MIT Shotgun S3 Cables

[Freak When C]

So I just scored a pair of these MIT Shotgun S3 Interconnect Cables off Audiogon. The seller states they're new and I reckon I gota good deal at half price (274.50 including shipping). :eek:

I have some Zu Gede IC's and now that I've used them for a while they sound pretty good, but:

1.) Will I notice a difference with the MIT Shotguns vs. the Zu cables?
2.) Any idea why they're called Shotguns, i.e., is it just a name?
3.) What's with those boxes in the middle of the cables?
4.) Since they're supposedly new, will break-in be needed?
5.) can I use the Shotguns between my preamp and amp or are they better used between my CDP and preamp?

I know, a lot of noob type questions. I just thought I'd ask for your thoughts and any advice y'all can offer since these are by far the most expensive cables I've ever purchased. :rolleyes:

Thanks

[F1nut]

1. If you don't, you're deaf.
2. Just a name.
3. Magic.
4. Yes, at least 200 hours. They will sound terrible at first.
5. Try both. You will get better results if all your IC's are MIT.

[hearingimpared]

3.) What's with those boxes in the middle of the cables?

Thanks

The boxes are network boxes. The have a switch on each box with three impedance matching settings. Typically you will set to the switch to the impedance that best matches the input impedance of your target component. As Jesse stated they take atleast 200 hrs to break in. I set mine between my CD player and preamp and set a CD to a loop mode and just let it burnin for two weeks. Just as an FYI I use S3s alll the way around in my rig.

[thsmith]

Freak I just scored the same Deal. I talked with Joe and he seems like a straight up guy.

[Freak When C]

The boxes are network boxes. The have a switch on each box with three impedance matching settings. Typically you will set to the switch to the impedance that best matches the input impedance of your target component.

And how would I obtain that information to discover what impedance matches the input impedance of my target component?

[reeltrouble1]

good deal. Awesome cables. You can look in your manual or the company website, if all else fails call the company and ask, in the meantime if you cannot find it use the center setting.

RT1

[hearingimpared]

And how would I obtain that information to discover what impedance matches the input impedance of my target component?

Look at the specifications sheet on your target device and see what the input impedance is. That is the setting you want to select on the S3 network box.

[Freak When C]

Freak I just scored the same Deal. I talked with Joe and he seems like a straight up guy.

I'm not totally convinced this is a "deal" but we'll see. I did see a pair of the exact same cables on the 'Gon for $250 in 9/10 condition that remain unsold. So this doesn't appear to be a "steal of the century" type deal but I figured I'd jump on them anyway to see (hear) if all the hype is justified. :D

[hearingimpared]

I'm not totally convinced this is a "deal" but we'll see. I did see a pair of the exact same cables on the 'Gon for $250 in 9/10 condition that remain unsold. So this doesn't appear to be a "steal of the century" type deal but I figured I'd jump on them anyway to see (hear) if all the hype is justified. :D

They retail for over $600 so it is a great deal.

[thsmith]

I'm not totally convinced this is a "deal" but we'll see. I did see a pair of the exact same cables on the 'Gon for $250 in 9/10 condition that remain unsold. So this doesn't appear to be a "steal of the century" type deal but I figured I'd jump on them anyway to see (hear) if all the hype is justified. :D

I looked at buying the used ones but for a bit more I had rather experience the burn in and the final sound.

I wish I could afford to buy the used set as well but not this week.

[Freak When C]

I looked at buying the used ones but for a bit more I had rather experience the burn in and the final sound.



Yeah I agree, for a few more bucks buying new directly from Joe is the way to go!

Concerning break-in, does anyone have any experience with Morrow Audio's BREAK-IN SERVICE (http://www.morrowaudio.com/breakinservice.htm)?

[hearingimpared]

Yeah I agree, for a few more bucks buying new directly from Joe is the way to go!

Concerning break-in, does anyone have any experience with Morrow Audio's BREAK-IN SERVICE (http://www.morrowaudio.com/breakinservice.htm)?

IIRC MIT does not recommend using a burnin device to burnin their cables. I could however be mistaken.

[F1nut]

Joe is right, do NOT use any type of burn in device/service with MIT cables, period.

[Freak When C]

Thanks for the advice/warning on using a burn-in service with MIT cables. ;)

I don't have the extra cash to buy another set of MIT Shotguns right now. So considering I do have the Zu Gede IC's I take it I should still at least run the Zu's between my amp and preamp for now. Would there be other MIT cables though that would do a better job than the Zu cables but cost less than the Shotgun S3 cables?

