Forums - DSR-II Silver IC's

piezoman

Ex Member

DSR-II Silver IC's
03/17/20 at 02:19:15

Hi everyone,

I have one last consideration as I put the finishing touches on the new system. Currently I have a pair of EMM Labs Isopath which are fantastic and kicked the tail off several different sets of Kimber ic's I tried in my previous system. So these are perma-keepers.

For those who have the DSR-II, how does this hold up over other ic's you've had? Also, Ive been a fan of copper, these are silver which would be a departure for me. Aparrently these are not thin and a bit shrill?

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ArtMan

Seasoned Member

Posts: 169

Re: DSR-II Silver IC's
Reply #1 - 03/18/20 at 13:30:17

I won't go into all the steps I went into upgrading my system but I am a fan of silver now that the rest of my system is of sufficient resolution to easily see the effects. When it comes to cables, I first added one of the silver interconnects. My first impression was more high end energy being generated, first classified as being bright but easier on the ears. This high end energy seemed to manifest in the mid range and lows as greater detail. A specific sound in an orchestra I was familiar with became several distinct sounds. In terms of imaging, there was a greater clarity within the sound field itself.

The other thing I would emphasize is that this is a cumulative effect. Having copper in other cables does not make it as clear as I describe above. For me, from the digital side of my system, was when I added a Curious USB cable to connect to my DAC. At that point all my cables are silver based and my description above is very obvious. However there is one last thing that really becomes clear with all silver is that all the greater detail that passes through the silver eventually manifests as real high end air. I am hearing this on my CainTuck Lii 15's, a full range 15 inch driver. I have had systems with more extended highs, including electrostatics, and have never heard air like I am hearing now.

My unofficial guess, based on my hearing, is that silver allows more information to pass than copper. It is the cumulative effect of all silver cables that shows this effect it in it's true glory.

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Acer Laptop, Curious USB cable, Holo Audio May L2 DAC, ZRock 2, SE84UFO25, Fast 15 Network, Caintuck Audio Fast 15, Decware DSR3S/DHC2/ZFOCUS cables, Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes, Cryotone tubes (5AR4-WC, EL84-WC X 2, ECC88-WC, 0A3-WC X 2, 0D3-WC, 12AU7-WCL)

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piezoman

Ex Member

Re: DSR-II Silver IC's
Reply #2 - 03/19/20 at 04:07:14

Artman, thank you for that analysis. I too have had electrostats (Martin Logan Theos) and enjoyed the mid and upper range detail. I have since sold them, along with a push pull amp and some other components. Currently on the long end of a waiting list [see my sig]. This will warrant a changeout/ sale of my current ic's. I have found out since my original post that your observations have been echoed by others out there. Any hint of sibilance is more a function of substandard components. So, I decided to go "all silver" and order DSR-II's for each component.

I am, however, leaving in all copper CRL speaker cables. I will try the STYX silvers, as I have a bid in for a used pair for < half original price.

Thanks again for such a great explanation.

Regards, Brad

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ArtMan Seasoned Member Posts: 169	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #3 - 03/19/20 at 14:30:41 Brad, One good thing about buying Steve's silver cables is that they are very reasonably priced. That really helps with the pocketbook. Regards, Art
Back to top	Acer Laptop, Curious USB cable, Holo Audio May L2 DAC, ZRock 2, SE84UFO25, Fast 15 Network, Caintuck Audio Fast 15, Decware DSR3S/DHC2/ZFOCUS cables, Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes, Cryotone tubes (5AR4-WC, EL84-WC X 2, ECC88-WC, 0A3-WC X 2, 0D3-WC, 12AU7-WCL) IP Logged

piezoman Ex Member	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #4 - 03/19/20 at 15:34:33 Art, you got that right. The pricing in the world of esoterics and not so exotic is beyond absurd.
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Tommy Freefall Seasoned Member Posts: 400	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #5 - 03/19/20 at 21:52:20 And Steve’s power cables are very robust, very nice. Especially at that price of $189. I’ve seen some power cables get into the thousands of dollars.
Back to top	Torii MkIV w/ 25th ann mods Rachael SE34I.5 Benchmark AHB2 ERRx ZStage, ZRock2 Tascam CD-240 Border Patrol DAC Benchmark DAC3 HGC Bluesound Node Zu Audio Mission speaker cables Decware I/Cs PI Audio MiniBUSS Zenhead, Grado 325e IP Logged

piezoman Ex Member	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #6 - 03/19/20 at 21:58:05 I hear that Tommy. Part of my order now includes a total 5 power cords and 3 of the silver ref. IC's. I'm replacing everything and selling what I have. But I also need a pair and a single 0.5m IC terminated with XLR's, and I found out Steve doesn't offer these. Does anyone recommend a source that's on par with the DSR-II's?
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lazb Seasoned Member Posts: 374	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #7 - 03/19/20 at 22:16:40 piezoman, Steve recommended the silver ones from Better Cables to me. That is what he uses and they seem fine to me. Even better, they are NOT EXPENSIVE!
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piezoman Ex Member	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #8 - 03/19/20 at 22:26:35 lazb, EXCELLENT! Just what I needed. Thank you!!!! Looks like this is the one: https://bettercables.com/collections/audio-cables/products/blue-truth-xlr Or this one: https://bettercables.com/collections/audio-cables/products/silver-serpent-balanc... ed-xlr-audio-interconnect-cable
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Tommy Freefall Seasoned Member Posts: 400	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #9 - 03/20/20 at 17:28:15 Labz, same thing for me. I needed balanced cables for my ZBIT, and Steve recommended Better Cables which I was pleased to discover are both high quality and relatively inexpensive.
Back to top	Torii MkIV w/ 25th ann mods Rachael SE34I.5 Benchmark AHB2 ERRx ZStage, ZRock2 Tascam CD-240 Border Patrol DAC Benchmark DAC3 HGC Bluesound Node Zu Audio Mission speaker cables Decware I/Cs PI Audio MiniBUSS Zenhead, Grado 325e IP Logged

piezoman Ex Member	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #10 - 03/20/20 at 17:31:53 Tommy, Which XLR Silver did you purchase from Better Cables?
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Tommy Freefall Seasoned Member Posts: 400	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #11 - 03/21/20 at 22:58:15 Piezoman, I have these in a 1 meter pair: https://bettercables.com/collections/balanced-xlr-cables/products/silver-serpent... -balanced-xlr-audio-interconnect-cable?variant=389875466 Same as in my photo: https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1583111181
Back to top	Torii MkIV w/ 25th ann mods Rachael SE34I.5 Benchmark AHB2 ERRx ZStage, ZRock2 Tascam CD-240 Border Patrol DAC Benchmark DAC3 HGC Bluesound Node Zu Audio Mission speaker cables Decware I/Cs PI Audio MiniBUSS Zenhead, Grado 325e IP Logged

piezoman Ex Member	Re: DSR-II Silver IC's Reply #12 - 03/22/20 at 00:22:51 Thanks Tommy! Just ordered a 0.5m pair and a single. Im not used to the cheao prices, lol
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