Isotek MiniSub/braided cables/squashed dynamics...?

[flash]

Following helpful exchanges in earlier thread ("I'm a Zerogain virgin..."), I thought I was zooming in on an Audusa Eupen of one flavour or another. Elsewhere I had seen comments about the LAT AC-2 (distributed by Audusa and sharing the same advert) being a better all-rounder, but no-one on this forum has mentioned the latter. Then HiFi News January issue came out on Friday, reviews favourably (and awards!) Isotek Minisub, but includes the following:

"It is supplied without a specialist mains lead, allowing customers their own preference, although it is recommended that braided style leads are best avoided since this can cause a doubling-up effect of the filtration at certain frequencies. I briefly tried braided leads and found the sound seemed to lose its flow and pace. I replaced them with an Isotek lead, which uses a screen to avoid RFI, and I found a wonderful sense of freedom come over the music".

I believe the Eupen is unbraided and the LAT is braided. This would rule out the LAT and support the Eupen choice.

Does this braided/doubling up argument make sense to you experts out there, technically speaking?

Did those who talked of squashed dynamics use braided or unbraided cables?

Which are the cables to die for in the braided/unbraided categories? (Or not, Tones!)

 

[wadia-miester]

Flash, those Isoltec barided cables are in fact (This is my guess) actually 'Cy' style cables (RS 79p a meter stuff) with furutec ends on them.
AS for the isotec stuff, it was tried with a wide variety of mains cables up to £1k in value, as a mains socket to isotec, all were 'decent cables' very few braided, and the Eupen isn't barided, it has mylar sheild ? and iron ferrite skin wrapped around the indivdual cables over the pvc outer casing.
I wouldn't feel too bad about the dynamic retension, even the 'PS audio' multiwave mains reconstructer, need a very expensive mains cable on it, to help it in that dept, along with the accuphase unit.
Just a word abut the isotec stuff, they use indivdual 'e' frame isolation transformers as 'slot in modules', 'E' frame trandformers are usualy multi core constructed units, based around a ridgid outer holding frame (alot of amps.cdps and pre uses them), they do have certain benefits of size, compactiness etc, but do have a 40 fold increase on rfi emmissions over a torriodal, which couples with the mains far better, although you can get hum and more shite, they are however 1 or 2 that have a 'dual opposed wound core' that cancels out most of the 'common mode grunge' without squashing the dynamics and life, whilst giving body to the sound Wm

 

[Alex S]

Flash, if its not too late I'd look at the Ben Duncan and Trichord conditioners. You can also pm WM about possible modded versions. I've just added 2 1KVA Ben Duncan units and I'm thrilled with the results (using mainly Eupen cables). Far from squashing dynamics they just lift the lid on the whole system. They're not as pretty as the Isoteks though.

Alex

 

[MartinC]

Originally posted by flash
I believe the Eupen is unbraided and the LAT is braided. This would rule out the LAT and support the Eupen choice.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd assumed by braided cable that Tony Bolton meant cables like the Kimbers, which use multiple braided conductors? The LAT is not that type. It has just three conductors, which I suspect are just twisted together.