[heiney9]

I'm not totally convinced this is a "deal" but we'll see. I did see a pair of the exact same cables on the 'Gon for $250 in 9/10 condition that remain unsold. So this doesn't appear to be a "steal of the century" type deal but I figured I'd jump on them anyway to see (hear) if all the hype is justified. :D

Joe Abrams works for MIT so yes, it's a damn good deal because he will warranty the product and you don't have to worry about being ripped off.

[hearingimpared]

I didn't think Joe worked directly for MIT.

[heiney9]

I didn't think Joe worked directly for MIT.

Ah.........that's the impression I always had. Good to know, still from what I've heard he's a stand up guy as you probably know.

[hearingimpared]

Ah.........that's the impression I always had. Good to know, still from what I've heard he's a stand up guy as you probably know.

Yeah he is as good as they come.

[gavn8r]

2.) Any idea why they're called Shotguns, i.e., is it just a name?


The story is actually not that exciting, but I thought I'd share. When Bruce redesigned the winding geometry of the Music Hose, he looked at a cutaway of the cable and said, "It looks like a double barrel shotgun!" From that moment on, the cable has been known as the shotgun Cable.

Gavin Fish
MIT Cables

[Freak When C]

As Jesse stated they take atleast 200 hrs to break in. I set mine between my CD player and preamp and set a CD to a loop mode and just let it burnin for two weeks. Just as an FYI I use S3s alll the way around in my rig.

Man that's quite a lengthy process for burn-in. My cables will get burned-in but my CD player is going to get burned out! :eek:

Is there other ways to do this burn-in procedure? Any suggestions for making this less painless and less stressful on my audio components? Now I see the value in the burn-in service I linked to earlier, but I've been advised NOT to use any such service with MIT cables. I don't understand why but I will heed the advice I was given. Just wondering if there's any tricks or shortcuts that some of you use to make the process easier on gear and/or simpler to perform.

[marvda1]

you can do it with a tuner.

[gavn8r]

Is there other ways to do this burn-in procedure? Any suggestions for making this less painless and less stressful on my audio components? Now I see the value in the burn-in service I linked to earlier, but I've been advised NOT to use any such service with MIT cables. I don't understand why but I will heed the advice I was given. Just wondering if there's any tricks or shortcuts that some of you use to make the process easier on gear and/or simpler to perform.

You want to avoid using a cable burner with MIT Cables. The reason for this is that most of them use DC power to burn in the cables. While that is fine for "just wire," they burn out the electronic circuits inside the network enclosures.

The best way to burn in an MIT cable is exactly what has been said before. Stick on a CD on loop, turn the volume down very low and let it go for a couple of weeks. Just make sure that there is a signal going through the cables (if your transducers are moving, however little, you have a signal).

Gavin Fish
MIT Cables

[Freak When C]

Thanks for the help and advice, Gavin. I just have a few questions:

1.) Will a tuner work just as well for burn-in, as marvda1 suggested?
2.) Do I need to have my preamp and amp powered on the whole time I'm performing the burn-in process?
3.) I'm not the most electronically versed audiophile. Can you please explain how to know if the transducers are moving and where exactly they're located. Are they inside those network boxes?

Thanks

P.S. I was looking into possibly upgrading my power cable on my Lexicon RT-20 and was considering the Z-Cord II. Can you tell me if the network boxes on the Z-Cord II AC cable is the same technology used in the Shotgun S3 cables?

[F1nut]

Freak, it's not rocket science. Turn your system on and let it play. 200 hours works out to 8 days at 24/7. It's not going to hurt your gear as it likes to be on.

Transducers are the parts in your speakers that produce sound.

[hearingimpared]

Freak, it's not rocket science. Turn your system on and let it play. 200 hours works out to 8 days at 24/7. It's not going to hurt your gear as it likes to be on.

Transducers are the parts in your speakers that produce sound.

Just to expound . . . I leave all my gear, including tubes, on all the time. Electronics hate being powered off and on it shortens their life span.

[Freak When C]

OK, thanks for the help guys. It's quite obvious I'm new to this stuff but yeah, rocket science it's not. I just was unsure what a transducer is. :o

So that takes care of my questions but correct me if I'm wrong:

1.) Yes, a tuner will also due the job of burn-in.
2.) Yes, my preamp and amp need to be powered on.
3.) Ummm... I take it those mysterious parts called "transducers" must be moving in order for my speakers to be producing sound but I can't see them unless I take my speakers apart.

So get ready, here comes another super-noob type question; I take it that the volume level on my preamp needs to be in an un-muted state during this burn-in process otherwise my transducers aint gona be moving. Is that correct? I need to have the volume up to a certain degree for the cables to be properly burned-in?

