My Audio Cables
Reviews
& Comments
Steve
McCormack (SMc
Audio)
MACs of choice - Reference IC, Mystics & Burly
I want to
commend you on making a very high-quality & high-value
product. I am enjoying all of the cables and using them in my
current reference system as my unbalanced links. (MAC Burly with
Furutech FI-25 termination)
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Audiophilia Andy
Fawcett
MAC Cables - The Circle Squared
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MAC: Mystics - Customer
Review
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Audiophilia Roy Harris
"The salient
characteristics of the MAC products include a balanced frequency
extension at both extremes, resolution capable of revealing subtle
musical information and the ability to present complex material
without congestion." RH
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Affordable
Audio October 2007
Brad
Mitchell
"MAC Au’s are like fine wine -- refined,
soothing, and delicate.
– the best I’ve heard." BM
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POSITIVE FEEDBACK - Tom
Campbell
A follow-up with
the Palladium Sound Pipes interconnects
These ICs are
not simply "good for the money"—they can compete on any
level.
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POSITIVE FEEDBACK - Tom
Campbell
"They are the most
musically convincing cables I’ve heard, and bring out the absolute
best qualities of all my components. . . .their presence has caused
me to engage in longer and more enthusiastic listening sessions
than any cable I’ve tried. . . . you owe it yourself to give them a
shot."
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DECWARE POWER
CABLES
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AUDIOGON PALLADIUM REVIEW
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* * *
NEW * * * Audio Asylum - MAC
HC’s
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Audio Asylum - MAC CuQ's
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FEEDBACK
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MAC Reference IC -
Owner Review
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MAC SHOTGUNS -
“So Friday, I plug in the Gizzmo.
Saturday, I plug in the Shotguns. (couldnt' wait) I already had the
Ultimate Unnamed Mystery Source Power Cord. So, now it's like I got
these 3 new elements cooking over the weekend in my small listening
room system.
You
are evil.
I didn't leave the house, or the listening room, or the couch on
Sunday morning, or Sunday day, or Sunday night!”
DD
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PRELIMINARY SHOTGUN
SC COMMENTS
The Shotgun doesn't just
sound like a good cable, or even a superb cable - it now sounds
first and foremost like a MAC cable, which is what I was
waiting and hoping for, and a spectacularly good one at that .
. .
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MAC Velvets -
Velvet ICs are not just wires, they
are jaw dropping high end reference cables! Very transparent,
smooth, great timbre, tone, and imaging. Ranks with the best!
KXL
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MAC UltraSilver+ -
Just wanted to let you know
these cables rock and not even broke in yet, im replacing my
Audience Au24 with these. KE
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MAC CuQs - I think I get the picture right out of the box
(with the exception of the bass, which will take some time).
Basically, they're like all your other cords. There is a
wonderful "palp" factor which was missing with my five previous
cord attempts (including my old faithfuls, AP oval 9's). Tons
of air up top without being harsh - tone quality is neutral (the
9's are a bit warm, and not so great with my tube gear, which is
why I wanted to try yours); plenty of slam - the PrAT factor is off
the charts. Brings voices a bit forward, which my system also
needed. Basically, like your other cords, it just seems not
to smear the signal or mess with it. I don't want tone
controls - I want to hear what was recorded, and these do a
fantastic job. They make you want to listen, and constantly
draw you back into the music if you're reading or speaking - I
can't think of a bigger compliment. They are "musical" in the
best sense of the word - they convey proper harmonic structure,
stage, and detail without calling attention to themselves as a
filter. I've had some good cords - JPS Labs, Cardas
Golden, Tara Labs, Audioquest, etc., and these are their equal, or
more.
I will now,
of course, need a pair of the sub cables. JK
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MAC HCs - I got the pcs
yesterday. They look really good and sound quite nice. I have about
10 hours of burn in on them and am quiet impressed. I will write
you some feedback when I get more hours on them. They are very good
and replaced some vh audio pcs, they are smoother and harmonically
more complex but just as extended on both ends. With the palladiums
it seems like its all coalescing together. Sweet. Speaker cables
next. JR
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MAC HCs - I got the
Sound Pipes on Thursday and once putting them in my system (amp and
preamp), I noticed that the imaging and tone changed for the
better. I'm very impressed with their build quality as well
(even though they didn't arrive in a velvet-lined walnut
box). 
Thanks for the bargain on some great
cords. 
