Review #136 – Supreme HDMI MKII Cable – Ricable
Cornel M.
Sources: Eversolo T8 Streamer
Amplifier: Hegel H120
Acoustic speakers: Cabasse Murano
Other: REL Acoustics T/9x subwoofer; Gustard R26 DAC
The following review of the Supreme HDMI MKII cable is the result of the "Ricable " initiative. Ricable is a program created by Ricable to gather feedback from audiophilesin order to continuously improve the products in its catalog. Last but not least, those who join the program receive a certificate at home, attesting that the customer has become a full member of the " Ricablefamily."
The following feedback was based on a predefined questionnaire to which the user responded with their impressions, in a completely freely. We thank Cornel for his time.
I own a few HDMI cables such as Supra 8K and Audioquest Cinnamon 48 8-10K. I wasn't exactly satisfied with them on my system. Supra is neutral, quite good but without "decoration." Cinnamon is very detailed, with correct sound but a little bright on trebles. Some songs by Michelle Gurevich or Moon River by Jacintha reach a level of "snake voice" because of siblings. So I read some positive reviews about Ricable decided to buy one to test in my system.
and aesthetics of the product?
From communication, to delivery and product itself I can say one word: excellent! Short delivery, very detailed communication for every step of my order, till receiving the package.
In my opinion, just as marketing advice (I graduated in this field at university), different colors on the box would be helpful for a more inviting product presentation.
Ho provato due metodi di connessione.
- Eversolo T8 by USB Oyaide (d+ S class) to DDC Gustard U18 and by Ricable (and AQ Cinnamon on A/B testing) to DAC Gustard R26.
- Da T8 direttamente a DAC R26.
IMPORTANT: same songs, same settings, and same volume for every song.
listening impressions?
My conclusions for comparison between AQ Cinnamon 48 and Ricable . I start by mentioning that Ricable new, having been used for only about 8 hours. After 50-80 hours of burn-in, things may change in some respects.
First of all, to all those who say that cables don’t change anything, I recommend finding another hobby or an ear doctor. No offense! I am not addressing them because anyway nobody can change their beliefs.
But I speak to the others, and what I noticed on the same songs, same settings, and same volume:
Ricable one direction for driving sound! First I just connected randomly as I took it from the package, and NO sound on either of the 8 MODE of I²S settings of Eversolo T8. Just some beeps, cracks… but not any sound. Then I reversed it and everything started working.
I tried all 8 MODE on I²S one by one. It works on MODE 1 (main use), on 3, 5 and 7 with my Gustard R26.
Of course I need swap between L/R (activate or deactivate) on I²S submenu of Eversolo output source on some of 1, 3, 5, 7 MODE.
After trying every MODE, I saw the normal (with swap channels OFF and MUTE on position 1), MODE 1 is the right way between T8 and DAC R26. It also works on 3, 5, and 7 but only on PCM or DSD formats, OR on both but with SWAP L/R ON or OFF. The right solution between Eversolo T8 (and DMP 6) is MUTE 1 and MODE 1 with SWAP L/R in the OFF position.
Now, about the sound:
- In the first place, no more siblings and more defined trebles compared to Cinnamon 48.
- voices thicker, more natural, around 10-20%
- more bass (I need to decrease my REL T9X by 2 clicks)
- soundstage expanded (I tried a few pieces such as Bubbles, Crossing, Pillar I, Parlor Skona…)
- The sub-bass is not as note-to-note distinct as with Cinnamon (perhaps after burn-in it will change for the better).
- I also noticed around 10-15% more holography with Ricable.
- For now, Cinnamon sounds better at revealing "some details of... some microdetails." I can describe it as a little more filigree on the edges of some discrete details on some songs such as Liberty or the intro to Auberge.
This is my honest opinion about these two HDMI cables that I tested. And by the way, Cinnamon now has around 100 hours of burn-in and indeed the siblings are not as annoying as they were at the beginning.
Your conclusions.
I am very satisfied with Ricable I will wait a few days to burn it in to get the best performance. For now, I will keep the Cinnamon too and later I will decide what to use for the final connection. But at this price, Ricable of advantages over Cinnamon 48. If it reveals that filigree for microdetails, 100% "he" will be the winner on my system. I want to say that ALL my conclusions are based on my audio line and my hearing, but they are 100% sincere. Ricable Ricable new loyal customer in me. Congratulations and all the best to everyone!
