Black Cat Lectraline Interconnect Review

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by LeeS, Dec 26, 2012.

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  1. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Added another Lectraline interconnect today, this time between phono pre to Ref 3 preamp. Wow. Major improvement over the Kimber Hero I had there.
     
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  2. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    That is good to know since I want to put a Lectraline there also. Right now I have some older Analysis Plus cable on the phono pre.
     
  3. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Do you have two now ? What is between the preamp and your power amps?
     
  4. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Lectraline
     
  5. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Has anyone compared the master reference with the audience au24e?
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2013
  6. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Sorry, that wasn't clear from what I was reading.

    Your first post on the subject indicated that the Lectraline was inserted between the Benchmark and the preamp; then post #26 above said you added a new Lectraline between phono and preamp. Did I miss the post that said you also replaced the interconnect between preamp and power amp with another Lectraline?

    Anyway, it's good to know you find this interconnect a good choice in all three positions.
     
  7. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    In all three positions now Geoff. :cheers:

    OP is now around 10 months old so there have been some nice changes since.
     
  8. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Thanks. Sometimes I fail to realize the date on the original post.
     
  9. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    No worries, happens to the best of us. Sometimes threads get bumped and I also don't realize how old they are and what may have changed.
     
    RonW likes this.
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Glad you are liking the sound.

    Very much like my fabulous Kubala-Sosna "Emotion" wire I have my little studio wired with, but this is in the price range of all audiophiles. Good stuff, thanks, Chris.
     
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  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Audience is good as well. It's better for "over the top" components.

    This for me is more of what I like in wire. The Audience is too neutral for me (if you get my meaning). The L-Line is good because since it doesn't exaggerate the top end, the rest of the frequency spectrum just falls right in to place and the "sonic signature" and weight of your gear is allowed to shine through. That's really important to me..
     
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  12. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I bet you do. I'm sure I would love that throughout my system. You could not meet nicer guys in the audio business than Joe Kubala and Howard Sosna.

    http://www.kubala-sosna.com/ourstory/
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Yup. Guys that you can trust.
     
  14. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Listened some more today and I think coherence from top to bottom is a standout feature. Definitely hear more weight from the table. Really gorgeous natural mids and low end. Highs are airy and natural. No brightness at all.

    Very, very happy with this cable. Hope to add speaker cables soon.
     
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  15. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    The Black Cat LectraLine speaker cables appear to be just what I'm looking for. Many of the things said here are very encouraging and Chris's website and explanation left me impressed.
     
  16. Doctorcilantro

    Doctorcilantro Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle East
    I'm looking for a 3m run to go from my Allnic phono to my system....considering the Lectraline but also the Cardas Parsec....any other recs?
     
  17. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    Now I see a LectraLine (Xe) Speaker Cable listed on Chris's Stereomatic website. Does anyone have experience with these? I see they offer the Lectraline Xe XLR IC as well. Ok Lee, please, what can you tell us about these?
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2014
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Which Allnic phono stage do you have? I'm getting in for review the little one and the H-3000.
     
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  19. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I don't have any experience yet but several of us had been asking Chris to do a balanced version. This is what he came up with.

    I can tell you that my Lectraline speaker cable has really been a nice addition. With the whole signal path now in Lectraline I can tell easily the extra resolution my system is capable of.
     
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  20. Doctorcilantro

    Doctorcilantro Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle East
    I am using the Allnic H-1201 which runs the E180CC. These tubes were always well regarded when I sold them in the past; folks raved about them, especially the soundstage. So I'm not surprised Allnic has chosen this tube. Prices have increased in recent years for them, but you can still find some nice D-getters premium brands like Amperex or RTC around. I'm using the AT33PTG/II on lowest MC gain setting and hoping to pick up an AT-ART7 soon since the 1201 should work well with it.

    I'm still waiting on some cabling before I do some needledrops comparing the Allnic to the PS Audio NuWave. Looking forward to your impressions on the Allnic kit.

    Also nice to see Chris diversifying the Lectraline offerings.


     
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  21. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    Thanks again Lee and I'm glad to hear your kit is sounding even better.

