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Cable Asylum Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys. |
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Cable Asylum Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys. |
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I was barely into my freshman year at UC Santa Cruz, when the October 1989 Loma Prieta quake struck. To add insult to injury, a year later, this building [photo courtesy of UCSC Library archives] caught fire and collapsed.As soon as that 1990-91 school year began, common friends introduced me and Tuyet, whom they called the "Hotheaded Hanoian." You see, Tuyet was originally from Hanoi, and was potty-mouthed. But as an art major, whose #1 musical preference was modern rock, Tuyet taught me arguably more, or at least very different material, than everyone else.
During that school year, we all lived on campus. However, of those common friends, Tuyet lived the closest to me. I was at Crown, and she was at neighboring Merrill.
Tuyet and I cannot claim to be classmates. We had not a single class together. However, during that school year, she and I seemed to have classes during the same time slots. Moreover, some were located in classrooms very close to each other. Thus, Tuyet and I would meet up, and go to or back from class(es) together.
During that school year, I spent more 1-on-1 time with Tuyet, than with anyone else. Some of that took place in my dorm room [no, in the photo above was a different friend], where I had a Sony D-10 Discman and AR Powered Partners. Tuyet absolutely was blown away by an AudioQuest Mini-Adapter Z, which had a 3.5mm headphone jack at one end, two male RCAs at the other end. This cable could be used to hook up portable electronics to a stereo or powered speakers.Versus the stock patchcords, the Mini-Adapter Z, according to Tuyet, "lets so much more of the signal through." She thought of electronics, speakers, and cables as a means to get deeper into the music.
When we moved back to campus in early January 1991, Tuyet immediately reached out, and jogged over to see me in my dorm room. Did she ask how my holidays went, and what I got for Christmas? Nope. Better yet, she held out her pinky, and agreed that, if I helped her cut down on her cussing and swearing, she'd help me cut down on my stuttering.
Tuyet, who had no respect for boundaries, kept poking and hitting me. Fed up, I grabbed her right wrist. She thought she was going to get snapped in half, or worse, have her right hand (which she used to draw) broken. After this incident, Tuyet was much more cognizant of not hitting people.
And then, my residential college had a dance. I have no idea where campus security was, but lots of alcohol was being passed around. Tuyet was tipsy, stood on a bench/table, and threw her bra into the crowd. I actually caught her, as she stumbled off the bench/table. I carried and escorted her back to her dorm room.
See, as the person who didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, I was the one in my dorm, who'd make sure that passed-out kids would be safe. Normally, I'd drag their bodies back to their dorm rooms, or to the bathroom. And then I'd go about. But this time, I actually stayed with Tuyet the whole night. When she woke up, Tuyet didn't really recall much of the prior night's goings-on. But these three events (pinky promise, grabbing her wrist, and staying by her side) caused Tuyet to change her mind about me. With the build up of trust, she became one of my best college friends.
Yes, Tuyet made me a better writer, AND provided me with much more material to write about.
I think that the AQ Mini-Adapter Z was around $99. I told Tuyet that audiophiles were abuzz at AQ's Lapis line-level interconnect, which was a whopping $400 for a 1-meter pair. Tuyet ruminated for a moment, and then postulated, "A good electronic piece, such as a VCR, TV, receiver, or CD player costs $400. So a cable costs $400?! Damn, it better be good." Tuyet pointed out that if the Mini-Adapter Z was that good, "I wonder what this Lapis can do."
During the Spring 1991 quarter, Tuyet and I did not have 8:00a Tuesday/Thursday classes. Early Thursday mornings, she had us go to open swim at the pool (in the photo above, it would be to your right). Thus, she and I spent Wednesday nights together. When we were in her room, I loved the talks we had, with her roommate. And of course, we talked a lot about music. And if you talk about music, of course you discuss audio matters.
And then, in the April 1991 Stereophile, the $600 AQ Diamond line-level interconnect made its first appearance in Recommended Components. 50% more than the Lapis, the Diamond made the Lapis seem "second-fiddle," as Tuyet put it.
In the 1991-92 school year, Tuyet and I lived at opposite ends of the Crown-Merrill apartments. Alas, our class schedules never seemed to align. Thus, we really only saw each other at group/club activities, or when we made time on weekends.Photo above was from December 1991, when my family came to pick me up, to go home for winter break. But before that, Tuyet gave me a parting gift, which lifted my spirits. So much so, that I pooled monies I had saved from previous birthdays and holidays, to order an AQ Lapis. In many ways, that AQ Lapis, which arrived just in time for Christmas 1991, was way better than my actual Christmas gift, an NAD 5000 CD player.
The NAD 5000 enabled me to bring my old Sony CDP-520ESII down to Santa Cruz. There, the Sony was hooked up to my housemate's Denon integrated amp. The Lapis freed up an AQ Topaz.
Tuyet was over, when my housemates could compare the (a) Sony D-10 and AQ Mini-Adapter Z to (b) full-sized CDP-520ESII. To Tuyet's ears, the latter was more open, and less hashy than the portable. But here's the thing. Tuyet clearly and strongly preferred the AQ Topaz over our older Monster IL-400. It was the same degree of difference, as the Mini-Adapter Z over stock patchcords. These comparisons really got Tuyet going, who now wondered if the vaunted Lapis and Diamond were even better than the Topaz.
3 decades later, we have RCA versions of AQ Lapis and Diamond. Of course, both have been properly treated on an audiodharma Cable Cooker. But we now have higher-quality electronics.Yes, the Diamond does a better job of keeping instrumental outlines intact. Yes, the Diamond does a better job at preserving image specificity and anchoring. Yes, the Diamond maintains quieter backgrounds, than the Lapis. Because of these qualities, yes, the Diamond can scope out more low-level detail. Yes, the Diamond fleshes out the deeper bass better.
However, the Diamond tamps down the musical energy and spirit. Everything seems stuck in first gear. Listeners lose interest and fall asleep.
When you replace the AQ Diamond with Lapis, the sound becomes less focused, more frizzy. You are aware of distortion, but you know what? You're not all that bothered by it. The music is alive, with better expression. The Lapis does a much better job, at reproducing the POP, punch, and snap of drums - so critical to PRAT. You like the strength of the mid-treble, which makes no excuses, for the occasional scratchiness. If some of Tuyet's modern rock is ragged, well, that's how it's supposed to be.
Which interconnect makes you glad, that Santa Cruz moved on from collapsed buildings? The Lapis. Which brings you back, to heading out to classes, accompanied by Tuyet? The Lapis. Which brings you back to the intimacy of a dorm room? The Lapis. Which makes you care, about overcoming personal weakness, and forging stronger bonds with friends like Tuyet? The Lapis. Which is more like breathing in the air, as you look at the Monterey Bay? The Lapis. Which makes you happy with what you have, drop out of the rat race, and get on with your life? The Lapis.
-Lummy The Loch Monster
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Topic - AudioQuest Lapis, Part 28 - Luminator 18:22:39 02/25/24 (0)
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