and that may perhaps be one of the reasons that I find it 'too smooth' for most of the music I played. Esoteric P03/ D03, in my own view, is inclined more on the 'resolution' side in terms of clarity over the frequency spectrum but admittedly, it is not even as musical and coherent as EmmLab CDSD/DCC2 combo on both CD and SACD playback. Again, I am drawing from a direct comparison between the two. Back to that flagship Eso power cord, I would only say it should match very well with Eso gears and could be quite demanding when matching with the others. I have not heard Kalista Reference but have heard numerous time the Kalista which gives me a feeling of lacking in treble extension and contrast while the mid to low bass is very impactful. Using Eso power cord may not give any comparative advantage because I don't think Eso power cord can yield a better performance on the treble.
If you have any friends who are using Goldmund 36A Reference SACD player, CEC TL0x or the 47Lab PiTracer, it may be a better ground for comparing the two power cords.
In any event, I am keen to know the result. Wow, go go go....
Marvel
A few friends came after reading raving reviews on the Flows. They bring their own cord, Ruby Hill G6, Analysis Plus plus a few more to compete with the Flow on the Boulder dac.
The result is there will be 2nd hand of these contestants next week.
For the last six months, I have searched a powercord to replace my Jorma for my transport. PT and Marvel recommended FR to me two months ago. At that time I did not seriously considered this cable, not because of any scepticism of their recommendation but the cable's high price tag (to me). Even though I know that there is no free lunch, I was a bit reluctant to buy a powercord at the same price range of my pre-amp and power-amp.
However, after some brief audition of FMR at Marvel's place and all the positive comments of the cable in this forum, I have started changing my mind......, and I finally bought my FR last week.
Obviously, Jorma is not in the same class of FR. My initial impression is that, FR improves almost all the aspects of music reproduction, in particular the appropriateness of moisture and body presented without losing even a bit of transparency and detail. FR also does an excellent job in terms of layering and 3-D imaging.
I said "almost all" instead of "all" because, appearently, the micro-dynamic of FR is not as dramatic as the Jorma. Probably Jorma is overdo in this aspect but I addict to it. The solution is simple - use the Jorma instead of ORB to feed my DAC, and I get all I need. By inference of this solution, I'm pretty sure that ORB is the root cause behind the micro-dynamic issue. However, I could not prove this unless.......I have got anothr FR
The Flow of the Zanden dac is amazing too. Image more stable and much more 3D. I like the vocal quality the most, very transparent but the "wet" feeling also there.
I am a new user of FR. I write to share my epxerience so far. I put the FR to my Wadia DAC. My system is Boulder 1012 & 1060. The "tail" sound is elongated. Piano and vocal are great. 3D and depth are also better. Even my naive wife can tell the difference. Hard to put the improvement in words. It is musical...musical and musical. I am going to buy another FR for my 1012. But, to plug it in 1012 will be a challenge due to the heat sink.
On the day after I took delivery of the FMR in January 2007, Piano Tuner requested me to write up something on AE website. That I brushed aside in rather impetuous manner, on the ground that it would have been totally premature to shoot from the hips.
Before I set out my impression (for what it is worth), I have to put my cards on the table : I am using a Gold Mouth system, wired with SMR cables (no, not any SE or even EE stuff). I know that many commentators on this site consider that gears from that outfit are inferior to other brands currently marketed by AudioExotics. But, hey, I never pretend to be a high hand, a golden ear, or even a hi-fi enthusiast. I do not have a rich daddy. What I am seeking is a sweet spot between the dosh I have to lay out, and the marginal extra enjoyment I may potentially receive. As a middle-age person, I am not sure that my ear is even sufficiently sensitive as to detect anything above 5kHz.
Argento’s previous offering, SMR powercord, needs no introduction. The smoothness and clarity it offers manifest themselves best in a “thick sound” system designed to reproduce a warm midrange for vocals, e.g. a valve amplifier. I used to have a pair of monobloc valve amps, and, my subject view is that SMR clearly demonstrated its advantage in that type of set-up, more than in a Gold Mouth setup.
I acquired the FMR in an “accident”, but the detail of that “accident” is not important. As with any write-ups, one cannot view something in isolation, but needs to seek “comparables” (an ugly term beloved of by estate agents). My comparables are, in this case, Nordost Valhalla, Crystal Cable Ultra, FMR, and of course Gold Mouth’s own cables. Some of them are on loan.
