Hi people, around October I got the silver cable from Ken. I was instantly much impressed with the performance, and all along I've felt that I should add my vote of confidence here and bear another testament to his excellent work
Here's my long-overdue impressions:
My TF10's with stock cable showed a definite improvement over the SF5's in terms of soundstage, highs, lows, instrument separation and overall clarity. But the mids became lacking, often muffled in the background and I was frustrated because I missed some of the sounds I used to hear with the SF5's
A month later I installed Ken's silver cable and then I was smiling from ear to ear
Note-> TF10-stk means with stock cable, TF10-sv means with silver cable. And the below are only my own opinions, some may vary from what some others have said.
HighsHighs with TF10-stk were certainly impressive and very clear. But with TF10-sv they become CRYSTAL clear. Each chime of a handbell, each twang of a guitar chord, is tingling. So 3D, so realistic, I never cease to be immersed in those sounds.
MidsThe (to me) very recessed mids with TF10-stk were much improved with TF10-sv. Was really glad as it now doesn't feel like a particular layer of my music is missing
BassTF10-stk presented bass with impressive depth, often felt (sensation of air lifting from the punches...?) even more than heard. TF10-sv seems to me to lift the depth just a little, but wow, the punch! I love the power of TF10-sv's bass! There still is oomph, more depth of bass than many other IEM's, but while with TF10-stk it was more a felt presence, now it's plenty audible as well! And when I listen to the bass singers in acapellas, the sounds are really rich, thick and smooth. Seem to feel a resonance in my chest.
Clarity, Instrument Separation, SoundstageGotta say these seem interlinked to me. The 3 things seemed good enough with TF10-stk. But TF10-sv totally changed my opinion. First of all, I could hear very soon that TF10-sv has immense improvements in the soundstage. By that, I mean that with TF10-stk, although things got wider, it still more or less simply felt like a longer distance between left and right ear - more sonic space, but almost in straight line. And with TF10-sv, the stage becomes not only big but almost spherical - it's not just far-left, near-left, center, near-right, far-right, it is more like far-left, near-left, far-left-front, near-left-front, near-left-rear, far-left-rear, front-center, rear-center, center,...and so on, you get the idea
And with this much space, it feels like instruments get their distinct placement too, thus better separated! Then, needless to say, since highs mids lows are all clear and instruments are well separated, over all clarity beats TF10-stk hands down too. So now music no longer feels enclosed between my ears; although TF10-stk is clear and has pretty good soundstage, due to the slightly enclosed effect it's easy to remember I'm on earphones. But with TF10-sv if I close my eyes I can feel as though I
am physically in a musical environment --> no longer "music is inside me" (TF10-stk), now it's "I am inside the music" (TF10-sv), you know?
SummaryI love TF10-sv to bits. Every piece of music is now a pleasure, no matter the genre. Because things sound so 3D yet so natural, when I close my eyes so my senses are not distracted by visuals, it is absolutely easy to feel like I'm
there in the center of the recording - in a quiet studio with the performing musicians surrounding me in a circle, or in a war field with ogres and knights battling around me amidst epic musical scores. Or in a pub with music thumping and dancers jamming, or on a chair right in front of a jazz singer breathing her vocals into my face. People say music can mentally transport you to another place. I've made quite a few trips already
Kudos Ken! My heartfelt thanks for the awesome cable you made!
I've grown so attached to its sounds, now I really don't want to be without it; returning to stock cable would just dull the edge off everything. Just wondering Ken, if anything goes wrong with cable, can we request a repair at a fee or something?
