Open, detail and warm sound. Solve the light bass problem of super silver II. Perfect cable for my system.

Nothing serious especially considering its price.

I wrote a review of Super Silver II (SSII) few weeks ago and think that SSII is a five star product in terms of value but have a light bass problem (at least in my system). Since then, I recieved few email from readers of my review and most of them experienced the same light bass problems and like to know whether I upgrade to Silver Lace or not (since I said I might at the end of my previous review).

The answer is: Yes, I did and the Silver Lace did solve the light bass problem. In addition, the sound is more open and detail than SSII.

Silver Lace is definately the keeper. Although it cost twice as much as SSII, to me, it well worth the price.

Similar Products Used:

Super Silver II, Audioquest Lapis

Price, clarity, openess

Build quality, slightly rolled off highs

Having upgraded my 2 channel system to a “high-end” system (compared to what I originally had) I decided to try the new cable route (new to me anyway) so I recently went on a cable binge. I borrowed several cables from friends in the West Valley Audio Society over an extended period of time. They all convinced me that one of the new small shops was the way to go, and to stay away from the big boys (my first stuff was all Monster, agh!!) My new system is as follows:

Bryston 7B ST Monoblocks
Bryston BP-25 Pre-amp
Sony SCD-777ES SACD Player
Joseph Audio RM25si Signature speakers

Let me give a synopsis of all the cables I tried:

TMC White – These cables are very stiff and hard to work with, but I managed. I guess there is a difference in design philosophy out there. The TMC cables are very well shielded, maybe too well shielded. While they have a low noise floor, they have a low dynamic capability too. The music seemed squashed and flattened. Crescendos to fortissimo and beyond where not very dramatic. They do sound better than my old Monster 950is and are cheaper too. I also did not like the WBT knock off connectors, they are better than the monster “pull your female RCA jack off” connectors, but they seem cheap. Rating 3

TMC Yellow – These were a little better than the Whites, with better dynamics, but still squashed. The lows were a little less squashed than the high in my opinion, giving them a bloom in the bass, which some people may like. They are even stiffer than the whites and have the same cheap RCA connectors. Both TMC cables were capable, and as I look back on the other reviews I notice a lot of receivers and A/V receivers. Due to the limited dynamic capabilities of lower and mid end systems these cables are fine for this equipment. However, there are better and less expensive alternatives out there. Rating 3.5 - 4

Homegrown Audio silver interconnects - These are a great bargain at $80. They have the opposite philosophy of TMC, no shielding. This let the music flow more easily than the TMC yellows and greatly increased the dynamics. The high end still seems a little rolled off. I have heard none of the brightness people say you get with pure silver, maybe they were suing silver plated copper (which is why I stayed away from Nordost and DH Labs) My other complaints are the same cheap WBT knock off connectors as the TMC and the build quality. Rating 4

Pure Silver Sound silver interconnects - These are almost twice the price of the Homegrown silver interconnects, but in my opinion well worth it. They are also unshielded, which seem to be fine at the lengths I borrowed (1 meter). They were even clearer than the HG without the rolled off highs. The bass sounded tighter too, very fast and not bloomy. The build quality was excellent and the WBT knock-offs must be a different brand, they look better and are silver-plated (I never understood why companies that make silver products would use gold plated connectors) I am now a firm believer in silver. Rating 5

Thanks for the great forum, I am off to buy some cables for myself.

Similar Products Used:

Monster 950I, TMC yellow, TMC white, pure silver sound quartet

Smooth and detailed, price

Construction

Recently I got CREEK OBH-12 preamp to replace my HK receiver(as preamp) and I use the SB 4.0 to connect MSB DAC to the OBH-12. I ordered a pair of Homegrown Super Silver to connect from my splitted MSB output to the HK receiver so I can listen to my headphone. Before I did that I first connected it to OBH-12 parallel to the SB 4.0 so I can use remote to switch between the 2 ICs and compare them. Even before it's broken in, I really could not tell much difference. Maybe(?) the Super Silver is a little bit edgy on the high frequency. Without the side by side real-time comparison, I do not think I can even detect the difference. Probably the break-in will take care of it. To give SB 4.0 credit, it's much easy to handle. I have to be very careful not to bend the Super Siler. Consdering the sound and price, it's hard to beat this cable.

