Customers' letters - 4 -

Leo

After my earlier note to you, the Black Cube took a major step forward in its 'break in'. The hardness and sharp edges melted away and the sound became magical and involving in a way that far surpassed the phono section of the Audible Illusion (remember that my Modulus 3A has the standard phono section and not the John Curl unit. Also, I had recently retubed the 3A with Svetlana 6N1Ps replacing the stardard ECC88s. The retubing openned up the 3A and hadit playing with more ease. Whether the 6N1Ps are better or the older tubes with on their way out I don't know, but the 3A was sounding good.)

Three examples of the changes I experienced with the Black Cube:

1. Listening to Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, I found the timbre and nuance in Mr. B's raspy yet smooth presentation has a realism and 'you are there' (or he is in my listening room) quality that I had never experienced. The low level vocal accompaniment in 'Sylvie' was present and detailed again like I had never experienced.

2. One of my favorite recordings is Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust in the Bull Ring (Gold Castle). There is real magic between performer and audience in this live recording. The Black Cube brought me closer to the music and the experience of this concert. During the applause, I had a sense of being in the audience with clapping and cheering around me rather than listening to a recording with applause. (If you don't know this recording, side two of this recording is in Spanish and the duet with Mercedes Sosa is very special.)

3. For 3-dimensions, I listened to Jazz in the Pawnshop and "Intimate Interlude" on The Intimate Ellington. The Black Cube again was a knockout Earlier when the Black Cube was breaking in, I was saying to myself, "Yes,this is solid state." This all seems irrelevant to me now. I had put the Cube on Black Diamond Racing Cones (mk 3). After it began to sing, I replaced the cones with mk 4s. The difference in detail and presence again was enhanced.

To complete the loop I took the Cube out and returned to the 3A. The sound was good but not the same. The 3A sounded like good recorded music. The Cube sounded more like the real thing. However, our listening methodologies are flawed. While A-B-A is the right thing to do (Bob Hartley sez so), I wasn't the same listener any longer. If B is better than the original A, then in returning to A the listener's brain knows that there is more music there to be heard. Thus, in returning to A, A sounds better than before because we remember what we heard with B (the brain does not want to forget that pleasure) or now we are alerted to listen with new ears to hear what we know is there. Be this as it may, even with my new ears, the Cube rules.

How good is this little guy? I guess I don't know. It may have more to reveal (I sure hope so). It is clearly better than what I have been used to at home. Maybe the 3A is holding it back. Anyway, I am now back climbing the latter again. Thanks Leo, this has been a pleasure, and I have not broken the bank in the process.

Sincerely

M. L. /USA

(System context: ProAc 2.5s [speakers], Kuzma with Reference arm and Sumiko SHO [turntable/arm/cartridge], Audio Matiere Eqilibre [power amp], Audible Illusion Mod. 3A, Wire World Silver Elipse [interconnects] and bi-wired Elipse [speaker cable], Black Diamond Racing shelves and cones, VersaLab RFI products.


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