Author Topic: Analog Optical Instrument Cable (Read 454 times)

jazzyvee · « **on:** November 23, 2014, 03:40:11 PM »

Hi guys, today I went to the Northern Guitar Show in Liverpool and stumbled across a company called Iconic Sound who were showing an analogue optical instrument cable that they claimed would allow the guitar sound to be heard clearly without the issues of noise, capacitance, and all the other problems there are with using long copper guitar cable.

Anyway I got talking to the two people on the stand and what they were saying seemed to make sense but personally I can't honestly say that I've heard a difference in the sound quality from using different brands of guitar leads. But willing to give it a try, we found a bass stall that would let us try it out and I played an old Shergold bass and also a Rickenbacker bass both with a standard guitar cable and then with this new Optical cable.

I wasn't expecting the difference to be as profound as it turned out to be and I have to say the difference was actually incredible. There is so much more body clarity, warmth, fidelity, volume and punch in the sound when using the optical cable. I was quite shocked to be truthful.

Anyway I'm thinking of signing up for one of these cables which should be out in about 6 months or so but just wondered if there would be any difference in what I'm hearing with the low impedance output of my alembic basses since they also are designed to remove problems relating to capacitance and noise issues with guitar leads.

I will be in contact with the company again soon and hope to be able to try the cable with one of my alembic basses at some point.

http://www.iconicsound.com/home/4587275578

I'd be interested in what you think before I part with any cash.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2014, 06:28:34 PM »

If it's optical, isn't it digital?
No! We use a patented optical analog technology, there's no encoding, digitization or modulation. The signal travels down the fiber as light.

I'm very skeptical about this claim, but I would be interested in a technical explanation.

Glynn · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2014, 09:04:58 AM »

Interesting. I looked through the link and it seems a Limited edition one is ?99!! It does sound a little similar to the claim that Monster made about punch etc and I did buy some at the time. The difference was subtle and the cables were bulky so I have relegated them to spares. I use Van Damme from Mike Hills leads in Milton Keynes and they come out at about ?30 and are wonderfully flexible.
Do you think this new lead is a bit gimmicky?
A battery in the lead? - more to go wrong?
I am sounding very negative and suspicious - why pre-order? If they have such faith then why can't you buy them now?
BUT - you did try them and you have a good pedigree as a musician so maybe!
Finally, I thought the video was irritating and no sound samples to prove their points.
Glynn

Glynn · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2014, 09:51:16 AM »

My Post disappeared - will try again

adriaan · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2014, 10:50:59 AM »

If it's not any sort of modulation then surely it's a good old optical compressor coupled with an enhancer at the other end.

I'd be interested to hear a quality recording of a grand piano through it, A/B'ed with a direct signal of the same - a test I remember to bring out the artificiality of dBx noise reduction back in the 80s. And no, you really did not want to listen to classical solo piano repertoire that way.

sonicus · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2014, 11:55:15 AM »

Hello , Adriaan , DOLBY SR did a better job in my opinion. I still need to use that system on the Dolby SR encoded tapes that I have to transfer . I use the cat. 280 cards in a 361/360 frame. I also keep a few dBx units around for those tapes that used it .

As far as this optical instrument cable goes I believe that I would like to see and hear a measured comparison between various other options of an instrument interconnection (copper, wireless, etc ...) . That would be a comparison of other means of connections measured with test equipment with finite results in numbers and a response graph with a clear indication of frequency response, signal loss , capacitive reactance, etc. In other words , a nice screen shot to claim bragging rights . Like Jaco said , It's not bragging if you can prove it .

keith_h · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2014, 12:45:15 PM »

There are many things you can measure in a lab and show something is better than another. You can also take someone with a trained ear in a pristine double blind test and they might be able to hear a difference. But when the rubber hits the road most of these things make no difference in what a musician hears as our ears just aren't that sensitive. Add in the normal environment we play in along with the equipment we use and it further obscures any advantage most of these things have over one another.

Keith

jazzyvee · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2014, 12:46:00 PM »

I was very sceptical and had a good chat with them before I even picked up the lead to try. I thought like you Adriaan about the optical compressor type thing and wondered if there is any audio enhancement at either end of the cable which would make the sound more exciting but they assured me there is no enhancement to the tone merely converting to light then back again.