Similar Products Used:

Silver bullet 4.0

Awesome sound quality

If you buy the kit, the cables don't make themselves.

What an unbelievable value these interconnects are. I purchased 3 pairs from Kevin at Homegrown, and couldn't be happier. I was prepared to have my ears bleed for a few days before they broke in, but they sounded better than the DH Labs BL-I's immediately. David Gray's vocal on "My oh My" never sounded better. More forward, present and alive than before. Bass was noticeably improved. If you have both the time and a soldering pencil, do yourself a favor and pick the kit up (save yourself $30). I plan on getting a pair of Silver Lace for my CD player soon. Thanks, Kevin!

Similar Products Used:

DH Labs, Monster, JPS Superconductors

Clarity, detail, big soundstage, natural presentation, very musical

Come on, at this price? None

Bought 2 Super Silver kits from Homegrown at $39.00 each. Never put anything together like this before and never soldered anything. The instructions were very good and the whole process was easy.

Put them in the system without really worrying about the sound at first. They did sweeten up after a couple of days and started putting out some seriously good sound. Detailed and smooth. No brightness problems. You can just hear more of everything.

This is big audio fun at a budget price. Putting some silver into your system for the first time is an experience more people should enjoy. Homegrown Audio is a quality company and Kevin is very easy to work with. I plan on doing business with him again and upgrading to the new Silver Lace interconnects and cables.

You can reference Homegrown Audio on sites such as AudioAsylum or Audiogon. I've seen lots of positive comments and no negatives. Great product and price.

Just for reference, my system:

Plinius 8150
Roksan Caspian CD
Sony SCD-C333ES SACD changer
SCE Harmonic Recovery System
Shahinian Obelisk speakers
Pure Silver Octet speaker cables
Homegrown Audio Super Silver interconnects
Infinity Servo-driven 10" subwoofer
Monster HTS-2000
Target Rack

Similar Products Used:

AQ Topaz, Kimber PBJ, Audio Apprentice Sorcerer II

Highs, Resolution

None

These cables stunned me. I used a pair of Audioquest cables
Topaz of about the same price. The home grown audio are much better. They are clear without any muffling of the sound. Instruments are well seperated. Since my first pair I bought 2 more pair and will not use other wiring in my system.

Similar Products Used:

Audioquest Topaz

Detail, Smoothness, Natural

Let,s see!!

Switched from Transparent Super to Silver Lace IC, immediately noticed increased detail without any high frequency glare. Simply smooth detailed sound.

Unlike some ICs showing midbass emphasis, silver lace conveys neutral extended bass. This cable is my reference.

Associated equipment:

NAD 5000 CD player, soon to be replaced with EVS DAC2
ACURUS DIA100 ; Heavily tweaked
Apogee Centaur : Heavily tweaked
Chris VenHaus Cat5 Speaker cable;

Similar Products Used:

Transparents, MIT

low cost, fun to assemble

none yet

I'd just like to recommend these interconnects for anyone wishing to dabble in "high end" rca connectors. They were really inexpensive, $29 for 1/2 meter kit, and fun to construct. The rca jacks are excellent and Homegrown supplies more than enough silver solder to put the kit together along with detailed instructions.
As far as the sound goes, I don't know. I'm running my cd player into a switch box via the Homegrown cables and out to the amp via 1 meter pure silver sound interconnects. The sound of the system is very satisfying to me and I don't feel like swapping out cables trying to discern what I'm sure are very subtle audible differences. I'd like to point out that I think I hear differences with the silver interconnects, but I'll admit it could be all in my head.
Again, if you want to play with "high end" interconnects and don't feel like spending a lot of money for them, this is the way to go. Homegrown will send you a 1 meter pair assembled for $70 plus shipping or $40 in a kit. If you know how to solder and follow instructions the $40 kit is a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

pure silver sound quartet interconnects

Very detailed and smooth. The price!

Maybe the LF, but maybe not - read on.

