slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Has anyone any experience with Virtual Dynamics cables other than looking at the price and getting turned off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spritzer Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I've tried a number of their cables and can't stand them both because of their stiffness and that they sound like crap. They are creating a artificial bloom and rolling off the HF to make for pleasant sounding cable but they are far from neutral and a bit diffused. They are overpriced beyond belief and will mess up a well balanced system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon L Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I've tried a number of their cables and can't stand them both because of their stiffness and that they sound like crap. They are creating a artificial bloom and rolling off the HF to make for pleasant sounding cable but they are far from neutral and a bit diffused. They are overpriced beyond belief and will mess up a well balanced system. Boy, you shouldn't hold back so much I've listened to VD Revelations, and while not my cup of tea, they do have their virtues. It's impossible for them to sound lean or threadbare, which will serve many systems out there. They sound like the thick solid core cables that they are.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spritzer Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Why should I hold back... I'm just not that type... I could find no redeeming factor for the VD cables and they have started to market their cables directly on HF. Check out the Omega IC thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philodox Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 They're a sponsor y'know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Paging Hirsch...Hirsch to the white courtesy telephone please... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I have heard some one guy with a Lavry who told me that using the VD Nite cable brings the best out of the Lavry. Based on post number 2 the cable might give the Lavry some "musicality" since it appears to be lacking so much. Yea, I saw that Hirsch like them quite a bit a while ago. Don't know his take today though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Why should I hold back... I'm just not that type... I could find no redeeming factor for the VD cables and they have started to market their cables directly on HF. Check out the Omega IC thread. Will do! Just did and I say what Omega IC thread? Search only returned these posts in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Yea, I saw that Hirsch like them quite a bit a while ago. Don't know his take today though.Well, I don't like to speak for him, so maybe you should PM him, but I haven't heard anything to know that his opinion has changed. Though I believe his experience is with their most high-end cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hirsch Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I've owned Virtual Dynamics cables for years (since you could get a demo Power 3 for about $40). I like the Master Series as the "sweet spot" where you get most of the high-end qualities. A friend of mine did an entire speaker rig in the Revelation Series (I've got one pair). Their cables are frequently on sale (current sale is 50% off), although 50% of expensive is still expensive. What they do best is dynamics (which is somehow appropriate). Usually, if I switch from them to another interconnect, it tends to sound like I've added compression somewhere. The VD cables don't limit dynamic range. I've gotten best results when entire system is rigged with Virtual Dynamics cables, including power cords. There are some components that simply won't pair with them (Wadia 301 would not sound right with VD power cord) and there is a settling in period of several days once you've bent them into your system. At first, they can sound slow. After a few days, not necessarily with a lot of music going through them, the slowness vanishes and the cable seems to disappear sonically. I have no explanation for any of this. If you're reasonably good at anticipating the bends you'll need in a cable, and bend them before hooking them up, they're actually pretty easy to use them, as long as the components are heavy enough to hold them down. I've heard the diffuse effect that Spritzer describes in the Nite Series interconnects and below. The Master Series and above provides much needed focus. Yep, they're expensive. Yep, they can sound bad with some components. And yep, when they're what you want in an interconnect, there is no substitute that I've heard. My priorities are a large, well-focussed sound stage with a lot of dynamic range, and the capability of both soft and loud sounds co-occurring and being easily distinguishable. So far, the Virtual Dynamics cables have given me that. I haven't heard anything else in my system I could listen to for long periods (but there are a LOT of cables I haven't heard, or haven't heard enough to have gotten their measure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Wow, you shoudl send that in to VD. The can put it up as a testimonial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Thanks for the VD impressions and advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Thanks for the VD impressions and advise. that's a statement you want to make sure is surrounded with adequate context ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Lets make that "Virtual Dynamics (VD)" in post number #11. If you don't or can't identify context, the context is in this thread concerning the Virtual Dynamics ICs. That is VIRTUAL DYNAMICS for those from "Rio Linda." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Lets make that "Virtual Dynamics (VD)" in post number #11. If you don't or can't identify context, the context is in this thread concerning the Virtual Dynamics ICs. That is VIRTUAL DYNAMICS for those from "Rio Linda." oohhh.. that type of inter-connect sorry, proceed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spritzer Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I did spend most of the time with one of the Nite models but have also heard the Revelation (or something like that) and the Master series but not long enough to fully get to know them. One of the local hi-fi nuts loves the VD stuff which is good since I unloaded all my old VD PC's for a nice profit. These cables aren't Nordost or Transparent bad but so excessively overpriced I could never recommend them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 In all seriousness, why not consider the new Synergistic line, Pranawire, Kubala-Sosna, etc.. there's lots of good stuff out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotoriousBIG_PJ Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I had the vd master ic's in my system for a couple of months. They injected a fullness to the sound of the system. Recordings that previously sounded thin, took on a fuller sound, which was neat. I found their tone to be a bit dark, but many others would call this sound warm or neutral. The imaging and detail were both good. I've since moved on to better (and cheaper) interconnects. Biggie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slwiser Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I had the vd master ic's in my system for a couple of months. They injected a fullness to the sound of the system. Recordings that previously sounded thin, took on a fuller sound, which was neat. I found their tone to be a bit dark, but many others would call this sound warm or neutral. The imaging and detail were both good. I've since moved on to better (and cheaper) interconnects. Biggie. What specifically have you moved on to that is cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotoriousBIG_PJ Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 What specifically have you moved on to that is cheaper? vh audio symmetry (silver version). I like the tone of the cable better, and the silver is dead-soft annealed, so it doesn't add an edge to the music like other silver cable I've had in the past. Overall I find it to be a more transparent cable then the vd, which adds its own signature to the music. Biggie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philodox Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Those Poiemas that Spritzer pimps are really starting to interest me, but I'm not smart enough to figure out if their explanation of the design is complete audiophile bullshit or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spritzer Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 vh audio symmetry (silver version). I like the tone of the cable better, and the silver is dead-soft annealed, so it doesn't add an edge to the music like other silver cable I've had in the past. Overall I find it to be a more transparent cable then the vd, which adds its own signature to the music. Biggie. That is a really good cable and why a recommend the VH DIY silver recipe to anybody that know which end of the soldering iron you are supposed to hold. Those Poiemas that Spritzer pimps are really starting to interest me, but I'm not smart enough to figure out if their explanation of the design is complete audiophile bullshit or not. I'm not pimping them!! I've just pointed out that they are good and you have to spend a great deal more or invest a bundle in DIY to get a better cable. While most of the stuff they are talking about is the usual marketing BS there are hints at how the cables are made. They start out with fresh silver wire drawn soft but still at least 99.99% pure. The silver is polished a number of times and then sheath in natural insulation such as cotton. The wires are then damped and the cable is closed up. My only issue with them are the large conductors as smaller is better with IC's and that they are slightly stiff. My own IC's are so manageable that you can loop it around a finger, not that I would ever do that to the precious wire , and that's how IC's should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philodox Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 You're pimping them, but I didn't mean that in a negative way... also, quite possible that our definition of 'pimping' something is slightly different. How do your IC's compare to the Poiemas? Care to share the recipe or offer special introductory head-case pricing? No way in hell I am affording stuff from Ridge Street any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepak Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I'd be interested as well, wasn't a big fan of the HGA silver ICs. Then again there could have been many factors why I didn't like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spritzer Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I'd rather say I'm recommending them... not pimping them... My cables use a specially drawn silver that was made for a friend of mine and I got some of his stash after he was done experimenting. The other limited material is the center tube that the whole cable is built on. I found a stash of it but haven't been able to find a similar material to buy anywhere that shares the same flexibility but is yet so sturdy and non resonant. It's a bit like the Indra but I have enough for all my cable needs in the future. The basic design is thin conductors, spiraled around the center tube and then damped by two separate layers of material. They are a bitch to fabricate with a lot of time going into each meter and are fragile where the connectors meet the cable but I've mostly solved that issue now. If you think the Ridge Street stuff is expensive then this would be in a whole other league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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