# Got My Tara Labs Interconnects Today!



## jude

I bought my first used audio gear ever. Interconnects by Tara Labs -- their RSC Reference Generation 2's to be exact. How are they? Haven't listened to them yet.

 But one thing's for sure -- they're friggin' huge. They're even thicker than my Audioquest Corals (which I thought were already a bit too beefy). They have what looks like red anodized aluminum Tara Labs brand rings on them at each connector (cool looking, but adds a bit too much girth to an already thick cable, and right at the connectors -- they're practically touching at my SACD player's outputs).

 They have these really big locking RCA's (not too sure what to think about these locking RCA's, as I'm afraid they may cause undue wear if I'm not careful). When tightened, you'd be hard pressed to find a harder grip at an armwrestling competition.

 I took some pictures of them. If time permits, I'll post the pics in this thread tonight.


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## Flumpus

Hey Jude,
 If I remember correctly, Tara Labs make the REALLY expensive cables, right? Hurry up and listen to them! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 You had DH Labs IC's before the audioquests right? I'm really curious to see how these compare... Look forward to your thoughts on 'em!


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## jude

Flumpus,

 Yes, I did have the Silver Sonics, but good ol' JMT has 'em now -- he effectively bought them from me.

 I sold them because I switched to these Audioquest Corals.

 Then I bought the Taras because I have the Creek OBH-11 which also needs RCA-terminated interconnects.

 Well....it appears I'm selling the OBH-11 because now that I have the Max, I like crossfeed. My Total Airhead gives me crossfeed at the office now, so I'm selling the OBH-11.

 No, the Total Airhead doesn't provide quite the detail and body overall that my OBH-11 provides, but it sounds plenty good enough and has crossfeed, so it'll more than suffice for the office.

 And once I sell my OBH-11, I may actually sell either the Corals or the Taras (since I'll have an extra pair of interconnects sitting around after the OBH-11 sells).

 By the way, I think these Taras retail for around $200 for a meter pair. Tara does make some insanely high-priced stuff, but I think they go by the name "The Zero" and "The One" or something like that. Mine are the RSC Reference Generation 2's.


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## Flumpus

Ah, ya, that's what i was thinking of... The Zero I believe, insanely expensive 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Glad you're enjoying your Max and TA.

 Should we expect the first review ever on our new forums from you?


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## jude

Quote:


 Should we expect the first review ever on our new forums from you? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 

Maybe -- but I wouldn't be surprised if someone beat me to it! I'd bet there are a lot of folks chompin' on the bit to post. I myself was _this close_ to having headphone discussion withdrawal convulsions!


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## jude

Believe it or not, I still haven't listened to them, but am about to now.

 Here's a picture of them. To get some idea about how thick these things are, look at the size of the locking RCA plugs versus cable -- and those are _very_ thick RCA plugs. Also, these cables are over three feet long each.

 Those red things are red anodized aluminum rings that say "RSC" on them (the name of the cable). I'm not sure if they serve any purpose other than decoration.

 Now I only hope they sound good.


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## Vertigo-1

Well now, that's the first time I've seen an interconnect that's been split entirely in two...I'm used to seeing the cheap thin stuff that's bound together around my setups.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Vertigo-1 _
*Well now, that's the first time I've seen an interconnect that's been split entirely in two...I'm used to seeing the cheap thin stuff that's bound together around my setups. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

LOL! Vert, that's criminal considering the cans you sport!

 And, no, I still haven't listened to my system with them. Going to start right now actually.


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## jude

Okay, I just ran through the entire _Gladiator_ soundtrack with the Taras in my home system. Very nice. My first impression of them is good. They obviously haven't had much time to run-in in my system yet.

 So far, they're maybe even warmer than my Corals (which are warmer than the DH Labs Silver Sonics I was using not too long ago), and it's in a way I like so far. Bass comes through very nicely. Despite the warmth, I didn't feel at all like I missed anything in _Gladiator_, and in fact would characterize my first impressions of them as full-bodied yet detailed.

 More listening will certainly be required to formulate a stronger opinion. I'll leave them in for a while and then put the Corals back in to see what I hear.

 Let me give them a run with my Thelonius Monk _Straight, No Chaser_ SACD.


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## jude

Okay, last post before I try to get at least a couple hours of sleep....

 Just listened to much of Thelonius Monk's _Straight, No Chaser_ with the Taras in the system, and I can say pretty definitively at this point that they're a warmer sounding cable than the Audioquest Corals, and much more so than the DH Labs Silver Sonics. Again, the Tara's character so far is very pleasant, with zero fatigue factor.

 Still, more time is definitely required with them to know exactly whether I prefer them in my system over the Corals or not.

 I may be working all day from home tomorrow (later today actually -- it's 5:04 a.m. here right now), so that should give me more good listening time with them.

 Cripes, why am I still up?


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## dhwilkin

I know why you're still up. You're trying to get the new forums to break-in, aren't you? I think I noticed my submissions are happening a little smoother after several posts!


