Jim Hines
Well,
I’ve finally found time to offer my impressions of the Indra and
Sextet. I apologize for taking so long, but I’ve made
several significant changes to my system since your cables arrived
and, aside from audio, my life has been much busier. Fact is,
I’ve had the review written for some time in my mind, but am
only now able to put it in writing.
Before
I begin, a caveat. My going in position in writing these
reviews was and is that the reviews are for you. I know
you’ve received reviews from many others, so I didn’t write this
for someone unfamiliar with my equipment or for publication.
In short, I tried to get right to the heart of the matter vs. using
a bunch of “audiophool” language and hyperbole to describe what
I did or did not hear. What you’ll read below is my honest
opinion of the cables, the good and the bad. There is no
embellishment, nor are any punches pulled.
Having
said that, I thought your cables were wonderful, and represent the
best of their specific types I’ve ever heard in my system or
anyone else’s. That being the case, I suspect some of what I
say will sound somewhat exaggerated. I won’t defend what
I’ve written except to say this: what follows is what I and my
wife heard, and it represents our best effort to describe our
reactions to the cables being added to our system.
The
Stealth Audio Cables Indra Interconnect
Differences
noted:
-
First and foremost, the sound is liquid. It’s obvious I’m
not missing anything, but something is added. I wish I knew
what it was, because I’d seek it out and “add” it to
everything in my system. Music flows – no, it gushes –
from the speakers in a very smooth but powerful way. It may
seem I’m contradicting myself, but I don’t know any other way to
say it. It’s soothing and involving, yet so enveloping.
Before the Indra my system was good; now it’s wonderful, musical,
involving, clear, etc. The ICs did all that. Honestly.
My wife will tell you the same thing.
-
Secondly, layers of music once hidden are clearly evident now, so
much so that I’ve spent a great deal of time re-listening to CDs I
thought I knew better than the musicians. We’ve all been so
bombarded with the “lifting of veils” and “rediscovering
collections” reviewer comments that they mean little now, but for
the first time I’ve discovered something that did it for me.
I believe there are many “veil producing” products, but I
can’t believe there are many – or any – that remove them so
completely as the Indra. Rest assured, the Indra most
definitely produces as much depth and clarity in the recording as
the source and speakers will allow. Period.
-
Lastly, for the first time I believe I’m hearing my components,
both the good and the bad. Much to the chagrin of my wife,
your cables have resulted in my spending copious amounts of time and
money trying to find accompanying cables and equipment that measure
up to the quality and performance of the Indra. To date I’ve
found nothing comparable, but that won’t stop me from looking.
I don’t believe there’s a direct correlation between the cost of
a component or cable and it’s performance, but so far the
“value” products and “name” products (read expensive) have
all fallen short of the Indra. I’ll probably never be able
to afford $20k amplifiers or $5k speaker cables, but I don’t think
it would make any difference. I don’t care what you charge
for the Indra, they’re worth every penny. In my humble
opinion, they’re one of a kind, the best of the best.
The
Stealth Audio Cables Varidig Sextet
This
review will be shorter for a couple of reasons, the biggest being
that the cable didn’t have as significant an impact on my system.
However, as previously stated, to date the Sextet is the best
digital cable I’ve ever used.
First,
I listened to the Varidig to get a feel for the type digital cable
you manufacture and to have “sibling” to which to compare the
Sextet. I felt the Varidig was a fairly neutral cable and
didn’t do a lot wrong, but didn’t add a lot either. That
can be good or bad, depending on what you’re trying to hide or
cover-up on your system. As I have little to cover-up, I found
the cable pleasant and could have lived happily with it were it not
for the Sextet.
In
my opinion, in my system, the pairing of the Sextet and Indra is a
match made in heaven. I don’t know what caused the synergy
between the two or how twisting 6 strands of the same cable together
can make such a difference, but it did. Perhaps the NextGen
connector had something to do with it. I’ve heard good
things about them, and have read of definite improvements noted by
non-industry people who’ve tried them.
Combined
with the Sextet, the positives of the Indra were magnified.
The midrange became fuller and sweeter, and the highs took on a
“twinkle” that is hard to describe and hard to live without.
Everything sounded better
Best
regards,
Jim
Stealth Audio Cables Indra
Review
Introduction
At first glance, I would
probably be the last guy anyone would ask to be a part of their
high-end audio beta program. I don’t have years of experience in
high-end audio, have never been a part of the business and only
began putting together my first high-end system less than a year
ago. What I bring to the table is this:
- Years of traveling around the
world, in the process catching live performances in countless
theaters, auditoriums, bars, dives, honky-tonks, blues bars and jazz
joints. I know what music is supposed to sound like, and
consequently have a pretty good idea of what people (including me)
want their systems to produce. I only began putting a system
together because I’m nearing retirement and no longer wish to
travel as often to enjoy music. The obvious answer was to bring the
music to me.
- A very critical nature, with
an eye (and ear) for detail. I was a military fighter pilot, and
have hundreds of instructor hours in various types of jet aircraft.
