my fave cable manufacturer finally revamped its website after what seems like an eternity http://www.stage3concepts.com/. it looks really futuristic but uploading seems slow.

despite being a top-notch quality cable, stage III is very much cottage industry and operates in small scale compared to the likes of AQ, MIT and transparent. part of the reason is due to the designer's insistence on doing everything by hand and sourcing everything from US of A. this way of doing business is rare but it also explains why they are so good.

i don't need to change my stage III cables for the next 3-5 years, that's how happy i am with them.

local dealer: audio art (012-5201066)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

can you get them in malaysia?
Have you compared them to stealth and Kimbre?
Please tell us how they sound in your system....what exactly was added...
best regards
fion

Anonymous said...

quite good
My only contention is that they still use teflon to shield..Most of the purist will run away as fast as they can once they see teflon being used.....

Anonymous said...

I think the Acoustic zen top of the line range give better value for money.

For cost -no-object cables you've got to hear Stealth 's indra

Enjoy the blog

maggielurva 愛美姬 said...

cables, like the proverbial cliche says, are system dependent.

i used to (and still) detest cardas and van den hul because they are so coloured, thick, "mong" (blur) and ill-defined but what do i know, many audiophiles used them to tame overly bright and edgy systems. car audiophiles especially like van den dul a lot because they are cheap over a long run.

what i do learn is, a well balanced system will let us evaluate cables more accurately. and under such conditions, the cable's signature sound will be easily discerned.

i do like stealth a lot. i believe in the right system, they would sound stellar but in mine, it sounded a bit polite and well-bevaved. the highs are softer than stage III. but i haven't tried indra yet.

stage III has that glorious tonal colour that matches with my triode amp fabulously. the highs are intoxicating and the transparency is top-notch. but the latest generation doesn't quite suit my system as it gets more and more refined. sometimes, one doesn't really need too much refinement. another thing i do learn is, many cable manufacturer are jumping on the "refinement" bandwagon, which is not necessary a good thing.

i haven't tried kimber since the KCAG days and that was long ago. but i believe they lost some grounds in the last decade, just like wireworld, straightwire, XLO and a couple of others.

but seriously, i love trying cables ;-)

Anonymous said...

thanks for your thought...
you should seriously consider writing about hi fi for a living
Very ,very good advise on trying it in your own system...just spot-on

Anonymous said...

I've just settled down in Malaysia after many years of living in the US
Can't help noticing that a lot of malaysians takes cable and power cords for granted....
Personally If you 're looking for cables,you shouldnt buy until you listen to Kubala -Sosna Emotions.
you wouldnt know how good your system is capable until you hook them on....do not buy a new amp/cdp/speaker until you sorted out the cablings!
cheers!!

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more with David...

I feel most audiophiles in Malaysia spent too much time[and money!]lusting for the electronics..
I feel most of us has forgotten the most important part of of hifi...the listening room and tweaking
Next time you think your speaker or amp s are not good enought please try "the zero"
My favourite cables and cords has got to be the skylinks cables [from New Zealand] Only Kubala Sosna makes better cables but you are talking about different price altogether...
keep up the good works on the blogs...

maggielurva 愛美姬 said...

hi,

kubala sosna sounds exotic :-) hope some dealers would import them into malaysia.

it is true, malaysian audiophiles by and large are not willing to pay on cables. chief reason is the cost. a USD1K interconnect could be selling for more than RM5K after conversion, tax and mark-up and that's more than 1-month's salary for most people.

just for your info, there are at least two shops in HK that deal only in audiophile cables. how cool it is ;-)