A recent user experience from a new customer. I must get back into the habit of posting these! Please forgive the hyperbole that is implied on my part:
'Hi Alan
The LS-80s arrived on Friday. Thank you. Excellent packaging and nice presentation.
When you said in your email that they would blow my socks off I was to be honest a bit sceptical. Having listened to them extensively over the weekend I can confirm you were right!! My socks have indeed blown off.
In my various meanderings in search of audiophile nirvana I’ve tried all sorts of stuff. Some produced good results and others less so. In my system these cables have delivered a truly spectacular performance improvement.
I would go as far as to say that nothing to date that I’ve tried (with exception of changing speakers) has made such a difference. No hyperbole - it’s true.
As an aside I would really like to use these LS-80s to show cable sceptics that cables do make a difference. I honestly wonder if these deniers have ears or actually like music.
...
John'
I completely understand John's reaction to the cables, and his expression towards other hobbyists who would contend that loudspeaker cables cannot do this. That said, I am very much of the live and let live camp - as I suspect John is. If you know, you know; that cuts both ways. The simple fact is cables are an interface, and they will sit in a unique system every time a new user tries them out. They will sit, not only in a new system, but in a new room, a new acoustic environment; and will play to new ears. They will never be the same thing twice to different clients. And then there is us, the listener, the person between those two ears. Our mood, our expectations, our physical condition and emotional state will all have a dominant effect on what we hear. And we should all be open to the fact of expectation bias, which is present in every one of us (and as I said, that cuts both ways). At ABCaudio and EWA we do not believe there any simple answers, no positions that can be clear, simple and obvious without being wrong. Just try the cables in your system, buy them and we will build them. Then you can evaluate in your own home for a month, and if you do not like them you may send them back for your money back. We will try not to tell you what you will hear, we encourage you to listen for yourself: not interested in any arguments! I was reflecting upon this earlier today because I had a client contact me to discuss the possible return of his new LS-80. He seemed genuinely disappointed about it, which I guess was nice. But I wondered,: had we been guilty of building expectations too much? Were we a little proud, leading to a client's ultimate disappointment? I would like to hope not. However, I realised I have an inordinate pride in the fact that not a single set of LS-80 has been returned to us. And it still has not, not yet anyway, but probably it will. But I was proud, and I did tell people "not a set has ever been returned"... unintentionally, that would add to the expectation that anyone and everyone would love these cables. So, a little slap, a reminder, that we are all different, and that there are no universal truths in audio. The engineers can deal with the numbers and facts and physics, the rest of us are simply subjective creatures, along for the ride, looking for the connection to the music and the deeper feelings we long to experience wholly. So I apologise for over enthusiastically pushing EWA cables from time to time. For sure, it is a part of my job, but all I really ask is for you to listen. You would be most welcome. All opinions are respected here.
And thank you, John, for sharing your own personal, positive experience with us; we are delighted!
Warm regards Alan @ ABCaudio.