[hearingimpared]

OK, thanks for the help guys. It's quite obvious I'm new to this stuff but yeah, rocket science it's not. I just was unsure what a transducer is. :o

So that takes care of my questions but correct me if I'm wrong:

1.) Yes, a tuner will also due the job of burn-in.
2.) Yes, my preamp and amp need to be powered on.
3.) Ummm... I take it those mysterious parts called "transducers" must be moving in order for my speakers to be producing sound but I can't see them unless I take my speakers apart.

So get ready, here comes another super-noob type question; I take it that the volume level on my preamp needs to be in an un-muted state during this burn-in process otherwise my transducers aint gona be moving. Is that correct? I need to have the volume up to a certain degree for the cables to be properly burned-in?


If you are not burning in speaker cables you don't need the volume up. Set it to a low level. If you have the cable between your CD player or turner and your preamp the volume level is irrelevant.

[Freak When C]

Thanks, much appreciated. Hey we were all a little new to this stuff at one time. You guys are very helpful though and I hope others will benefit from this thread as well.

Can any of you comment on the MIT Z-Cord II AC cable? Is this a worthy upgrade for my Lexicon RT-20 universal disc player or would that likely be just a very minor improvement?

By the way, I'm going to run the new MIT Shotgun cable between my Rotel tuner and my preamp for now. But if I were to want to run upgraded cables between my RT-20 and preamp, that would require 5 sets for SACD, DVD-A and DVD discs with 5.1 sound tracks. That gets expensive! Any suggestions for less costly cables or other configurations to help keep cost down?

[reeltrouble1]

yea, long live 2-channel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RT1

[hearingimpared]

By the way, I'm going to run the new MIT Shotgun cable between my Rotel tuner and my preamp for now. But if I were to want to run upgraded cables between my RT-20 and preamp, that would require 5 sets for SACD, DVD-A and DVD discs with 5.1 sound tracks. That gets expensive! Any suggestions for less costly cables or other configurations to help keep cost down?

I did it right the first time and saved up for 5 sets of MIT S3s.

[Norm Apter]

I did it right the first time and saved up for 5 sets of MIT S3s.

Yeah, you did it the wise way. I first bought one pair of the S-3 ICs for the amp/pre-amp connection just for testing purposes (I had never heard them before and didn't know anyone locally who has a pair).

Impressed with the results, I thought about it: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So, I then acquired a second set for the pre/CDP connection. Then last week got my hands on a pair of S-3 (bi-wired) speaker cables, and the seller who had gotten a package deal from Joe Abrahams offered to sell me an additional two pair of S-3 ICs for a very nice price (all or nothing, I guess he decided). So now I have them on every connection in the 2 channel rig. Still burning in (in some areas) but I doubt I'll ever need to upgrade.

Norm

[Freak When C]

I received my new Shotgun S3 cables over the weekend. Looks brand new in sealed plastic inside the factory box with manual. Awesome.

OK, so it states in the manual to check the "destination" component in owners manual. I plan to run these from either my tuner or CDP to my preamp. Since the signal will go from there TO my preamp, would I be correct in assuming that the preamp is the "destination" component? :confused:

[thsmith]

yes and you will need to set the impedance on the box to match your pre's input impedance input.

[Lasareath]

Just to expound . . . I leave all my gear, including tubes, on all the time. Electronics hate being powered off and on it shortens their life span.


Do you leave them on during a thunder storm?

[Freak When C]

yes and you will need to set the impedance on the box to match your pre's input impedance input.

Thanks. That's what I figured. But then I thought wouldn't all most all preamps be the same impedance? You're 100% positive that I set it to the preamp's input impedance and NOT the CDP or tuner?

Also, do you guys just let those network boxes sort of dangle? Won't that put extra stress on the connectors and jacks?

[F1nut]

Wrong.
Correct.
Yes.
No.

[megasat16]

Wrong.
Correct.
Yes.
No.

Perfecto! :D

[Freak When C]

Thanks for all the help. You guys rock. BTW, my in my user manual it states my preamp's input impedance is 30k ohms. So I selected "Low" on the Shotgun cables. Funny thing, my tuner nor my CDP even had any impedance stats for audio listed in their respective manuals. So obviously its the preamp's impedance that matters. :rolleyes:

I can only think of one more thing and I'm ready to start the burn-in process. The user manual states "play a constant music signal (CD player in repeat mode or FM tuner), at a comfortable volume level." So I take it that if I hit "mute" on my preamp's remote, then the burn-n process stops at that point and doesn't resume until re-activate the volume?

