MIT Shotgun S3.3 Cable Demo/Review Round 4

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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,963
    edited July 2012
    Glad your getting first hand experience on what a good cable can bring to the table. Even just a relatively budget power cord like the Magic can make an improvement as it so has on your amp. Happy listening.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited July 2012
    Cables shipped today to next reviewer. Review to come shortly.
    Jake
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  • kcoc321
    kcoc321 Posts: 1,788
    edited July 2012
    damn, which I had realized these where out here ;)
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited July 2012
    kcoc321 wrote: »
    damn, which I had realized these where out here ;)

    You seem to meet the basic requirements, so if you'd like, I would be happy to add your name to the list. Just send me the required info via PM.





    Folks, I should mention that the person in possession is not allowed to lend out the cables and the list is strictly followed.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited July 2012
    Update:

    Gimpod has asked to be removed from the list.

    indyhawg has asked to moved down the list.

    Is there anyone that would like to be added to the list?
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited July 2012
    Depending on timing I might be interested in another try, assuming thats allowed as I will hopefully in the next month or so have a better 2 channel amp for my LSi's.....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited July 2012
    F1nut wrote: »
    Update:

    Is there anyone that would like to be added to the list?

    Are these any different from my shotgun s3's ?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited July 2012
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Depending on timing I might be interested in another try, assuming thats allowed as I will hopefully in the next month or so have a better 2 channel amp for my LSi's.....

    "Blue - those folks are done with the cables and now have the blues, which can only be cured by purchasing a set of MIT cables."

    Time to get your wallet out. :cool:
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited July 2012
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    Are these any different from my shotgun s3's ?

    Yes, they have a .3 in the name. :wink:

    Actually, the new S3.3 is closer to the previous S2's
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • brgman
    brgman Posts: 2,859
    edited July 2012
    GREAT cables.
    Main Rig-Realistic AM/FM Record player 8 track boasting 4 WPC

    Backup Rig-2 CH-Rogue Audio Zeus w/Factory Special Dark Mods,Joule-Electra 300ME Platinum Preamp,OPPO-105 w/Modwright Tube Mod, Auralic Aries G2.1,Polk 2.3TL,3.1TL's,Dreadnought,RTA-15TL's,1C's All Fully Modded,2xRTA-12c's ,Benchmark DAC3 HGC,Synology NAS,VPI Scout w/Dynavector DV-20XH and Rogue Audio Ares Phono Preamp,Sony PCM-R500 DAT,HHB-850 Pro CDR,Tascam CC-222SLMKII Cassette/CDR,MIT S3.3 Shotgun Cables,Shunyata Hyra-8,Shunyata and Triode Labs Power Cords

    I’M OFFENDED!!!!
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited July 2012
    F1nut wrote: »
    "Blue - those folks are done with the cables and now have the blues, which can only be cured by purchasing a set of MIT cables."

    Time to get your wallet out. :cool:

    LOL.... had forgotten that......

    I do have the blues now that you mention it....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited July 2012
    Excellent. Please read, understand and agree to the rules in post #1. Then, send me the required information via PM or email.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited July 2012
    The cables left my house a week ago, and here's my experience:

    I had never used a pair of MIT interfaces before, so I was interested to try them as I've owned many pair of speakers cables, none with boxes attached. I had always heard good things about them from Jesse and other, but never bought a pair, so this was an interesting opportunity to not have to purchase before hearing which seems to be a lot of how the on-line audio industry is these days. Once I had waited my turn in line for the cables, I got a message saying they were on their way to my front door, and I told my wife to keep an eye out for the delivery truck. I unpacked the cables the evening they arrives, and laid out the pair of interconnects and the pair of speaker cables to take a look. All were very well make, with a good feel and a good weight. Unfortunately, I use an integrated amplifier with a DAC section, so I had no use for the interconnects and they went back in the box. I removed my Canare 4S11 speaker cables, and plugged in the new MIT Shotgun S3.3s, making sure I pay attention to their directional design.

    With the first album playing, Ink by Livingston Taylor, I started critically listening to an album I'd enjoyed many times before. After a few songs, the first thing I noticed was that the music sounded really good. Now don't get me wrong as it usually does sound really good, but the music as a whole had a different experience to it. I know this sound weird and esoteric, and usually I'm very good as describing the changes in my system whether it is bass, texture, weight, sound stage, etc, but this wasn't specifically any of those. The music just sounded better, and I found myself enjoying it more than last time I listened to that album. Continuing my exploration of the MIT Shotgun S3.3 speaker cables, I played through Adele's 21. Once again as I had experienced with the last album, I found myself enjoying the music a little more than usual and saying, "this sounds really good". I put many pair of speaker cables through my system; some where harsh, some had better bass, some were more dynamic. But the MITs were the only cables where I felt my experience with the music changing. The bottom line with these cables is that they aren't cheap, but few great items in audio are. We listen to music because we like the experience and enjoy living in that moment. Every component in a stereo system adds or takes away something that sounds good to your ear, but very few increase the quality of the experience, and bring that rare to find wow factor.

