Shootout - SC ULTRA vs PS AUDIO PRELUDE

shack

Well I got the PS Audio Preludes today and instead of just a straight-up demo I decided to do a shootout with my Signal Cable Ultra (Double Run) Single-wires. I moved a few things around so I could easily get to the gear and cables. The rig is as follows:

NAD C270 stereo amp.
NAD C160 stereo pre.
Cambridge Audio D500SE CDP
AudioQuest Sidewinder interconnects
Polk Audio RT400 speakers
Music TBD

Here is a picture of the rig:

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The NAD C270...Back end turned out to swap the cables easier...

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The Cambridge Audio D500SE and the NAD C160 pre...

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The Signal Cables all hooked up....and the PS Audio Preludes ready to go (These suckers are BIG!). I'm going to spend a few days going back and forth (no double blind). They should be similar in quality. I won't have much time this weekend but hopefully I can give them a good test next week. I'll report my opinions then. It should be fun!

mantis

Looks to me like a good time. Have fun man I'll be wating for your review.

Dan

disneyjoe7

I can't wait

RuSsMaN

The PS Audio's take FOREVER to break in. If you want to report back, I'd do it after you have a couple hundred hours on them.

Do you have a local high shop in the area? You might want to ask if they have a cable cooker and move the process along for you.

Cheers,
Russ

shack

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
The PS Audio's take FOREVER to break in. If you want to report back, I'd do it after you have a couple hundred hours on them.

Do you have a local high shop in the area? You might want to ask if they have a cable cooker and move the process along for you.

Cheers,
Russ

These are part of the cable swap. I think Mark may have burned them in for a while but I'm not sure how long. DisneyJoe7FloridaSteve had them before me, so I'm sure he has a few hours on them. I"ll check with Mark and Steve and then burn them in some more if necessary before I do the shoot-out. Thanks for the advise Russ.

dorokusai

I didn't even hook them up, opened the box, sealed the box, and shipped to DJ.

disneyjoe7

I had them hookup'd for about 2 weeks have I would think around 102hrs on them. Given that they where used about 5hrs a night 16hrs on weekends, say 55% music 45% HT (I watch TV using my HT AVR). I used them on my Front speakers only.

Hope this helps.

shack

Thanks Guys....I'll hook'em up to a receiver and some bookshelfs downstairs and run some white noise for 4 or 5 days. That should do the trick. I should be able to do a really good shootout by next week.

disneyjoe7

Shack,

I don't wish to push you, but I dieing for an outcome on this. I becoming a strong SC believer and having the PS audio cables I just can't wait.

RuSsMaN

Yeah, hurry up you F.

That, and I want double super-secret hardcore member dibs on the 400's when and if. Always had a soft spot for those.

Cheers,
Rooster

disneyjoe7

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
Yeah, hurry up you F.

You're feeling the LOVE

shack

Keep your pants on....based on Russ' suggestion I let the PS Audios burn from Thursday until tonight. That should put well over 200 hours on them. Started the demo tonight and will compare the two over the next couple of days. And yes Russ....if I ever decide to pass them on...you indeed have the 1st shot at the 400s.

shack

Well the shootout is complete, and the winner is………….

First the physical attributes. The PC Audio is freakin’ HUGE. If you want to impress your significant other with a round, very thick, very stiff cable….just put this one in the palm of your hand and show it to them….it will take their breath away! It is terminated with some very impressive connections that can be swapped depending on application (spades, bananas). They appear to be extremely well constructed. They were almost TOO BIG. When inserted into the binding posts of the NAD amp, it almost felt like they were too heavy and were putting too much strain on the posts. Also the cables themselves were very stiff and difficult to maneuver into place.

The Signal cables aren’t as big or as impressive “looking” but they are equally well constructed. In fact the bananas for the SCs fit much more snugly into the binding posts than did the PC Audio which while big and heavy were rather loose in the posts.

I’ve posted a comparison picture so that you can see the size difference. Compare the two to the AudioQuest Sidewinders….the SCs are larger but similar in size while the PCs dwarf the AQs.