H
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MAC Palladiums - I
received my Palladiums and burned them in for about 60 hours
on my Frykleaner as you recommended. They went into my system
today. All I can say is WOW! They are a
revelation. I am hearing instruments and nuances I have never
before heard on recordings that I've listened to for over 15
years. They are unbelievably detailed, yet as smooth as
velvet. Usually getting that much detail means you pay the
price of added harshness and sibilance, but not with these.
Now I just have to save up enough to buy some more
. The soundstage is HUGE, going
well beyond my speakers on either side, yet with pinpoint
accuracy.
Thanks so much for such great service
and such a fantastic product at a great price. CP
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MAC Palladiums - First, let me say that the Palladiums
took 192 hours (give or take a few hours) [Ed. 200-300 hrs
recommended] to actually relax, get full extension,
and lose the hardness in the mid-treble. I can see why others
would give up - that's a darn long time!!! But indeed, they
did finally break in, and they are, as you say, the best ICs out
there, especially for anything approaching this kind of
money. They originally sounded rather warm, because the lack
of high-end extension was by default favoring the midrange, but as
they opened up, they became extremely neutral - the sound is simply
wonderful. Huge stage, tons of air, tons of detail, harmonics
are dead-on, great palp factor. The best thing I can say
about them is that they don't just place an instrument where it's
supposed to be - they actually give the illusion that the music is
being generated from a source directly behind the instrument, as it
would be in "real life." I've never heard air
behind
instruments like this
before - and I've had some really, really nice cables. If I
could afford the speaker cables, I'd buy them in a
heartbeat.
JK
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MAC - . . .I can't tell you
how happy I am I stumbled upon your product line on Audiogon.
You prove that you don't need 100k to have a great music
system...you need good engineering, attention to detail, and most
of all...a good ear. You certainly have them all! JK
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MAC Line-Level Sub Cable
- The cable indeed exceeded my
expectations. My first impression out of the box was the high
quality of construction; it is one fine looking cable. The real
thrill was hooking it up to the subwoofer and experiencing the
articulate slam. Not boomy, but fast and detailed. The
addition of the Dali Suite 1.2 sub to my Suite 2.8 floorstanders
has made the system much more open and lifelike. I can't
believe that I'm not listening to much more expensive speakers.
Your cables; IC's, HC power cords, and now this sub cable
have improved my enjoyment of music each time a new one is added.
You are a cable artist of the highest caliber. Also thanks
for the quick turnaround time (I only had to wait one day for the
cable after receiving the sub). I'm positive that we'll do
business again sometime in the future. FH
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MAC UltraSilver+ XLR -
I just wanted to follow up with you
on the MAC UltraSilver XLR cable I purchased from you last month.
It sounded great out of the box, but after breaking it in it got
better, and I must say that this is a superb sounding IC cable.
They are quite detailed, have great extension at both ends, and
great clarity across the board. The treble is particularly sweet.
The imaging is very wide, full, and more forward and "in the room"
to me which I really like. A solid silver balanced cable at this
price that performs the way yours does is a rare find in this
hobby. JS
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MAC HC - The cables sound great. It is my first
experience with aftermarket power cables but I was very pleased and
surprised at the difference! Thanks (especially for taking the time
to burn them in!!!) - PC
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MAC UltraSilver+
- The cables look really well
made and they sound excellent. I was using Zu Gede cables and
your cables have much improved my bass which is exactly what I was
wanting to do. Well done once again from a repete and future
customer! SH
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MAC CuQ - Fantastic cables. Smooth, detailed, airy,
and pretty too :) What a deal! Thanks again, Steve,
always a pleasure! MM
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MAC Palladium - Steve's
products are without peer, as is Steve. I have no other cables in
my home other than MAC, and I find them to outperform anything I
have tried to include cables at 10x the price. Buy MAC and you
won't be sorry! RJ
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MAC UltraSilver+ -
I put my XXX interconnects up for
sale on Audiogon this morning. I compared their best to your
Ultra Silver and your cable just beat it hands down, no contest.
The XXX was thin sounding and had a lot of sibilance. I
couldn't even try the XYZ because it picked up noise. The
Ultra Silver has a full range, great bass and wonderful detail with
no sibilance. Nice job! TB
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MAC Reference
IC
References are so
neutral and possessing such authority. . . . they (Reference) have
taken my system to another level. I could quite confidently say
that I'm happy with my system. GC
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MAC Palladium -
Shiznit !
