Most Wanted Components of the Decade: Cables and Accessories

AudioQuest Niagara 1200 AC Power Conditioner Most audiophiles tweak their systems on a regular basis. Generally those changes yield small incremental improvements in some sonic element or the other, whether a set of cables, new tubes, a platter mat, or what have you. By contrast, the Niagara 1200 is one of those very rare ancillary components that immediately made my entire system sound better. The conditioner yielded a lower noise floor, greater detail, better frequency extension (especially in the bass) and just an overall more natural presentation. Designed in house by AudioQuest’s Garth Powell, the 1200 got rid of noise I didn’t even know I was there. Plus, at $999.95 it’s somewhat of a bargain. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and to emphasize the point I put my money where my mouth is: I bought the review sample. (Greg Simmons) 

 

Black Cat Cable Coppertone Wire (Speaker cable-$394 for a ten foot pair and RCA IC’s-$199 for a three foot pair): I have had far more expensive wires in my system in the last decade than these Chris Sommovigo designed and hand built cables, but none really out performed these wires to any great degree, regarding their ability with timbres, “meat on the bone” imaging, expansive soundstaging, and excellent top and bottom extension. I use full looms in both my systems because they offer wonderful performance at such a low cost it’s kinda absurd. (Terry London)

Jack Bybee (The Man) and his products: As perhaps one of his biggest fans, I’ve personally witnessed the evolution of both the man and his products for the past 20 years. Starting out with his Golden Goddess Speaker Bullets back in 1999 or thereabouts, I was gobsmacked by the ease of flow, transparency and dynamic capabilities these devices. Difficult to manufacturer played a big part with a price tag at $5k for a set of 4. Gifted with the keen ability to enhance audio systems coupled with a vast background in quantum mechanics Bybee (the Man), continued to improve on a series of products that could improve ones listening experience. At age 90, he’s not slowed down a bit. Moreover, I believe he’s created the best product of the many dozens he’s invented over the past two decades: The Bybee iQSE Clarifiers (latest incarnation of his iQSE Mk IIs), are his most potent as well as the most affordable. At $100 a pop, I started with a set of four. Placing them on the 18″ woofer magnet inside of my beloved (and old) Sunny Majestic Horn loudspeakers. The iQSE Clarifiers instantly removed the noise, glare and distortion by perhaps an order of magnitude. Of course, I’m speaking of a level of noise that never existed – prior to the installation of the iQSE Clarifiers! I could go on and on with glowing illustrations as you know however new Stereo Times’ contributor Richard Willie kicked a hornets nest when he asked to join the masthead. His first assignment was the iQSE Clarifiers. He’s only heard of Bybee but never indulged with his products, that is – until now. Please read his follow-up to Greg Voth’s enlightening prose on these amazing products. My only hope is that Jack Bybee continues developing products for another two decades! Hats off to you for you’ve allowed many of us here to experience music in ways never believed possible. Thank You Jack for being awarded Stereo Times’ Man of the Decade!  

Bybee iQSE Clarifiers ($100): There is serious synergy going here with the Tekton Double Impacts and these new Bybee’s iQSE Clarifiers. Adding the Clarifiers to both woofers and midrange drivers on my Tekton  DI magnets brought forth an undeniable naturalness, musicality and weight: with a lower noise floor and greater impact to dynamic content. (Reviewed here – Greg Voth) 

Bybee iQSE Fatboys ($400) and iQSE Clarifiers ($100): I want to acknowledge physicist, inventor, friend Jack Bybee. His ability to think outside the box to produce audio tweaks has provided a profound contribution to the production of sound in my audio system and listening room. I appreciate Clement Perry introducing me to Jack and his products years ago and have been using them for the last decade with superb results. Nearly all of my many audiophile friends have at least one of his unique tweaks in their audio systems and are glad they do. Jack continues to be an audio elder statesman and is still perfecting devices to improve our listening pleasure. Best wishes to Jack and Happy New Year! (Dan Secula/Moreno Mitchell)
 

Bybee iQSE Clarifiers ($100):  I recently acquired a number of these and, while I have yet to install them inside of my Tekton Ulfbehrt speakers, I have placed them next to several of the drivers on the front baffle as well as other locations in the equipment chain.  The results are simply amazing, lowering the noise floor to an extent I wouldn’t have thought possible.  The result is an increase in transparency that allows me to hear deeper into the musical performance.  One of the least expensive means to improve virtually any system! (Ron Cook) 

Bybee iQSE Clarifiers: To tweak or not to tweak, that is the question! If you’ve been at this hobby for more than a little while you have probably tired of the endless parade of superlatives that have been heaped upon various and sundry Products claiming to transform your music listening experience. This has included products from the very beginning of the chain (starting with the power coming into your breaker panel) to the very end of the chain (the speakers) and then on to the room and the air that resides in it! It’s a fascinating and endless journey populated by some bright (and some not) minds who have tried their best to create products to help us closer to the “magnificent illusion”. I could give you details and details of how these Bybee’s positively impacted my listening experience… this space is not the place… but check out Greg Voth‘s recent review here at ST for a more detailed snap shot. I felt it best to just “heap“ (forgive me!) my personal praise on these cost-effective and seemingly magical devices from the BRILLIANT mind of Jack Bybee. (Ed Van Winkle)

Dynamic Design Titania Titania Speaker Cable ($5,200 1.5 meter pair) and XLR Interconnects ($3,600 1 meter pair): This small Chicago-based company continues to be my favorite cable company for going on 17 years now. They produce some of the very best audio cables available and compete with anything available.  The build quality and parts selection are first-rate and all Dynamic Design offerings are very pleasing to the eye.  The Titania Series is very neutral, dynamic and detailed.  The Titania cables will let you hear what your equipment is doing in the audio chain and present your music selections as they were meant to be heard without adding any character of its own.  The Titania really goes a long way towards getting out of the way and letting you enjoy your music. (Mike Wright) 

Entreq Silver Tellus Infinity/Olympus Infinity ($2000/$3000): The new and improved Entreq Silver Tellus was a welcome addition to my audio system.  I recall back a few years when I was first introduced to the Entreq line by Clement Perry how much of an impact their equipment had on my audio system.  The flow, speed, musical punch and absence of noise was a pure joy.  With the addition of the new Silver Tellus Infinity paired with the Olympus Eartha Infinity cable line my joy meter has increased ten fold. 