Rightly or wrongly, the general view is that Gold Mouth gears are fast and transparent, with a very attractive sheen on the high. Thus, they are more suitable for classical orchestra work, than jazz and canto pops. Gold Mouth’s cables, on the other hand, tend to be slightly blurry. Thus, they are supposed to balance each other out.
Valhalla is the top model from Nordost. Crystal Cable is allegedly independent of Siltech, and Ultra is therefore not really a top model from Siltech/Crystal. Based on my limited hearing sensitivity, the characteristics of both Valhalla and Ultra are generally fast and transparent, and therefore tend to accentuate Gold Mouth’s inherent characteristics.
Now, I come to FMR. Maybe it is obtuse of me to say that FMR is also fast and transparent. It causes my system to come up with a mellower sound. While Valhalla and Ultra tend to be slightly more muscular and have more attack, FMR seems to be slightly more reserved and well upholstered. I stress the word slightly. Some users report that they come upon a Damascene moment and a day-and-night difference between their old cables and the FMR. But this is not my experience. But then, different cables make different shades of difference in different combinations. I suspect that FMR, like SMR, will make a greater difference with valve gears.
After some plugging and unplugging, my own preference is for Ultra and Valhalla for transport and converter respectively (so long as I have custody of them), and FMR will now settle itself with the pre-amplifier.
Make no mistake : FMR is an excellent cable. But, in the same or even slightly lower price range (say, HK$15k to 25k), it is not a case that it can smash other manufacturers’ top offerings into pieces, as reported (or implied) by other commentators. It remains a matter of personal taste as to whether FMR, and indeed Ultra or Valhalla, can be justified.
I should add that some two years ago, I had the opportunity of briefly auditioning the SMR power cord with Siltech’s Ruby Mountain (there was then no so-called SATT version). My personal preference had been for the SMR, as it sounded more even.
Although my tone of my write-up above is somewhat sceptical of the Damascene moment of others, this do not detract from the fact that Argento has never disappointed me : I am using them right now. The landscape of high-end hi-fi is littered with “here today, gone tomorrow” brands. Based on the evidence of SMR and FMR, it seems that Argento is a stayer.
Comments
Do you mean Heritge dac better than Boulder dac?
I had my audition of the Heritage dac at PT's place.
In the upsampling/oversampling camp, The Boulder dac and Heritage dac adopt two different direction. They are the state of the art product. I could not say Heritage dac better than Boulder dac. The boulder dac place the music elements in front of you but the heritage dac draw you into the the musical scene. When PT played the Eason Chan's life concert, I immediately felt concert atmosphere around me. It is wonderful experience to audition a high end product like Heritage dac. If you have a chance to audition it, don't miss it. If you don't have a chance, please try to make one.
Is the Esoteric flagship packed with a black wooden box? I used it 2 years ago when it was first launched and I still recalled getting it through my friend in Japan at JPY300,000. I cannot remember the model but it was mentioned that 8N copper is used. I didn't have any Esoteric gear to use it and that may perhaps be one of the reasons that I find it 'too smooth' for most of the music I played. Esoteric P03/ D03, in my own view, is inclined more on the 'resolution' side in terms of clarity over the frequency spectrum but admittedly, it is not even as musical and coherent as EmmLab CDSD/DCC2 combo on both CD and SACD playback. Again, I am drawing from a direct comparison between the two. Back to that flagship Eso power cord, I would only say it should match very well with Eso gears and could be quite demanding when matching with the others. I have not heard Kalista Reference but have heard numerous time the Kalista which gives me a feeling of lacking in treble extension and contrast while the mid to low bass is very impactful. Using Eso power cord may not give any comparative advantage because I don't think Eso power cord can yield a better performance on the treble.
If you have any friends who are using Goldmund 36A Reference SACD player, CEC TL0x or the 47Lab PiTracer, it may be a better ground for comparing the two power cords.
In any event, I am keen to know the result. Wow, go go go....
Marvel
The result is there will be 2nd hand of these contestants next week.
呀發，請你不要在毒我！
However, after some brief audition of FMR at Marvel's place and all the positive comments of the cable in this forum, I have started changing my mind......, and I finally bought my FR last week.
Obviously, Jorma is not in the same class of FR. My initial impression is that, FR improves almost all the aspects of music reproduction, in particular the appropriateness of moisture and body presented without losing even a bit of transparency and detail. FR also does an excellent job in terms of layering and 3-D imaging.
