http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue7/empirical.htm
Exerpts:
"lo and behold, most of
the sibilance was gone! I was still in
disbelief when track 8 started and deep bass notes
revealed
themselves. I had heard nothing like these before."
"I replaced the cord on
the Accuphase with the Grand Slam....
It was like turning up the volume. This time, everything
went up a notch—bass, treble, midrange, detail,
dynamics,
and bass. The tightening of the bass was extraordinarily,
but the detail also seemed to increase ... I would
now have to say that the Grand Slam simply allows you
to perceive the details better and clearer."
"the improvement was
immediate, noticeable, and obvious....
the music becomes more vivid, standing out against the
background in all its glory like spring flowers bursting
forth in mountain rocks.
The Grand Slam is quite an achievement."
Ed Morawski,
June, 2003
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue5/empirical7.htm
Exerpts:
"Clarity
7 in my system sounds just slightly and naturally warm,
clear, with a wonderful sense of ease. No ultra vivid
scene,
no amber hue, neither hyped nor softened transients.
... no hint of opacity."
"..the
Clarity7 was a little more objective sounding, the
contrast
among instruments was more striking - and I liked that."
"The
presentation seems a little airier but also more lively
and
more compelling to listen to. The Empirical cord digs
into
the instruments"
"If
you like the 'natural' sound as I have been describing it
in
this series of reviews, you can't go wrong with
(Clarity7)"
"The Empirical Clarity 7 is superb at getting at specific attributes"
Bob Neill
February, 2003
http://www.soundstage.com/planethifi/planethifi.htm
Exerpts:
"There
is something really exciting about the Empirical Audio
cables.
The Holophonic interconnects and Clarity 7 speaker cables
combine synergistically to produce a very appealing
sound."
"Music
appeared more exciting, more dynamic, and certainly
more forward in my system -- forward, but not in a bad
way.
The sound quality never became harsh or overly
aggressive,
nor did it over-emphasize high frequencies or the midbass
region."
"I would gladly pony up the extra 50 bucks for Perfect Crystal."
"I
believe Empirical Audio has produced a very compelling
reason to
stay at the $400 and $1000 level - the products sound
awfully good."
Greg Kong
December, 2002
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/empiricalaudio.htm
Exerpts:
Clarity7
Speaker Cable
"The Clarity 7s took my system to a whole new level.
With the Clarity 7s, music is absolutely crystal clear
without
being bright. "
Holophonic
Interconnect
"I immediately noticed a slight increase in volume,
but even more startling was the bass, which sounded
much more focused than before. Music had noticeably
expanded in dynamics and range. "
Bitmeister
Digital Interconnect
"the effect was not subtle. Not only had the Pioneer
never
sounded this good, but it now closely rivaled the Model
8!
Bass was extremely strong, and the highs were well-
defined and focused"
Ed Morawski
July 2002
Holophonic
Interconnects
"With the Holophonics, electric guitar carried the
texture
that really only comes from the best products—
Fenders sound like Fenders, not Fender imitations."
Clarity7
Speaker Cables
"my DIY speaker cables (designed by Chris VenHaus)
have
competed with just about every speaker cable I’ve
thrown
at them. Some had better this, smoother that, but nothing
blew them away ..... Compared to the Empirical cables,
however, my speaker cables sound brittle and congested.
"
Carlo Flores
July 2002
"All I know is that the music
sounds very exciting now,
I can hear so much more of the low level information,
i.e. background instruments and vocals. The music is also
cleaner and crisper in detail, not smeared, so to speak.
I guess the best way I can describe it is that layers of
cloth have been removed from the speakers. Everything
sounds so much better. I really didn't realize how much
I was missing over the years. Of course it also helped
that I have better audio components as well. All in all,
everything I have tried has improved the music.
But I have to say, I was really impressed with your
interconnect cables."
Jeff
H.
Corvallis, OR
Oct, 2002
"It responded best, I think,
to power amplifiers where
the draw is fairly substantial."
"This cord
has an easy way about it, one that allows the
senses to relax and hear the music. Absent were the
artifacts
one oftentimes hears as an edginess or lower treble gain.
"
"The
Magnum2 had great high frequency extension regardless
of what it was plugged into ... the highs were still
startling in
their clarity and brilliance."
"A great buy for the bucks"
Bound
for Sound
December 2001
Clarity7 Speaker Cables
"I've
been at this hobby for over 20 years. Cables have come
and gone in my system more often than I care to admit. In
all
that time I have never experienced the level of
performance from
a cable that I'm now enjoying from Holophonic and Clarity
7.
From the stunning clarity which was evident in the first
note,
to the exceptional focus, your cables are a joy to listen
thru.
I couldn't say where Empirical Audio stands in the
hierarchy of
cable design, but judging by my results, in my system, it
must
be right up there with the best. The fact that they're
offered at
relative bargain prices is icing on the audio cake. I
feel compelled
to urge anyone I encounter that is looking for a top
notch
interconnect and speaker cable, or who simply can't
afford
the megabuck designs to give Empirical Audio a listen.
