Audiolund versus Takshaka digital cable shootout
treitz3
Posts: 19,942
Awe, chit son! A challenge between two competiting cables that is one for the books….in my opinion, at least. The Audiolund cable in this particular location has synergy in my rig, that was off the damned charts good. Many competitors have tried to best this cable but failed. Some, miserably. It is a great cable that has provided many pleasurable hours sitting in the sweet spot and was also part of every observation and review I have posted about since I installed it.
This is the digital cable that goes from my Lumin UX1 to the ANK 5.1 Signature Pro DAC. The Audiolund cable has been in this spot for 2 or 3 years at this point and as mentioned, no other digital cable I had tried before bested it. In fact, many did not even come close. Below is the invoice for the Audiolund (along with exactly what I ordered) -
Please keep in mind, that there is a dollar exchange with this Audiolund transaction. You would need to convert Singapore dollars to American dollars for actual price. I believe they were less than this in USD.
- versus -
https://snakeriveraudio.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=376 - A 2 meter was purchased. $1,109.38 retail.
So, roughly double the cost of the Audiolund - Although cost is never an equation for me. Only the end result as to what hits these ears are. I have had some very pricey cables in my system before that didn't last more than 5 minutes and they were outta there. Even with well regarded Shunyata products/cables. For this shootout, both cables were BNC to BNC. The Audiolund is 1.5 meters and the Takshaka is 2 meters.
Nothing has changed with the rig in the past month, with the exception of adding a Takshaka Pig-Tail PC, a SDFB (Swiss Digital Fuse Box) Extreme, along with a Graphene Sluggo that replaced the 32 amp slow blow fuse. That, and a couple of Friday's ago, an extremely close lightning strike took out the Master Class A/C line conditioner (replacement coming, as it sacrificed itself to save the rig). The loss of that brought me back to being able to locate the speakers and the room, instead of both of them completely disappearing. An aspect I greatly missed.
Since this cable is located between the Lumin UX1 streamer and the dedicated DAC for it, all of the following observations will obviously be sourced from the streaming portion of my rig. After removing the Audiolund, here are my observations.
Day one -
First hour-
Deeper low notes with more visceral impact and note delineation.
Different presentation.
More air and spatial cues.
Little bit less vocal clarity, slight loss of mid-bass frequencies/weight.
Excellent piano rendering.
The reverb and continuation of sound from an instrument lingers for much longer. In some cases, by seconds longer.
Vocal imaging not as precise/focused on certain tracks, while at the same time, certain tracks have more texture and subtleties to the voice itself (way more after the first hour).
Lower noise floor and noticeable silence/calm within the background.
Certain instruments are not as subtle as they were before. Nothing dramatic here, but they are now more equal to the rest of the instruments. More so than they were before.
Hour 2 -
The lowest of notes on Boz Scagg's, "Thanks to you" really got cleaned up and tight (this was at the start of hour two, after install. The texture of the piano reverb after the initial strike is the best I have ever heard it before, on any system.
Surprisingly, the speakers have disappeared once again and the bloom is ever increasing.
Cymbals sound a little different. A more accurate timbre, but on certain tracks, a sharp attack but less shimmer. Weird though, because on other tracks, the shimmer seemingly lasts longer than it had before.
At 3 minutes and 53 seconds into Eva Cassidy's, "Autumn Leaves" song (the orchestral version), I have always heard unwanted artifacts in her voice (only at this point within the song, through about 2 seconds later). I always thought the mic was overamplified or it was simply recorded too hot. Turns out that it is not. I just heard it for the first time, without any hint of those unwanted artifacts. That, in and of itself was an eye (or rather ear) opener. In disbelief, I rewound the track and listened to it again. Once again, zero unwanted artifacts. That was a first.
Hour 6 -
Went out to dinner with the family, then came back. 6 hours since the swap out. I left the system running at volume level 2 while I was out. Immediately upon entering the room, it seemed much louder than 2. I forget what was playing but I literally went to the pre and made sure it was on 2, and not another level. It was still on 2.
The bloom of sonics blew up quite a bit since I last listened.
To my complete surprise, the speakers and room are no longer part of the equation....almost, but not quite as if I never lost the MC A/C Conditioner after the lightning strike took it out to begin with. This, I was not expecting.
All of the changed aspects that I did not like with the cymbals are back and with a vengeance. Very clear and precise, with the expected natural rolloff and a timbre that are spot on.
Imaging with the vocals are much more precise within their respective location(s). More like it was (which was consistently damned near perfect with the Audiolund)
Some selections, it seems as if there is a slight loss of overall weight, while other selections seem to have more, but with less. What I mean by that is that it sounds cleaner. More precise, accurate, impactful and with a more defined note delineation. Don't know yet whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
The definition within the vocals are like nothing I have ever experienced before and that aspect is outstanding.