I like the Homegrown Super Silver cables in my system. They now have approx. 225 hours on them. I found them unlistenable up to the 150 hour mark, but after that they have balanced out nicely. They have an extremely detailed sound. The sound from small hollow percussives that are struck shoots out, as it does in a live performance, the same with rimshots etc.. The sound is clear and detailed (cymbals, strings, brass, voices and piano sound right) and the decay is realistic. I do not notice any added sibilance at this stage (a common complaint about silver cable that is not properly broken in, I am also guilty and have made this complaint before I understood the necessity of break in), other than what my speakers are already known for in professional reviews. A known defect of my CD player (CAL Icon MKII) which is a reverb quality in the midrange is more noticeable, but I can live with it, and it is not a fault of the cable (this is what a good cable is supposed to reveal). My only slight (very slight) disappointment is in the bass response. The copper cables that I have been using seem to be more to my liking in this area with a more realistic (though somewhat fuzzier) portrayal of kick drums. A friend who now uses very expensive custom silver cable (and that has tried many silver cables) has told me that this area does improve much longer down the breakin line on most silver cable. My speakers are also underpowered for the size of our living room and I will soon be bi-amping them. Hopefully this will take care of it as I feel that the bass factor may be due to other deficiencies in my system. I do not think that I can now go back to less detail than these cables offer just for a little added warmth in the LF. Though it did take 4-5 hours to adjust to the new sound, the sound is now much more engaging and enjoyable than the other cables that I have used. I also moved my speakers around a bit to adjust for the additional HF information that I am now receiving. I do not wish to spend four+ times this amount for cable. I am keeping the Homegrowns and will order a .5 meter pair to hook up the mono amps that should be arriving by the end of the month. If you are on a budget and are currently using generic or mediocre name brand interconnects with a mid-fi on up system then give them a try. I suspect that they also beat the pants off many of the more pricy interconnects, they bettered the Kimber Hero's. These are a high quality interconnect offered at a very low markup. Regarding the lengthy breakin period, I broke mine in by connecting them to our VCR running a music cable station through them (the TV volume was left off). You could also do this on a second system if you are lucky enough to have two. The volume does not have to be turned up for the breakin process to occur, nor do speakers or a power amp have to be involved (just run them from a source to a preamp input).

Similar Products Used:

RS Gold, Bryston and a pair of Kimber Heros (the best I could borrow)to compare.

Sounstage, detail, and bass

High frequencies

This review is for the Super Silver interconnects.

Let me start off by saying that I really like what this cable does right. And what is that? Soundstage, Mid-range, and bass. I have never heard such detailed extended bass from my system. This surprised me considering that these are silver interconnects. String Bass has plenty of bite and presence. Percussion has snap and weight. Mid-range is detailed and focused. I would say, though, that in my system these interconnects are on the cold side of neutral; but, then I prefer detail over warmth. The soundstage is *very* wide. Depth is good but not spectacular. All-in-all these cables do a good job of getting out of the way of the music. Now for the bad news. The extreme highs can be a little hard and edgy; particularly triangle and chime. There is also an annoying tendency for female vocalists to sound like snakes when the lyrics have alot of "S"'s in them. At first this quality nearly made me send them back. But after cleaning all of the interconnects the problem was less annoying, though not gone. I still hold out hope that the problem lies else where...another Audiophile suggested that the cable may be revealing noisy AC lines.

I would definitely give these interconnects an audition. At $79 and a 30-day money back garauntee you don't have much to lose.

Now for the obligatory system info:

Roksan Caspian CD Player
Sony S300 DVD Player
B&K Compnents Reference 10 Preamp
B&K Components AV6000II Power Amp
Paradigm Reference Studio 60 Loudspeakers
Hsu Research VTF-2 Active Subwoofer
Signet SLC50 Center Channel
Atlantic Research Surrounds
Custom bi-wire speaker cable
Kimber 4PR speaker cable
Home Grown Audio Super Silver interconnects
Custom interconnects
Stealth HAC power cord
Marigo Audio Labs Ultra Series II power cord
Custom Power Cord Company Model 11 power cord
Sonic Horizon Hurricane Power Strip
Michael Green Designs Five-Shelf Justarack
various homebrew tweaks

Similar Products Used:

Kimber PBJ, Stealth ETS, AudioQuest Topaz