Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Heartland Cables 89259/Bullet IC's Cable by PureAudio

Model:	89259/Bullet IC's
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$50
Description:	1M pair Belden 89259 w/Eichmann Bullets
Manufacturer URL:	Heartland Cables
Manufacturer URL:	Heartland Cables

Review by PureAudio ( A ) on November 23, 2003 at 08:47:01
IP Address: 67.31.166.142

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for the 89259/Bullet IC's

I'll break this review down into a few sections - Service, Price, Construction, and (most important) Musical Presentation. This system is in our living room where looks and discreteness of the system matter a lot (to my wife); it's not a horrible set-up all things considered but speaker placement could be better.
The IC's I've been using in this system have been a sampling of the lower to mid-level offerings of some of the major IC makers but I've primarily used IC's I've made myself from six 9's long crystal copper wire or silver wire. In my opinion, the sonics of the IC's I make walk all over many of the mid-level offerings of some of the most commonly recognized IC brands.
I decided to try the Heartlands because I was interested in trying some Eichmann's, I thought the reported character of the 89259 would be a nice match for this system, the price was great and Heartland has always received good comments on AA.
Service - I placed an order on Heartland's website about mid-afternoon. When I checked my e-mail that evening I had a note from Dan Kaps confirming my order. Three (maybe four) business days later I had the IC's at my house.
Price - What can I say? A quad of Eichmann's and the Belden 89259 professionally finished in techflex and end shrink at $50 for a one meter pair? I should buy these from Dan and rebrand them for resale (just joking!).
Construction - I'm a picky guy so I held my breath as I took them out of the padded mailing envelope they arrived in. The finish work is flawless. I don't know what's going on inside the Eichmann's as far as solder work but everything feels solidly constructed. The Eichmann's have a reputation for being hard to slide on the RCA outputs but they do go on with strong and direct pressure. These went on with a very firm 'snap' and they do grab tight. The 89259 is stiff and, since I'm using a tubed pre-amp with top mount connections, the effect is a little like 'onion tops sprouting from the garden' as my wife refers to it. Looks fine to me and a set-up with rear connections would take care of the onion top look.
Musical Presentation - No surprise to me, these new IC's sounded rather congested upon first listen. One surprise is that they did seem to burn-in faster than many IC's I've used. After an evening, the character of the Heartlands started to emerge. My wife (whose observation is almost always 'I don't hear anything different'; I could set up Halcro's and Grande Utopia's and there is a good chance she'd say that) noted right away that sounds seemed 'longer', meaning more sustain and decay was being revealed. I'm not sure whether to attribute that to the wire or the Eichmann's or the combination but I can say for me the best way to describe the Eichmann's is truly 'hear what you've been missing'.
The Heartland's took the usual 40 or so hours to really start to settle in. Some of the reference recordings I listened to were Miles Davis - 'Kind of Blue', Mike Oldfield -'Tubular Bells' and 'Songs of Distant Earth', David Lanz - 'Skyline Firedance', and Proprius Musik's 'Jazz at the Pawnshop', as well as many others. Consistently noted was a very solid, very neutral presentation.
I found myself thinking on several occassions, "Yes, that's what a piano (or cello, or trumpet) sounds like." Some of the cd's I listended to revealed so much new musical information that I almost felt I was hearing them for the first time. Bass is tight; on Vesuvius from Skyline Firedance I become the drummer; I can follow (perhaps, feel) every drum beat as if I'm sitting on the drummer's throne. A high-hat cymbal reveals not just the two cymbals striking each other; I can hear the cymbals closing, striking and opening. Same for sticks hitting together. On some recordings where I thought there was a background voice there is actually two or three background voices and I can hear them individually layered on each other. Orchestras present themselves as a tapestry of individual but interwoven sounds, not as a stew. The soundstage is very centered; the music often seems to come from the exact middle and expand outward in all directions.
Some of the IC's I've used in the past I've used to tune a particular system for more high-end, more air, etc. Again, there is simply a solid and neutral presentation from these Heartlands. The Belden 89259 with the Eichmann's seem to present the music straight up but with authority. I find it a pleasing combination for the type of music I enjoy and this system. I'd recommend the Heartland 89259's w/Eichmann's without reservation if you are seeking a solid, clean presentation without an emphasis on any particular end of the spectrum.
Thanks for a fine product, Dan!

Product Weakness: Inherent stiffness of the Belden 89259 (might or might not matter depending on system layout).
Product Strengths: Excellent build and finish, very solid and neutral presentation, pleasing to listen to, Eichmann's!, price for value is unbeatable.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	NAD C320BEE (for this review)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	BottleHead ForePlay w/G.E. 5814A's and Auricap 3.3's
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Cambridge D300SE (for this review)
Speakers:	Wharfedale Diamond 7.0's Limited Anniversary Edition 89db (for this review)
Cables/Interconnects:	IC's as reviewed between cdp and tubed pre and pre to main. 12g ofc to speakers; not bi-wired
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, Blues, Orchestra, Instrumental, Vocals
Room Size (LxWxH):	24' x 18' x 8'
Room Comments/Treatments:	Living Room - not optimum speaker placement
Time Period/Length of Audition:	One Week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	None for this review
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Inherent stiffness of the Belden 89259 (might or might not matter depending on system layout).
Product Strengths:	Excellent build and finish, very solid and neutral presentation, pleasing to listen to, Eichmann's!, price for value is unbeatable.