Kimber Upgrade

Thanks, Scott. I kind of figured looking up on Kimber site. Just thought there's a Select line power cord as people talk about the line the most.
 
Hi Mike,

What model Kimber power cords do you have in your Pass XS / Strad system and your Devialet / Focal system? How do you like them and what is their sonic signature?

Thanks so much,
Ken
 
Alpinist said:
Hi Mike,

What model Kimber power cords do you have in your Pass XS / Strad system and your Devialet / Focal system? How do you like them and what is their sonic signature?

Thanks so much,
Ken
Click to expand...

Pass XS/Strads - Kimber PK10 Palladian throughout.
Devialet/Focal - Kimber PK14G with 6F330evo AU-slim IEC. Kimber PK10 Palladian on Lumin.

The PK10 Palladian cables are excellent. Balanced. Neutral. Dead quiet. However, the "box" makes it very difficult to work with. The "box" is like an anchor and if you have a device on a top shelf it will act like an anchor weighing against it. But unless you have a long run from the outlet to the device, you should be fine. For example, if you have an Ansuz Mainz 8 at the bottom of your rack and you run the power cable straight up, you should be fine. But if you are going from a outlet or Mainz 8 or similar from a longer way horizontally, you could find it awkward to manage. The box is quite heavy and bulky, but sounds great and definitely, from what I hear, lowers the noise floor. Given their sound, build quality, etc. they are a steal.

The PK14G's from the Mainz 8 is a good combination and was my only option for a low profile/slip IEC end (which is nice to have for the Devialet). Sonically, it sounds excellent, but there is no doubt the PK10 Palladian is a better sounding power cord. The PK10 Palladian in this system was bigger, fuller, with more bottom end. But the cables were awkward to work with given the location of my outlets and the big fat ends on the PK10 pushed the Devialet's rear end up and visually didn't look great.
 
has anyone compared Kimber with Audience? both seem like very well designed copper cables- Audience much more flexible though
 
Mike said:
Pass XS/Strads - Kimber PK10 Palladian throughout.
Devialet/Focal - Kimber PK14G with 6F330evo AU-slim IEC. Kimber PK10 Palladian on Lumin.

The PK10 Palladian cables are excellent. Balanced. Neutral. Dead quiet. However, the "box" makes it very difficult to work with. The "box" is like an anchor and if you have a device on a top shelf it will act like an anchor weighing against it. But unless you have a long run from the outlet to the device, you should be fine. For example, if you have an Ansuz Mainz 8 at the bottom of your rack and you run the power cable straight up, you should be fine. But if you are going from a outlet or Mainz 8 or similar from a longer way horizontally, you could find it awkward to manage. The box is quite heavy and bulky, but sounds great and definitely, from what I hear, lowers the noise floor. Given their sound, build quality, etc. they are a steal.

The PK14G's from the Mainz 8 is a good combination and was my only option for a low profile/slip IEC end (which is nice to have for the Devialet). Sonically, it sounds excellent, but there is no doubt the PK10 Palladian is a better sounding power cord. The PK10 Palladian in this system was bigger, fuller, with more bottom end. But the cables were awkward to work with given the location of my outlets and the big fat ends on the PK10 pushed the Devialet's rear end up and visually didn't look great.
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

Thanks for posting that review of the Kimber Power Cords. I've been meaning to ask you about those cords for quite awhile but never got around to it. Since some others were also curious, your timing was excellent! I know David at Design Audio is a big fan of the Kimber power cords, he says they perform way above their price range.

Best,
Ken
 
KeithR said:
has anyone compared Kimber with Audience? both seem like very well designed copper cables- Audience much more flexible though
Click to expand...

Keith,

I own the Audience AU24SE power cords but I never had the opportunity to compare them to the Kimber power cords. I love everything about the sound quality and the build quality of the AU24SE. Unfortunately, they are very expensive. I'll get around to purchasing the monoblock amp cords one of these days. ;)

Ken
 
My Kimber Select Speaker Cables (KS-6063) and Interconnects (KS-1116) are due to arrive on Tuesday. I can't wait to hear how they sound with the K-01/520/501/D3 system. This is one of the last big pieces of the puzzle. Should be a nice improvement over the Cardas Clear Lights.

Ken
 
Alpinist said:
My Kimber Select Speaker Cables (KS-6063) and Interconnects (KS-1116) are due to arrive on Tuesday. I can't wait to hear how they sound with the K-01/520/501/D3 system. This is one of the last big pieces of the puzzle. Should be a nice improvement over the Cardas Clear Lights.

Ken
Click to expand...

The long wait is almost over Ken :celebrate008_2:
 
Yup, thanks Mark! I'm hoping for a nice improvement in neutrality and overall performance. The Clear Lights have the tendency to be a bit tipped up in the bass frequencies.

How is everything going with your system? I had the opportunity to check out the Revel Rhythm2 Subwoofer a few days ago. Wow, that is one impressive subwoofer. It is massive! But combined with the Salon 2's, I would imagine there are few speakers that could match their overall performance.

Best,
Ken
 
Things are very good with me, my system is very satisfying. I'm not thinking about gear, just enjoying the music.
 
MDP said:
Things are very good with me, my system is very satisfying. I'm not thinking about gear, just enjoying the music.
Click to expand...

Mark,

Big +1 on that. I just picked up several new albums in high res. and have really been enjoying them.

Ken
 
Mark is in a nice place and focused on the music. Good for him. :congrats:

Ken
 
Hi Everyone,

I just received my Kimber Select speaker cables (KS-6063) today and hooked them up in my system. I have a really dumb question. There is what appears to be a single white arrow on the black housing on one end of each speaker cable. Does this arrow mean the speaker cables are directional and the arrow denotes the direction the signal travels? There were no instructions with the cables.

Thanks,
Ken
 
ScottW said:
Ken,

Yes they are directional and the arrow points to the speakers.

Scott
Click to expand...

You're the man, Scott. Thanks so much!!! The first time I set them up, I was entirely finished and noticed the arrow on the cable housing and that it was facing the wrong way. After cursing for about 10 minutes, I totally redid them the proper way. I just finally finished dressing them.

These cables sound so damn good. Right out of the box, they are quieter, more transparent and more neutral than my Cardas Clear Light speaker cables. The build quality is absolutely superb!

Ken
 
Glad I could help Ken. Kimber really does have amazing build quality as you mentioned. And they sound awesome :celebrate008_2:
 
Alpinist said:
Well I finally went for it today and ordered Kimber Select all-copper speaker cables (KS-6063) and a second pair of all-copper interconnects (KS-1116). The first set of KS-1116 interconnects between my Esoteric K-01 player and Soulution 520 preamp resulted in a significant improvement in sound quality over the Cardas Clear Light interconnects. I can't wait to hear what the second set does between the Soulution 520 preamp and the 501 amps. But the biggest improvement should be when I add the KS-6063 speaker cables between the 501 amps and the Raidho D3. I can't wait to take delivery! :)

Ken
Click to expand...
Hey Ken how's the KS 1116 interconnects sound between 520 preamp and 501amps ??? bayou985
 
bayou985 said:
Hey Ken how's the KS 1116 interconnects sound between 520 preamp and 501amps ??? bayou985
Click to expand...

Hi Bayou,

The second set of KS-1116 sound terrific. They sound smooth, quiet, neutral and transparent, just like the speaker cables. Again, a significant improvement over the Clear Lights. The Kimber Select cables are one of the best values in high-end audio. Thanks again to Mike, Mark and David for steering me in this direction.

Ken
 
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