Demo Music – I selected 4 tracks of relatively new music so that I would not have any pre-conceived ideas as to what the music should sound like. Plus the music is very well recorded. They are:

Brian Wilson - Smile – “Our Prayer/Gee” (Album intro)
Sugarland - Twice The Speed of Life – “Baby Girl”
Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La – “Boom, Like That”
Robinella and the CC Stringband - Robinella and the CC Stringband – “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand / Mistakes”

Each of these songs has particular attributes that I wanted to hear. The Brian Wilson cut is a classic Wilson, acapella, 5 part harmony. The Sugarland cut is typical hard driving, country rock with electric guitars, electric bass, strong drums and female vocalist. Mark Knopfler is rock with electric guitars, electric bass and of course a male vocalist. Robbinella is a combination of some solo female acapella and female voice with acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and standup bass with very little drums. I felt this cross-section of music would make for a good comparison.

The Test - Because of the size of the cables and the difficulty in swapping them, a double blind test with someone else was out of the question. I listened to all the music one time though on one set of cables, then the other. Then again in reverse order. Then I listened to shorter segments of the songs through one time and then with the other cable…and again in reverse. Finally listened to each song with one cable then immediately the other. All in all a little over 2 hours of critical listening and note taking.

Here is the comparison picture:

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The PC Audios hooked up....

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The PC Audio banana terminations....

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PC Audio (left) Signal Cable (right)...

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The actual testing surprised me a little. I expected to find one cable better than the other…or no discernable difference…but not what I “believe” I heard. The cables had definite traits with the Signal cable best described as more detailed or “forward” and the PC Audio more lush and/or laid back. I never adjusted the volume control and the pre was set to tone defeat. So far….standard comparison fare. Now for the interesting part…Each cable sounded better on different songs…for different and/or the same reasons.

On the Wilson track the PC was a better sounding option, with very full sound. The SC sounded very good but seemed a little veiled in comparison.

On the Sugarland cut they were similar with the PC producing more bass and the female lead voice more forceful. The SC seemed to bring the vocalist more in your face (or seemingly right there in front of you) while the PC was further back in the soundstage but stronger.

With the Knopfler track I expected the same. However with the SC the vocalist was more present/forceful and the bass stronger while the PC seemed to veil the music. Again the SC brought the vocalist further out while the PC seemed to keep him back.

With Robinella the same was true of the vocalist with the SC bringing her more out of the soundstage vs the PC. Here the PC gave more presence and depth but the SC had more clarity and seemed more accurate. The PC produced better bass. Mandolin sounded more accurate with the PC while the SC was better on the fiddle and guitar.

In each case the PC Audio sounded louder (volume controls never adjusted) but there is no way of knowing for sure since I do not have a SP meter.

Both cables had their strong points. The PC Audios added more depth and weight to the music as a general rule but the SC seemed to be a little more accurate…especially with the individual voices, and in every case moved the vocalist to a more prominent place in the soundstage. I attribute this to the detail of the SCs with the lush nature of the PC blending the voices more into the soundstage (ie: the superior sound of the 5 part harmony).

Bottom line…I had to really listen critically to discern the difference between these cables. They both are excellent sounding cables and IMO are definitely an upgrade over standard bulk, lampcord, generic, whatever. I know there are those that say that wire is wire and doesn’t make a difference. To a casual listener they are probably right, but I hear differences…. whether real or merely perceived, I believe they are there.

My preference here is probably the Signal Cable. I like the depth and weight of the PC Audio sound but I really like the forward presence of the vocalists with the Signal Cable. Then there is this size thing. Size does matter and in this case they are just too big. They are difficult to work with and I think they strain the binding posts on both the speaker and the amp. And while the terminations “look” impressive….the SCs simply work better for my application (and you don’t have to worry about them touching and shorting something out). Having said that…for the $50 or so that the PC Audio can be bought for on sale or clearance via Audio Advisor…they are a bargain if you like/want cables this size. The signal cables are also impressive and I could easily recommend them as an excellent addition to any rig.

AND THE WINNER IS….. both….but I’m keeping my Signal Cables for now and sending the PC Audios to the next person on the list….

disneyjoe7

Shack,

Great review thanks for taking the time to do this.

To your statement "And you don’t have to worry about them touching and shorting something out." I feel is not a worry I checked them out as for as this and they are insulated. Trust me. Look at the construction of the PS cable remove the banana end and you will see a plastic "Outer ring" it is doing the insulation of the outer lower metal ends. I must say the look of these PS cables give you the wrong impression in this regard.

reeltrouble1

Nice review Shack, I have a pair of the PC Plus coming and my interest is certainly peaked over them compared to the MIT I have been using in the 2 ch.

RT1