Unfortunately the founder/driver/designer for Analysis Plus passed away recently, and the company appears to have been sold to AudioQuest. Hope I am mistaken about all this. If not, unless AQ continues the integrity of the design and reporting approach, Analysis Plus may have reached the end of their line.
PureAudioProject Quintet 15 - Mr. Ulrich - Switzerland - OEM Internal Wiring Replacement
We regularly receive inquiry from speaker manufacturers about Iconoclast cable. They are all ears until they learn of the process and precision necessary to use Galens Series I, much less Series II design. Once they understand, most go running preferring to use 2-conductor, stranded 12/14/16 AWG. I had to refrain from using the “lamp cord” designation for fear of a contract being placed on my existence. Maybe you should not look under the bonnet, of your speakers.
We do have some brave souls who stepped up to the plate to replace the otherwise “standard” fare of internal cabling of their “highly regarded,” and by most standard “expensive” speakers with Iconoclast cable. The Legacy Audio Valor’s was a massive undertaking with over 50-such assemblies to complete the speaker system.
Ulrich contacted me as a “customer” who wished to replace the internal cabling of his PureAudioProject Quintet speakers from Israel. I was introduced to Zeév the principal of PureAudioProject a fews years back. He has an incredible following and produces some “from what I hear” incredible speakers. I provided speaker cables to listen to and received lengthy and sincere accolades. But, like most, the prospect of prep and perhaps expense involved we did not move forward as business partners. I am intrigued by the open baffle dipole design and would love to experience the Quintets! Remember that my Whispers are “compound dipoles” and have never been considered for replacement.
Here is the story as provided by Ulrich. He is a perfectionist as are most from the EU cultures. Before I consented to sending him “raw” Iconoclast cable he had to perform an interview even more stringent than the first date of my eldest daughter. I knew that he was more than competent and would perform the task as a “work of love!” And, he did. It took hours and hours and hours. The end result was astounding.
Eins - “have nightmares about stripping little blue wires.”
Zwei - “twist conductors tightly, apply silver solder.”
Drei - " Solder on spade connectors." Don’t forget shrink ! Oh crap!
https://www.fastmailusercontent.com/jmap/download/u73994096/G197d99f937d6682cb8d1781485b212f37a584d86/IMG_6284.JPG?
Vier - And, when you think you are done, repeat 20-times!!
To Be Continued…
@BobBJC - I find those helping hands too fiddly. Have you tried one of these?:
Ulrich - Switzerland Part Zwei
Much of what will follow is images that must only speak for themselves. This is all “eye candy” for me. I receive countless images from our customers who share their systems with me. Like the systems section of the PS Audio forum, no 2-are ever the same and the obvious thought and planning is evident. Although I am not a fan of diversity and inclusion in many things, audio certainly presents a channel for such thought and application. I can only imagine the presentation and sound from some of the systems that I am blessed to look at!
After Ulrich has completed a significant number of assemblies, each measured to perfection, each maintaining the necessary geometry and break out length and each carefully hand terminated, he was ready to make connections.
The Quintet 15 design includes “external” crossovers making it necessary to route cables a little different than most.
Enjoy. I will follow up with comments from Ulrich.
Very nice! Link to purchase? Thank you. Looks way more stable.
Sorry for the mess on my bench, I am switching gears from a power cord to a cable to go from Phono DIN to RCA. I got a sweet deal on a Transparent Audio Ultra Phono cable, but it’s DIN and I have RCA.
This is beautiful work. I hope it sounds as good as it looks.
It also reminds me why I’ve never terminated Kimber Kable.
Ulrich - Switzerland Part Drei - Finale
Kinda says it all. Thank you Ulrich! You did a masterful modification. Thank you for the opportunity!
"Sound was now absolute fantastic, with high resolution, clearly defined instruments, deep and wide space. Wonderful!"
""** At first I am very astonished about the performance of your cable. It was a risk to buy and configure, but I am very happy with it. It is a big step in hearing music with my system. I will say the cable has component status, absolute fantastic!""**
Thank you!! I need this!
I’m nowhere near your elevated skills, but a handy (third handy) tool does make a difference.
Enjoy!
Never, never, never put alligator teeth clips on 7 mil FEP! The indentations create ionization paths that can lead to low dielectric withstand voltages. Voltage is lazy and looks for the thinnest, and easiest path to ground. Don’t give it one. Use some sort of PVC sleeve over the polarity.
We test at 5 KV, yes 5,000 volts after assembly for dielectric integrity. Speakers run around 50-60V max, so likely no problems but…let’s be as good as we can be! This is true on ANY cable…don’t clamp the work area, ever. Use a pressure insulator.
Best,
Galen Gareis
I would like to wire my open baffle speakers like this but yeesh these cables are pricey! I wouldn’t even mind stripping them as I’ve had lots of Kimber Kable.