As in marvellous....the words I recall reading in a review of these
cables rang truer than any other item I've read about and then
experienced.....Bloom, dimension, full ambience revealed, highly
resolved and yet ohh so sweet, Balanced, delicate and refined
WITHOUT the leading edge softening/blurring one gets with silver
cables....MMmmm usic :-)))) LA
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MAC AgQ - These are some fine
cables and they sound great even before burn in! I am also
impressed that I didn't have to spend $500+ for similar cables
elsewhere. SM
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MAC HC - 5***** Rating,
Your power cable made my EARTHQUAKE MKVI-15 Sub have more
authority, and faster speed.Which makes the sub disappear now.I had
a friend over to watch Transformers.The first thing he asked me
was. where is the sub? Thanks
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MAC HC
- Done! Your cable
blew away signal cable red storm and some volex cryo'd I
have.
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MAC HC
- 5***** Rating, Your power
cable made my EARTHQUAKE MKVI-15 Sub have more autority, and faster
speed.Which makes the sub disappear now.I had a friend over to
watch Transformers.The first thing he asked me was. where is the
sub?
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MAC CuQ -
I continue to wire my whole system
with cables from Steve. His products are excellent values, and
excellent performers. One would be silly to buy cables anywhere
else! Great products!
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MAC Palladium -
These cables are spectacular, even
before breakin!!! Thank you!! TW
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MAC HC - The MAC HC Soundpipe is a staggering value!
Detailed, transparent AND smooth! How?! Is it the Silver? The
gorgeous braided design? Who cares, it works! Thanks Steve!
MM
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MAC Braided - Bettered Tara Prisms
immediately out of the box, and would imagine that legit break-in
period will reveal more benefit. Nice cables. MH
MAC HC - PC cables look
BEAUTIFUL, and sound AMAZING! Brings out lushness, musicality,
nuance. Incredible performance at an incredible price. HIGHEST
RECOMMENDATIONS!!! L
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MAC Cu - Great Product -- hooked
'em up and wow -- even right out of the box open and airy. Even
better than advertised. JP
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Steve is a fantastically
knowledgeable and reasonable guy that has a collection of truly
exceptional cables for a reasonable price. Since purchasing an
initial MAC HC Sound Pipe powercord I have rewired my entire system
with MAC cables. MM
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MAC AgQ - A great find in this
often too high priced hobby! These cables are clean,transparent,
and best of all, musical! Highly recommended! RJ
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MAC
HC - I've noticed the areas
of best improvement from the HC's are in soundstage depth, and
width. Also, micro-dynamics, and low level detail is freaking
amazing; almost scaring the crap out of me!! I've heard things
today for the first time on discs that are old as 13. I've NEVER
heard those things before! Outstanding!! My whole system is cabled
by you, and I tell you what; your products have transformed my
meager $4000 system, to levels approaching 10! Seriously! And as
I'm listening currently to Back To Mine, Everything But The
Girl...a song by Model 500, called The Flow....the snare drum
sounds complete, and whole, with an outlining snap that I've never
heard before. I listened to a song earlier, and the decay from what
I knew for years, is actually, not a decay, but a decay with a
digital reverb, stuttering the note.....!! That note, as I've
always heard, has been washed away in a grey haze of noise...these
HC's simply supply an incredibly clean flow of juice for the
components to drink. BR _______________________________________
MAC AgQs - I loved the first set
of AgQ's I bought so much I bought a second! Steve makes great
cables and the service is second to none. RJ
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MAC Palladiums - I just put the
palladiums on. They have fattened up my system. It's much more lush
and I dare say analog sounding. The music is jumping out of my
speakers. I am listening to Beethoven's 9th and amazed how full it
sounds. I was just listening to the sacd of Bluetrane a good
recording to begin with. The stereo seperation was better, the
overall timbre of the instruments is more true to life. THANK YOU O
GREAT WIRE GOD. Your loyal subject GS _______________________________________
MAC Palladiums - Thank you for dropping
off the palladiums, you're NOT getting them back! I am truly
amazed, I have to admit. Within 10 measures of listening I was
hooked. All this talk about soundstage, air, etc., was all just
hyperbole to me until this set of cables. MC
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MAC AgQ - Ordinarily I think a lot of the
audiophile discussion is just a bit precious and I can't understand
some of it. However, out of the bag, these interconnects do
something amazing. They don't get in the way. There's something
more 'real' about the listening experience. They're hooked up to a
Marantz SA11-S1 that arrived yesterday so I'm blown away by my CD's
and SACD's. MC
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MAC HC - Just hooked up the MAC
HC to my headphone amp. My goodness! The HC is
incredible! Musical, intimate, detailed, spacious,
dynamic and quiet. I've never had a cable that delivered
so many excellent qualities so excellently.
