An evening with Touraj Moghaddam (Vertere)

Hi Steve, I'm due for major back surgery on Tues 6th Nov, so ABX tests are the very last thing on my mind.....though if you get to hear these cables, I would like to get your feedback.

Cno

Sorry to hear about your back. Hope the surgery goes well on Tuesday.

I'll have a listen to the cables if I see any in the shops. I'll also have a listen the black ravioli again and experiment with the positioning as you advised. I'm still very sceptical though but I have a open mind and will report back with my findings.

Hopefully you'll have a go at some ABX cable tests in the future when you're feeling better.

Thx Steve....and if I make it out in one piece, you'll probably hear all about it!

With regard to Black Ravioli, the website gives placement instructions:
http://www.blackravioli.com/_images/br-set-up.pdf

That is a good way of putting it.

Hi Cno, Im wishing you all the best with regards to your surgery next week and I hope for your early recovery

There is some info on the Cardas Audio website under "Insights", such as:

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=10&pagestring...

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=46&pagestring...

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=11&pagestring...? (see George Cardas's contribution)

Cno

Likewise, I wish you all the best with the surgery. While it's inevitable that you'll feel anxious about the prospect, I'm sure all will be well and I look forward to your forum return.

Puts pedantic deabtes about cables into perspective, doesn't it...

Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment.

Wish you better soon, Cno.

Cheers PP - I'll have nothing better to do, than be on here even more during my convalescence (for a month or three).

I don't know if any of you have read the November edition of Hi-Fi+....when I was removed from the 5* comfort of my private hospital (own room + TV), and put in a general ward (much better craic), I sent Mrs Cno for some Mags.

Well as luck would have it, there was an equipment review of Vertere's D-Fi Minijack -> Phono cable. The review starts of by saying:

"This is perhaps the single most important cable HiFi+ has ever reviewed. That's a pretty bold statement, but it's true, because the D-Fi is not only a cable - it's a generational gateway".

Here are a selection of other quotes:

"...Touraj believes the headphone output is better than most people expect. It also means the D-Fi doesn't become pointless if someone pitches up with another brand of phone and didn't become out of date when Apple changed its connector"

"I tried it with an 80GB iPod Classic packed full of both lossless and AAC files into all manner of systems. To say it did well is a Gold Medal Understatement"

"..The D-Fi proved itself a perhaps unsurprisingly up-beat and natural performer....what I expected was a clean tidy sound, but what I didn't expect was that deep and boppy bass that comes with it. I think the best accolade I can put to the D-Fi was that it was unexpectedly good".

"The fact it also sounds so damned good is perhaps the icing on the cake, but it's damn good icing at that. Highly recommended? This goes far beyond that.."

"...if Vertere can makes the iPod sound this good, I can't wait to see what it does with Interconnects and Speaker Cables..."

Alan Sircom also tried it with the h/phone socket of his laptop, replacing the USB/DAC arrangement "without ever once finding fault with the sound". There was "more space around the instruments and a wider soundstage" with the Dac, but the D-Fi seemed to "bring out the presence region more than the Mac + Dac arrangement", thus always making it "an entertaining and musically satisfying experience".

If I am deluding myself, it's good to know that Alan Sircom is as well, as he seems to have come to exactly the same conclusion, where this cable is concerned.

Hi Cno

You kindly highlighted this from your 'I'm back...' thread, and I've read pretty much everything here. (Just got distracted by an incoming email from the US from those nice Olive people who have new kit on the way, though as I feared each model goes out of date quickly, a bit like iPads)

To be brief(ish).  Not surprised the smaller system sounded very good and in some ways more enjoyable.  That has often been the unspeakable truth in much of my hi-fi listening over the decades.  Back in my sales days, enlightened buyers would be downsold on complexity and upsold on accessories to extract the best.  It is often much easier to get modest kit sounding great, while luxury gear gets muddled or can simply be 'too much' for a typical room.  This is often apparent at shows, and may well have been the case at Kronos (esp. judging by the pics).  Even my aging but decent kit is bottom of the range from Krell and SF, for example.  The amps were even meant for AV, dammit - hence the name.

Most cables demos are incremental, though my Chord experience last year included a lowest to highest jump, when I was the last person left.  Light and day, frankly.  You know I'm a believer.  The best comparison I ever did was when we persuaded the boss of the shop I worked in to bypass the switchbox that was de riguer in those days for speaker demos.  Unsurprisingly the sound was massively superior!

Glad your views have been so heartily endorsed by the other mag.  I must seek out a listen.  

Your write up was a model of clarity, and well worthy of printing in the mag itself with a bit of expert editing.  My congratulations!  I know how hard it is to do interesting and balanced.  

Best wishes.

Thank you NP, I really appreciate your feedback.

If you manage to hear these Vertere cables, please report in, as I do think Touraj may have hit on something interesting and different.

Cno