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MIT Oracle V1.3 HR Speaker Interface And Oracle Matrix 50 Proline XLR Review

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This magic of seemingly melding all drivers, big and small, into a cohesive whole was unprecedented in my experience, via any electronics or cable. The other two non-network cables I compared cost between $10,000 and $20,000 the pair. The most blatant shock of all to me is even if cable manufacturing technologies has progressed to such a sublime level, I would’ve thought that such feat must be accomplished within the speaker’s own crossover network; but the MIT experience proved me wrong. Happily wrong. Imagine if the speaker itself was wired with the Oracle V1.3 HR. A conversation with Nelson Pass is in order.

The 80s and 90s saw the deaths of many of DG’s most revered artists, and we hold a piece of those legacies in the form of miserably dry instrumental timbres in the discs. As augmented by the Oracle V1.3 HR in transporting the signal from the XA100.5 monoblocks, in my opinion, the Nelson Pass speakers were not transformed by the cables, but were just pushed to their fuller potential. In that regard, I have found even the worst sounding, indefinitely retired digital discs in my collection sounding more glorious than previously. These selections were tried every time a new cable came visiting, and the result has always been back to cold storage. I would reflect on the misfortune for these early favorites of mine every now and then ever since higher-end cables and electronics were adorning my listening room. Particularly in 2009, when I tried those discs with the $16,000, Acapella Reference LaMusica single-wired speaker cable, several cherished ones did sound more acceptable.

With the MIT speaker interface, the formerly drought-stricken texture was replaced by a more sumptuous volume in body and mass. Sheen and sparkle emerged. Dimensionalities became more focused. As an audiophile, I particularly admire the difference in sound quality of these recordings when compared to those from First Impression Music, Telarc, LINN and others. DG’s recordings were always more authoritative in level of artistry than that of the audiophile labels’, and that is as it should be for a record label that makes promoting classical music to the general public its mission, and the pouring of its resources into promoting artists its civil duty. Or, there would be no need for the audiophile brands and then we wouldn’t be having so much fun. Now with the MIT Oracle V1.3 HR, a vastly greater number of old favorites are back on my hot list.

The speaker interface also served as affirmation of my musical taste; one that places orchestral pieces above all.

Jazz is a predominant audiophile favorite music genre, and I appreciate its many lyrical and engaging properties. The Oracle induced the Nelson Pass amplifier/speaker system to lay bare many older jazz recording’s beauties and fallacies, while casting spotlight on the incredibly pure sonics of many First Impression Music, XRCD and other audiophile labels’ efforts. The interplay between jazz musicians and sometimes even the audience’s reaction is intoxicating and engaging, and the Oracle preserved the energy of the events and perfume-laden atmosphere in the most explicit yet natural manner I’ve experienced in my system. By the same token, I was able to delve deeper into the world of classical and orchestral music as a result of the eminently higher dynamic and tonal contrasts. The proclamations were more powerful than I ever have heard in my system, and the whispery solo instruments were as expressively fragile as can be. I was simply pulled in.

I have always blamed the weaknesses in my electronics, speakers, cables and even their lack of synergy for my comparative lack of passion for jazz music. Classical and orchestral music, to me, contains more emotions and aspects of life. The Oracle prompted the realization of it in me. If the mighty Oracle V1.3 HR couldn’t sway me over to jazz, then I know jazz is not for me!

The Oracle Matrix 50 Proline XLR interconnect provided the crucial stabilization support to the Oracle speaker interface that upheld the latter’s caliber. Featuring 50 poles of articulation circuit in the Multipole Technology, the Oracle Matrix XLR matched the impedance of upstream equipment to the one downstream. A selector on the cable’s network box provides three switching choices: Low (5-50kΩ), Mid (40-100kΩ), High (90kΩ & Up). In his September 2010 Q&A response to Dagogo Senior Reviewer Doug Schroeder’s questions, Bruce Brisson of MIT Cables has the following to say about the use of Impedance Selector:

“…impedances that are too high for a given cable will roll off the highs and diminish transients, while impedances that are too low for a given cable will emphasize the highs as well as their associated transients. Audiophiles would be much better off using short interconnects and long speaker cables, particularly when interfacing components with high impedance balanced inputs. The loss of overall system bandwidth, and associated transient response, along with a skewed articulation response are most commonly found in high impedance applications. The input and output impedances associated with an audio systems front end are much, much, higher than the impedances commonly found between the output impedance of an amplifier and the input impedance of speakers. Low impedances allow one to manage the system bandwidth, transient response and articulation response much easier than via high impedance front ends.”

