Topic: Review: VH Audio Silver Pulsar vs. VH Audio Copper Pulsar

[Nick Culbreth]

Review:  VH Silver Pulsar (VHS) vs. VH Copper Pulsar (VHC)

Setup:  APL Hifi DV-563a > (Interconnect) > Primaluna Prologue One > CVH Recipe speaker cables > Magnepan MMG

Tubes Used:  Telefunken Smooth Plate 12AX7, RCA Cleartop 12AU7, SED EL34

Music Used for Review:

Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (SACD) – Call Me on Your Way Back Home

Dave Brubeck – Time Out (SACD) – Blue Rondo A La Turk

Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (SACD) – Don’t Know Why

Yo-Yo Ma - Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (SACD) – Legend of Herlen

Radiohead – Kid A – Kid A

Chris Thile – All That Wonder Are Not Lost – Big Sam Thompson

Build Quality:

Both cables are built out of the same VH Audio Pulsar bulk cable, the only difference one was terminated with Eichmann Copper Bullet Plugs which have a plastic barrel while the other was terminated with Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs which have an aluminum barrel.  Both cables seem well built and are more flexible than any cable I’ve ever used.  Also for those who need a certain degree of wife approval factor they’ve got a black techflex sheath which makes them look very attractive.

Sound Quality:

To my ears both cables had a delicate, almost ethereal sound to them.  When listening to Chris Thile’s Big Sam Thompson I noticed that there was good separation between the individual instruments and the airiness of the Pulsar helped to create a natural sounding decay.  In general the VHS sounded a little quicker and decayed slightly better than the VHC though the difference wasn’t profound.

In terms of presentation the VHC sounded more laid back than the VHS which I found to be very forward sounding.  There were times I appreciated the in your face sound of the VHS but over longer listening sessions I definitely preferred the more relaxed sound of the VHC.  To my ears the VHS sounded a bit cleaner with better detail than the VHC, though I don’t think the VHC were lacked in either area.

My favorite aspect of the VHS was the great extension at both ends of the spectrum; by comparison the VHC seemed to sound a bit compressed.  The VHS had a wonderful high end sparkle which was the better than anything else I’ve ever heard in my system.  The difference in treble quality between the VHS and VHC was really remarkable; when listening to the beginning of Radiohead’s Kid A even my non-audiophile sister was able to hear the improvement.  At the same time the VHS had deeper bass with better impact though this difference wasn’t quite as dramatic.

The midrange of both cables was fairy similar with a slight edge going to the more detailed sound of the VHS; though generally speaking I thought both cables sounded too thin in this area.  When listening to Norah Jones and Ryan Adams I liked the Pulsars’ nice detail but both cables lacked weight and texture.  For me this was the biggest shortcoming of the Pulsars.

I’d really like to thank Michael Miller for allowing me borrow his Copper Pulsars to compare with my Silver Pulsars.  I was initially skeptical about the difference a silver plug would make in a copper interconnect but I can honestly say I heard a profound difference.  To my ears both interconnects sounded pretty good but they just didn’t have a lot of rest of synergy with the rest of my system.  If I listened primarily to stringed instruments I think the VHS would be a winner because of it’s superior treble and natural decay but I just don’t think the VHS or VHC sounded great with the vocal heavy music I listen to most often.  That being said I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the VHS to anyone with a laid back system which needs an upfront sounding interconnect.

[Nick Culbreth]

I should mention that I needed to burn in my Silver Pulsars for a month on my TV system before I was able to listen to them in my playback setup.  When they first arrived I immediately put them in my rig and I was very underwhelmed with their sound.  I thought they sounded very conjested, incoherent and bright but after the burn in they really opened up and showed what they're capable of.  Chris suggests burning the cables in for about 400 hours before doing any critical listening and my findings are pretty much in line with his recommendations.

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Nice review!  Thanks!

Both cables are built out of the same VH Audio Pulsar bulk cable, the only difference one was terminated with Eichmann Copper Bullet Plugs which have a plastic barrel while the other was terminated with Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs which have an aluminum barrel.

In terms of presentation the VHC sounded more laid back than the VHS which I found to be very forward sounding.  There were times I appreciated the in your face sound of the VHS but over longer listening sessions I definitely preferred the more relaxed sound of the VHC. 

