Author Topic: Audio Magic Hyper Conductor Review (Read 14182 times)

nickgregory · « **on:** May 26, 2004, 10:27:58 AM »

I have gotten the chance to run these a couple of times, once in an outdoor, full open setting and once last night in a bar setting. Both times I ran:

MG200s->AM Hyper Conductor->MP-2->AM Hyper Conductor->Mod SBM1->D100

I did not run a side by side comparison to any other cables, so I am basing my statements on the sound that I was used to hearing from my Canare Starquads and Zaollas that I owned prior.

The Hyper Conductors are very well defined. The first thing that I hear is a marked improvement over the bass response. Just seems that I am capturing more of a full, but not muddied bass response. This is especially true of the club setting, where in the past, if the bass was thumping, the tape would reflect that, but it would be very muddled at times, like I was listening to the bass under a blanket so to speak. The hyper conductors definitely help to add a definition level to the bass that I am not used to from this club.

The second thing that I noticed is that the high end is very smooth, whereas the zaolla's definitely captured the high end well, the sound tended to get a bit brittle at the upper levels, but these cables are definitely smoother in that range, still capturing the detail, but smoother.

The third thing, well, I have harped on this in the pics thread, but these things are small, not heavy, and easy to deal with. Just ask Jason B who I continually joke with as he rolls up his 2 ft spool of spellcasters while I put my coiled 15 ft xlrs into a single crown royal bag.

. I am a space conscious kind of guy when it comes to taping....so this is a huge bonus to me.

So all of that being said, I can already hear the naysayers, "you are just hearing those things because you paid for the cables." To that, I say maybe.....I have never been fully convinced that my ears dont "convince" me to hear things that may not necessarily be there. Add that to the fact that what I am hearing is subtle, I dont think that the cables are going to make your rig sound 100 times better, but I think that what I do see is that they do help refine the sound. While I have done the progression with my rig from canare->zaolla->hyper conductor, I am having a harder and harder time convincing myself that I am just hearing things, and I do believe that there is a difference.

Oh yeah, and the white color...pretty cool...

Nick

scb · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2004, 10:31:28 AM »

>>The second thing that I noticed is that the high end is very smooth, whereas the zaolla's definitely captured the high end well, the sound tended to get a bit brittle at the upper levels, but these cables are definitely smoother in that range, still capturing the detail, but smoother.<<

this is something that audio magic prides itself on: silver cables that don't sound like the "normal" silver sound - which is a bit brittle up top. glad to hear you like them! these things seem like a great deal

nickgregory · « **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2004, 10:38:37 AM »

Quote from: scott brown on May 26, 2004, 10:31:28 AM

this is something that audio magic prides itself on: silver cables that don't sound like the "normal" silver sound - which is a bit brittle up top. glad to hear you like them! these things seem like a great deal

I did not know that...that is great to know....I have a feeling that after some more testing I will be upgrading my stereo interconnects with this product line....

scb · « **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2004, 11:03:06 AM »

check audiogon. you can find steals on the excaliburs and spellcasters (and even sorcerers) for 1 meter rcas...

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2004, 11:05:21 AM »

great product line, even my xstreamz sound redefined over the canares....

jcaledun · « **Reply #5 on:** May 26, 2004, 05:15:44 PM »

where can one find out more about these?

nickgregory · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2004, 05:44:03 PM »

shoot sonic sense an email, I believe they are the only retailer...

BCostigan · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2004, 05:59:07 PM »

Fearful that my status as a true "gear slut" was in jeopardy I picked a pair of these up from sonicsense!

Going to these after the zoallas is kinda nice....I suddenly have SO much more room in my bag! Can't wait to try em out....probably not 'till moe. on 7/22.

nickgregory · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2004, 06:47:24 PM »

sweet! I am glad that these are getting out here...these are smoking cables! +T Brian!

BCostigan · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2004, 06:48:48 PM »

Quote from: nickgregory on July 01, 2004, 06:47:24 PM

sweet! I am glad that these are getting out here...these are smoking cables! +T Brian!

+T to you for being the guinea pig and posting your observations!! Thanks Nick.

nickgregory · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2004, 06:53:00 PM »

amazing how small they are huh? only thing you have to be careful of is to avoid kinks so be careful coiling, but that is a small price to pay for such a great cable in a small package!

BCostigan · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2004, 06:55:17 PM »

Yea they are small!! Esp. after having the zoallas!!

John Kelly · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2004, 10:57:14 PM »

Nick, how much did you pay for the set you have?

Divided · « **Reply #13 on:** July 05, 2004, 12:53:24 PM »

Any pics of these bad boys?

Still loving Harmonic Tech cables.

caymanreview · « **Reply #14 on:** July 05, 2004, 01:41:30 PM »

Quote from: Divided on July 05, 2004, 12:53:24 PM

Any pics of these bad boys?