Wow! I just heard the bass go through the bottom of the floor
on a recording I thought was bass-light! Frederica von
Stade's voice is more vibrant, melodic and sculpted in space
than I've ever heard before. Oh, boy--I've got the whole
weekend ahead of me! (hee, hee, hee: audiophile giggle)
Thanks again, Steve! PB
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MAC Silver Braided - Hooked up your Braided
Silver IC yesterday on my secondary system. Wow! Big, detailed,
robust soundstage; nimble, extended highs; rich, glowing mids;
deep, taut bass. Both male and female vocals were detailed, clear
and luscious. Decay from cymbal hits, string pluck and piano
strikes ever-so-slowly dissolves into pronounced
silence.Silver cable with zero
downside typically associated with silver cable. Your MAC cables
are making me glad I'm an audiophile! PB
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MAC Palladiums - Thanks so much for the
great deal on the 2ft Palladium IC's. As soon as I received them I
put them in place of a pair of Audio Metallurgy IC's and the
holographic soundstage and detail, not to mention a significant
improvement in bass blew me away immediately. Even my wife who
thinks that I only imagine that different cables make a difference
noticed that the sound was smoother and more natural.
FH
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MAC Cu Speaker Cables - Steve, you've got to
be kidding me! These speaker cables are knocking my socks off, and
I don't even have 3 hrs. on them. I hope I can get some sleep
tonight, I had a long 10 hr. day, and wasn't planing on staying up
as late as I have already, but I just can't seem to tear myself
away from the music. GM
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MAC Palladiums - Thank you for dropping
off the palladiums, you're NOT getting them back! I am truly
amazed, I have to admit. Within 10 measures of listening I was
hooked. All this talk about soundstage, air, etc., was all just
hyperbole to me until this set of cables. MC
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MAC Source - Just got the MAC SPCs
and swapped out the PS Audio Xstream ("Silver Power" and "Power
Masters") power cords from my system. Even though the MACs
are "stone cold" (i.e. no burn-in), I can easily and immediately
discern big--and I mean BIG--improvements in the
sound! The MACs are
noticeably quieter, and render much more detail, in both quantity
and quality. There's a much more accurate balance, weight and
organic synergy to the music. Tone, texture and
timbre across the entire frequency spectrum is vastly more
musical and believable. Dynamics and speed are just
right. Vocal and instrumental elements each take on their
unique sonic character, faithfully occupying their respective
spaces within the lush sound scape. Soundstage is much bigger
and unbridled. Coupled with the MAC Palladium ICs, listening
is a pure delight!And I got two superior
PCs (the MAC SPCs) for less than the price of one inferior PC
(either of the XStreams)!Hello, MAC SPC!
Good-bye (and good riddance), PS Audio XStream! :
)Thanks a million,
Steve! Your MAC Palladium interconnects, and now your MAC SPC
power cords, mark two, majorly memorable milestones in my
audiophile career. It's wonderful to find something you've
always been looking for, but were afraid you'd never find, in this
often crazy audiophile world. Finding it at an
unbelievable bargain price makes it even more
wonderful! If it sounds like I'm
gushing with gratitude, well . . . it's because I am!
PB
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MAC
Cu Speaker Cables - I've come to one conclusion that these
have got to be the best cables I've every used as far as
transparency, and detailed resolution. The UltraSilver + IC's are
very detailed, and accurate, without having that "detailed,
accurate edge, or brightness". They simply let the signal come
through unaltered; un-colored. The Cu Speaker cables, are
incredible in their robust, presentation. The Cu's, like the
UltraSilver+'s are detailed, and accurate, but they give that last
nuance of harmonic richness of the recording. The Cu's seem to let
every ounce of weight, and body, that is naturally associated with
the material, not a pumped up, bloated, or "warm" sounding. They
let a natural "warmth" come out, that is attributed to the music,
not the cable. The MAC cables simply let the music through. They
have a very minimal effect, if any on the sound. They are truly
transparent. Not only are they true to the source. But, they seem
to have the amazing ability to present, EVERY style of music with
no drawbacks at all. As they age, I've noticed a better sense of
sweetness in the upper frequencies, and bass seems to take on a
much more palatable form, the midrange, oh god, the
midrange.......with these cables, I've NEVER heard the midrange
region bloom like I have with these cables....simply stunning!