I have shrink tube covers for my alligator teeth clips. I had no idea about the ionized path issue, I just didn’t like the tooth marks.
It would be great to see a review of the Iconoclast Series I/Series II bi-wire speaker cables on the new aspen FR30 speakers.
Someone is doing that but…you have new speakers and new cable. THAT is a tough job. Speakers are awful for mechanical break-in and few are good out of the box. Now throw in cable differences that may or may not be in-line with the speakers changes. When we hear a change, who is on first, the speaker or the cable? A moving target complicates and irritates the basis for a judgement.
I would not want to change two things at once. Maybe hold off awhile for the speaker’s to settle in. My CWT1000-40 took month’s to reach stability. My opinion of the speaker, no change in cable, varied a LOT as they worked in. One evaluation requires the other be “finished” for any real accuracy.
Best,
Galen
I have refrained from offering any impressions of the new cable on the FR30 for this very reason that you have so aptly described. I did have the Gen2 OTC full range on the Maggies for a couple of weeks earlier, verses the Gen1 SPTPC, and have described the differences. Bottom line, the mids and top are better with the new cable. For me, proof of the intended design. Logic would dictate that using both of these cables bi-wired on the FR30 would be even better. And it probably is. I love the idea of bypassing jumpers and most internal wiring. I should go back to a real demo of the cables when the speaker is settled in but for now l am just enjoying the music.
Here’s my initial review of the TPC Series II cables with my system. Bob was kind enough to send me a length-matched pair to work with my OFE Series I cables that I already own. Now, I should make clear that I love both the OFE and a different pair of cables that I alternate for use with my Von Schweikert E SE speakers, using one pair when the mood strikes versus the other. Since the move to my new home, and the bare minimum setup of my listening room, I’ve been using the other cables (MasterBuilt) with my system. So a little over two weeks ago when I got the Series II, I waded through still-packed boxes of audio gear to get my OFEs out. I hooked them both up and put hours on the cables until I felt I was ready to say something about them. After close to 200 hours I feel like it’s time to say a few things.
What has already been said is on target - the Series II transforms the resolution of the upper frequency range, without sounding over detailed, or etched. The soundstage is wider, the clarity of the soundstage depth is better, the sense of “seeing the full performance in high resolution” from left to right (and when I say left to right, I mean wayyy left and wayyy right past either side of the speakers) and front to back is exemplary… all the while not sounding like antiseptic mouthwash.
However… my system running on the MasterBuilts, while (only) slightly less resolved, does provide a sense of not “sameness”, but “oneness” to the performance that gives it a slight edge in making it seem like everything is singing with the same voice. Is it maybe precisely because it is not able to have each voice be its own to the fullest extent? Maybe, but I’m not so sure. I have to listen more. One thing is for sure - my system has never sounded so open, neutral, and resolved as it does with the updated Iconoclast combination. Buutttt… (it’s funny how butts always seem be staring me in the face ) if I were to venture a guess based on my recollection of the sounds of the Series I OFE, TPC, and SPTPC in my system back when I tried them all, I’d guess that a Series II OFE on my uppers would be a better match than the Series II TPC. Part of the reason I originally picked the OFE was that I felt it had the most “human, organic” sound in my system of the three. And I get a slight nagging feeling that that’s just the last thing that might be missing in this current listening, to bring the full Iconoclast picture to fruition in my system.
So, Galen, Bob, I know it’s not likely you’ll be offering the Series II in OFE, but I ask that you do. I can tweak my system perhaps in other ways to get the OFE lower and S-II TPC upper to optimize in my system, but there’s something in my gut that tells me my system would be happier with an OFE I/II configuration. If you build it, you can consider the first pair sold.
Oh, my best audio bud was listening as well. His observations are in line with mine, but there was some of his vinyl that we played that, upon completion of listening via the Iconoclasts, his one word reaction was “stunning”. But (there we go again) when I asked him which configuration gave him a better sense of coherent musical timing and rhythm (he’s a musician) he said “the MasterBuilts” (which are also in a bi-wired configuration).
Thanks for dividing deep on these cables. For me, speaker cable comparisons are the hardest of all. Systems and particularly the speakers themselves play a huge part. I’ve done cable library comparisons and would get frustrated not knowing “who’s on first”.
I concur that SIl shines on mid/upper resolution and spacial relationships. Having tried the early version coppers, I thought the TPC and SPTPC had similar characteristics, while the OFE was quite different. Go figure. For now I am hanging tight and see what the SIl
SPTPC brings. Bob has been very accommodating, and a full credit upgrade sounds good to me.
How would you describe the differences? I know that’s a tough question, and the simplest answer would help me the most (have been in the Iconoclast market for almost a year, but have been busy).