    I'm headed for the speaker cables for starters as I have heard nothing but good review. Balanced XLR IC's are a must for me with a (true) balanced, dual mono differential architecture with pre, phono-pre, and power amps. The Sony XA-5400ES also prefers balanced outs.

    Am I mistaken, or is the "Xe" Lectraline something relatively new??? I also see two different descriptions of the Lectraline composition now, one on the Stereomatic website and one on the Stereolab website... I'm confused. Sounds like I need to try contacting Chris...
     
  22. Ellsworth

    Ellsworth Forum Resident

    I recently replaced my Signal Cable digital RCA with the Black Cat Silverstar 75. The soundstage really opened up and the tone felt more natural. It was a nice gain for my system.

    I had recently replaced my entry level Wireworld USB cable with a Mapleshade double helix USB cable. The difference was remarkable. Detail and focus were dramatically improved but it sounded almost too detailed and analytical. I never thought my system could get too detailed but if I had used a Mapleshade digital cable that probably would have sent it over the edge. The Black Cat digital cable was the perfect anecdote. I am looking forward to trying more of his cables.

    P.S. Setup is Mac mini - USB - USB/SPDIf converter - digital cable - DAC
     
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  23. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    I'd been frustrated recently finding the perfect cable to go from my turntable to my phono stage. I tried cables hanging around here, plus a couple of new ones I'd purchased, that sounded good but didn't quite nail down the sound I wanted to hear. After this thread resurfaced last week, I decided to give a 1m pair of Lectraline Xe cables a try. I received them in just a couple of days.

    Bingo!

    Nice cables. They're warmer than your typical silver cables, which often to me sound strident. But they are still fast, articulate and detailed. I love their bass, which both goes down deep and is lush in the midbass. Getting these two at once is often a trick. I also like the Lectraline's soundstage, which is broad and three dimensional. I suspect the cable's phase response is remarkable coherent, not only from 20-20kHz but even at higher frequencies. I played the 45 RPM remaster of the Bill Evans/Shelly Manne Empathy album. On this recording you can easily hear the walls of the studio. The room is presented more clearly on this record than just about any other recording I own. That space was incredibly well defined with the Lectraline cables. I'd never heard it reproduced better. Lastly, the high end of this cable is superb. I'd had trouble getting the cymbals right with other interconnects in my system. They often seemed to splashy, all ring and no click. The Lectralines were the first cables I tried that got both the cymbals and the rest of the music correct. I tried other cables of which I liked their high end but not their bass, or their soundstage, or their whatever. With the Lectralines, I like everything.

    I went into my stable to find a cable that complemented the Lectralines going out of my phono stage to my integrated amp. For now I've settled on a pair of Decware interconnects, also a silver cable but with a somewhat drier presentation than the Lectralines. It seems to be a holistic match, which is what I often have to do with cables. A little warmth here, a little snap there. I'm enjoying this for now but I am already curious what it would sound like with a second Lectraline interconnect in place of the Decwares. We'll see how long I can hold out before I make the order. Vegas has the over/under at 10 days. If I was you, I'd take under.

    As long as I'm singing their praises, I do have one complaint about the Lectralines: Stereolab has way too much packaging for a 1m interconnect. It probably doesn't make a significant difference in the price of the cable, and I do appreciate the Black Cat sticker that will go on my Anvil briefcase, but otherwise there is a lot of cardboard and foam that will just get thrown away. It seems like a waste.

    But don't let this keep you from trying these cables. The Lectraline Xe cables are winners.
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2014
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  24. Jim in Houston

    Jim in Houston The Godfather of Alt-Country & Punk

    Location:
    Houston, TX, USA
    Hey Gregg, you could send the packaging back with your next order and ask Chris to send your new order back in the same package.

    I'm running the Neo-Morpheus for speaker cables and just added a single cable for my center channel and an analog I/C from my SA8003 > SR6004. I'm a very satisfied customer.

    Are the XEs balanced?
     
    ggergm likes this.
  25. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I am glad you are finding the Lectraline cables to be a winner. :cheers:
     
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