The length of time an instrument reverbs and lingers on is ungodly long in many instances.
There is still something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. The calmness is almost, "too calm". Like the music has lost part of its emotion, even though the perceived dynamics and subtleties have increased.
Another aspect that has changed is the depth layering. While most of the truly incredible attributes of the perceived depth was gained and lost with the addition of the A/C line conditioner, and subsequent lightning strike...the depth layering seems much shorter/tighter. As in, the space between the individual singers and instruments shrunk considerably and that blackness between the images can no longer be "seen". [NOTE - It came back after the re-introduction of the Main Stream MC Dynamic A/C conditioner, reinstalled this past Wednesday.]
I still can't get over the tiny fluctuations and detail in male and female vocals. Yeah, I am used to them and have been for some time, but not to the inth degree of vocal cord detail as I am experiencing now. It's quite evident, not only in the lead singers, but with the background singers as well.
But, we have one cable that has 2 plus years of being in the system and used the majority of the time, versus a cable that was just placed in that spot 7 hours ago. At this point, there is no clear winner. Just different "flavors", if you will.
Continued....
This is the digital cable that goes from my Lumin UX1 to the ANK 5.1 Signature Pro DAC. The Audiolund cable has been in this spot for 2 or 3 years at this point and as mentioned, no other digital cable I had tried before bested it. In fact, many did not even come close. Below is the invoice for the Audiolund (along with exactly what I ordered) -
Please keep in mind, that there is a dollar exchange with this Audiolund transaction. You would need to convert Singapore dollars to American dollars for actual price. I believe they were less than this in USD.
- versus -
https://snakeriveraudio.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=376 - A 2 meter was purchased. $1,109.38 retail.
So, roughly double the cost of the Audiolund - Although cost is never an equation for me. Only the end result as to what hits these ears are. I have had some very pricey cables in my system before that didn't last more than 5 minutes and they were outta there. Even with well regarded Shunyata products/cables. For this shootout, both cables were BNC to BNC. The Audiolund is 1.5 meters and the Takshaka is 2 meters.
Nothing has changed with the rig in the past month, with the exception of adding a Takshaka Pig-Tail PC, a SDFB (Swiss Digital Fuse Box) Extreme, along with a Graphene Sluggo that replaced the 32 amp slow blow fuse. That, and a couple of Friday's ago, an extremely close lightning strike took out the Master Class A/C line conditioner (replacement coming, as it sacrificed itself to save the rig). The loss of that brought me back to being able to locate the speakers and the room, instead of both of them completely disappearing. An aspect I greatly missed.
Since this cable is located between the Lumin UX1 streamer and the dedicated DAC for it, all of the following observations will obviously be sourced from the streaming portion of my rig. After removing the Audiolund, here are my observations.
Day one -
First hour-
Deeper low notes with more visceral impact and note delineation.
Different presentation.
More air and spatial cues.
Little bit less vocal clarity, slight loss of mid-bass frequencies/weight.
Excellent piano rendering.
The reverb and continuation of sound from an instrument lingers for much longer. In some cases, by seconds longer.
Vocal imaging not as precise/focused on certain tracks, while at the same time, certain tracks have more texture and subtleties to the voice itself (way more after the first hour).
Lower noise floor and noticeable silence/calm within the background.
Certain instruments are not as subtle as they were before. Nothing dramatic here, but they are now more equal to the rest of the instruments. More so than they were before.
Hour 2 -
The lowest of notes on Boz Scagg's, "Thanks to you" really got cleaned up and tight (this was at the start of hour two, after install. The texture of the piano reverb after the initial strike is the best I have ever heard it before, on any system.
Surprisingly, the speakers have disappeared once again and the bloom is ever increasing.
Cymbals sound a little different. A more accurate timbre, but on certain tracks, a sharp attack but less shimmer. Weird though, because on other tracks, the shimmer seemingly lasts longer than it had before.
At 3 minutes and 53 seconds into Eva Cassidy's, "Autumn Leaves" song (the orchestral version), I have always heard unwanted artifacts in her voice (only at this point within the song, through about 2 seconds later). I always thought the mic was overamplified or it was simply recorded too hot. Turns out that it is not. I just heard it for the first time, without any hint of those unwanted artifacts. That, in and of itself was an eye (or rather ear) opener. In disbelief, I rewound the track and listened to it again. Once again, zero unwanted artifacts. That was a first.
Hour 6 -
Went out to dinner with the family, then came back. 6 hours since the swap out. I left the system running at volume level 2 while I was out. Immediately upon entering the room, it seemed much louder than 2. I forget what was playing but I literally went to the pre and made sure it was on 2, and not another level. It was still on 2.
The bloom of sonics blew up quite a bit since I last listened.
