SC Carbokab 225. Something special?

@Chris Cables - on your website, is the price per cable or per pair?

 

Per pair.
I should probably actually make it a bit clearer as a few have asked that question previously.
One client on Etsy was over the moon when he realised he got 2 pairs of my Crystal Clears cables for the price of one (or so he thought he was paying for!)


PS love that avatar. Did Mr Rogers really flip the bird or is it a 'shop?

 

https://boingboing.net/2017/09/13/the-story-behind-mr-rogers-jo.html

 

Some impressions: I recabled most of my speaker rig signal cable with about 6m of the carbokab using some leftover AECO XLRs and Neutrik Rean RCAs. SE cables were soldered with the twisted pair to positive, shield to negative/ground. To be blunt, this is a great inexpensive cable. Better extension and clarity at both frequency ends than my go-to inexpensive-ish Belden 8402. However, the 8402 is somewhat known for its mid/lower mid-centric flavor. The Carbokab is more even but slightly less involving. Compared to some Gotham GAC-1 Ultra Pro w/ Neutrik Rean RCAs and Neutrik XLRs, the Carbokab is slightly less muddy/thuddy and seems a bit less congested in the presence region. If I were to recommend a budget no-sins-of-commision DIY cable, I think it'd now be the Carbokab. It won't, however, replace my regular loom of Connex/DHLabs BL-Ag with either DHLabs silver sonic XLRs or KLE Silver harmony plugs. My system/preferences just seem to get along better with silver wire all around.

 

One thing that should stand out above all other considerations when choosing the 'correct' cables is synergy!
You obviously found a great synergy for your system and if there's one thing I implore potential clients to do before blindly ordering cables from me is to suggest 'Try them first!'
That's a terrible sales technique of course and I've probably lost a lot of sales by instantly questioning customers' choices but most eventually realise the obvious value in exploring before buying.

The try-before-you-buy scheme I operate has helped so many people make the right choice and there are defintely patterns emerging which I might divulge at some point as it makes for interesting reading. I keep spreadsheets of cables sold as well as descriptions of the equipment/systems they were ordered for - knowledge garnered via sometimes extensive dialogue with clients.

I assume you went through an exploratory phase to find the synergy that worked for your system?
How many different cable types did you try?

 

Hah!
That look to camera before he raises his middle fingers is priceless.
Almost like 'Yeah, we get what it means but the kids don't. So it's all good.'
loool

 

You saved me some money.I was planning to get hold of some Belden 8402, but after reading you impressions I will not bother.

 

I'd actually suggest you try the 8402 before solely relying on someone else's opinion.
No offence to @yotacowboy of course, but everyone's experience is going to be at least subjectively different, if not objectively totally different due to the different components used and subsequently, the resultant synergy between components, cables your ears.
It's one of the reasons that I bang on about trying and exploring so much.

I used to make and sell a cable model using Belden 8412, a version of the 8402 which is the same topology but with a much tougher construction and I only ever had positive personal experience as well as many satisfied customers. It seemed particularly well-suited to balanced applications.

I only stopped using the 8412 because it was just literally physically difficult to make even a single set using that cable as it would rip my fingers apart due to its' Fort Knox-like construction. It was almost indestructible!
I used to joke with clients that if we ever experienced nuclear armageddon that the only things left on this earth would be cockroaches....and Belden 8412!



I needed a week off to rest my fingers after building this lot...

 

Recently-ish stuff I've DIY'ed:

• VHAudio V-twist, V-quad, and copper Pulsar
• (Now defunct) Home Grown Audio 6-core solid silver in teflon
• Mogami 2534, 2549
• Canare L-4E6S
• Furutech Alpha S22
• Oyaide PA-02
• Belden 8402, 8412, 8422, and 9497
• Gotham GAC-1 and GAC-4
• Grimm TPR
• Bulk 14 core solid core silver in teflon from LavriCables
• DHLabs/Connex BL-Ag

I, too, would suggest giving the 8402 or 8412 Brilliance a try. It's cheap enough, and if you want to try it with free returns, just grab some premade cables from Tuneful Cables on Amazon.com.

 

Belden stayed in my living room casual system, Carbokab in my office/listening room, both beat out Canare and Mogami for my preferences.

Edit: Belden not Belkin, that's a USB cable.

