It's not every day that we get to deal with something truly new in audio. But this counts. Crystal Cables has announced the new Bridge cable, er, add-on. Each Bridge comprises a pair of phono plugs (that plug into your electronics), a pair of phono sockets (that allow you use to hook up your existing interconnect cables) and a connecting cable with a ultra high-speed filter (>20GHz) at each end.
Crystal's Bridge is claimed to lower noise and both audible and measured distortion in an existing audio system. It's also suggested to improve dynamic range, microdynamics and frequency response. The difference between the Bridge and Bridge Dreamlink is said to be in the choice of filter; Bridge (at €450 per metre pair) uses a "HPSR™ filter made of 99.9999% silver-gold", while Crystal Bridge Dreamlink (at €1,500 per metre pair) raises the bar by using "99.9999999% silver-gold".
Currently, any further details (such as 'how it works' and 'what does HPSR mean') are still to be announced, but we'll hopefully have more details as soon as possible... and as soon as we get our respective heads round this innovative concept.
The Crystal Bridge and Dreamlink are based upon Siltech's Zero Ohm Link design, that was announced at the recent Munich High End show.
Crystal Cable's website
Friday May 23, 2008 Crystal Bridge and Bridge Dreamlink
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Now Nobby, in this blog it is only you and me and thats how it's meant to be, just we two in this cosy intimate virtual setting, there is nobody else reading any of this, so that means you could only have posted that just to bait me, but I won't rise to it. You really are an outrageous flirt and thats why I love you.
I'm thinking of taking out a subscription to HFN+RR, if only to avoid a nationwide ban from W.H. Smiths. I'll probably continue to pop in here from time to time so I'll catch you soon.
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on May 24, 2008 at 08:46 PM BST #
Or something.
Posted by Alan Sircom (127.0.0.1) on May 28, 2008 at 04:03 PM BST
Website: http://www.hifichoice.co.uk #
There is no doubt about the importance of the right cable and/or interconnect, but the most we can hope for is the signal going in one end stays true as it ambles it's way along and comes out the other end, so advertising blurb of "suggested to improve dynamic range, microdynamics and frequency response"... Yeah right, I wonder how an interconnect could "improve" frequency eesponse, maybe level it or extend it, of course not.
I find myself in that insidious position of, and not wanting to do this to you Nobby, but.. The only bloke who could measure whatever the "innovative concept" interconnect can or can't do, is Paul Miller.
But we've seen it so often over the years, but PMi is the last one they'll want near their products revealing what is or isn't. Well it is exactly the type of product (and claims) that have to goto PMi first, be tested and passed by him, or they won't have any sales, not at that price anyway. I'm surprised you got so excited about the "innovative concept", I had a look at the website, nought there to inspire me.
Tonight I took apart an LG DVD IDE burner - H44N, I was surprised to find all key components were Panasonic! And I see Pioneer are now pulling out of plasma production and will now be marketing rebadged plasma's, so it has turned into the same as fridge freezers, well inasmuch that it looks like it will be all the brands of flat screens all rolling off the same couple of production lines, all priced differently for the various global markets, no real surprise though.
This is becoming addictive, so I'm going to give you break - honestly, I don't like to leave you on your own so I will look in once a week.
In sept I'll pop in post your tick-tock.
Take care.
Cheers
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on May 29, 2008 at 09:48 PM BST #
I'm not sure you want to follow up on this, but I can find no real evidence that this Crystal Dream Link thingy actually exists?
Their site is hopeless with no real details, a search finds some references to it online, but mostly they are links back to this thread in your blog here on Choices site.
There are only 3 images available online of which two are obviously a mock up and one is too blurry and on one Dutch site and two Jap sites a google translation reveals them to be a direct cut N' paste of this thread including my replies!!
At 6moons.com they have a report which is just a slightly reworded version of the same advertising blurb you posted here, but 6moons include the mocked up picture and refer to it as patent pending, so I did a Worldwide search for the applied for, and pending patent....
Well, I can't find any evidence of it? (But I'm happy to be corrected if you can link me to it.)
Do you Nobby think you may have been stitched up, do you think that someone as a joke concocted a fanciful tale of an "innovative concept", and then passed it around the professional audio reviewers circuit to see who would fall for it? It's all very dubious if you ask me.
Now this is just a suggestion as I'm not sure about anything to do with the DreamLink thingy and it's pyscodelic claims, but as it's only you and me who read this blog, and I promise not to tell anybody, but may I suggest you just delete this thread from your blog, then nobody will be any the wiser to this Dream link practical joke.