Still loving Harmonic Tech cables.

try the rig pics section, someone posted some pics awhile back

BCostigan · « **Reply #15 on:** July 05, 2004, 07:28:39 PM »

http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=18690.0

Nick Culbreth · « **Reply #16 on:** July 05, 2004, 11:09:47 PM »

just as an fyi for those who are interested in these cables, sonic sense has a demo pair of 15 footers available for $190.

BCostigan · « **Reply #17 on:** July 06, 2004, 09:09:58 PM »

Nick or anyone else that wants to comment:

What's break in time on these...or silver cables in general? Are these good right from the git go? They getter better after more use?

nickgregory · « **Reply #18 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:35:48 PM »

Quote from: BCostigan on July 06, 2004, 09:09:58 PM

Nick or anyone else that wants to comment:

What's break in time on these...or silver cables in general? Are these good right from the git go? They getter better after more use?

Brian,

My original review/listen found them to be very smooth out of the box, so to speak...I have only put 20-25 hours on them so far, so I will post back when I get in the 40-50 hr range...

Brian · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:42:48 PM »

just got email back from sonic sense saying they are going to find out the price for a 20' pair with RA male ends from AM. probably more than i can afford right now, but i figured hey might as well ask to find out.

would really like to start gettting some higher quality cables in my rig

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #20 on:** July 11, 2004, 10:44:46 AM »

nice!!

id want RT angle females so that my mic ends would have the rt angle

Brian · « **Reply #21 on:** July 11, 2004, 12:09:15 PM »

yeah,,, i hear ya. i would much rather have female RA's as well if i ran SD mics. with my TL's i think RA's at the mic end would make it not as low-pro. male RA's would work nicely for my V2

nickgregory · « **Reply #22 on:** July 11, 2004, 12:33:08 PM »

as small as these cables are, right angles are not nearly the necessity for SD mics at the mic end....just food for thought...

oh yeah, but the need would still exist for a pre that does not have a cage and "sits" on the cables...

Brian · « **Reply #23 on:** July 13, 2004, 07:51:08 PM »

well i'm taking the plunge. once i saw these in the pics i just had to have them

(I was already looking to get a hifi set of xlr cables for my rig). Marc Nutter is gonna hook me up for a set of 20 footers with male right angles for a great price! MUCH cheaper than the suggested retail price Audio Magic gave him.

looks like these puppies will make it to Coventry. Dem split omnis are gonna sound that much sweeter

Marc, if you come across this, BIG THANKS!

nickgregory · « **Reply #24 on:** July 13, 2004, 07:58:13 PM »

the cables rock...congratulations!

Brian · « **Reply #25 on:** July 13, 2004, 08:11:57 PM »

thanks, i'm super-excited ...... and their just cables

BCostigan · « **Reply #26 on:** July 14, 2004, 07:12:05 AM »

Nice!

I've yet to run these but am expecting great results! +T for the new dental floss!

andrewg · « **Reply #27 on:** July 14, 2004, 08:29:40 AM »

Nick, you've got me sold. should be a nice step up from my Blue-Kiwi cables. with those i've always felt like i'm winding up a garden hose when i tear down my rig.

nmculbreth - thanks for the heads up on the demo deal at sonicsense....looks like i'll be calling them today!

nickgregory · « **Reply #28 on:** July 14, 2004, 08:31:36 AM »

from one gefell owner to another, you will be very happy with the results!

andrewg · « **Reply #29 on:** July 14, 2004, 11:41:17 AM »

just made the purchase! demo pair shown on the website had already been sold, so they gave me a fair deal on a new pair. can't wait to try them out

nickgregory · « **Reply #30 on:** July 14, 2004, 12:01:19 PM »

believe me, even if I had paid $50-100 over retail, I would have been happy...as small as they are, they sound great...

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #31 on:** July 16, 2004, 04:22:38 AM »

so whos gonna do a hyper vs. xstream test

C.Clark · « **Reply #32 on:** July 17, 2004, 04:53:18 AM »

Quote from: bean on July 16, 2004, 04:22:38 AM

so whos gonna do a hyper vs. xstream test

you just voluteered bean, now you just need to buy some hyper conductors
and your set

Brian · « **Reply #33 on:** July 17, 2004, 02:16:53 PM »

as soon as i get my set of hypers in, i'll give joeshambro a call and see if i can borrow his Xtreams for a show. I can't BT the comp but i can send it off to somebody who might want to

edit: the only thing is mine are gonna be 20' and not 15' like joe's xtreams, but i don't think that should make too mcuh of a difference.

FWIW, i was informed by Nutter that he has been using these exclusively on all of his jobs he's undertaking currently outside of SS and has been very pleased with the results.

nickgregory · « **Reply #34 on:** July 17, 2004, 03:12:23 PM »

I will second Nutter's results....I have been using them for a couple of months now, and they absolutely rock...dont affect the sound much...only thing I can hear in my ears is when the venue pushes the PA and the highs used to be captured in a brittle sound, they are much smoother...great, great cables....