What do you like?
- Performance
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-
-
What would you improve?
– Colors and/or design of package
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–
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I own a few HDMI cables, such as Supra 8K and Audioquest Cinnamon 48 8-10K. I wasn't particularly satisfied with them on my system. Supra is neutral, quite good but without any "frills." Cinnamon is very detailed, with a correct sound but a little too bright on the high frequencies. Some songs by Michelle Gurevich or Moon River by Jacintha reach a "snake voice" level because of the brothers. So I read some positive reviews about Ricable decided to buy one to try it on my system.
and aesthetics of the product?
From communication to delivery and the product itself, I can say only one word: excellent! Fast delivery, very detailed communication for each stage of my order, right up to receipt of the package.
In my opinion, as marketing advice (I graduated in this field at university), different colors on the box would be useful for a more appealing presentation of the product.
I tried two connection methods.
- Eversolo T8 via USB Oyaide (class d+ S) to the Gustard U18 DDC and via Ricable (and AQ Cinnamon in A/B tests) to the Gustard R26 DAC.
- From T8 directly to DAC R26.
IMPORTANT: same songs, same settings, and same volume for each song.
listening impressions?
My conclusions for the comparison between AQ Cinnamon 48 and Ricable . I'll start by saying that Ricable fairly new, having only been used for about 8 hours. After 50-80 hours of break-in, things could change in some respects.
First of all, to all those who say that cables don't change anything, I recommend finding another hobby or seeing an ENT specialist. No offense! I'm not addressing them because, in any case, no one can change their beliefs.
But I am addressing the others, and what I noticed with the same songs, the same settings, and the same volume:
Ricable only one direction for sound guidance! Initially, I connected it randomly as I had taken it out of the box, and there was NO sound in any of the 8 MODES of the Eversolo T8's I²S settings. Just a few beeps, a few crackles... but no sound. Then I reversed the direction and everything started working again.
I tried all 8 modes on I²S, one at a time. It works with modes 1 (main use), 3, 5, and 7 with my Gustard R26.
Of course, I have to enable or disable L/R swapping in the I²S submenu of the Eversolo output source on some of modes 1, 3, 5, and 7.
After trying all modes, I saw that the normal one (with channel swapping OFF and MUTE in position 1) is mode 1, the correct one between T8 and DAC R26. It also works with 3, 5, and 7, but only with PCM or DSD formats, OR on both, but with L/R swapping ON or OFF. The correct solution between Eversolo T8 (and DMP 6) is MUTE 1 and MODE 1 with L/R swapping in the OFF position.
Now, about the sound:
- First of all, no more "brothers" and sharper highs compared to the Cinnamon 48.
- richer, more natural voices, approximately 10-20%
- lower (I need to decrease my REL T9X by 2 clicks)
- broader soundstage (I tried a few tracks such as Bubbles, Crossing, Pillar I, Parlor Skona...)
- The sub-bass is not as distinct between notes as with the Cinnamon (perhaps this will improve after breaking in).
- I also noticed about 10-15% more holography with Ricable.
- For now, the Cinnamon sounds best at revealing "certain details of... certain microdetails." I can describe it as a little more filigree around the edges of certain subtle details in songs like Liberty or the intro to Auberge.
This is my honest opinion about these two HDMI cables that I tested. By the way, Cinnamon has now been running for about 100 hours, and the brothers are no longer as annoying as they were at the beginning.
Your conclusions.
I am very satisfied with Ricable will wait a few days to break it in and get the best performance. For now, I will also keep the Cinnamon and later decide what to use for the final connection. But at this price, Ricable many advantages over the Cinnamon 48. If it reveals that watermark for micro-details, "it" would be 100% the winner in my system. I want to point out that ALL my conclusions are based on my audio system and my hearing, but they are 100% sincere. Ricable has a new loyal customer. Congratulations and best wishes to everyone!
What did you enjoy?
- Performance
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-
-
What would you improve?
– Packaging color and/or design
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–
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