The VHC was cryo'd so that was another difference between the two if the VHS were not.

When I first heard the VHC in my system, I had the exact same response.  The seperation of the instruments and forwardness were very distinct.  My GF heard it too and I was using her as a blind subject.  At first it was a very interesting effect and I was very impressed with the sound but after a while (1/2 hour maybe) the forwardness became distracting.   It wasn't the seperation of the instruments so much as some tones just seemed displaced within the image - like one of the cymbals would be off to the left and up like it was at the stage lip and not attached to the drum kit anymore.  It was sort of weird.  I don't understand how cables could have that effect.

I sent the VHCs into Chris to be cryo'd and that made a huge difference in the presentation.  They became what you described, more laid back and pleasent while retaining the detail.  If your VHS cables are not cryo'd, you might want to try it.  It was well worth the $20. 

When you are ready to do another shootout, I can send you a pair of the Z-squared topline gold alloy wires.  They are very close to the VHC in a lot of ways but they had a smooth presentation right out of the box.  The VHCs sounded closer to the z-sqared cables after being cryo'd. 

[Nick Culbreth]

Nice review!  Thanks!

The VHC was cryo'd so that was another difference between the two if the VHS were not.

When I first heard the VHC in my system, I had the exact same response.  The seperation of the instruments and forwardness were very distinct.  My GF heard it too and I was using her as a blind subject.  At first it was a very interesting effect and I was very impressed with the sound but after a while (1/2 hour maybe) the forwardness became distracting.   It wasn't the seperation of the instruments so much as some tones just seemed displaced within the image - like one of the cymbals would be off to the left and up like it was at the stage lip and not attached to the drum kit anymore.  It was sort of weird.  I don't understand how cables could have that effect.

I sent the VHCs into Chris to be cryo'd and that made a huge difference in the presentation.  They became what you described, more laid back and pleasent while retaining the detail.  If your VHS cables are not cryo'd, you might want to try it.  It was well worth the $20. 

When you are ready to do another shootout, I can send you a pair of the Z-squared topline gold alloy wires.  They are very close to the VHC in a lot of ways but they had a smooth presentation right out of the box.  The VHCs sounded closer to the z-sqared cables after being cryo'd. 

The VHS actually were cryotreated, I was just going to ask you if the VHC was also treated.  I was really suprised how different the presentation of the VHS and VHC were, if I didn't know better I wouldn't have thought they were the same type of cable.  My results definately mirrored your initial findings, the VHS had excellent instrument separation and a wide soundstage but the depth was really lacking.  It literally sounded llke each individual was lined up along the front lip of the stage and I was trying to listen from the front row.  I've got a couple more weeks before I have to make a decision about keeping the VHS so maybe I'll try burning them in for awhile longer and seeing if there is any improvement.

Right now I'm finishing up my comparison of the VHS and the Reality IC and then afterward I'm going to be doing a comp between the Cardas and Zu Mobius cables for my HD-650 but I'd be thrilled to take you up on your offer in a few weeks. 

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Nick,  what happened with these?  Has the sound changed any since your review?  Did you keep them?

[Nick Culbreth]

Nick,  what happened with these?  Has the sound changed any since your review?  Did you keep them?

I burned them in for an additional two weeks and didn't notice a substantial improvement so I sent them back yesterday.  I've got the notes from the comparison with my Reality Cables IC but I haven't had time to write the full review yet, hopefully I'll have it done in the next few days.

[Nick Culbreth]

Review:  VH Silver Pulsar (VHS) vs. Gregg Straley Reality Cables IC (GSRC)

Setups:

APL Hifi DV-563a > (Interconnect) > PrimaLuna Prologue One > Ven Haus Recipe Cat-5 cables > Magnepan MG

APL Hifi DV-563a > (Interconnect) > Singlepower MPX3 > Audio Technica ATH-W5000

Prologue One Tubes:  Telefunken Smooth Plate 12AX7, RCA Cleartop 12AU7, SED EL34

MPX3 Tubes:  Sylvania VT-231 Driver, Tung-Sol Black Plate 5687 Output

Music Used for Review:

Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (SACD) – Call Me on Your Way Back Home

Dave Brubeck – Time Out (SACD) – Blue Rondo A La Turk

Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (SACD) – Don’t Know Why

Yo-Yo Ma - Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (SACD) – Legend of Herlen

Radiohead – Kid A – Kid A

Chris Thile – All That Wonder Are Not Lost – Big Sam Thompson

Build:

The VHS is constructed using a single 28 awg copper center conductor surrounded by a solid FEP Teflon dielectric which is double shielded using foil and a silver plated copper braid.  The entire cable is then covered with black techflex.  The cable in this review was terminated with Eichmann Silver Bullet plugs with proprietary aluminum barrels which are much more robust than the plastic barrels provided by Eichmann.

On the other hand the GSRC is unshielded and uses two copper conductors with a redish/pink sheathe.  The GSRC that I purchased was terminated using Vampire OFC plugs instead of the standard RCAs.

Both cables appear to be well built but the aluminum barrel of the VHS seemed to provide better strain relief than the barrel of the Vampire RCA.  The GSRC cable is also a bit stiff while the VHS is probably the most flexible cable that I’ve ever used.  For those of you concerned with the wife approval factor the VHS is much less noticeable than the redish/pink GSRC.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Both the GSRC and VHS were cryotreated by the manufacturers.  Before shipping each GSRC is burned in on Gregg’s cable cooker for a few days to help speed up the break-in process.  Gregg stated that the GSRC would only need about 50 hours of burn-in to reach their full potential but to be honest I thought they sounded great the second I put them in my system and I didn’t notice too much of a difference after using them for awhile.  On the other hand when I first put the VHS in my rig and I thought they sounded congested, incoherent and bright but after the burn in they really opened up and showed what they're capable of.  Chris suggests burning the cables in for about 400 hours before doing any critical listening and my findings are pretty much in line with that recommendation.  I burned the VHS in for about 500 hours before conducting this comparison.


Sound:

To my ears both cables were very detailed but had very different presentations.  The VHS had a delicate, ethereal sound while the GSRC sounded much more solid and defined.  I found the instrument separation on both cables to be very impressive, the VHS seemed to have more air around the instruments but to my ears the GSRC sounded more palpable.   The VHS had a slightly wider soundstage than the GSRC but at the same time the soundstage was also much shallower.  When listening to Chris Thile’s Big Sam Thompson with the VHS it sounded like the musicians were lined up at the stage lip and I was listening to them play from the front row, the width was impressive but the lack of depth was very unnatural.  On the other hand when I switched to the GSRC the instruments seemed to step back into space and it was much easier to get a mental image of where each instrument was in relationship to each other.  There were times that I appreciated the forwardness of the VHS but over longer listening sessions I definitely preferred the more natural sound of the GSRC.

To my ears the area in which the VHS excelled the most was treble; both cables had natural sounding highs but the VHS had greater extension.  In terms of treble decay the VHS a bit quicker than the GSRC and it seemed there was more air between each note.  I didn’t find the GSRC to be lacking in extension or decay, the VHS was just a little bit better.  To put it simply the VHS had the best treble that I’ve ever heard in my system.

I found the bass with both cables to be fairly similar, the VHS had a little more impact but the GSRC had a little more extension and texture.  To my ears these differences are fairly small and I didn’t really favor one over the other.

In my systems the most disappointing aspect of the VHS was be the midrange which I found to be very thin sounding.  When I listened to Norah Jones and Ryan Adams I thought the VHS had nice detail but it completely lacked any weight or texture.  On the other hand the GSRC was much more tangible and textured.  To my ears the midrange of the VHS sounded thin, flat and uninspiring and the GSRC was had wonderful body and texture which really allowed the emotion to spring to life.

Despite the wonderful treble of the VHS to my ears the GSRC was the clear winner of this comparison.  When listening to the VHS I could immediately notice the way they changed the system while the GSRC seemed to get out of the way without imparting any characteristics of it’s own on the sound.  I could see how some with a darker sounding setup might appreciate the upfront nature of the VHS but in my system I preferred the more neutral sound of the GSRC.