mep
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- Dec 4, 2013
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- #1
We commonly think of dynamic range in terms of ppp to fff, but the reality of dynamic range extends below and beyond those two boundaries. Depending on the noise level of your system (and this includes your speaker cables), you may or may not be able to hear below ppp even if your individual system components are capable of resolving information at such a low level. It wasn't until I reviewed the Viero Level 3 speaker cables (and subsequently purchased a pair) that I came to appreciate (and hear) how much information is going on at super low levels. The microphones captured this information even if the engineers never really intended to record this information or have it be heard. Subtle word exchanges going on between musicians that you never heard before, hearing horn players taking a quiet breath before they start blowing (and I'm not talking about the Mr. Obvious type of taking a loud deep breath that you hear on some recordings at beyond the ppp range and would easily be heard on any Sony system sold at Best Buy), and remarkably soft playing of other instruments with shadings that heretofore went unnoticed. Just as when you are on the ocean and marveling at what you see on top of the water, in music, there is a bunch of life taking place underneath what you normally hear (see).
Prior to listening through the Viero Level 3 cables, I never realized that even speaker cables have a noise floor as well as the filtering they do to the signal (anytime you have inductance, capacitance, and resistance connected together, you have a filter network. If you have a network box in addition to the LCR of your speaker cables, you really have some filters that your amps are looking into (think MIT and Transparent). I really think that a large part of the Viero magic is their ultra low noise floor which allows you to hear all of the music and the subtle things that are going on at really low levels that help make the music sound more real and alive. Because of their lack of noise, the Viero Level 3 cables resolve more information from each instrument that is playing and you will hear this with any recording that you think you are familiar with.
The pair of Level 3 speaker cables that I purchased are just now starting to break in. How do I know? Because the magic of what they do is returning and it's easily heard. Fresh out of the box, the Level 3 cables only hint at what is to come. I knew what was to come because I had it before with the review pair I had in my system. I never thought I would get upset to remove a pair of speaker cables from my system until I had to remove the Level 3 cables and send them to Myles so he could do the follow-up review. I bitched about it enough that Myles told me to quit whining (and I was whining).
I suspect the Viero Level 3 cables will work their magic in many different types of systems. Will they be 'perfect' for all amps and speakers? Damned if I know. Myles and I have tubes in common, but Myles is in the CJ world and I'm in the ARC world. I have Nola KO speakers and Myles has the Magico S5 speakers. However, magic struck both of our systems and I suspect it will strike many others given the opportunity. I'm currently reviewing the Raven Shadow Reference stereo amp (with KT-150 output tubes) and the magic is there too. Sometimes I just shake my head and marvel at all of the information that I'm hearing. There is no doubt in my mind that Devis Viero is onto something with his speaker cables.
Prior to listening through the Viero Level 3 cables, I never realized that even speaker cables have a noise floor as well as the filtering they do to the signal (anytime you have inductance, capacitance, and resistance connected together, you have a filter network. If you have a network box in addition to the LCR of your speaker cables, you really have some filters that your amps are looking into (think MIT and Transparent). I really think that a large part of the Viero magic is their ultra low noise floor which allows you to hear all of the music and the subtle things that are going on at really low levels that help make the music sound more real and alive. Because of their lack of noise, the Viero Level 3 cables resolve more information from each instrument that is playing and you will hear this with any recording that you think you are familiar with.
The pair of Level 3 speaker cables that I purchased are just now starting to break in. How do I know? Because the magic of what they do is returning and it's easily heard. Fresh out of the box, the Level 3 cables only hint at what is to come. I knew what was to come because I had it before with the review pair I had in my system. I never thought I would get upset to remove a pair of speaker cables from my system until I had to remove the Level 3 cables and send them to Myles so he could do the follow-up review. I bitched about it enough that Myles told me to quit whining (and I was whining).
I suspect the Viero Level 3 cables will work their magic in many different types of systems. Will they be 'perfect' for all amps and speakers? Damned if I know. Myles and I have tubes in common, but Myles is in the CJ world and I'm in the ARC world. I have Nola KO speakers and Myles has the Magico S5 speakers. However, magic struck both of our systems and I suspect it will strike many others given the opportunity. I'm currently reviewing the Raven Shadow Reference stereo amp (with KT-150 output tubes) and the magic is there too. Sometimes I just shake my head and marvel at all of the information that I'm hearing. There is no doubt in my mind that Devis Viero is onto something with his speaker cables.