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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 10:30:24 GMT
I have just received a pair of Black Cat Neo Morpheus stereo interconnects. These are very hard to find in the UK and I got them at a nice price on eBay. My thinking is that I was so impressed with the Black Cat Silverstar S/PDIF cable, and have read so much about Chris Sommovigo, their designer, and his philosophy, that I wanted to try an analogue cable from their range. I am also at the point where ALL of my listening is now via the Caiman SEG, which is not something I had anticipated even a year ago. It has responded incredibly well to every mod thrown at it, so why not treat it to a potentially great outgoing interconnect cable? The Yannis ConnectLitz I currently use are doing a good job, so this is just an experiment to see whether any more performance can be yielded. The presentation is rather nice and the build somewhat idiosyncratic, like the Silverstar. I shall be listening to them later today.  |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 13:43:08 GMT
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Post by jandl100 on Sept 13, 2018 17:31:27 GMT
That is amazing! And I love the Black Cat logo. Who cares what the cables sound like! |
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Post by brian2957 on Sept 13, 2018 17:55:08 GMT
Never thought I would ever see you saying that Martin . I thought you were a ' dyed in the wool ' vinyl man  |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 18:48:07 GMT
Things move on, Brian. I never thought I would, either.
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Post by Slinger on Sept 13, 2018 18:48:38 GMT
The Black Cat logo is actually quite a famous image, taken from a poster designed by Théophile Steinlen, for an establishment in Montmartre.  |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 18:56:33 GMT
Back to the Black Cat cable. I'm getting a strong feeling that this cable is new or very little used, despite being advertising as 'used' on eBay by a UK dealer. It feels like it needs more burning in.
So far, the bass and drums are powerful, treble detail is noticeably well portrayed and dynamics are there albeit sounding different from the Yannis with more 'shape' to the sound. It is overall less up front than the Yannis and sounds somewhat darker, but very lush and rich in the midrange. This is the classic copper versus silver presentation. Paul Simon sounds slightly further back in position but not different. It is highly musical, making this description hard as I just want to listen more.
I'm going to leave it running all night for a couple of days to listen for it settling down and will at some point swap back to the Yannis to check my findings.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 19:27:54 GMT
I've just written to Chris and got an immediate reply. What a nice chap! I asked him about the 'structures' in the cable a third of the way in at each end. His reply:
So now I know!
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2018 19:49:43 GMT
Chris reckons on 200-300 hours of burn-in! Guess what's going to be running Internet radio for the next two weeks?
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Post by MartinT on Sept 14, 2018 15:44:31 GMT
Interim sanity check: I swapped back to the Yannis cables temporarily. The two sets of cables are now very even in their merits with the Yannis having just a touch more detail but smaller image. The Black Cat has slightly more bass welly but maybe just a little more sibilance. They are both good and I could live with either.
The Black Cats are back in and will stay there for a couple more weeks before I decide on them.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 14, 2018 21:03:30 GMT
Much more listening tonight. Something is becoming apparent: dynamics and rhythm are this cable's strengths. Music with a beat, such as Roxy Music's Avalon, sound incredible with metronomic stop/start timing that becomes addictive. It's starting to really pull away in this area now.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 18, 2018 19:50:20 GMT
Some more thoughts with barely 150 hours on them. I've swapped back and forth several times already.
While the Black Cats are still coming on song, it's clear that the Yannis cables are no slouches. This is a proper contest. The Black Cats have more stage depth with the front of stage on a plane with the speakers. Transients and beats are very powerfully reproduced with space around them, increasing their impact. Vocals are very well reproduced but not as up-front as I am used to. There is as much detail and filigree treble in the copper BCs as there is in the silver Yannis. Bass extension is prodigious. They sound tilted very slightly towards the 'dark' side of neutral.
The Yannis play vocals more up-front in a soundstage with less depth, although it comes forward of the plane of the speakers. Drum beats and transients are also very good, but without the space around them to sound as impactful as the BCs. Fine treble detail is about even between them. They sound very slightly tilted towards the 'hot' side of neutral.
One example from my playlist: The Space Between (an appropriate title) by Roxy Music. The Black Cats convey the driving rhythm and drum beats with incredible momentum. There is depth to the soundstage. The Yannis plays to Ferry's vocals and the soundstage is more two dimensional. Both sound superb on this song and it's a matter of preference which presentation I prefer, although I do find the BC's driving pace pretty infectious. To use an old Linn/Naim term, the BCs sound 'fast'.
I'm continuing to play internet radio on them 24/7 to reach the full 300 hours recommended by Sommovigo.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 18, 2018 20:12:21 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Sept 19, 2018 12:46:03 GMT
Today with around 170 hours on them, the BC Neo Morpheus are beginning to show more depth and 'shape' to sounds that previously just sounded like simple sounds. Even what might be considered a challenging recording, like Roads by Portishead, is giving me so much more.
They are now keepers and are staying in my system. If funds permit, I shall investigate Black Cat cables some more in the future. For now, I'm very pleased with this experiment. The knowledge that I have two Black Cat cables hand crafted by the owner/manufacturer gives me a bonus level of pleasure, just as Yannis cables did.
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