Feedback 2019
(newest first)
December 2019
[Steve's journey so far]
"Alister,
I just wanted to share with you how your cables have helped me reach a level of realism with my system I did not think possible.
Before I started purchasing your cables, I had come to a point that I was very satisfied with my system and it was time to make it look “Pretty”; so off I go shopping for Pretty cables, lights, and stands.
First up were the cables and after reading the review of the Silver Dream by Moon Audio, I decided to give them a try and yes, when they arrived, they met the “Pretty” mark, but when I listened to them, I was blow away…. ½ meter for 130 British pounds (approx. $160.00) I was hearing sound that was better than the $500.00 and $750.00 silver cables I had on hand.
So, I continued to purchase these “pretty” cables and decided to try the Ultimate Silver Dreams on my source, (FYI: I have a spot light on your cables to show them off); I’m now hearing resolution that equaled or bettered a pair of $900.00 silver cables I once owned and realized how much I missed them.
As time went by I started to miss the “special effects” that $900.00 cables brought to the table, so I decided to purchase the Nth degree (similar priced); BUT last night I was listening to my system, after I re-set it up, this time it was just right and was hearing SO much more resolution and magic than I ever have in my system….Oh, there is so much to attend to on a High-Fidelity system.
By magic, what I mean is with Madonna Immaculate Collection, Live to Tell, how the “whirl” sound comes out into the room and goes right through the center of my head, same with Talking Heads, True Stories, Popa Legba, but with maracas’ and bongos; then their is Roger Waters, Amused to Death, the complete album.
So, here I have the Nth Degree on its way, and I have NO idea what I’m in for. I CANNOT image a system being any more revealing than the one I now have. Well, the Nth Degrees are due in today, and of course, I will follow up with a Nth Degree review once they break in.
Thank you Alister for being you and your goal to bring cables to the public that allow their audio system to be able to reproduce the quality of music accurately in a way that is true to life at an affordable price.
Thank you again,
Steve"
November 2019
[Once again, The Nth Degree flagship interconnect "smashes it"!]
"Dear Alister,
The N’th Degree cable I purchased a few months ago completed its burn-in process last month.
The clarity of the cable left me with a problem: I could clearly hear the many areas where my first generation Roksan Caspian CD player was letting the rest of the system down!
Fortunately I had anticipated this and was saving up in the interim for a new CD player. It seems synchronicity was on my side because almost by chance I found a brand new, unboxed SimAudio Moon Neo 260D CD Transport -with DAC- for just £1,350 (>£3,000 retail price)!
I’ve had it running a disk on repeat for nearly 3 weeks and it’s almost fully burned in now. The sound is incredible; lightning fast yet smooth, dynamic and neutral with detail that stretches from the macro to a micro level I’ve never heard before - certainly in my system.
Vocals are to die for and the soundstage/ imaging extends far beyond the walls of my listening room!
You could say I’m happy with the combination of Moon Neo 260D and Artisan Silver N’th Degree cables, but even that would belittle the tears of joy their sound elicits. Being Bladerunner month I’m listening to the Vangelis soundtrack - a powerful album even on basic equipment - but now the emotional content is almost too much to take! Wow...
Best wishes and happy listening,
Colin Brown"
October 2019
[Ultimate Silver Network pure silver network / ethernet cable]
"Hi Alister,
I’m used to being surprised when I install another of your cables into my system, but this journey was an adventure that bore double benefits!
As you know, I was wondering how much difference installing the silver ethernet cable as the ‘last mile’ (or 1.5m in my case) between network switch and Naim ND 555 Streamer would make - given the tens of metres of CAT6 cable running between router, NAS and switch, all of which was carrying the audio prior to being delivered by your USN ethernet cable. My 555 is sending a digital signal to the Lampi DAC via your Ultimate Digital Dream BNC cable using the Oyaide SLB connectors.
So, initial impressions were good using the 555 streaming Tidal. As the cable opened up a bit over the first couple of hours, I was comfortable that the breadth, depth and dimensionality of the sound was improved. The accuracy of textures in the mids and lows also seemed better. Okay, ‘easy’ job done.. Next test, as that worked well, was to use the 555 as a Roon endpoint and see how audio running on a Synology 48TB NAS would sound - by comparison with the same files stored on my Aurender W20 (locally stored on the Aurender’s drives and cached on solid state drive internally, running your Ultimate Silver Stream 2 USB cable to the Lampi DAC)..