The Entreq line is for the more serious listener, it will take you to a level most are not familiar with. A must have! (Moreno Mitchell)

 

Essential Sound Products The Essence Reference II Power Cords ($2,500): These are to be considered as a true reference power cords.  The Reference II’s made everything they were connected to perform at a higher level. Each time I listened to my system with the Ref II’s installed I felt my electronics were performing at their best and that I was enjoying music at a higher level than I had previously thought.  Background noise was greatly reduced, the low-end performance spoke with greater authority, and transients seemed to be more realistic.  Across the board, all of my gear seemed to have additional air and sparkle to them.  Ref II power cords back up all of the claims that audiophiles have been making and more. (Mike Wright)

 

Hemingway Audio Z-Core series cables: Can’t believe designer Doyoung Chung has produced a line that is said to be above his Creation series which I have fortunate enough to call my reference for a few years now. Super transparent but never harsh nor forward, these cable redefine the oveused meaning of see-through! Outrageously expensive when noticing the asking price but  dare you compare? You too may come away with a new reference! (review in the works Clement Perry)   
 

PerfectPath Technlogies The Gate, Omega e-mat, and Total Contact ($4999, $599, and $299): The formulation of TC, with its unique combination of components, has never been done before. Coupling that with its performance, it’s my opinion that TC has made all other contact enhancers obsolete.  Whatever the The Gate and Omega e-mats are doing to the electrical signal and the components in my system, the effect on music reproduction was not subtle and the transformation of my system occurred in ways that I’ve never experienced by the changing of any components, cables or tweaks.  With the The Gate and e-mats, I’m immersed within the soundstage and imaging, as part of the soundstage is now present behind me.  All music systems would benefit from the excellent PerfectPath Technology products. (Mike Girardi)

Soundstring Gen II Platinum Series Cables: Len Miller and the folks at Soundstring have been making cables for many purposes and for many years, and all of their talent and wisdom has produced a real winner: The Soundstring Generation II Platinum Series cables. Suffice to say, these are not just my longtime references because of their wonderful neutrality, these are the cables that finally made me ask myself, “Why would anyone spend more for cables?” (Dave Thomas)   

SurgeX SA-20 Standalone Surge Eliminator ($449.00):  Living in severe-thunderstorm-prone Dallas, Texas, I have had several valuable pieces of electronics destroyed by lightning in the past few years despite using dedicated conventional surge protection for my equipment.  Buying the SurgeX SA-20 has relieved my anxiety.  SurgeX items have been used mainly in pro setups until introducing home units in the past few years.  Unlike virtually every other surge protector on the market, SurgeX does not use metal oxide varistors (MOV’s) which sacrifice themselves to save your equipment (but often don’t!).  Instead, two opposing air core inductors are used to slow down and decrease the current, then sending the remainder of the surge to a clamping board and bleeding it off, while your equipment sees normal voltage and current.  All devices in the SA-20 are non-sacrificial, which means they’ll last essentially forever!  The SA-20 contains two AC outlets, but if you need more, the SA-1810 has ten for only a small price increase.  In addition, these units contain EMI/RFI filtering, and I can assure you that your sound quality will not be harmed, and indeed may be improved.  The SurgeX products have given me peace of mind – and aside from sound quality, what’s more important?  (Dave Allison) 

Star Sound Technologies Platforms (Apprentice SP-SA-103-3 $589, Sistrum Rhythm $2,175, Sistrum Rhythm RP2 $4,000): My friend, and fellow Stereo Times reviewer, Terry London, introduced me to Robert Maicks and the Star Sound Technology products.  I looked into the Star Sound products a little reluctantly at first but soon found myself having these hour-long discussions with Robert almost weekly. Finally, I took the plunge with a couple of the Sistrum Apprentice Platforms to place under my Tekton Design Double Impact speakers, and things took off from there.  To go along with the increases in extension at the frequency extremes, there was this wonderful connectedness to the performers, both in terms of having them seemingly being in my room but also in what they were saying through their music. I moved my mono-amps to the Apprentice platforms and placed my speakers on Rhythm platforms and things went to an even higher level of performance with even more dimensionality, increases in stage width, spatial depth and air around and between performers. If you need to stack electronics on their own shelfs, the Sistrum Rhythm RP2 would be a recommendation.  Whether you use one platform or three set up like a shelving unit, there is no compromise in the sonic character of what the Star Sound Technologies provides. (Mike Wright)

 

Symposium Acoustics Ultra Platform ($800 19”x18, sizes and prices vary): I would not consider myself a tweaker, but as a good friend of mine is always reminding me, “foundation is vital.”  I noticed that another friend of mine was using the Symposium Platforms throughout his system, including supporting his Convergent Audio Technology preamp and mono-amps, Tekton Design Double Impact SE’s, and a Townsend Rock 7 to good effect. Okay, he’s got one of the better so