To my complete surprise, the speakers and room are no longer part of the equation....almost, but not quite as if I never lost the MC A/C Conditioner after the lightning strike took it out to begin with. This, I was not expecting.
All of the changed aspects that I did not like with the cymbals are back and with a vengeance. Very clear and precise, with the expected natural rolloff and a timbre that are spot on.
Imaging with the vocals are much more precise within their respective location(s). More like it was (which was consistently damned near perfect with the Audiolund)
Some selections, it seems as if there is a slight loss of overall weight, while other selections seem to have more, but with less. What I mean by that is that it sounds cleaner. More precise, accurate, impactful and with a more defined note delineation. Don't know yet whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
The definition within the vocals are like nothing I have ever experienced before and that aspect is outstanding.
The length of time an instrument reverbs and lingers on is ungodly long in many instances.
There is still something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. The calmness is almost, "too calm". Like the music has lost part of its emotion, even though the perceived dynamics and subtleties have increased.
Another aspect that has changed is the depth layering. While most of the truly incredible attributes of the perceived depth was gained and lost with the addition of the A/C line conditioner, and subsequent lightning strike...the depth layering seems much shorter/tighter. As in, the space between the individual singers and instruments shrunk considerably and that blackness between the images can no longer be "seen". [NOTE - It came back after the re-introduction of the Main Stream MC Dynamic A/C conditioner, reinstalled this past Wednesday.]
I still can't get over the tiny fluctuations and detail in male and female vocals. Yeah, I am used to them and have been for some time, but not to the inth degree of vocal cord detail as I am experiencing now. It's quite evident, not only in the lead singers, but with the background singers as well.
But, we have one cable that has 2 plus years of being in the system and used the majority of the time, versus a cable that was just placed in that spot 7 hours ago. At this point, there is no clear winner. Just different "flavors", if you will.
Continued....
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
Comments
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Day three, after having the cable being burnt in for almost an additional 48 hours -
The focus of singers are no longer smeared. You can look at an object (or nothing) in the room and "see" the singers.
Height locational cues have improved, along with the depth perception. The depth layering of images have come back. Not as good as they were with the MC A/C conditioner, but somewhat close.
Listening to Joe Morello's "Take 5"? The depth has definitely improved.
My word, has the sound that emanates from inside the cavern/body of a guitar become clear. Same with the variating pressures of the horsehair on string instruments.
I find myself listening at louder volumes.
The sounds from Yellow's "Takla Maklan" are so crystal clear and all over the place. It's as if you are listening to a surround system that immersed you and envelops you into the music. As I listen, I would swear that there are speakers to the left and right of me, doing the same things as the mains.
At this point, the room is no longer part of the equation. The walls mean nothing.
There has been a rather dramatic shift in sonics since I first installed this cable. The more I listen to familiar tracks, and even unfamiliar tracks, the more impressed I get with the Takshaka digital cable.
The emotion and envelopment with getting sucked back into the music has returned with a vengeance. At this point, there is a very clear winner in this shootout.
The background singers are just as pinpoint and focused as the lead singer(s), with the vocal fluctuations in their respective vocal cords being just as pronounced as the lead singer.
Listening to Eva Cassidy's Autumn Leaves is presenting a stage, aura and finesse with the instruments that is unlike anything I have been presented with before. It is simply stunning, as if the music is dancing a liquid dance that is pure and graceful on every aspect. What I had mentioned before about the unwanted artifacts, has now revealed subtle vocal fluctuations in that same (what used to be annoying) passage. If you would have told me that this would have been the case before? I would have laughed and told you to get out of the room, because you were spewing some BS. In this case, I didn't know what I didn't know. Now I know and it's wonderful.
I have found that today, I have been listening at much louder listening volumes without any ounce of listening fatigue. This allows for a greater visceral impact, more spatial "air" and a greater sense of the performance being performed in front of you, instead of listening to a reproductive effort.
The extreme clarity and separation of instruments and their distinct place within the sound field is ultra precise, yet without any hint of being clinical (which I can't stand). In fact, other than the now slight loss of depth layering that the MC A/C line conditioner, this is the best I have heard to date. Even with the lowest of frequencies. The subs stereo effect is just as prominent now, as with the mains. That makes for an incredible sound scape of musical information.
The timbre of so many instruments as well as vocals are top notch. Very palpable, tonally correct and they are presented with an ease and calm that simply needs to be heard to understand what I am trying to relay here. Simply awesome. Especially when you listen to harmonies in the vocals....wow is an understatement.
Mark Knopfler - you all know him. The song, "Wherever I go"....damn. The vocal presentation of each singer is separate and distinct. As if each singer had their own system, amplification and set of speakers. So clear, so precise, so different....yet, it is the same recording.