Up until now, while the sound was good coming from Roon, it wasn’t as three dimensional, deep or texture-accurate as the signal coming from the Aurender, so I was avoiding using Roon, playing from the Aurender instead. Imagine my surprise when the sound coming via the ND 555 from Roon was showing more detail and volume in the lower registers than the Aurender - and sounding pretty much as good elsewhere! Major changes were texture in double basses, kettle drums, large organ pipes, contrabassoon etc. I listened for a number of hours and figured I might just end up playing via Roon, using the 555.. But, in all truth, that shouldn’t be the best solution..
So I decided to try something else.. I decided to use the AES/EBU output from the Aurender and run that to the Lampi DAC using your Ultimate Digital Dream cable, fitted with Furutech CF601/602 plugs.. Bingo! All of the additional low frequency level and texture was there - only all of the sound stage and every voice from low through mids to highs was audibly better than using the Roon/555 combination.. Really as it ought to be! But what a gift.. :)
So, here’s my thoughts on the USN silver cable.. Amazing! Using it for the ‘last mile’ makes a significant difference - the detail it reveals is really surprising. In addition, it will make (I reckon) a significant audible improvement in sound by comparison with ‘ordinary’ CAT5 or CAT6 cable - and possibly quite an astonishing one! For me, though, the additional benefit here was that it allowed me to see the limitations of the USB connection (less detail and volume in low frequencies and reduced depth of sound stage, textures and three-dimensionality) by comparison with an AES/EBU connection. The only (tiny) downside is that I need to downscale DSD audio files on the fly due to the frequency limitations of AES/EBU (192khz) - but the Aurender does that as it caches if I ask it to, so all good..
So there you are, a larger novel than last time - but what a ride! I’m running our of options to add your cables, but may still order another USN ethernet cable to connect the Aurender to the network switch, in case I decide to use Tidal via the Aurender, rather than the 555. A thousand thankyous - as always..
Have a great day.. :)
PS - I’ve attached a couple of pics of the system for you..
Simon" [Picture and full details of Simon's very high-end system here.]
And...
[Silver Dream 2 pure silver upgrade cable for Focal Clear headphones]
"Hello Alister,
Just to let you know the headphone cable arrived safely on Tuesday morning. Thank you for the quick despatch, thought I might have had to wait a few more days!...
...Thought I'd give you some feedback on it's performance. In short...wow!!!
The cable was pressed into service within 10 minutes between my Icon Audio HP8 tube headamp and Focal Clear phones. I normally listen to a mix of rock and jazz via FLAC, Hi Res FLAC and DSD files. Straight away any hardness/glare/brightness, that was in the sound when using the stock cable, had disappeared. The sound was much smoother and, dare I say it, more analogue in nature.
Over the course of the next five hours the bass response tightened and deepened, the midrange became clearer, smoother & more detailed and the treble shone. In general, the soundstage expanded in all directions with instruments given more air and better focus in the mix. More detail was revealed in everything played and the sound just became much more natural.
I'm sure further improvements will happen with further burning in...can't wait! Perhaps, the biggest compliment I can pay is that I spent much longer listening than intended as I got drawn into the music being played.
Thanks for a great product.
Kind regards
Dave Simpkins"
August 2019
[Flagship "The Nth Degree" RCA interconnects & two Silver Hybrid 3 mains power cables]
"Hi Alister,
the cables arrived on Friday. Safe and sound.
They are wonderful and have transformed my system, and it's still early days as things break in a bit more and settle...
...I have been running a Denon 103r cartridge unmodded, so I'm ready now to go ahead and do my last upgrade which will be the cartridge.
I was waiting to get the best cables I could before doing this, I feel I'm ready to do this now. I'm pretty sure I'm hearing the best possible performance out of the 103r, with the interconnects and power cables in, which is pretty damn nice, so I am anticipating even more great things from the system when I go up a notch or two with the cartridge, which I know my system can now handle.
Never thought I'd be in a position to have such beautiful sounding music, as I'm not that young anymore, but some steady employment over the last few years has given me the chance to choose and spend wisely.