I haven't read HFW in years, but online there is a debate festering over a recent article in which NK reveals how much he hates 16 binary digit CD, I personally love CD but I haven't read NK's article, anywayz, Jim S uploaded this interesting critique of NK's review techniques.
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk:80/ddd/DirtyDigitalDelusions.html
My personal view is that perhaps both technical and subjective professional reviewers before composing an article should first read PMi's tests and reports, especially if the subject is digital. Now I did read that HFC archive was lost in a fire (Do you think Felix played any part?).
But I can help you out on that Nobby, if you need to check out any technical issues I have every report of Paul Millers from late 80's through the entire 90's and I'm happy to supply you with a photocopy of anything you need for reference purposes.
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on June 28, 2008 at 11:27 PM BST #
If you're looking for more detailed information about Crystal Dreamlink, the Canadian site does a pretty good job of it. www.crystalcable.ca.
Cheers!
Posted by Vic (127.0.0.1) on July 09, 2008 at 07:59 PM BST #
It is the exact same marketing hype with the very same mocked up pictures. What "detailed infomation" is listed in the site you supplied. where is the independent test results, the independent reviews, there ain't any.
The claims being made for this link are just too silly to take seriously. And you Vic are obviously a marketing man and you ain't given your cause any hope, nobody is going to buy it at two and half grand of US dollars for something with claims that are just not possible!
Brush up on your marketing skills, learn a bit about the output stage of source components and be grateful it is only Nobby and myself who read this blog. Don't try posting your hype in a usenet audio group, they'd slaughter you.
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on July 10, 2008 at 06:23 PM BST #
There is a lack of information out there. Agreed. And I, like you, wish it weren't so, but it is. I hope that Crystal Cable will step up their product marketing - clearly everyone suffers.
Posted by Vic (127.0.0.1) on July 15, 2008 at 06:38 PM BST #
It doesn't exist, the Dreamlink seems to me to be a joke and nothing more.
It has claims for a performance hike that are just not possible. One of the preposterous claims are for improving microdynamics! Quantum mechanics huh, but MD is continuous. All particles should show two symmetric solutions in homogeneous or inhomogeneous magnetic fields. So particles behave like fermions. High energies of relativistic particles are real, but are known to be *virtual* in microdynamics.
So model particle energy remains finite, or does it? In quantum mechanics all particles are thought to be essentially structureless. And what of intrinsic potentials - scalar fields in microdynamics are related to mass oscillations. The amplitude of a field then depends on the square of the oscillation frequency.
In microdynamics the solution is dynamic charge as fields only arise via dynamic processes. There are no fixed charges and therefore no problem of stability. So Planck's constant applies, if microdynamics are present it is one or the other, stable or unstable and can't be changed from one to other passively, so claims to improve microdynamics are a load of bollocks!
Another silly claim for the Dreamlink (If it existed) is it's supposed ability to improve frequency response, oh really!!!
So if I play a true wideband digital recording that I know is not suited to trick digital filtering (Bessel and Butterworth) into a valve amp with a bowler hat shaped response character thus ensuring hardware issues, the imaginary passive dreamlink would restructure the feed back into wide flatband - oh no it won't, Impossible!
The thing is that Nobby and myself felt it was best this thread of the blog should just wither away and best be forgotten, but if anyone from Crystal are reading and if they've got faith in their Dreamlink product then I'm sure they will be only too pleased to submit it for testing with the legendary Paul Miller. Nobby and PM go back a long way, back to Choices golden days when Nobby was reviews editor, Felix was the boss and before his days as a suspected killer, and Paul Miller was Choices feared technical editor. PM is currently Editor of HFN+RR and head honcho of Miller Audio Research, and if a Dreamlink actually exists then it's PM who will tell us what it can or can't do.
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on July 15, 2008 at 07:54 PM BST #
From the little I know so far, it will include (I think from what was implied) Chord, Cobra, Isolda etc. I understand all done well, but so did Maplins budget range - very well!
Posted by John (127.0.0.1) on August 19, 2008 at 11:33 AM BST #
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Posted by NetAdwise (127.0.0.1) on December 13, 2008 at 09:32 AM GMT
Website: http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/ #
This feels like high velocity BS!
If it were such a creative product, why have Crystal not integrated it with any of their existing designs? And what about the physics and measurements? Seems like someone is testing how golluble the cable market really is. Can I borrow a sample from someone?
Posted by Nobby2 (127.0.0.1) on October 13, 2009 at 02:51 PM BST #