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The French cables didn’t push the soundstage forward. Rather, they seemed to delete the speakers as apparent sound sources so that the music filling the room arrived from many different direction to involve me in a wonderful spectacle. I had some problems with my own descriptions of these impressions so I want to return to how my own cables made everything dull and gray. The name of these cables—LiveLine—seems quite accurate. They bring lots of life to the music, adding some of the natural brightness and real colors. Credit should probably at least partially go to the very rich harmonics that create the unique timbre and tone of each instrument and voice.
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The ASI cables are also great at silence; not the silence between musical pieces but the silence in those tiny short moments when all instruments stop for a fraction to feel this wonderful black nothing. It makes everything sound more distinct, clear, dynamic and colorful when contrasted against this blackness. When it happens and right after the vocalist starts to sing, it is easier to appreciate the pure timbre, the unique strength and texture of a voice. The same goes for instruments. They also sound more distinctive and their tone is better defined and differentiated.
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It was an amazing experience to listen to recordings taken in large churches and cathedrals when the sound engineer did his job well to capture the original ambiance. With the LiveLine I seemed to ‘see’ each corner and stained-glass window as places or obstacles where the sound bounced and reflected differently than from a regular unbroken wall. I was overwhelmed by the size of the interiors and the intensity of the music and felt very small compared to the greatness of spectacular music performed in such special places.
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I couldn't find any reason to classify/describe treble, midrange or bass as separate ranges because the ASI cables were very coherent top to bottom. I realize that readers might get the impression that I appreciated the treble and midrange over the bass. The bass too was wonderful although it didn’t always rock my world. But if it did, the sound would probably not have been as coherent and realistic. The LiveLine won’t fix poor bass. If a recording contains well extended defined bass, you will get just that. If the recording includes poor bass, that's what you get. ASI cables don't have any issue with rhythm or timing. Both are great. They are not like other cables which offer fabulous bass no matter what recording to really mean monotonous always-the-same bass.
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This was my first review about cables and different for me because I didn't use impressions of particular recordings. Those all would have read the same no matter what the music. In summary, LiveLine cables should give you what their name promises. They should put some life into your recordings. I had a chance to try them in a few different systems according to which I believe that their direct input or effect on the presentation is only this liveliness which makes the sound much more realistic and palpable. Otherwise I simply heard what those different systems could do. Some offered a fantastic midrange but had some problems in the treble and bass. ASI made the midrange even better but the problems with the rest of the range did not disappear. If the tonal balance was a bit too warm or cool the cables didn't change that. Of course it is possible that the cables you presently use don't really suit to your system at all. Then the ASI cables might be a revelation. What I can say for sure is that these are not cables one should use if wanting to correct the sound of a system in any particular fashion.
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The LiveLine effect is more of a purifying/exposing element that reveals what your hifi really sounds like. If you already have a system you are happy with, you still might want to try the LiveLine cables. They could make you happier still. |
opinia @ highfidelity.pl
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