Steve, you have designed something of an incredible value. These
cables can easily compete with products costing FAR more that what
you charge.........Somebody get this guy a booth at CES!!!! I think
your on the road to a GREAT success!!!! BR
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MAC Palladiums - So the cables arrived. I
put a tad of Walker SST on the tips of the connections, and put
them into my system. Even though they have been cooked, I know that
they need to settle down and get used to the system. And...oh my
gosh, they are good, VERY GOOD. They are temporarily replacing a
cable that I have grown to love and admire, that retails for
$3,000/m. I know that I am just coming to know your cables, but
what a powerful first impression. Either way, these cables are NOT
leaving my system. TP
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MAC HC - By the way, the power
cord added everything to my system. It BLEW AWAY my PS audio punch
(my first foray into trying out power cords) cables. Of course
that's not saying much, but I've wasted some money buying those.
They definitely beat out the Preludes as well. And I'm not sure
yet, but they are comparable to a Cello Grand Piano cord that I got
used. JT
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MAC Cu - I really like the Cu
cable. I am hearing little details, such as instrument resonances,
and room ambiance, that my other ICs didn't seem to produce as
well. If these ICs are this good out of the bag, I will be looking
forward to their full break in. MO _______________________________________
MAC Palladiums - All I can say is; if
these cables we're taken from me, I would go into serious
withdrawals!!! These cables have made such a profound difference in
my system, it sounds as if I've upgraded my gear to a whole
different level! I can not believe how these cables can be so
accurate, and detailed, without ever sounding bright, or shrill.
BR
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MAC HC - Thanks so much
for the follow up. Actually last night was the first time I had the
chance to connect your cable and make a quick comparison between
your cable and the Richard Gray Power Cord that I was
using with the unit. Even though I know that any cable needs a
break in period time I can honestly say that right out of the box
your Mac HC Soundpipe Power Cord sounds much better than the most
expensive Richard Gray High Tension Power Cord. Your Mac HC has a
faster transient response and make my TRL Modified Marantz SA14
ver.2 sound much more alive than with the Richard Gray Power Cord
and that's with only a few hours of playing time. I cant wait to
see how much better your Mac HC power cord will sound after a 200+
hours break in period which it what I like to give cables in order
to see how really good they are. I have no doubt that your Mac HC
SoundPipe Power cord will sound much better in my system. I have to
say that Now I do believe that a power cord does not need to be
expensive in order to offer you an outstanding performance. Your
Mac HC power cord will definitely will replace my 4 times more
expensive Richard Gray High Tension Power Cord.
CR
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MAC HC - I recently purchased two
of these power cables and was so impressed, that I later purchased
several more, replacing all my previous stock power cables with
them. Since installing these new power cables, my system has a more
refined sound that is extremely pleasant and enjoyable. Voices and
instruments are more separated with improved timbre, especially on
acoustic and jazz recordings. The overall sense of space heard
during a good recording is nicely enhanced, and it actually seems
the entire system resolution is better. There is a feeling of less
fatigue from longer listening sessions. I am at a loss to explain
how this could have resulted from installing these power cables. I
have previously been greatly skeptical about power cable claims,
and in fact I still remain skeptical about the vast majority of
power cable claims. I have not done A/B comparisons with these MAC
HC Sound Pipes beyond the first round of simply replacing my stock
power cables with them, so I obviously cannot defend against
anybody claiming placebo is responsible here. But I have to say
that I am completely convinced that these new power cables have
made these great improvements just described, the difference was
immediately apparent to me. So I couldn't resist making a post here
about them, hoping that others might benefit from my experience. I
might also mention that the build quality of these cables is
excellent, and the person who makes them (Steve Hallick) has been
"one of the good ones" to do business with. Here's a pic of this
specific MAC HC Sound Pipe, taken from the MyAudioCables.com
website. You can click on the pic, if you want to link to his site
and check out his product lineup further. Highly
recommended. 
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We are so happy with our new MAC HC
Power Cables.
Steve, thank you so much for making these incredible products for
us. Thank you also for the very generous Oyaide connectors upgrade,
what an extremely
nice surprise. I notice the Oyaide's seem to have a much better
grip and "feel" when making the connection. I see the cosmetic
design of the cables
is new as well, and while they looked great before, now they look
even better (very classy). With these MAC HC's, our system has
received an
immediate and obvious sonic upgrade, it has never sounded so good.