Their ears will love them for it and they can thank me
later.
Kudos to you Mr. Nugent."
Joe Mendez,
Washington
February, 2002
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/39502.html
1/10/2002
"First Impression on your
cables after a fifteen hour period of
running them in while listening along. Congratulations,
the
difference ...... is so huge that it is nothing short of
amazing.
How so? Well, first the soundstage grew up sideways and
what’s
more important in depth... a lot. (to notice it took me
only three
seconds after the swap of cables). Details, there are
tons of new details.
Treble is sweeter and more extended. In my system your
cable does
wonders with voices. They become natural, present, and
you can hear
all their nuances without being over analytical in the
process. I am
surprised how musical the holophonics are (I was weary
after so many
posts at the Asylum blaming silver of harshness and bad
treble). It seems
that it is more a matter of good design than of choice of
materials.
You were right, there isn’t any problem with the
lack of shielding,
no hum, no noise, nothing. The choice between (the
others) and the
Holophonics it’s an easy one. No doubt they are the
best upgrade in
my system after the Chord amplification."
Andre's
K.
Madrid, Spain
December, 2001
Holophonic Interconnects
"As
you know, I've been searching for a cost-no-object
interconnect for use with my Audio Note DAC5, but never
expected to find it here in such a spare and elegant
design.
There are simply no boosts or diminutions in the
conventional
sonic categories of bass, midbass, or treble; rather, I'm
obtaining
marked improvements in the areas that count most
musically:
transparency, vividness, and dimensionality. I've
compared
these to numerous interconnects costing upwards of
$2,000/m,
and am convinced that the Holophonics demand audition in
any system good enough to reward true neutrality."
David
W.
London, England
August, 2001
Microdynamic Interconnects and Clarity7 Speaker Cables
(The
Microdynamic Interconnects) "brought out detail
and clarity in the upper frequencies, providing an
airy quality in the sound that was not there
before."
"
I had been pleased with the improvement that my
single-bi-wired (speaker) cables provided, but once I
heard
the Clarity7, I knew these cables were going to be
returned.
The bass was not only tighter and more well defined, I
also noticed
a warmth and depth of sound from the Martin Logan Accents
without losing the extreme clarity that the
electrostatics provide"
... "truly exciting"
"I
(originally) felt that the lack of depth and warmth
(in the Martin-Logans) was a tradeoff for clarity ... not
true"
"a more detailed soundfield and a much wider realistic sound-stage"
"I
now enjoy a quality of sound I did not think possible,
with a
depth, richness and clarity that makes everything seem
live."
Steve P.
Portland, OR
February, 2001
Image Clarifier Review
Exerpts:
"The
Image Clarifiers did just what their name suggests.
The clarity improvement was across the board, bass and
treble.
Greater articulation in the bass. Notes and subtleties
sprang up
I didn't know were there. The high notes were extended
and
sweetened. A haze was lifted to reveal much greater
detail.
I began noticing all sorts of new things large and small.
Imaging
was sharpened dramatically. ... my speakers would
completely
disappear and the soundstage would extend beyond them. "
"In
places where I thought .. the image of a particular
instrument
was unstable or purposely out-of-phase, I noticed that it
was just
slowly marching back and forth across the soundstage.
Given the
congested passage upon which it was layered, I'd say that
kind of
focus improvement was pretty remarkable."
"This
device opened up my soundstage beyond the speakers
and imparted quite a lot of depth. This made for a very
involving
listening experience on almost every recording digital or
analog.
In addition, the increased clarity brought out copious
amounts of
detail I never would have guessed were there and
sharpened up
stereo imaging dramatically. This improvement in clarity
also brought
greater articulation across the frequency spectrum. A
decrease
in the amount of 'muddying' especially during congested
passages
makes it easy to delineate instruments and vocals and
follow them.
... the increased soundstage sharpness and depth was
making listening
sessions far more involving and in some cases downright
hair-raising."
"At
first, I honestly didn't have very high hopes for this
device but the effect of the Image Clarifier on my hi-fi
rig
can be summed up as nothing short of astonishing. "
Audioasylum, by
Damien S.
St. Johnsbury, VT
May, 2001
Magnum Power Cable
"I
just received my Magnum-6 Power Cord and installed
it in my Amp. WOW !! Double WOW (is there such a
thing?)!!!
Empirical Audio just saved me hundreds of dollars!"
"I
was unhappy with my system and was thinking about
all kinds of upgrades... DAC's, transports, CD players,
etc.
For the price of one power cord, I now have deeper,
rounder Bass...More natural Mids...and much, much better
highs--with less harshness, and more air and sparkle.
"
"I
used to like the Odyssey Stratos (Amp) a lot, now I love
it!
The Magnum changed my whole system!"
Douglas
S.
Bronx, NY
May, 2001