[hearingimpared]

Thanks for all the help. You guys rock. BTW, my in my user manual it states my preamp's input impedance is 30k ohms. So I selected "Low" on the Shotgun cables. Funny thing, my tuner nor my CDP even had any impedance stats for audio listed in their respective manuals. So obviously its the preamp's impedance that matters. :rolleyes:

I can only think of one more thing and I'm ready to start the burn-in process. The user manual states "play a constant music signal (CD player in repeat mode or FM tuner), at a comfortable volume level." So I take it that if I hit "mute" on my preamp's remote, then the burn-n process stops at that point and doesn't resume until re-activate the volume?

A CDP nor a Tuner would have no input impedances there are no inputs. They are sources.

[reeltrouble1]

You Da Freak!!!!

OK, your CDP and your Tuner are sources so they have an output impedance, things you plug things into have an input impedance, I suppose a source would have an input impedance if you could plug something into it, especially say a tape player.

So if your source is playing a CD and sending a signal to the pre the signal is moving through any wire attached to the source. However, if your wire is run from the pre to say an amp and the pre is muted no signal is getting to the amp, I suspect I have effectively confused you into at least 20 questions, but it is what I do, like Igor.

And we are here for you all the way.

RT1

[Freak When C]

You Da Freak!!!!

And we are here for you all the way.

RT1

Awe shucks, that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. :p


I suspect I have effectively confused you into at least 20 questions, but it is what I do, like Igor.



Actually I'm not as incompetent with this stuff as it appears on the surface. I'm certainly new to the quality cabling thingy, which is quite obvious. Therefor I'm a little unsure how to properly burn them in. But the confusion stems from conflicting info I read. Thus, I'm trying to prevent drawing inaccurate conclusions based on fallacious information. Here's an example of conflicting info:


The best way to burn in an MIT cable is exactly what has been said before. Stick on a CD on loop, turn the volume down very low and let it go for a couple of weeks. Just make sure that there is a signal going through the cables (if your transducers are moving, however little, you have a signal).

Gavin Fish
MIT Cables

He states I can turn the volume down "very low". Yet the MIT user manual states to leave it at a "comfortable volume level". Then you explain that "if your source is playing a CD and sending a signal to the pre the signal is moving through any wire attached to the source." That tells me I can indeed mute the sound at the pre. But it would seem logical that in a "muted" state my "transducers" won't be moving (for which I had to research what the heck a transducer was). So there seems to be some discrepancy as to how loud I need to play a signal for this burn-in process. Hence the confusion. :o

[hearingimpared]

Awe shucks, that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. :p




Actually I'm not as incompetent with this stuff as it appears on the surface. I'm certainly new to the quality cabling thingy, which is quite obvious. Therefor I'm a little unsure how to properly burn them in. But the confusion stems from conflicting info I read. Thus, I'm trying to prevent drawing inaccurate conclusions based on fallacious information. Here's an example of conflicting info:



He states I can turn the volume down "very low". Yet the MIT user manual states to leave it at a "comfortable volume level". Then you explain that "if your source is playing a CD and sending a signal to the pre the signal is moving through any wire attached to the source." That tells me I can indeed mute the sound at the pre. But it would seem logical that in a "muted" state my "transducers" won't be moving (for which I had to research what the heck a transducer was). So there seems to be some discrepancy as to how loud I need to play a signal for this burn-in process. Hence the confusion. :o

Being that you are burning in the cable from the CDP to the preamp, it really doesn't matter what the volume of the preamp is set to. But I would do as Gavin said as he is an MIT employee.

[Freak When C]

Gotcha, thanks. When I think about it, what Gavin said makes sense. While I would expect there to still be a signal going through the cable with the volume muted, perhaps it's not as strong. But as soon as the signal is allowed to pass through to the amp, the signal going through the cable from CDP to pre has to be at its fullest level with the only difference being how much power the preamp is allowing the amp to produce, which should not affect the signal between CDP to pre. Do I have it right, guys? :D

[gavn8r]

Joe Abrams works for MIT so yes, it's a damn good deal because he will warranty the product and you don't have to worry about being ripped off.

Joe isn't an employee of MIT Cables, but he is an authorized reseller of MIT's online category of products. He is VERY knowledgeable about the audio industry in general and specifically about cables.

[F1nut]

While I would expect there to still be a signal going through the cable with the volume muted, perhaps it's not as strong. But as soon as the signal is allowed to pass through to the amp, the signal going through the cable from CDP to pre has to be at its fullest level with the only difference being how much power the preamp is allowing the amp to produce, which should not affect the signal between CDP to pre. Do I have it right, guys?