I had a feeling Silver would be the way to go with cabling and it was the right choice. These are beautiful sounding cables.
Best regards from Australia,
Robert"
And...
[Ultimate Silver Dream interconnects, with Cardas SLVR "Silver Signature" RCA plugs]
"Hi Alister,
Before your cable arrives, I thought my system was warm sounding and too refined ... too lifeless.
Yet the system I use is not cheap. Spotify premium from Yamaha WXC-50, Atoll AM200 paired to Monitor Audio Platinum 100 II, with Audioquest 14/4 speaker cable connected to the HF terminal. I feared the weak link was shop-made interconnect made with Canare RCA with Audioquest 16/2.
I was excited when the package containing the Ultimate Silver Dream interconnect arrives.
The first hour with the cable, WOW it was as if Dolores O'Riodan comes to life singing in front of me. Also on the song "Tell me if you wanna go home" and "Like a fool" , Keira Knightley comes to life. The guitar chords are detailed, instruments are separated, no smearing, female vocals are vivid, for lack of better words, even the breath, sighs, lips and tongue movement can be observed. I have found Nirvana.
Three weeks of use, the shimmering highs are still pleasantly there. It is smoother, but very subtle burn-in improvement. Kudos !
Regards
Ardi"
June 2019
[Ultimate Digital Dream with Oyaide SLSB BNC connectors]
"Hi Alister,
The latest Artisan addition to my reference system - your Ultimate Digital Dream with Oyaide SLSB BNC connectors - is now well and truly run in, and the outcome is (as always) an absolute joy to behold!
As you know, the challenge I faced was that the RCA output on Naim’s ND 555 Streamer was delivering very poor audio quality - even with a set of your Ultimate cables. Investigation using their digital (BNC) output into my Lampi DAC provided a far more promising outcome, but it wasn’t as pure or three dimensional as the sound generated by other source components (connected using your interconnects).
Once the UDD BNC cable arrived, I plugged it straight in and set the Streamer running in the background to run it in.
By the next day, the change in the quality and beauty of the sound being generated from the high res version of streaming sources such as Tidal, Spotify and Apple Airplay (we don’t get Qobuz here) was simply astounding!
All of the magic that I’m used to hearing from audio coming from my Aurender server is actually present - from a streaming source! Credit to Naim, of course, but the difference between the previous high quality digital interconnect and yours is jaw-dropping. Truth be told, it’s almost impossible to tell whether the audio source is the Server or the Streamer now that all interconnects in the system are, once again, yours!
So many thanks! I’m still struggling to believe that such beautiful audio quality is possible when streaming is the source, but your cable has proved it, beyond doubt! Have a Happy Day - thanks to you I have even more listening joy ahead.. :)
Simon"
April 2019
[Ultimate Silver Dream loudspeaker cables with WBT connectors]
"hi alister,
meanwhile the speaker cables have now done more than 100 hours, and indeed they now work perfectly.
i did compare them to my upmarket copper cables and they won on every aspect ,clarity
transparency and bass control.
Especially the overall sound gives a far more open and clearer presentation,then i was previous used to.
best regards
richard"
And...
["The Nth Degree" flagship interconnects with Furutech XLRs]
"Hi Alister,
I hope you got some time to celebrate with family and friends over Easter - the ‘forced’ holidays (over here at least) make it a great chance to slow down a bit!
So, I’ve now listened while your “Nth Degree” XLR Balanced interconnects have eased their way in, connecting the Marantz SA-10 SACD transport to my Brinkmann Marconi Pre.. I wanted to do this so I could make a ‘fair’ comparison with my Aurender/Lampizator combination, as they are also connected to the Pre with your Nth Degrees.
The reason I wanted to place the two signal generators on par is because the Marantz takes a fairly different approach to generating an analogue signal than most transports - and is the reason I acquired it. In essence is takes whatever digital source it is ingesting (CD, SACD, DVD, USB) and upscales it to Quad DSD single bit, then uses a low pass filter to remove inaudible noise - so no actual DAC in sight..
I had originally connected the Marantz using a silver interconnect from a mainstream manufacturer (the one I had used prior to my first Nth Degree purchase), that costs about four times what the Nth Degree does. Unfortunately, the lack of dynamism in the resulting sound meant I wasn’t sure how good a signal the Marantz was actually delivering..