"My Immortal" by Evanescence sounds completely different from what I have ever heard before. From the background singers to the subtle string instruments. The piano during the first 2 minutes has not had so much impact as it has until now. Nice. The background singers have always been there, but now, they are more equal to the rest of the music/performance.
Day 4 -
Listening to "Antiphone Blues", by Arne Domnerus, it isn't like I heard new sounds, but the spatial cues were definitely more lifelike...like you had way more of a feeling that you were actually at the event. The change is not subtle and it was a wonderful experience.
One thing I have noticed, starting yesterday, is that you don't need to listen at loud volumes to hear the full range of music. You can actually feel the lower regions of the spectrum on a volume level of 1. The speed and attack is truly fast, extremely textured and chop full of detail and note delineation. Since this is a digital cable and given its location within the rig, it affects not only the mains, but also the subs. No changes were needed for either (movement or adjustments on the subs). There was just an unexpected improvement in the speed/attack on both. There is a much more noticeable stereo effect when it comes to the lower regions now. Not just to the outside of the speakers/subs, but also in-between the both of them. In other words, you can "see" the drum kick, where the bassist is and with electronica music, you can "follow" where the low notes go throughout the sound stage. This is not only perceived from front to back and side to side, but on height as well. Very cool aspect.
The sense of the venue in many recordings is greatly enhanced. This is one of the strongest attributes the Takshaka digital cable brings to the table. I have had this aspect for some time. TroyD even commented on it years ago, when he played a CD he brought that was recorded in his hometown church. That was a great recording that really gave you a sense of the venue it was recorded in. The difference is that now, this aspect is greatly enhanced.
Speaking of greatly enhanced - the body of string instruments is very noticeable now. Great palpability on that aspect. It is now very easy to tell that the sound from within the cavity/body of the guitar (for instance) is just as much a part of the instrument, and not just the strings. You don't need to strain to hear it either, as it is very obvious.
While listening to "Walk a mile in my shoes", there are two singers. One to center right, one to center left. As they sing, you can very clearly tell where each singer is placed. There is no second guessing.
Going back to the body of an instrument for a second...listening to Roger Eno's, "The turning year". You can easily tell that the body of the piano is part of the instrument, and not just the strike of each cord/wire.
The emotion and engagement of the music is now back. Since I sat down 3 hours ago, I have only gotten up once to drain the lizard and down a cold glass of milk. Then it was back to listening. Not for this evaluation/comparison, but because I am truly enjoying the music. It pulls you in and makes you yearn for more.
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2 weeks later and with the re-introduction of the Master Class Dynamic AA/C line conditioner? The rig has never sounded so pristine and the enjoyment level has risen in spades. These ears are in a state of constant musical bliss. The Takshaka digital cable was the clear winner in this shootout.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Jonny was kind enough to share this with me today. Here is an actual measurement that might help explain why I am hearing what I am hearing. He is the expert, so I cannot comment on that aspect, but for you measurement freaks that may be interested, here ya' go.
A 50dB swing during a song is common, no volume change. A 60dB change from before the start of a song to the highest point measured is also common now. Again, no volume change. The dynamics are simply off the charts....so is the calm (even during busy passages) and blackness in between the instruments/singers/images. FWIW.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
This is interesting, but without seeing the test setup it leaves me with a lot of questions. I was blown away at the change I heard when we did the SRA signature cable demo, so I don't doubt their mastery of cable design. I think it would be interesting to see the results from a generic IEC power cable with no shieling, too. I tried a heavily shielded power cable on my amplifier, and it completely sucked the life out of the music. Everything was dull and washed out, so I lean towards unshielded power cables now. I should note that my 300 year old house is very much a Faraday cage already with it's 20 inch thick red stone (High Iron content) walls.Enjoying the journey while never attaining the destination.
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So not discounting what they are doing but researching it...
Sounds like they just connect their shielding to the ground on the source end...
I mean this is pretty typical of most directional cables, hence the direction... So I'm assuming the witch craft is in the shielding material itself- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
This might help to explain it more. Jonny designs them, I just enjoy them. Immensely, might I add.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I just want to point out that the screenshot Jonny shared with Tom is for a power cable, not the digital cable. But, apparently the same design feature of the 'Hanging Faraday Shield' is used in both Takshaka cables.
Is that anything like a 'hanging chad'?
I'm kind of showing my age with that reference! "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
That's a good point, John. Maybe I should have posted that on the other thread. I have no idea what a hanging chad is, electronically speaking.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I believe that's a reference to the flordia recount between Bush and gore- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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I believe that's a reference to the flordia recount between Bush and gore
Boom look at the big brain on you! What were you then 9 or 10?
😁😁Post edited by pitdogg2 on -
Here I am months later...still enjoying the bliss.
While I loved the Audiolund during its time? There is no comparison. The Takshaka simply sounds so sweet. The timbre, the tone and the quietness (even during heavy passages) is top notch.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
