Well...all I have to say is HOLY SHIT! I test-drove these at two shows this past weekend and they are absolutely amazing. So amazing, in fact, I don't know where to begin.
As I am the archivist and "official taper" for the Sons of Champlin, I generally run two sources for shows:
- Soundboard > SBM-1 or AD2K
- 6 to 8 track stage mix.
then combine in post. Most board mixes are flat out dull, and the inclusion of a nice stage pull ads the "room" sound to a rather sterile SBD. I've had good luck opening up some questionable boards with this method.
This weekend, I decided to run the board mix, then do a single 2-track mix with the Neumann SKM184's on-stage (2 foot stand, dfc, mod-XY). The stage mix often doesn't get a lot of the vocals, but that's where the board comes in, and is expected. Needless to say, when I listened back to the stage mixes, I was absolutely blown away. The clarity and sonic response was well beyond anything I had expected from the Atlas brand. Although I had high expectations going in (based on the excitement and description), I got WAY more than what I had hoped. A couple of notes:
- Sonic response and overall sound spectrum was truly amazing. Response was consistent at all frequencies, and had extended HF and LF abilities.
- Clarity is superb, especially at the extreme ends. I've used several nice pairs of cables that produced good results at both ends of the spectrum, but never as equally as the Navigators. Generally one thinks of the highs as being crystal clear, but never the lows. In this case, the lows were as precise as the highs.
- What makes the extremes so appealing is that the mids are consistent. Again, I've used good cables that produce nice highs and nice lows, but the mids are not as balanced. I heard some slight fluctuations, but I have two theories:
#1) One venue was on a small stage where the temperature of the room changed drastically because of
door opening.
#2) Possibly just a little more use will balance this out.
- The XLR connects are superb, though I have always detested using brand new connectors as they take a little extra "wiggling" to get them on and off. That is not a fault in these cables, just a fact of all interconnects.
THE CONS:
- The 8.5mm thickness is a bit of challenge, but not enough to affect any decision to use the cables. I would imagine with a little more use the flexibility will increase. For my purposes, my cabling is ALWAYS in straight runs, so this was actually a moot point. Mostly, just for storage purposes. I have 3 sets of cables now: Audio Magic, Ramtek, and MiAGi Silver Clads, each of which wraps in to a tiny round. Again, this is not indicative of changing my mind, but worth noting.
These cables are fantastic and produced results far better than intentioned. If you ever have the opportunity to try these out, or purchase a pair, DO IT!!!!
Mike
Topic: Atlas Navigator - All Cu cables (from Eugene Hi-Fi) (Read 5077 times)