For this review, the Accuphase DP-700 SACD player fed the Pass Labs XA100.5 Class A solid-state monoblock amplifiers directly. Because the Pass Labs sports an input impedance of 20k to 30k ohms, the impedance switch on the Oracle Matrix should be on the Low Ω setting. I naturally tried all three settings, and preferred the Mid Ω. At this setting, I am convinced I heard the most balanced attributes of dynamics, extension and spatiality. From my listening impressions, in addition to the results I obtained as noted earlier, I found separation of individual singers with the background chorus in Herbert von Karajan’s reading of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in the Deutsche Grammophon SACD format more definitive than in the other two settings.

Concordantly, the Mid 40-100kΩ also produced a pleasant surprise in its rendition of a formerly-unbearable track, relatively speaking. Rock band Pink Floyd’s “The Sheep” from A Collection of Dance Songs was transformed by the use of the Oracle Matrix in the Mid Ω setting into a highly defined recording in tonalities, separations and extensions, where its textures was somewhat convoluted in the High Ω setting comparatively. Alternatively, the Low Ω setting presented a dynamics slightly suppressed, albeit remained audibly superior in definition and spatiality even compared to the similarly priced non-network cables of other makes. Still, to put matters into perspective, putting the Oracle Matrix 50 Proline balanced interconnects into any impedance setting is a moot point when your speaker cable is the Oracle V1.3 HR. My system was sounding in its most superlative form regardless of the impedance setting on the Oracle V1.3 HR. Making comparisons is my job, but only the most ardent, nose-bleeding member of our fraternity will complain about a less ergonomically arranged volume button in a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG.

Special mention

When reviewing of products as prohibitively priced as the MIT Oracle takes place, it must be accompanied by use of no-compromise electronics, which, oftentimes, are priced also just as prohibitively due to cost of material and R&D. In other reviews, there were instances when subject of the review, though expensive, would possess forgiving sonic traits that allow for use of much less costly products. In this regard, I found the MIT Oracle capable of accommodating more variety of lesser electronics than any other, but at once merciless with ones at the bottom of the barrel. At this point, I must mention my admiration for a most peculiar Neko Audio D100 Mk2 24-bit DAC by Wesley Miaw for its fluidic texturing and orderly, assuring spatiality, even, and most especially, in the company of the MIT Oracle. The Neko costs $1,495.

This interim auditioning was done via the Pass Labs X0.2 preamplification system. I did try the Neko with a sub-$4,000 preamplifier in the system and it was not to be. The Neko was not as spectrally extending as the Accuphase or Wadia, nor could it approach either for the extraordinarily natural timbre definitions and vastness of scales. But then again, neither the Wadia or Accuphase is given to the hyper, nosebleed-inducing detailing, nor the touch-spleen see-through dimensionality. The Neko was tonally pleasant to listen to as the Wadia and Accuphase, especially with help from none other but the Pass Labs preamplification system. But more importantly, my Neko experience demonstrated how easily this ambitious design from a modest man could be overlooked.

The Neko has a balanced set of virtues, such as a well-balanced tonal disposition and remarkable spatiality, considering the low cost of ownership. The most astounding attribute of the Neko is an ultra-clean midrange. Some may even consider its slightly soft top-end a must in all but the most cost-no-object digital. Together, the Oracle Matrix 50 Proline and V1.3 HR spotlighted that beautiful midrange and the softer but still competent extensions. In contrast, a sub-$1,000 24-bit CD player of 2009 vintage scored miserably with the MIT Oracle’s, flooding the listening space with erratic tonal rationing, flat dimensionality and inexcusable lackluster dynamics. Removal of the MIT Oracle system and replacing it with a copper non-network cable system ameliorated the bluntness of the crude CD player considerably. To be plain, there was nothing the MIT system could have done in such case.

Back to the Neko. With its modest dimensions and plain facade, the Neko is not likely to be considered by readers with similar caliber of downstream preamplifiers and electronics as mine that will make the DAC shine. I don’t see the likes of Dagogo Reviewers Fred Crowder and Richard Mak putting the Neko in their cost-no-object rigs, but I am confident that the Neko is a terrific investment for the most of us. You bet I have bothered Wesley on more than a few occasions on the notion of a more elaborate design, besides putting his DAC in a more expensive shell.

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