Mono Stereo Review

Dear Fellow Audiophiles,

Mono & Stereo’s Richard Weiner reviewed a full ANTICABLES loom in his reference system and declared them “the Goldilocks cables” because our Level 5 Speaker WiresLevel 6.2 RCA ICsand Level 3 Power Cords did everything “just right”.

About the most difficult sonic attribute to achieve with cabling is to provide very high resolution and detail, while keeping the music’s rich body. Typically warmth comes without resolution, and detail comes with no meat on its bones. Richard found that our ANTICABLES allows you to actually can have your cake and eat it too. ANTICABLES provides very high-resolution detail which allows you to not only to hear what each instrument sound like, but also the tactical information that conveys the musician playing the instrument, and does so while keeping the music full-bodied without any forwardness, brightness, or leanness.

Richard went on to say…

“ANTICABLES is both the most musically satisfying and the most sonically correct wire I’ve encountered.  It balances the sound envelope in a new way, one which is more faithful to the signal than any other I’ve encountered. Combining the ANTICABLES speaker wires, interconnects and power cords made my systems perform better than they have in twenty years.”

I know Richard was serious about this statement since he has now purchased the full ANTICABLES loom for his system.

“By patiently refining his designs, Paul Speltz has managed to combine the features we have all been seeking in our wires. Think of the rounded fullness of tube amplification matched with the controlled precision of solid state or the virtues of vented speaker enclosures combined with those of sealed boxes, and you have a sense of what ANTICABLES provide.  Add to these performance virtues the physical flexibility of the wires – no stiff garden hoses here, and the– by current standards – modest prices, and you have a line of irresistible products.”

“The difference with ANTICABLES lies in the sense of correct tone, of detail balanced with a musicality that made me nod: this is how the performances should sound.”

“Why has it taken until now to recover this natural perspective?”

Here are a few more excerpts from the review:

“My own comment from that first session is succinct: “Generous.”  Over the months of listening, I expanded that to “warmth without losing incisiveness,” and “precise but still harmonically rich.”  If you can imagine the clarity and speed of silver cable coupled with the relaxed tonality of copper, you will have a fair sense of what ANTICABLES  can do.  Now bring the harmonic rightness a bit further.  That is what gold in proper amounts brings to the mixture.”

“I tried Level 5 (Speaker Wires), switched to another multi-strand pure silver cable, a couple of high-purity copper wires – all of them well-known and all of them good performers – and returned to the ANTICABLES for their sense of relaxed and revealing sound.  ANTICABLES take somewhere around 150 hours to burn in.  My notes from the first couple of months reflect superior decay almost from the first hour, with good attack that became excellent over time.  This is the only cable product I have heard which offers this balance of sound.”

“Harry Pearson at The Absolute Sound introduced the concept of “continuousness,” the desirable property of music flowing naturally.  (At least, that was my interpretation of the concept.)  My experience with all of the ANTICABLES products is that they possess this characteristic: music doesn’t get bunched into discrete quanta.  The triumph of ANTICABLES is that it maintains continuousness while also preserving the delicate “space between the notes.”

 

“If I’ve managed to convey the sound of ANTICABLES loudspeaker cables, then you know what the Level 6.2 ABSOLUTE Signature interconnects sound like.  They’re smooth and revealing at the same time.”

 

 

 

With the Level 3 Power Cords plugged directly into the wall outlet Richard found…

“…the difference was pronounced: the very mild softening I’ve grown accustomed to was replaced by a more detailed, articulate sound that brought the music much closer to real life without ever stepping into hyper-etched rendition.”

 

“With a full loom of ANTICABLES wire in place, I ran through some favorites recordings.” “…I played the “Archduke” trio with Istomin, Stern and Rose (Sony  64513). Over the years, I have listened to this performance on vinyl, compact disc, and watched it on DVD. With ANTICABLES I experienced a greater sense of vitality, the sense of being present in the recording studio.”

“There’s a saying among engineers: anyone can design a great product for a million dollars, but only a genius can design one for a thousand bucks. In Paul Speltz, I believe that we have found an engineer who can provide top-level sound at an accessible price.”  

-Richard Weiner, Reviewer: Mono and Stereo 
Click HERE to read the entire review.

 

Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

 

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest – 2017

Dear Fellow Audiophiles,

Just a few weeks ago at RMAF, the Well Pleased / ANTICABLES demo room was named, “One of the top 3 or 4 rooms in the entire show” by Kemper Holt of AV Showrooms. Click the below video image to learn more.

Kemper went on to write more about that room in EnjoyTheMusic.com where he declared,“this system hit a home run for me”.