It was actually really enjoyable listening to the Nth Degree open up and come to life and, as appears to the case with all of your cables, it really didn’t take long.. Within the first hour the music went from sounding fairly two-dimensional and clipped, to delivering the amazing, full and dynamic music that I’ve grown used to. Within the first couple of hours, the Nth Degree had completely eclipsed it’s predecessor - making it clear that the Marantz is actually delivering a far better signal than I had feared previously.
The depth and breadth of soundstage, fullness and clarity of all registers - and the dynamism of every aspect of the music is, frankly, astonishing. I think a significant part of this is the lack of ‘delay’ caused by the Nth Degrees - not even the slightest harmonic, reflection or absence of sound is missed. Which all translates into a very real, very beautiful reproduction - regardless of genre, volume or seating position. Once again, amazing!
In truth, if I wasn’t able to do a side-by-side comparison with the Aurender/Lampi duo, I’d be tempted to say that the Marantz was delivering music of the same order. The difference between being in this enviable position - and my previous fear that the new transport wasn’t as good as I’d hoped - is, quite simply, your Nth Degrees! Once again, a thousand Thankyous!
Have a Happy day! (And sorry for the small novel!) ;)
Simon"
March 2019
[Ultimate Silver Dream interconnects]
"Alister some 55 Hours of use of your Artisan ultimate silver dream interconnect cable have now passed, from the start your cable was better than my previous cable being the Merlin Vivaldi, I was happy.
Patience is of course a virtue as it became clear after 20 hours that your cable was not better but far superior, your silver cable offers a special insight as to what is recorded with a lovely shimmering detail that I had missed before, your cable being smooth yet precise and accurate with a see through clarity.
Needless to say I am very pleased with your help, with the supply of a fine cable and probably making my journey through HiFi now complete, thanks again and I probably could not recommend it highly enough.
If there are any doubters out there just buy a cable from Alister.
Very Best Regards Paul Brookes."
And...
[Silver Dream 2 headphone cable for HiFiMAN HE-560]
"Dear Alister,
It’s taken me much longer than expected to burn in the Silver Dream 2 headphone cable for my HiFiMAN HE-560, but the process is now complete - and the sound is dramatically better than with the stock cable!
Some aspects have been far superior since the first moments while others took a little longer to shine - as expected. However, since only the fourth or fifth hour (just playing music throughout) the Silver Dream 2 headphone cable has outshone the original in every way. The effect is that of a substantial headphone upgrade!
The original HiFiMAN cable gave a decent but not particularly dramatic experience while the Silver Dream 2 is so much faster, punchier, and more 3-dimensional. Altogether far livelier!
The standard cable produced an almost entirely “inside the head” soundstage and the first thing I noticed upon fitting the Silver Dream was how much closer the experience came to a good pair of speakers.
Obviously they are still headphones and the likeness is limited, but from what I had been used to it was quite a revelation to perceive so much of the sound as originating outside my head - and a real breath of fresh air!
This cable reveals so much more detail, especially the micro details, with every aspect of the sound now being so much better that I no longer feel the urge to upgrade to new headphones as I did when ordering this cable from you!
Ultimately I guess that’s the highest compliment I can give it - and Artisan Silver Cables! It truly is like having a new pair of headphones a good two tiers higher in quality and price...
Yours sincerely,
Colin Brown"
And...
[Ultimate Silver Dream interconnects, with Cardas "SLVR Silver Signature RCA plugs]
"These are very good Alister how in gods name did you manage this? Not even an hour in and these wipe the floor with the Audience au24e xlr's they replaced....
I was intending on attaching these to a headphone amp and letting them burn in for a few days... No need!!
Have to go Eric Clapton's performing in my livingroom as we speak😁😁😁👍"
January 2019
[Ultimate Silver Dream pure silver speaker cables with WBT 0661AG spade connectors]
"Hi Alister
Very pleased with the performance of the speaker cables after 100 plus hours.
Also very pleased to have moved from copper conductors to XLR silver interconnects (shielded) and loudspeaker cables with silver conductors all from Artisan cables.
Agree with Artisan customer feedback and do not intend to add anything else to the highly complementary praise.
Many thanks
Alistair Urquhart"