Brian · « **Reply #35 on:** July 17, 2004, 04:13:49 PM »

exactly nick, and that's what i've been reading from all who have posted on these cables so far. The TL's are on the brighter side, especially in omni, so i figured these cables would really smooth them out and make them even more clean than they already are. i'll be ordering them monday

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #36 on:** July 18, 2004, 07:11:09 AM »

Quote from: C.Clark on July 17, 2004, 04:53:18 AM

Quote from: bean on July 16, 2004, 04:22:38 AM
so whos gonna do a hyper vs. xstream test

you just voluteered bean, now you just need to buy some hyper conductors
and your set

hehe, i will def do a comp once i buy them, fo sure

Jason B · « **Reply #37 on:** July 18, 2004, 09:53:18 PM »

So Nick, are you getting commision on these sales or what?

nickgregory · « **Reply #38 on:** July 18, 2004, 10:08:43 PM »

nope, I view this as I do all gear recommendations...the more gear in the field that is pleasing to my ears, the less crap tapes that I have to listen to

completely selfish motivation you see....

save · « **Reply #39 on:** July 19, 2004, 01:14:00 AM »

Quote

nope, I view this as I do all gear recommendations...the more gear in the field that is pleasing to my ears, the less crap tapes that I have to listen to Smiley

completely selfish motivation you see....

hahaha...nice quote nick! i suppose you think everybody should be running mg's too

nickgregory · « **Reply #40 on:** July 19, 2004, 06:45:42 AM »

Quote from: Justin O on July 19, 2004, 01:14:00 AM

hahaha...nice quote nick! i suppose you think everybody should be running mg's too

no no, MGs arent perfect for every situation...just most

F.O.Bean · « **Reply #41 on:** July 19, 2004, 08:08:03 AM »

*cough*

*akg's*

*cough*

*audio magic*

*cough*

John R · « **Reply #42 on:** July 21, 2004, 11:46:27 AM »

see my post in retail.

jr

Brian · « **Reply #43 on:** August 05, 2004, 08:47:28 PM »

so i was finally able to try out my new set of 20' hyper lites, right angles on both ends

. first off, what a well built cable! very solid. i've been listening to the first show i taped with these at my usual venue in my usual spot and after only 1 minute of listening the clarity and sharpness these cables have brought out of my recordings is ..... well, clearly noticeable! the low end is much more defined and tight. The high end defined by the TL's and V2 is even more pristine and sharp. really brings an upfront and in your face sound that i have always been striving for. i highly recomend these cables as well!

Brian

BCostigan · « **Reply #44 on:** August 05, 2004, 09:51:21 PM »

Nicely said....my thoughts exactly with my TLs as well. Paticularly the "an upfront and in your face sound" description.

John Kelly · « **Reply #45 on:** August 06, 2004, 07:33:19 PM »

If I can ever get rid of this damn gear I'll be ordering a set. They seem perfect for the Audix mics...

nickgregory · « **Reply #46 on:** August 06, 2004, 07:41:31 PM »

do the audix mics take a standard XLR connector?

John Kelly · « **Reply #47 on:** August 06, 2004, 08:13:57 PM »

Quote from: nickgregory on August 06, 2004, 07:41:31 PM

do the audix mics take a standard XLR connector?

No, but John just PMed me and said I could get them with a miniXLR connector. Now all I need is the cash.

BobW · « **Reply #48 on:** August 07, 2004, 09:59:24 AM »

Quote from: John Kelly not Kelley on July 01, 2004, 10:57:14 PM

Nick, how much did you pay for the set you have?

Check out the prices on Cotton/Silver cables in Austrailia !

John R · « **Reply #49 on:** August 09, 2004, 11:50:19 AM »

so, these just came in the fedex ground from AM. looking good. color coded with directional arrows(?) on heatshrink(guess the use it on the rca sets) only bummer is if you want to adjust the angle of the ra's, you get to ruin the heatshrink. oh well. looking forward to running these. much less weight in my over packed (with once a year used items) bag. hopefully into the 744t over labor day weekend at pagosa. gearsluts Я us

jr

update: i was wrong about the heatshrink, it's only on the screw cap, not onto the jacket. just opened one of them up to adjust pin orientation on female end, no problem. got rid of hosting link

Brian · « **Reply #50 on:** August 09, 2004, 12:26:54 PM »

i'd have to say though after using them they are quite a bitch to coil! guess they need a little breaking in

still sound great and well worth it. perfect way to upgraede your rig without spending too much

nickgregory · « **Reply #51 on:** August 09, 2004, 02:17:18 PM »

mine have definitely gotten easier to coil as time has gone one...they still are brittle, and you have to be careful not to kink them...but that is an acceptable trouble to deal with I believe...

Author Topic: Audio Magic Hyper Conductor Review (Read 14182 times)

Jason B

BobW