ANTICABLES was in three different demo rooms at RMAF, and after hearing them all, Kemper stated, I need to mention that every room with Paul’s cables exuded detail and musicality, and they will all get top marks.”

 

Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

 

Best Room Under $50,000 at LAAS

Dear Fellow Audiophiles,

Earlier this summer, ANTICABLES teamed up with Spatial Audio and Vinnie Rossi at LAAS 2017I’d love to share with you some of the fun we had at the show. As well as press coverage we received for our room. Enjoy!

Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

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“Lock, Stock, and Barrel”

One of the most amazing things that can happen at an audio show is putting together a demo room that sounds really good. What’s even more amazing is putting together a room that sounds so good, an attendee asks to buy the system. That’s right, the whole system. Lock, stock, and barrel. Well, that is exactly what happened to us in Room 476.

Sunday afternoon, the show was slowly coming to a close as vendors began to wrap things up and prepare for the journey home. After visiting our room quite a few times over the weekend, a local audiophile found his way back one more time. It was then that he declared it the best sounding room he had heard at LAAS. Keen to recreate the same aural experience at home, he asked to buy it all. This amazing offer came with the caveat that the entire system is delivered and set up right away. We eagerly agreed.

As soon as the show ended, I packed up at the venue while Vinnie and Clayton took care of our new favorite customer. They hauled the LIO amp, X1 speakers, and ANTICABLES to his home outside LA. Even after setting it up again and getting the system sounding great, they still managed to make it back in time for us all to have a celebratory dinner together.

A victory all around. LA gained a very happy audiophile, and we didn’t have to haul the system back with us. We are looking forward to seeing what happens when the three of us team up again this fall at T.H.E. in Anaheim and RMAF in Denver. We hope to see you there!

Vinnie Rossi, Paul Speltz, Clayton Shaw

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LAAS 2017
ANTICABLES  /  Spatial Audio  /  Vinnie Rossi  /  Room 476

Graphic courtesy of The Audio Beatnik

“The cables were provided by ANTICABLES Audio Company. There was Level 3.1 Reference Series USB Digital Interconnect, a pair of Level 3.1 Reference Series Speaker Wires for woofers, a pair of Level 5 Signature Speaker Wires (for horn), and a Level 3 Reference Series Power Cord.”

“Discovering the simplicity  of this system and its total cost blew me awayI have heard and reviewed digital sources that cost more than this entire system. That would still be true if you added the phono preamp module to the LIO and a first class analog source to the system. You could also make these additions and keep the system price under $50,000.” 

“So, it is a very easy call for me. This simple and great sounding system wins the Beatnik’s Bongo Award for the Best System Under $50,000. Don’t forget, as the room was set up, this incredible system was just a little over $25,000. Well done to all! “

– Jack Roberts: The Audio Beatnik

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Photo Courtesy of John Stancavage of Part Time Audiophile

“Speaking of wire, the Rossi integrated was connected to the X1s with Paul Speltz’s amazing ANTICABLES. Speltz recently introduced his Level 3.1 Reference Series copper speaker wires ($340 for a 10-foot pair). He also is breaking into the premium market with his new Level 5 Signature silver-gold speaker cable ($3,500 for a 10-foot pair).”

“Rossi and Shaw used runs of the 3.1 for bi-amping the X1’s woofer and the silver-gold Level 5 for the compression driver.”

“Other ANTICABLES in the system included the Level 3.1 Reference USB digital interconnect ($390) and the Level 3 Reference power cords ($330 each).”

“Speltz may not have designed those cables specifically for the Rossi and Spatial gear, but they sounded like they could have been.”

“Together, the components came together to create a rare musical alchemy. That’s something special that you need to hear yourself.”

– Part Time Audiophile: John Stancavage’s LAAS 2017 coverage

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Photo Courtesy of Jana Dagdagan of Stereophile

“The sound… was widespread, transparent, and profoundly engaging—the perfect end to my Los Angeles Audio Show experience.” 

– Stereophile: Jana Wraps Up Her LAAS Coverage

The California Audio Show is this weekend!

Hear us this weekend!

July 28-30, Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel

We invite you to come hear our cables this weekend at the California Audio Show at the Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel. This was a last minute opportunity, so we won’t be listed on the caaudioshow.com website, nor will we be listed in the show directory, but you will be able to find us in Room 5231.

We are teamed up with Clayton Shaw of Spatial Audio, who will be showing his new $3,995/pr M3 Triode Master speakers. I first heard a prototype version of these speakers at AXPONA in April and instantly put in an order for a pair.