It is really amazing. I had not realized how important a power
cable could be to
component and overall system performance.
Thomas
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Great build quality,better than
most. I hope people will stop buying the mega-buck, mega-joke
cables that are choking the life out of your pocket book, give Mac
a try, and then sell all your MIT, Nordost and Kimber cables. Don’t
waste any more money!
Mike
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The regret I have , that
Audiogon allows only 250 words for feedback comments..that's not
nearly enough to describe your cables !
They are simply amazing right out the box...I was floored to hear
my system after putting your power cables and Palladiums on .
Never dreamed that it can sound so good .
I was looking to get new speakers VR4 MkII...but your cables put a
whole new life in my Totem Model 1s ..might just hang on to them
for little longer lol
The soundstage just grew ..and grew ..and grew...I think ended up
in my neighbours living room accross the street lol..
The clarity , detail and softness are beyond my expectation
specially for brand new cables..
Friend of mine Brett got his cables on Friday ...we are working
together ...Friday we were on late afternoon shift so we got home
very late ...2:30 am Saturday...shortly after he called me up...and
I was very surprized to hear him so exited about cables...he is one
of those audiophiles - that it has to be amazing to actually be
worth mentioning....he could not stop talking about it..lol
Recently he had a set of Harmonic Technology Magic Ones ( $1200 in
local audio stores here in Canada )...well....your IC apparently
"smoke them " lol
I think he is on the mission to replace all of his ICs with your
Palladiums...right now he is bidding on second set on Audiogon...He
also could not belive , that cables right out of the box can sound
soooo good lol
We are working for a large comapany ..over 6000 employees and many
of them are into high end audio...my mission is to get them to give
the Palladiums a try lol...I know I got one of them hooked on it
lol
Steve ...what you've done is amazing....you made the high end audio
more affordable and enjoyable to mere mortals...not just select few
who can dish out thousands of dollars for their gear..WITHOUT the
compomize of quality of sound and the magical expierience that
music brings to life...
I guess you have a fan club north of the border lol
I'll be on the look out on the Audiogon for your speaker cables
...can't wait to give them a shot and see how they compare to my PS
Audio Statments Bi-wires...I know I'm sold on your ICs and power
cables..
Great job ....thank you very much. D
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Cables are great as described, excellent transaction. Prompt
communication and very fast shipping.
Will buy from again! A+++++ Buy with confidence.
Marcel
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Superb P.C. Arrived very quickly. Comms
were quickly answered and helpfull. Have just started listening to
the cord,but,WOW! Very,very interesting,I can't wait to hear how
this cord sounds with some break in. Extremely satisfied!!!!!!! The
matched pair really help my mono's perform at their best.
Price/performance ratio just can't be beat!!!!! Doing business with
Steve is pure pleasure! Thanks!
Kirby
_______________________________________
Mac HC
Sound Pipe - Better
than ANYone
Great transaction and a great product. At this price and even more
they are unbeatable! Highly recommended.
Tom
_______________________________________
MAC
UltraSilver+ Sound Pipes - I
realize silver has a break-in period, but these sounded great out
of the box!
Bill
C.
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My first impressions were pretty accurate I think. Your wire is
really very good. It does not represent the tone control school of
thinking but is more representative of an accurate portrayal of the
recording. Both the interconnect and speaker wires are open and
detailed without much loss of body or warmth. Their imaging is
quite palpable with an in the room presence which is nice. If a
system is of the typical "audiophile" balance, meaning bright,
etched, overcooked then your wire might not be the best choice. In
a system that is balanced toward a musical presentation they fit in
very nicely. The power cord was a little more difficult to get a
handle on as it seems to be somewhat dependent on the piece of gear
it was hooked up to. It really did seem to improve some
pieces more than others. It worked very well to smooth out a
certain tube preamp that had a slight glare. Overall I would say
that your products represent an excellent value and are more than
competitive with big name wire selling for three to four
times your price. I have already recommended your products to
several people.
Thanks again, David
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These are without a doubt the nicest
wires I have ever owned personally and represent a level of quality
that any audiophile would be proud to own. We are slowly building a
true reference system here at Hawthorne Audio and like many folks
must be certain of a products performance and value when
confronting spending this kind of money. I have been using MAC
products for quite some time now and I never find myself looking
for an upgrade. To me Steve's products represent piece of mind...
