SPOTFIRE cables. Loan offer.

I've got 6 hours on mine now!


My impressions are more bass power and more 'obvious' in the top end, crisper if you like, so more 'hi-fi' than my other go to cable (NVA SSC). I know some people regard that as bad thing, I don't, I'm always looking for more hi-fi. I'm using a Sony SCB790QS SACD player at the moment as I'm having a bit of a cd player crisis. A player I had previously relegated for sounding too smooth and bland but these cables do liven it up a bit.

Just a question about the burn in. What changes am I supposed to hear as I go along? I've never ever noticed anything burn in before let alone a cable so I want to know what I'm allegedly looking for in advance please.

I'm reluctant to 'guide' your opinion in any way on what you hear or where the changes happen IMO so I will tell you what I noticed.

I was listening to the system with the cables in. At around the 30hr mark, there was a definite change. I had a track on by Keb Mo and as I wish listening it sounded like someone had opened up the doors behind the speakers. There was a depth to the soundstage that emerged right before me. Obviously, I thought the cables were highlighting something in the track I hadn't heard before, like an effect. I was loving it. I replayed the track but instantly realised the depth was there at the begining of the track. I realised that the cables had just opened up. Critical listening also left me thinking the treble had 'eased' a little. Previous listening sounded like the treble was pronounced but it now sounded more natural. The whole soundstage opened up and the rigidness left the building. I was left with a feeling of fluidity and a natural presentation.

Obviously, that's only my experience but others have commented on the same sort of thing with their purchased cables.

Mone were due today but the Post Office were their usual unreliable selves so it will likely be tomorrow.,Martin sent them on, so it’s just a case of waiting for the Red Menace to cough them up.

Thankfully I won’t need to worry about burn in on this pair. A TIS beater for a quarter of the price will be worth waiting for.

See what I mean about feckin typos! I’m getting worse, or should I say my ulnar nerve is. I’m starting to sound like Officer Crabtree from Allo Allo.

RMND I said!!!! I like them tracked and insured.

Hopefully they arrive tomorrow! Whatever you think of them, just share here mate. I know we are a small group at the minute but I'm sure it will grow. It all helps!

I’ve been listening to Spotfire in my system pretty much all day. My system just doesn’t show cable differences to a great extent, but Spotfire is still better than what I have here. Differences aren’t huge in this system so I will be trying it with some of my other amps and speakers tomorrow and Monday,

My system sounds great with literally any cable, so i could live with any of the interconnects I have. Here’s what I have and how they stacked up today in my main system. It will be good to see how that fare in a more conventional setup.

Puresonic OCC cable 6/10. Sounded like there were instruments missing at times and just a bit too indistinct when compared to the best here.
Rega Couple with Neutrik Profi plugs 7/10. I’d expected this to be as good as anything, but it just sounded a little too “dark” and slightly wooly to match the best today.
DIY SSC clone. 9/10 Still love this cable. Airy, open and relaxing. Just shaded for definition by......
Neotech NEI-3004 cable. 9.5/10. Very close here. It’s pretty new so not even sure it’s run in, but it had better-defined bass and greater separation than the SSC clone albeit not quite as airy.
Spotfire with KLE Harmony copper plugs. 10/10. Edged the Neotech on just feeling more “settled” but with a similar signature sound. Both of these are more “tightly wound” sonically than the SSC, which aided timing, but the Spotfire just seemed to let me relax more. Very subtle in this system though and I’m not sure I could pick it blind.

These early findings are tentative and based on a system that does it’s best to shrug off cable differences like none I’ve had before, I wasn’t going to set my thoughts down until I had tried other kit, but I feared I may lose the essence of today’s experiences if I didn’t get them down.

I think the lack of cable sensitivity is probably down to two things. One, you are effectively always off-axis with omnis, so it’s harder to pick out differences. Two, the Sonneteer stuff is as benign as you will find, with no foibles to exploit. Like an inert gas, they just don’t seem to “react” with other kit or cables.

Let’s see what the Claymore, Exposure X, Cubettes, Minstrels and Spicas tell me over the next couple of days.

Differences between cables are always either small or non-existent. How could they be otherwise?


Okay so this is hi-fi and small differences do matter.


Carry on

Some things matter loads. Some things matter slightly. Some things don't matter at all. IME lots of people spend all their attention and money on the stuff that matters slightly or not at all and pay no attention to what matters loads. 

I should add that I think there must be a technical reason why the Sonneteer is so un-fussy. I wonder if certain circuit designs are inherently more fussy than others. I did hear that valve amps are supposedly less fussy because they have a transformer in circuit, but I’ve no idea why transistor amps should differ.

Just checking Bigman, you do make up balanced cables and would be able to do 2/3 mtrs.

Balanced shootout:

theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?60484-XLR-Cable-shoot-out-including-the-Spotfire-IC

Thanks for that info, not for me but someone else who may change to monoblocks and need longer interconnects.

Surprised me too. I’ve had them a while, but they were so dull and thick sounding, I’ve been put right off. The Sonneteer probably won’t care though.

No problem matey. Just thought I'd pass on all of the info rather than doing the dribs and drabs approach.