 

The speakers are being driven by a Vinnie Rossi LIO integrated amplifier. The LIO is a DAC, preamp, and power amplifier all rolled into one chassis, and has won many awards including Stereophile Class A rating, The Absolute Sound Editors’ Choice Award, 6Moons Lunar Eclipse Award, and more.

To get the best out of this gear, the system will be wired with ANTICABLES Level 3.1 Reference Series USB Digital Interconnect and Level 5 Signature Speaker Wires.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, but please be sure to get a chance to meet Clayton in Room 5231. While there, look for the new ANTICABLES brochure. In it will be a price list and a very generous Coupon Code for show goers towards your next purchase of Speaker Wires, Interconnects, and Power Cords.

Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

Stereophile’s Favorite System at AXPONA & LA Audio Show

ANTICABLES recently teamed up in two separate listening rooms at both AXPONA 17 and at LAAS 17. This newsletter will highlight one of those two teams, and we will cover our other room with Spatial Audio and Vinnie Rossi in an upcoming newsletter.

We would like to thank Jana for her kind words and are honored to be part of the system she declared her, “favorite of the whole show.” It is amazing how good reasonable priced components can sound, when highly dynamic, resolving, neutral, and transparent cabling is used.

Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

AXPONA 2017

  ANTICABLES  /  Well Pleased AV  /  Rethm Speakers  /  Room 504

“Throughout the entire show weekend, I had encountered many sonically and aesthetically pleasing rooms—with prices ranging from the affordable to the aspirational—that would have satisfied me for years on end. But this…   this was something else. In the moment, and in thoughtful retrospect, this system was my favorite of the whole show.”


LAAS 2017

ANTICABLES  /  Well Pleased AV  /  Rethm Speakers  /  Room 304

“And we’re back to the Well Pleased Audio Vida room that I raved about upon hearing first at Axpona just a month ago. I was overjoyed to see the Rethm Bhaava speakers ($3750) again, paired with a Qualiton A20i integrated amplifier ($4500), an Aqua La Scala Mk II Optologic DAC ($7000), and an Innuos Zenith Mk II server ($3400) with ANTICABLES throughout.”

“The soundstage was as I remembered: out of body, room filling, and seamless through the frequencies. I left the room pleased that my sonic impressions had not changed”

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Meet us at AXPONA 2017 April 21-23 in Chicago Illinois U.S.A.

paulchuckThis will be our second year showing at at AXPONA, and we are excited to meet our customers!  Stop by our booth in the Marketplace to meet Paul Speltz (Founder, ANTICABLES) and Chuck Bottemiller (Engineer, ANTICABLES). After chatting with us in the Marketplace, we encourage you to head up to listening rooms 504 and 634 (as described below).

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Paul Speltz
Founder, ANTICABLES

 

LISTENING ROOM 504

You can hear a system totally decked-out with ANTICABLES wires in this demo room. We will be teamed up with Mark Sossa of Well Pleased AV who will be demonstrating a very unique system featuring these imported products:

Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 8.30.00 AM Screen Shot 2017-04-19 at 8.30.11 AM

The room will be wired with ANTICABLES

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LISTENING ROOM 634

This is the Lampizator demo room which will be featuring the world premier of Spatial Audio’s new M3 Triode Master 16 ohm speaker. As an owner of multiple Atma-Sphere OTL amplifiers, I am thrilled with Clayton Shaw’s decision to go “high impedance”.

The Triod Master’s 16 ohm load, smooth phase response, and 95dB@1w/1m efficiency is a dream load for any tube amp or low power SS amplifier.

Learn more HERE

ANTICABLES customers receive special pricing on these new speakers.

Contact Paul Speltz for details.
paul@anticables.com
651-735-0534

 

ANTICABLES now a Premier Dealer for Alta Audio

alta1I am proud to announce that ANTICABLES has just become a Premier Dealer for New York based Alta Audio and the first to have a pair of their new $32,000 Titanium Hestia speakers for audiophiles to audition (by appointment only).

Listening to the Titaniums in the Alta / Krell / ANTICABLES listening room at the NY Audio Show for three days cause a paradigm shift for me. When I returned home to Minnesota, I started working with Michael Levy of Alta Audio to be able to offer these fine speakers to our customers. This goal was achieved and the Midwest’s only demo pair of Titanium Hestia speakers is now available for audition.

alta2There are three very common problems that audiophiles struggle with in their systems: Not having enough bottom end to give the music a solid foundation to ride on, not being able to get adequate 3D imaging & depth in the soundstage, and getting listening fatigue, which has them turning the music down or off all together. Any audiophile that struggles with any of these issues, I think will enjoy these speakers.

