Eclipse and Equinox Interconnect

[maxima]

I recently borrowed a 1M Equinox 7 RCA and was pleasantly surprised by how it sounded.

Does anyone have experience with the Eclipse 7 and and how it sounds relative to the Equinox 7 (or other series)?

I ask because the Eclipse 7 is approximately twice as much as the Equinox 7.

Thanks for any information on this.

[Cheezewhiz]

I'd also like to hear someone chime in on this. Enquiring minds want to know.

David ... Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[Stereo-head]

I own the Equinox 6, and I love them. I jumped from the Oasis 6, and was very impressed with the improvements. More open, more detailed. I liked the Equinox 6 so much, that i wanted to see what something up the ladder could do. From reading on the net and talking to people it's pretty sure to conclude that the Eclipse is in fact a very worthwhile step-up from the Equinox. So making that jump seems like the logical step. But something told me that once having the Eclipse, and loving them, in a little while I was gonna be asking myself the same thing over the Silver Eclipses. So I went ahead and got the Silver Eclipse 7. I could definitely say without a cough that the Silver Eclipse 7 are twice as good as the Equinox 6. More open, airy, transparent top end without a sign of grain or edge. Very clean. More extended, and better defined bass. And the mids have a "thereness" that I simply find intoxicating. The Silver Eclipse give the instruments and voices a "there in the room" sense that many of us chase. Voices are more real, more natural, with more overall slam. A/Bing the two to spot the differences is not necessary, you'll catch it on the first go. When compared to the Silver Eclipse 7, the Equinox 6 sound restrained and closed in. And that is pretty amazing given the fact that the Equinox 6 is a pretty open/transparent cable in it's own right.
I know this does not exactly answer your question, but it does tell you something I have come to learn from WW. Every step up the ladder is a worthwhile upgrade. Each step up will cost more, obviously, but there is no beating around the bush with the fact that the improvements are palpable in every single step. Hope this helps.

[Cheezewhiz]

Thanks Simon

[Vintage Pete]

I recently upgraded my entire main system with Equinox, and I wondered the same thing. But with the number of cables I have in the system the cost of going into the eclipse was going to be prohibitive.

I shouldn't be reading this thread, we all know what a slippery slope this is!


Pete

[Cheezewhiz]

Originally Posted by Vintage Pete

I recently upgraded my entire main system with Equinox, and I wondered the same thing. But with the number of cables I have in the system the cost of going into the eclipse was going to be prohibitive.

I shouldn't be reading this thread, we all know what a slippery slope this is!


Pete

LOL, I feel your pain

[maxima]

Likewise, thanks for the information.

[G8YU]

Here's some of my experiences with Wireworld interconnects.

I really liked the Equinox 6 until I got the Silver Eclipse 7. I too jumped over the regular Eclipses. I'd gotten the impression from all the feedback online that the Silver Eclipse is the sweet spot or best value in the Wireworld reference line.
Just like others have said, the Equinox is a good cable but the Silver Eclipse is that much better. Going back to the Equinox I noticed more of an overall harshness to the sound. I didn't really bother paying attention to specifics.

I did listen more closely when comparing the Platinum to the Silver Eclipse. I notice more inner detail and slightly more treble sparkle with the Platinum (compared to the Silver Eclipse). Basically there's a bit more resolution and a larger sound stage that's in and around the room where I can hear the sound of an instrument in a specific location and it's complexities of tone are discernible. Where it gets tough for me is judging musicality and vocals. I actually find the Silver Eclipse slightly more musical because the Platinum seems to slightly emphasize note attacks and sounds a bit analytical at times.
To sum that up, I get lost in the music easier with the Silver Eclipse 7; but with the Platinum I'm impressed by the images of instruments that jump out of blackness into my room.

I mentioned musicality and vocals didn't I. Well, the best reproduction of vocals I've heard actually wasn't with Wireworld. On a whim I got a set of XLO reference 3 interconnects. With the XLO the sound stage is more of a flat backdrop containing well defined images rather than the floating images of the Platinum. It's very hard to describe but the XLO cables seem to show me the picture of the instrument on the sound stage while the Platinum cables show the sound of the instrument from a point in the room. I got sidetracked talking about images again (I guess that's because that's the biggest factor for me in music enjoyment). When I tried female vocals with the XLO's, my jaw hit the floor. It really sounded like she was in the room, standing there, singing to me.

I'm still startled by the presence of the sound with the XLO's when I play a album I haven't heard in while. Just a side note: the Platinum's are slightly more resolving along with the imaging differences, and I can't decide if the Platinum's have a blacker backdrop or if it's just that slight emphasis on the attack of the note that makes it seem like the notes are leaping from silence.

In the end I'd say to choose a cable that has the sound reproduction characteristics you're wanting; such as in-the-room images or instrumental presence. As you near the reference levels most good cables don't really do anything wrong sound wise, they just present it differently or slightly emphasize one aspect or another. There's also the matter of system matching; but that's a topic for another day, and I think Wireworld gets along well with everyone anyway. You probably can't go wrong gradually upgrading to Silver Eclipses throughout your system; though that won't leave you as much money for new music as the Eclipses would.

[maxima]

Thanks again for taking the time to provide your observations. If I may, here are couple of mine:

- From what I have read (and heard) the Equinox 7 sounds a little different than the Equinox 6;

-At retail pricing, the 1M RCA Equinox 7 is $200; the Eclipse 7, $450 and the Silver Eclipse 7, $700.

While there is no doubt of the improvements up the line, the 225 % and 350% premiums over the Equinox 7 cause me to scratch my head a bit.

The way to tell if these premiums are worth it is to get the Eclipse and/or Silver Eclipse 7 and listen to them. Alternatively, I could put my head in the sand and be content with the Equinox 7 for a while.

Life is terribly complex.

[ronenash]

I have tried all cable in the WW line and can say that every jump up in their interconnect series brings a jump in performance. More transparent, better detail, more focused, etc.
With that said, I think the Equinox must be the best buy in their line. For $200/2m pair your get a big chunk of what WW has to offer at a very reasonable price. While I am currently using Platinum, Gold and Silver eclipse I can live happily ever after with an all Equinox cable loom and just enjoy the music.
BTW, their Equinox speaker cable is also a bargain and in my experience has provided better performance than cables costing 3 times as much from Audioquest.