    Associated Equipment:
    Soniphase 3-Way Corner Horns
    Grant Fidelity W30 Tube Integrated Amp
    Squeezebox Touch
    PC Music Server with Lossless Files
    Tripp-Lite LCR2400 Power Center
    Jake
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  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,663
    edited July 2012
    Nice review Thanks
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
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  • doctor r
    doctor r Posts: 837
    edited July 2012
    Thank you for the review.
    integrated w/DAC module Gryphon Diablo 300
    server Wolf Alpha 3SX
    phono pre Dynamic Sounds Associates Phono II
    turntable/tonearms Origin Live Sovereign Mk3 dual arm, Origin Live Enterprise Mk4, Origin Live Illustrious Mk3c
    cartridges Miyajima Madake, Ortofon Windfeld Ti, Ortofon
    speakers Rockport Mira II
    cables Synergistic Research Cables, Gryphon VPI XLR, Sablon 2020 USB
    rack Adona Eris 6dw
    ultrasonic cleaner Degritter
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited August 2012
    Update:

    vcwatkins has been added to the demo list, thanks!

    I never heard from you, anonymouse.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited August 2012
    What the hell, I should be ready by November (My estimate for when I could possibly acquire them). I'd like to finally demo these. :cheesygrin:

    F1nut - If Canadians aren't exempt, I'll be happy to email you (per the email link on your user name) the required information.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,557
    edited August 2012
    Drenis, thanks for wanting to take part in the demo. However......
    This round will be restricted to the 48 continuous as shipping over the border is costly (fees and duties) and therefore is not fair to the person shipping.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited August 2012
    I can't believe I over looked that part. Read the whole post but didn't recall it, just double checked the requirements. Embarrassing.

    Sorry about that.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,963
    edited August 2012
    I know our Canadian friends kinda get shafted on some of these things. Nobody's fault.....but maybe Drenis, look to see if MIT has a store in your neck of the woods or some other higher end cable company and you can maybe ask to start your own demo going among those north of the border.

    These demo's really open peoples eyes as to whats possible from a good cable and eventually drives up sales too. Who wouldn't want that ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited August 2012
    Drenis wrote: »
    What the hell, I should be ready by November (My estimate for when I could possibly acquire them). I'd like to finally demo these. :cheesygrin:

    F1nut - If Canadians aren't exempt, I'll be happy to email you (per the email link on your user name) the required information.

    I wonder if shipping them that far north in November would give similar results to them being cryogenically treated hehehehe :razz:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited August 2012
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    I wonder if shipping them that far north in November would give similar results to them being cryogenically treated hehehehe :razz:

    I think all those winters have gotten to me. I even commented here that I couldn't take part.

    If this isn't water I'm drinking then damn I must be some drunk? :confused:
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  • dbaldus
    dbaldus Posts: 730
    edited August 2012
    I sent the cables out to George Daniel last week and wanted to take a minute to chime in with my review. I'd like to start by thanking MIT for providing me with the opportunity to audition these cables and Jesse for coordinating the demo program. This was a unique opportunity and something that I truly admire MIT as a company for doing; it's not every day that a company puts their money where their mouth is, and it's obvious that MIT stands behind and believes in their products. Now, on to the review...

    Summary & Verdict
    My experience with the MIT Shotgun S3.3's went exactly as a large part of me expected but not how I was hoping. To summarize, the cables made no audible difference to my ears on any listening material or cable configuration.

    I really wanted to hear a difference with these cables, especially after reading all of the reviews in this thread from people with what I consider to be less revealing systems who were (not to mention the price tag the cables carry). Unfortunately, after spending an entire day swapping cables back and forth and listening to material I was very familiar with, I was unable to hear any difference whatsoever.

    I'm somewhat indifferent to my results at this point, but I know what I heard (or didn't hear) and I'm reporting on the demo as I experienced it. On one hand, my financial self is happy that I won't try to justify (to myself) spending the money on these cables in the future because they made no change to my system's sound. On the other hand, I'm confused about why I didn't hear a difference, and to that end, I have come up with a few hypotheses as to why that might have been:

    1) It took me ~30 - 45 seconds to swap the cables when I was comparing, so perhaps I had "forgotten" what the cables sounded like before the swap and couldn't accurately compare them
    2) I have a weak leak in my system that prevented the cables from displaying their full potential
    3) The cables really aren't any "better" than my Signal Cable and AudioQuest cables
    4) I'm tone deaf or have some sort of hearing malfunction that prohibits me from enjoying music at a level on my system that the MIT cables can provide!