Anyone that is interested in hearing the Hestia Titaniums for themselves, and are willing to hike, drive, or fly to the St. Paul side of the Twin Cities, should contact me directly to set up a listening session (and special discount pricing): paul@anticables.com
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Paul Speltz
Founder & President, ANTICABLES

POSITIVE FEEDBACK GIVES POSITIVE REVIEW

usbReviewer Dave Clark of Positive Feedback said:

The ANTICABLES (USB Cord) is open and dynamic, clean and articulate. The music comes through with a wonderful sense of flow. It does tend to be a bit more robust and perhaps darker through the midrange than others here in house, though I feel that might be related more to the bass presentation being big and ballsy (or perhaps the use of gold).”

“You get all the little things—air and ambiance—and lots of the bigger things, like atmosphere and space. Lots of separation and “thereness”. The high end is all there though perhaps the overall presentation is a wee bit more forward in relation to the speakers when compared to other USB cables here in house… though I guess one could argue that perhaps those are a wee bit laid-back? Even so, the ANTICABLES USB was never fatiguing or over the top. Stellar soundstage too.”

“The ANTICABLES USB is highly recommended. Sweet indeed… I found myself listening more to the music than what the cable was doing to the music. Which is what it is all about anyways.”

You can read the entire review here: Positive Feedback / Issue 89

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When you place your order online now through March 31.
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ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC: Willie Dixon Tribute


Every so often Todd Parks Mohr, frontman for Big Head Todd and the Monsters, breaks free from his music to celebrate legends.

todd

Todd Parks Mohr (right) and Ronnie Baker Brooks

I had the good fortune to see him and his band team up with some remarkable musicians, Mud Morganfield (Muddy Waters son), Billy Branch, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Erica Brown (who joined the group as their backup singer and power house), to sing songs from Willie Dixon.

One of the remarkable things about this concert was its venue, a small renovated theater, something out of the Vaudevillian days, in downtown Red Wing, Minnesota. Red Wing is a small Mississippi river town that I’m sure no one outside of Minnesota would have hear of, but regardless, it was perfect for an intimate night with Todd and his friends.

As always, I’m very easily “blown away” by live music, not just any live music, but music of soul shaking proportions, and this was surely a night to remember.

Erica Brown only came out twice, which was a shame, because she had some “pipes” in her, holy god…..it was living the Maxell tap commercial, fantastic.

The rest of the boys shared the spotlight singing their renditions of Willie’s master pieces, but what was surprising to me, though maybe not to you, was “You need Love” which Mud sang….Led Zeppelin has also covered it pretty famously.

One of the highlights was the up close and personal moment each singer spoke about, their introduction to the blues, meeting Willie, and how the Blues changed their lives. Mud spoke of his father Muddy and the day Prince showed up in a long Limousine, or Todd’s first meeting with Ronnie Baker Brown 20 yrs ago.

Billy Branch, Erica Brown, and Mud Morganfield

Billy Branch, Erica Brown, and Mud Morganfield

Paul and I have followed Big Head Todd since their debut album back in the 80’s. They remain one of our favorite bands to see live, showing us music is timeless, and uniting.

ANTICABLES named Product of the Year by Audiophilia!

audiophilia-product-year-smallWe are proud to announce that Audiophilia.com named our new Level 5 Signature Speaker wires as Product of the Year!

The Audiophilia writers listed their choices, including many as “runner up”, “special mention” and “honorable mention”, but if you scroll to the bottom of their Product of the Year lineup, you will see that Martin Appel chose our Level 5 Signature Speaker wires as the Product of the Year.

level-5-signature-awardsThe Level 5 Signature Speaker Wires were originally reviewed by Mr. Appel last September. You can read the entire review HERE, or if you want a quick read of the highlights, here are some snippets from that review:

 

“Along with killer imaging it was apparent that detail, resolution and transparency were off the charts and placed these 5 Signatures in rarified air. Instruments were so well defined — at times it was startling. It was as if each instrument had its own envelope of air surrounding it.”
-Martin Appel, Audiophilia

“I must report, to these ears, the 5 Signatures got the musical timbres of instruments as correctly as I’ve ever heard. I think the combination of characteristics also contribute the fact that the leading edge of notes or transient attack is accomplished without sounding edgy or hard and still produces a full, three dimensional image that is smooth and texturally complete. This is so difficult to achieve that one usually suffers at the expense of the other.”
-Martin Appel, Audiophilia

ANTICABLES would like to thank both Mr. Appel and Editor Anthony Kershaw for their efforts and the recognition we have received from their fine publication.

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Paul Speltz
Founder & President, ANTICABLES

 

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