I said "almost all" instead of "all" because, appearently, the micro-dynamic of FR is not as dramatic as the Jorma. Probably Jorma is overdo in this aspect but I addict to it. The solution is simple - use the Jorma instead of ORB to feed my DAC, and I get all I need. By inference of this solution, I'm pretty sure that ORB is the root cause behind the micro-dynamic issue. However, I could not prove this unless.......I have got anothr FR
原來早前條G6只是將個中音谷肥，現在弱音細節和音象的線條可以用栩栩如生來形容，連家中隻雌性老虎也從廚房走出來聽下咩料！她左望望右望望，check Q 住我換了什麼。我叫佢死開D，咪阻住我聽呀菲！我對Discovery是從來未如此靚聲過。
呀發，我打算約志雄和你今個星期六帶埋你地條FLOW一起將全個系統FLOW起佢，你地點睇？
Before I set out my impression (for what it is worth), I have to put my cards on the table : I am using a Gold Mouth system, wired with SMR cables (no, not any SE or even EE stuff). I know that many commentators on this site consider that gears from that outfit are inferior to other brands currently marketed by AudioExotics. But, hey, I never pretend to be a high hand, a golden ear, or even a hi-fi enthusiast. I do not have a rich daddy. What I am seeking is a sweet spot between the dosh I have to lay out, and the marginal extra enjoyment I may potentially receive. As a middle-age person, I am not sure that my ear is even sufficiently sensitive as to detect anything above 5kHz.
Argento’s previous offering, SMR powercord, needs no introduction. The smoothness and clarity it offers manifest themselves best in a “thick sound” system designed to reproduce a warm midrange for vocals, e.g. a valve amplifier. I used to have a pair of monobloc valve amps, and, my subject view is that SMR clearly demonstrated its advantage in that type of set-up, more than in a Gold Mouth setup.
I acquired the FMR in an “accident”, but the detail of that “accident” is not important. As with any write-ups, one cannot view something in isolation, but needs to seek “comparables” (an ugly term beloved of by estate agents). My comparables are, in this case, Nordost Valhalla, Crystal Cable Ultra, FMR, and of course Gold Mouth’s own cables. Some of them are on loan.
Rightly or wrongly, the general view is that Gold Mouth gears are fast and transparent, with a very attractive sheen on the high. Thus, they are more suitable for classical orchestra work, than jazz and canto pops. Gold Mouth’s cables, on the other hand, tend to be slightly blurry. Thus, they are supposed to balance each other out.
Valhalla is the top model from Nordost. Crystal Cable is allegedly independent of Siltech, and Ultra is therefore not really a top model from Siltech/Crystal. Based on my limited hearing sensitivity, the characteristics of both Valhalla and Ultra are generally fast and transparent, and therefore tend to accentuate Gold Mouth’s inherent characteristics.
Now, I come to FMR. Maybe it is obtuse of me to say that FMR is also fast and transparent. It causes my system to come up with a mellower sound. While Valhalla and Ultra tend to be slightly more muscular and have more attack, FMR seems to be slightly more reserved and well upholstered. I stress the word slightly. Some users report that they come upon a Damascene moment and a day-and-night difference between their old cables and the FMR. But this is not my experience. But then, different cables make different shades of difference in different combinations. I suspect that FMR, like SMR, will make a greater difference with valve gears.
After some plugging and unplugging, my own preference is for Ultra and Valhalla for transport and converter respectively (so long as I have custody of them), and FMR will now settle itself with the pre-amplifier.
Make no mistake : FMR is an excellent cable. But, in the same or even slightly lower price range (say, HK$15k to 25k), it is not a case that it can smash other manufacturers’ top offerings into pieces, as reported (or implied) by other commentators. It remains a matter of personal taste as to whether FMR, and indeed Ultra or Valhalla, can be justified.
I should add that some two years ago, I had the opportunity of briefly auditioning the SMR power cord with Siltech’s Ruby Mountain (there was then no so-called SATT version). My personal preference had been for the SMR, as it sounded more even.
Although my tone of my write-up above is somewhat sceptical of the Damascene moment of others, this do not detract from the fact that Argento has never disappointed me : I am using them right now. The landscape of high-end hi-fi is littered with “here today, gone tomorrow” brands. Based on the evidence of SMR and FMR, it seems that Argento is a stayer.