    I'm really curious to hear the group's thoughts on why I may not have heard a difference. Is there an obvious weak link in my system that I'm not seeing? Was my testing methodology completely flawed? Please, let me know your thoughts as I'm really looking into the best way to take my system to the next level.

    Details of my rig, listening samples, and testing methodology are outlined below for reference.

    Rig
    - Stock Squeezebox Duet streaming ripped CDs in FLAC format from my computer
    - Benchmark DAC1 (used as a pre and DAC)
    - Belles 350A Reference Amplifer
    - Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature System
    - Speaker Cables: AudioQuest Type 4
    - Interconnects: Signal Cable Analog II (DAC1 to Belles), WireWorld Coaxial (Duet to DAC1)

    Listening Samples
    - Beck - Sea Change
    - Blue Man Group - Audio
    - Dire Straits - Self-titled & Brothers in Arms
    - Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
    - Opeth - Heritage
    - Steely Dan - Aja

    Testing Methodology
    - Listened to various samples for 15 - 20 minutes to get a "feel" for the sound of the cables
    - Focused on a particular ~30s - 1 min section of a song I was very familiar with and listened to it repeatedly 4 - 5 times
    - Swapped cables in various formats (e.g., interconnects only, speaker cables only, both) and re-listened to sample
    - Repeat

    Note: I did change the impedance level on the interconnects on a few occasions, even though the "middle" setting seemed to be correct for my amplifier. The changes made no difference either.

    2-channel
    Squeezebox Touch| MSB Analog DAC | Audio Research Ref 40 Anniversary Edition| Pass Labs X350.8 | Wilson Audio Sasha 2

    Home Theater
    Arcam AVR 550 | GoldenEar Triton One | GoldenEar SuperCenter XXL | GoldenEar Aon 3 | JL Audio Fathom F113v2
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited August 2012
    Appreciate your honesty, hey it is what it is. Sometimes cables make no difference in my rig, sometimes they do---but everytime it's been very, very subtle in nature. I'd rather see people throw "MIT money" at speakers and run with something else. Of course if you've already got your dream speakers, ignore my dumbass. LOL

    Of course a half-dozen or so MIT owners will be beating up on you shortly.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2012
    Luckily, this hobby is all about what sounds good to you and what you want to spend your money on. I can't beat-up on anyone who says, "I enjoy listening to music on my system", no matter what that system consists of.
    Jake
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited August 2012
    Just got em'--- fortunately my wife was home--
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited August 2012
    All good and thanks for your review.

    I will say that for me it is a very noticable difference when you switch between the switch on the cables. I know trying it with my TT cable was a huge difference where it just did not sound at all right when played with a certain position. That was the last one I was playing around with and have done it a few times and it just never sounds right.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited August 2012
    dbalus, thanks for the review. Trust your ears/listening ability.

    I used AQ Type 4 before switching to MIT Terminator 2's and there was a huge difference. I went from the T2's to Shotgun S3's and again a large difference.

    We all hear and perceive our rigs differently so, it is what it is.

    Atleast you tried them and gave them a chance.

    H9

    P.s. I have always stated I will not chastise anyone for trying different cables in their rig and not determining a difference. Only those that are unwilling to even try it, but already have decided there is no difference in cables.
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • dbaldus
    dbaldus Posts: 730
    edited August 2012
    I appreciate the feedback, guys. I definitely went into this demo with an open mind, am honestly describing the experience I had, and am looking for your thoughts on why my experience wasn't different.

    In regards to my testing methodology, I'd also like to point out that I had the Shotguns in my rig for ~10 days and then went back to my own cables. When I didn't notice a difference, I decided to spend most of a day doing the A/B swapping method as well.

    At this point, I'm not in the "cables don't matter" club, but rather the "why didn't these particular cables make a difference in my system?" club. Regardless, thanks for not flaming me for posting an honest review :)

    2-channel
    Squeezebox Touch| MSB Analog DAC | Audio Research Ref 40 Anniversary Edition| Pass Labs X350.8 | Wilson Audio Sasha 2

    Home Theater
    Arcam AVR 550 | GoldenEar Triton One | GoldenEar SuperCenter XXL | GoldenEar Aon 3 | JL Audio Fathom F113v2
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited August 2012
    Well, you definitely have a nice rig---so the potential was there.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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