Hell no!


Geez, this isn't rocket science.....wait, didn't I say that already!?!

Gavin was referring to speaker cables, not IC's.

[Freak When C]

Hi Gavin, Can you confirm whether or not having my preamp in "mute mode" affects the burn-in process of MIT IC's placed between CDP and preamp?

[gavn8r]

Thanks for the help and advice, Gavin. I just have a few questions:

1.) Will a tuner work just as well for burn-in, as marvda1 suggested?
2.) Do I need to have my preamp and amp powered on the whole time I'm performing the burn-in process?
3.) I'm not the most electronically versed audiophile. Can you please explain how to know if the transducers are moving and where exactly they're located. Are they inside those network boxes?

Thanks

P.S. I was looking into possibly upgrading my power cable on my Lexicon RT-20 and was considering the Z-Cord II. Can you tell me if the network boxes on the Z-Cord II AC cable is the same technology used in the Shotgun S3 cables?

1.) Absolutely
2.) Yes
3.) The transducers are simply the motors in your loudspeakers. If your speaker cones are moving, you're doing it right.

The Z Cord II and the Shotgun S3 are very different. The Z Cord II does not have power factor correction and doesn't use the same filters that the S3 does. If you have the Money, the Shotgun is a much better option. But be careful not to use the S3 in conjunction with any other power filter as you will experience too much power factor correction, dampening of the signal and rolling off the high frequencies.

[gavn8r]

Hi Gavin, Can you confirm whether or not having my preamp in "mute mode" affects the burn-in process of MIT IC's placed between CDP and preamp?

Yes, you can have your preamp in mute mode to burn in your interconnects between your CDP and preamp. And F1nut is correct, I was referring to speaker cables in my previous post.

[F1nut]

Nm.....

[Freak When C]

Hell no!


Geez, this isn't rocket science.....wait, didn't I say that already!?!

Gavin was referring to speaker cables, not IC's.

Um, excuse me but I'm totally aware this aint rocket science. But when I re-read his reply no where does he state he's exclusively referring to speaker cables. I was asking about the burn-in of IC's and he responded with:

The best way to burn in an MIT cable is exactly what has been said before. Stick on a CD on loop, turn the volume down very low and let it go for a couple of weeks. Just make sure that there is a signal going through the cables (if your transducers are moving, however little, you have a signal).

[Freak When C]

Yes, you can have your preamp in mute mode to burn in your interconnects between your CDP and preamp. And F1nut is correct, I was referring to speaker cables in my previous post.

Thank you

[Freak When C]

Nm.....

LOL, look I realize you feel I'm making a big deal of this. But look back through the thread and for someone who doesn't know, I did get some conflicting info and omissions were of such that I wasn't sure what to believe. So I asked for clarification. Some said they leave there amps of all the time, others said my speakers needed to be getting a signal, etc. I took that to mean I needed to have my amp and preamp on. Even in the MIT user manual it states to play a CD or FM tuner for two days continuously at "comfortable volume". So even the MIT manual was unclear on whether I could mute the sound. How am I supposed to know for sure unless I ask? Sorry if I annoyed you with my questions. That was never my intent. :p

[reeltrouble1]

Don't worry.

F1 is bad and he's Nationwide.

RT1

[reeltrouble1]

Yes, you can have your preamp in mute mode to burn in your interconnects between your CDP and preamp.

ho hum RT1 is right again, hehehehehe

as far as fallicious info I say:

whether fallicious or phallic you still get the point in the end. think about it.

RT1

[Freak When C]

Don't worry.

F1 is bad and he's Nationwide.

RT1

I aint been on here at Club Polk for very long but I'm already in the know on that one. He gets annoyed easily, too. But I reckon that I may have certain qualities that bring out the worst in some folks, but I never intentionally try to. Just sorta works out dat way. My life aint always an easy ride and I sometimes wonder what I need to do to smooth out the road that lies ahead. :rolleyes:

[thsmith]

Freak have you been listening to those cables ? Mine are close to having 48 hours on them. Sounding sweet. Have another pair that will be here Thursday:D. At least these are buned in. Was going to put them on the TT but I think I will try the CDP and then see how they sound on the TT.

I can get extra time on burn in since I can run my HT through the Adcom 750 when watching TV.

[reeltrouble1]

you have found a home Freak.

Welcome to the club and hang on it can be a hell-of-a ride. I recommend chain-mail until the skin gets really thick.

RT1

[leroyjr1]

Don't worry.

F1 is bad and he's Nationwide.

RT1

Tickle his EMO