 

So a worthy contender....seems I will be getting some Beldins in that case.
A pain to source here in Europe though...

 

I might have a leftover couple of meters kicking around somewhere.
If I do you can have it if you cover the postage.
I'll have a butcher's tomorrow...

(Butcher's = butcher's hook = look)
Cockney rhyming slang 101 was brought to you by Chris Cables as part of the Children's Terrorvision Workshop.

 

Have any of you fellas tried Grimm cables?

 

I think their background/philosophy relating to their own audio components is interesting. It's a justifiably proud Dutch company with some outstanding products, but their cables are no more than assembled 3rd party bought-out components and re-branded cable sold for 5 times more than what I sell almost exactly the same product for!

Admittedly, they have higher overheads than me and expensive packaging but that's not really justification for charging €500+ for a cable that has a component cost price of circa €40. In my book that's just blatant profiteering and trading off the back of one of your other business units. But why not, if they can? Reputation will determine what they can implement as a healthy profit margin for low-cost items. It's a sound business model. But anyone who knows about what goes into cables will see right through the asking price.

They're not the worst example of over-priced cables however. Don't get me started on Skogrand cables or we'll be here all day.
Arrrrg!
Run of the mill cable wrapped up in bits of your nan's old curtains for 5-figure sums!
Do me a favour.

 

Thank you so much for your generous offer! I really appreciate it. If you do have the leftover meters available, I'd be more than happy to cover the postage. Just let me know, and we can arrange the details.

 

I also purchased some lengths of this cable and some Neutrik RCAs. Your impressions sound exactly like the direction I'd like to tweak my system (plus I like random DIY projects to keep busy). I'll report back once I have the supplies and have built them.

 

The bulk TPR i tried was unremarkable. It's a single pole coaxial geometry, which didn't make a ton of sense to me as an analog signal cable. Either way, going on memory, I was comparing directly between the TPR and the Gotham wire; TPR was a bit wooly and grainy. Gotham (GAC-1) had more dimensional space and was cleaner in the midrange.

Edit - misremembered; TPR is a shielded twisted pair. apologies!

 

I hate to sound like a parrot jumping on the bandwagon for this cable and all, but it has really surprised me.

I finished a build using basic rean connectors and this Carbokab 225. Twisted pair to center pin and shield to ground.

I am able to flip between two different inputs on my amp, and use two seperate pairs of rcas from the two se outs on Yiggy. This way I can compare cables with the flick of a switch.

It usually takes a few songs to notice the difference, and sometimes I can't tell a difference at all.

I compared the Carbokab to a nice mogami pair from Worlds Best Cables, BlueJeans cables and a pair of Pangea Premier SE. I also have audio memory of a pair of expensive audiophile cables that I felt were too lean and bright and ended up selling.

The Pangea have fallen to my least favorite out of all these.

However, after 5 seconds of listening I was surprised how different the Carbokab sounds to these all.

More resolving, more extension top to bottom (sub bass I wasn't hearing on any other cables suddenly was "there"). Like wtf, I'm a bit flabbergasted. Best $30 I've ever spent.

I kept listening to the same song about 4 times to make sure I wasn't crazy and hearing something else in my house thudding.

If I was barely a cable believer before, I now fully "believe".

I'm still a bit irritated these sound so good. I was better off thinking wire was wire. Lol.

 

I wouldn't call it bandwagoneering..bandwagonism.. or whatever the verb is.
You have simply discovered something about this cable type that a few more of us have discovered. Maybe in different ways, but still - something quite special.

I've been researching the sh!t out of electron flow and electron behaviour and can't really fathom any sort of attributable explanation as to why Sommer's claim of 'carbon smoothing', however that manifests itself, can contribute so beneficially to an end-user's listening experience.
I even went to the lengths of emailing Sommer to provide me with some sort of tangible, understandable explanation, but as yet, nothing in reply.
I'm not holding my breath.

 

We would all love to hear their response if they ever get back to you.

I was also going to ask, how did you find this cable handled AES/EBU duties? I'm really close to buying another length with some 3 pin xlrs to try out in that capacity.

Is there a need to solder the wire shield to the 3 pin, or can you go without? I tried researching correct terminations for AES/EBU but gave up as some people do different things with grounding depending on the equipment being used.