One less thing to ever concern myself with. Buy them once and keep
them forever... Now, how many other audiophile products can we say
that about? That is our goal here at Hawthorne Audio... Make
available products that will be in your systems for a very, very
long time....
Enjoy
Darrel and Diana 
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MAC UltraSilver+ -
The detail out of these is extremely high, and they're musical out
of the box. They're constructed to a very high standard and seem
durable. Steve's great to deal with!
Kirby
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Just wanted to follow-up and let you know that I really like your
cables and think you have a very good price/performance
ratio. Thanks for the help and bundling them together to save
me money. As compared with similarly priced Audio Magic
products, your fit and finish is superior.
Thanks
again,
Tom
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Just reviewed the cable now.
I tested with 128kbps & 320kbps LAME encoded mp3's and original
AIFF files. I did a blind test and correctly chose the AIFF each
time.
Before trying the cable, I thought my hearing couldn't detect
anything above 256kbps, but with your cable I can even hear
differences between 320kbps mp3s and the CD files! If you know your
audio fidelity, you know that's a big deal.
Considering I work primarily in the music industry, this is an
amazing sounding cable and I'm going to be using this one for a
long time.
Only problem with the cable? Now I have to re-encode my CD library
:)
I'm very happy :)
Luke
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“I have been an audiophile
a long time... I truly love this hobby of pursuing the best sound
possible. But, I have learned that lots of money does not
necessarily buy lots of better sound. This is especially true of
speaker cables and IC's. In the past I have spent up to $4500 for
speaker cables and up to $2500 for IC's. But, now I have found
outstanding cables from a small producer by the name of MAC... "My
Audio Cables." I am using his UltraSilver IC's... one from my
Musical Fidelity A5 CD Player to my Audio Research VSi55 Integrated
Tube Amp, and one from my DirecTV HD DVR to the ARC VSi55. I am in
"Hog" heaven... I can hardly believe how an IC less than $300 can
bring out all the sound you would ever envision from my Spendor S8e
speakers. Coupled with the MAC Sound Pipes speaker cables, biwired,
the sound is magnificent! I now have the UltraSilver Sound Pipes
speaker cables on order, but it may be that I can't improve on what
I'm hearing now... but, I will see. Steve Hallick offers a money
back guarantee if you are not satisfied after listening for a
month... but, so far, I have not sent back any thing. Why should I?
His cables blew away the "expensive" cables I had. If you don't
believe me... just try his cables for a month and then tell me I'm
wrong. I bet you will thank me, if you do try them. With my system,
they are the best I've heard in all respects.”
by Skooks
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Another very nice pair of cables,this time UltraSilvers. The detail
out of these is extremely high,and they're musical out of the box.
They're constructed to a very high standard and seem durable.
Steve's great to deal with, another ex trans!!!!!
Kirby
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Njoe Tjoeb - Tweak
The sonic character was preserved, but
the sound was much fuller, more air , more musical and more
engaging especially on the vocal part. It is a job well
done.
Palladium Digital Cable
The "Palladium" cable and it shocked me right away.
Everything sounded so different-- the sound stage was much wider,
the bass slam was incredible and the overall system was
2-3 dbs louder. The "Palladium" cables was definitely a
nice surprise and when paired with the silver, they brought out the
best of the both world.
Chris
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Superb P.C. Arrived very quickly. Comms
were quickly answered and helpfull. Have just started listening to
the cord,but,WOW! Very,very interesting,I can't wait to hear how
this cord sounds with some break in. Extremely
satisfied!!!!!!!
Kirby
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I am very pleased with the speaker cables (MAC Sound pipes). I have
been using them for about 6 months with various speakers and find
that they just let the signal come through without any signature of
their own. At this level of performance, it is easy to reccomend to
all audiophiles who are not swayed by high prices.
Art
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Audio with the 'Palladium cable' can find much more detail
from before. It is
not bright as 'Silver cable' and faster sound than 'Silver cable'
with deep and solid bass. Moreover, it sound silkly smooth. I can
consider that this must the best buy in this price range, even
better than five times price of it!!!! You do not belive, try
to use about five times dearer price cable to compare then can
prove I am correct! I am 100% satisfy with the cable.
Thanks a lot, Steve.
Sam
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The Ultra Silver is one fine interconnect! Maybe as good as any
I've ever heard... and, in my audiophile days I've had some of the
best... including the top of the MIT line that cost me thousands!