Murray, the 6 month delay is because they are not in production at the moment. There are apparently only 3 of the cables in existence.
As I mentioned earlier I'm hoping to get to try one of the leads with my Alembic bass to see if there is anything to be heard on an active bass. I do get to do gigs on the South east coast with Musical youth and as the company is based in the London area, there may be a chance for them to bring a lead for me to try out on a gig.

The batteries are also a worry since they last currently 18 hours of playing so this
would be another thing to think about especially if you suddenly lost sound.

I'm a very cynical person but the difference was really impressive.

sonicus · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2014, 01:49:05 PM »

keith , we are all here because we can hear a difference . That is why we love our Alembic instruments . I can hear a difference .

bigredbass · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2014, 12:02:10 AM »

For me, it would have to be OMG, night and day difference to put up with having to CHANGE BATTERIES in my CABLE . . . especially doing a gig or recording, because I can utterly guarantee that it would go out on me at EXACTLY the wrong time . . . . . probably stick with my Mogami/Neutriks.

This is another one of those things where you can go broke / drive yourself crazy to be as perfect technically in your own rig, only to be mic'd up thru the crappiest system or recording setup, where all of that is reduced to AM radio quality in a heartbeat. I can't wait to see the endorsement ads for some guy using these and saying what a difference it makes in his rig that includes 27 pedals and a vintage amp that sounds just like a welding machine.

J o e y

peoplechipper · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2014, 12:15:45 AM »

Coming from passive guitars to an active bass I wondered about the hassle of instruments with batteries; as I now know it's no hassle really as it lasts hundreds of hours; changing batteries in your cables(!) every 9-18 hours IS a hassle...if it works as well as they say I could see them having a studio market for it but it seems to be impractical for live use unless the artist is allergic to wireless and has an electrocution phobia...Tony

peoplechipper · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2014, 12:20:02 AM »

Coming from passive guitars to an active bass I wondered about the hassle of instruments with batteries; as I now know it's no hassle really as it lasts hundreds of hours; changing batteries in your cables(!) every 9-18 hours IS a hassle...if it works as well as they say I could see them having a studio market for it but it seems to be impractical for live use unless the artist is allergic to wireless and has an electrocution phobia...oh, and it wouldn't work for vintage style fuzztones and such, as they need that direct interaction...Tony.

keith_h · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2014, 06:27:33 AM »

Wolf,
Yes but with Alembic the difference in comparison to other basses is very noticeable. Even my wife can tell the difference when I play something other than my Alembics. She is one of those that everything is right in the world as long as the radio plays music so she can sing along in the car.

Unless they are processing the signal which means they are coloring the sound I would have to see the results of a double blind study to be convinced. I also wonder about how well the optical cable will hold up to road use. Based on my limited exposure to optical I think wire will hold up better and is definitely easier to repair while on the road.

Keith

terryc · « **Reply #13 on:** November 25, 2014, 07:43:47 AM »

Joey..exactly what I think these days, you have a million dollar bass into a trillion dollar amp set up then it goes through an adequate(and I mean that with some optimism!) to which the end result is something sounding like Edison had in his wax cylinders!
You can have the most technically perfect setup in the world but if you do gigs where you are at mercy of the soundman and gear you definitely at a loss. On the other hand if you have all that gear and you turn up at a small gig where a) there is limited room to set up, b) your gear is going to be way too loud, then you will definitely get complaints from the rest of the band, the venue organiser and the crowd.
Sometimes you have to leave all that 'I really need the ultimate sound' behind and play the music, okay, it is nice to have decent gear but hell, reading some of the posts on here it just seems over the top!

sonicus · « **Reply #14 on:** November 25, 2014, 08:08:22 AM »

Keith, I agree that I think wire will hold up better and is definitely easier to repair while on the road. I have Fibre Channel/Fibre Optic interfacing on a 14 hard drive storage array that I use for mass storage of digital files . The cable is differently more fragile than any of the other types that I use for other external storage that are wire such as SCSI, FIREWIRE & USB. For instrument use I think that I will stick with a premium wire cable.