By virtue of my chosen profession, I HAVE to be critical and
non-accepting of anything less than perfection. Failing to strive
for perfection is de-facto acceptance of mediocrity. If something
isn’t right, I’ll know it, and will not hesitate to point it
out.
- A gift of a wife. My wife
grew up with music and went to college on a music scholarship. She
started playing piano when she was 6 years old and was going to gigs
with her Father by the time she was in middle school. She’s had
the opportunity to play with Maynard Ferguson and Thelonious Monk,
among others. She knows and loves her music. While I may - and I
emphasize the word “may” - pick-up a slight nuance or change
that might otherwise go unnoticed, her knowledge, experience and
training has given her an insight into music I’ll never have. If
the system doesn’t present the tonal quality and unique timbre of
the instruments correctly, she knows it, and together I believe we
are a capable, competent analytical team.
The Indra
The first time I played a song
for my wife after placing the Indra in the system, she looked at me
with eyes as big as saucers. After a few moments, she managed only
one word; “Wow.” It takes something pretty extraordinary to turn
someone with her background and experience into little more than a
mumbling vegetable. Here’s what the Indra did.
An Explosion of Music
the music flowed so freely, so
uninhibited and the soundstage became so large, the music seems to
take on a whole ‘nother dimension. Though it may seem I’m
describing something “unnatural” and distracting, nothing could
be further from the truth. It is, in fact, MORE natural than
anything I’ve ever heard. The Indra took my modest system and
turned it into a world-class performer in the time it took to
install them. The music seems to fill my room in the same manner it
would if the musicians were there. As “live” as “live” can
get without paying for an in-home performance.
Removal of Barriers
It’s not about what the cable
adds. It isn’t even about what it DOESN’T add. It’s about what
it REMOVES! Never before have I heard music flow so smoothly, so
effortlessly from speakers of any type or manufacturing origin. With
the exception of acoustic performances, I’ve never heard live
music sound so natural and open. The Indra frees the music from the
tangled web of electronic limits and mechanized barriers. It’s
liberating, to the music and to the listener, and is so liquid you
may want to keep a towel handy.
It’s obvious I’m not
missing anything, but it’s as though something is added. I wish I
knew what it was, because I’d seek it out and “add” it to
everything in my system. .
Maybe this is explains the
“sparkle” I hear. Maybe it’s the sound of nothing. I honestly
believe the Indra is better than oft-mentioned goal of “no wire”
because the absence of wire doesn’t remove the negative effect
other components have on the music. From my experience, the Indra
does just that. The music flows so smoothly - and yet so powerfully
and unfettered - from the speakers
The Music
The music is the music. By that
I mean a bass guitar sounds like a bass guitar, a violin sounds like
a violin, and snare drum sounds like a snare drum. No additives, no
omissions. I’ve never heard a piano sound more realistic on any
system. Attack and decay are precisely portrayed. The tonal accuracy
is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Bass is tight and
defined, but not artificially so. It’s just accurate.
Not to belabor the point, but
what the Indra does besides give you the sound of “real”
instruments is give it to you without any semblance of electronic
layering or digital additive. The difference this makes has to be
heard to be believed. Layers of complex pieces become so much
clearer, so much more obvious, and yet more musical at the same
time.
Sounds impossible, doesn’t
it? Kind of like getting better gas mileage the faster you drive.
But it’s true.
Conclusion
The Indra allows me to
experience the music in a way impossible outside of a live venue.
Yes, the music flows as easily as it does from the instrument
itself, but becomes more substantial, sucking you in and surrounding
you in a blanket of wonderfully pure sound. I’ve heard good music
reproduction and am a very exacting, meticulous person. The Indra
doesn’t make bad recordings sound good, but it will make good
recordings sound great, and great recordings are surreal
I believe I’m hearing my
components for the first time, both the good and the bad. Much to
the chagrin of my wife, my exposure to the Indra has resulted in my
spending copious amounts of time and money trying to find
accompanying cables and equipment measuring up to the quality and
performance of the Indra. I’m afraid it’s a fool’s errand.
Remember…my system was good
to begin with. I knew there were minor flaws and was in the process
of addressing them when I heard about the Indra. As much as anything
else, the Indra allowed me to address the REAL flaws in my system,
the first being the interconnects they replaced. Only then could I
hear what was really going on with my system and take the necessary
steps to address its shortcomings.
To my knowledge, for the first
time a cable truly has the same affect on every system, whether
you’ve spent $5.000 or $500,000 (to varying degrees, of course).
This is the only cable I’ve used that hasn’t turned out to be a
tuning device or tone control. The Indra is easily the best cable
I’ve ever tried, and is in fact the best component of any kind
I’ve ever heard. Though “bass-ackwards” (as my grandmother
used to say), I can now envision someone being so affected by the
Indra that they would actually try to build a system around an
interconnect.
The Indra is that good, that
superior to anything else on the market. It is a truly revolutionary
product.
Jim
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