Now, I realize just how stupid I was back then. But, then I thought
musical quality was directly proportional to the cost of the
cable.
How sweet it is to spend a couple hundred dollars and hear the best
that my current system has sounded. The problem that had been
bugging me for a long time with this system has now disappeared
entirely. And, now, it is just pure musical delight... so seductive
and sweet, and yet, very precise and defining.
I have only about 80 hours on the IC, so it will probably get a
little better... if that's possible. But, if it does not budge
another ounce, I'm totally satisfied! You have a real winner! And,
I have real music!
Thanks, Steve!
Hugh
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I love your cables and can't wait no
more... Especially the Palladiums...Awesome!....send me a single 3
foot length of Palladium to serve as my full time digital
interconnect
Howie
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I now
have about 65 hours on my MAC Sound Pipes... and, what I am hearing
now is very very good! They have the quality of portraying a voice
with warmth, but yet they pass on the dynamics with fantastic
definition and exactness. To sum up what I have heard so far...
and, I'm sure they still have some breaking in to do... they are
MUSIC! They are the best I have heard with my system... they mate
the ARC VSi55 amp with the Spendor S5e speakers in musical
harmony.
Hugh
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I have used Monster Cable, single
stranded Cat 5 and 6, Romex and a weave of Cat 5 and 6. In
each case there was a compromise that could be easily
identified. The monster cables had a blurred presenation, the
single strand cat wire was sharp but thin, the Romex was better,
but hard to work with. In the end, I thought the cat weaves
were the best compromise in my system.
That was until I tried your speaker wires in my system. From
a physical standpoint, your wires are well constructed and easy to
work with. Listening to them is effortless. They
actually get out of the way and leave me with no easily
identifiable compromises. As I have worked to refine my
system, I have never been hung up on the popular mods and
tweaks. I'll try things only if I feel they are going to
address a particular shortcoming I've identified in my
system. I accepted your offer to try the MAC speaker cables
because I wasn't happy with mine. Since they have been
installed, I'm not even interested in trying other cables.
Your cables do exactly what I wanted them to do. They take my
mind off the compromises and let me enjoy the music.
The speaker cables have made such an improvement that I can't
imagine switching them out. Recently, I went back to my
braided Cat6 cables, cringed and put the MAC's back in place.
I found it funny that the difference is much more dramatic after
living with the MAC cables for a while and then reverting to the
others.
Jerry
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I was a happy Cat 5 user
for about 3 years. It truly was the "cat's meow" so to
say.
Very detailed, airy and open. Made my old multi-stranded
firehose sized cables sound "smeary" and unfocused. I was done and
inside I laughed at people who paid hundreds or thousands of $$$ on
cables - I mean, really...
On a whim I tried silver speaker cables from MAC (myaudiocables)
who offer a 30 day money back guarantee.
WOW! Warmth, more low end, and MUCH MUCH smoother was my
impression after about 100 hours. Yet they lost NO detail and are
still open and airy - to me it is the best of both worlds.
I have put Cat 5 back in the loop a time or two and now it sounds
very harsh by comparison, almost grating. I thought Cat5 was
good, but for a very reasonable price I have found better.
Cable search over.
A matter of fact, I liked their speaker cables so well I also went
with their ICs and power cables and could not be happier, and they
are gorgeous to boot.
Grey
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The
speaker wires are fully burned in by now and are the finest I have
ever owned. I do not currently have an amplifier that has the
resolution necessary to reveal all the details that I'm sure your
wires are capable of. I got them primarily so as to eliminate one
more variable in my system. I rest assured that they are not going
to be a week link for us.
Darrel
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The (power) cord
is working great. A few guys inquired about it--I gave them
your website. As far as the sonics, it's just as good
as the big names in audio.
Alex
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Excellent
guy to deal with - Bought 3 digital coax cables and they sound
great.
Khoi
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Great
cables, quick shipping. These interconnects sound much more
expensive than they are!
Foxman
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Steve's
power cords are very very good!!....I love them so much that I
bought 2 of them!!..Highly recommended!
Longho
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I
haven't heard a lot of cables, but I'll tell you what, these
interconnects just plain let the music through. The sound staging
is awesome. I'm using a cheap $30 DVD player, and even that sounds
good. I haven't heard the speaker and power cords yet, but if they
are anything like the interconnects, you definitely have a winner.
You certainly can't go wrong here. The detail was astonishing
right from the moment I hooked these interconnects up. I hate these
cables so much, you can't have 'em back.
Ray
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