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## ian

Darnit Jude, now I want to try those cables


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## acidtripwow

Cool looking cables! I just got my pair of MIT 2s and it was like making a tube change in my Micro-Zotl. They were just smoother overall than the MIT 4s. The ends on them are locking type. I forgot that and tried to jam them in, oops.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I guess it pays to read the instructions first.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by acidtripwow _
*The ends on them are locking type. I forgot that and tried to jam them in, oops.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I guess it pays to read the instructions first. * 
 

Note to self....examine the RCA jacks on the ZOTL if I ever buy it from acid.....


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by acidtripwow _
*Cool looking cables! I just got my pair of MIT 2s and it was like making a tube change in my Micro-Zotl. They were just smoother overall than the MIT 4s. The ends on them are locking type.* 
 

For anyone who's interested in the MIT 2's, I think flashbak has a 1-meter pair for sale in the _For Sale_ forum.


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## acidtripwow

Jude, I screwed up when I was plugging them into my Denon 1700. So the Zotl is fine. Do you want a receiver, cheap? Just kidding.


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## raymondlin

Jude, Vert, you guys haven't really got into the whole cable thing haven't you? And vert, not having seen a proper interconnector that comes in 2?!!! That's shocking!

 I actually ignore those interconnectors that comes with the CD or amp, they merely use to test equipment if it works or not. They either get store away or given to friends.

 Who are Tara Labs ? are they a US brand? I personally use Van Del Hul "The First" which uses carbon to conduct the signal and has no metal, it has a very warm and smooth sound that no other cable has. But it comes at a price at around $320/m. And it can also be use as a Co-axial cable, as it is 75ohm but that would a waste.


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## chych

Hmm... interconnects that are single eh? Time to split my radioshack gold down the middle into two 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 (seriously, I'm doing it right now)


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## Vertigo-1

Well raymondlin there's going to be some nice interconnects (I don't even know what exactly yet) and power cord being included with a very big toy I just bought. So I will find out what all this mess about interconnects are all about soon. And have fun with my new toy of course. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 "Happy boys and happy girls we'll be...we are the happy boys and girls...happy boys and happy girls we'll be...so happy yeah, so so happy yeah!"


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## Neruda

I think he ordered a Denon CD player...


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## Vertigo-1

That's actually already sitting on top of my drawer piping music to my Home Neruda.


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## chych

Um, so yeah Vertigo... where are all of the reviews and comparisons??? Using a sound card as a transport vs cdp, some cable stuff, your Home, and your HD600s..?


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## dhwilkin

Yeah, let's hear how a cd drive does against a real cd player as a transport!


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by raymondlin _
*Who are Tara Labs ?* 
 

Tara Labs' Web Site

 Next on my list is the Tara Labs _The Zero_! Just kidding, guys! No winning lotto ticket here.


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## Vertigo-1

Quote:


 _Originally posted by dhwilkin _
*Yeah, let's hear how a cd drive does against a real cd player as a transport! * 
 

Honestly, the CD Drive does MUCH better then you think. Perhaps even better...and I'm just outputting from a SBlive to boot. No doubting the Denon is a good CDP and all, but pound for pound CD Reader + Cal Gamma is quite a match against it. I'm happy with the Denon and pretty much won't budge from it thanks to all the source critics out there...but now that I have it, I wonder if I even needed it in the first place. 

 No comparisons or anything for a while, since I have a right ear infection. After it passes, I'll toss up some notes on what headphones I have, maybe a comparison before they all get sold.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Vertigo-1 _
*No comparisons or anything for a while, since I have a right ear infection.* 
 

Doh! Sorry to read about that ear, Vert. I had a left ear infection just a little while ago. Didn't ian or someone else have one just before that too?

 Hope you saw a doctor, bud.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by acidtripwow _
*Jude, I screwed up when I was plugging them into my Denon 1700. So the Zotl is fine. Do you want a receiver, cheap? Just kidding.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

LOL! Actually, I shouldn't tease so much -- I had never used locking RCA's until these Taras arrived. I had to lock out one collar one way, and then the other the other way and see which was harder to insert. Duh.

 Anyway, I'm still haven't come to a determination on the Taras, but hope to by the end of this weekend.

 I'm going to start a thread about locking RCA plugs and what folks think about them.


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## jude

Okay, no doubt about it now, these are warmer-sounding cables than the Corals. Odd thing though is that they at times still seem to convey even more detail.

 Though the upper treble seems softer than on my other cables, there's no sense of anything missing when I'm listening. _Very_ smooth-sounding cables. And very well-balanced overall. Despite the warmth, there is absolutely no lack of "quickness" -- in fact, just the opposite. Transients are conveyed at least as well as with my other cables. And, as I said in the previous post (and will likely say again in the full review), their overall sound is full-bodied, yet with no sense of over- or under-emphasis on any segment of the frequency spectrum that I can hear.

 So far, these are standout interconnects to my ears. They're not exactly a new design either (I _think_ this model has been around for at least a couple/few years), which makes their performance all the more impressive to me.

 Again, these are still preliminary opinions. Maybe Sunday night I'll swap the Corals back in again, which would be interesting after a weekend of the Taras.

 If I was _forced_ to make a decision between the Taras and the Audioquest Corals right now, it'd be a very tough decision.


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