Blue Jeans Cable Isolation Transformer Review

[Swtoby]

It's snake oil rubbish.

That you don't have to buy. Not every buying decision centers around SINAD score. Sometimes a little bling is nice even if you know it doesn't change the sound. Having a choice is a good thing.

 

[Doodski]

That you don't have to buy. Not every buying decision centers around SINAD score. Sometimes a little bling is nice even if you know it doesn't change the sound. Having a choice is a good thing.

O' rubbish. Snake oil product is snake oil. I looked at the BJC website and did not find that Belden snake oil cable hype that was there. Maybe I missed it but it appears to be gone?

 

[Sal1950]

Sure. You don't like this one product. OK. I agree it looks like a dud. But BJC has been a mainstay for those that want a good cable at reasonable cost. They still appear to offer those options. So I think the comments seemingly going scorched earth on BJC over this transformer seem extreme.

As I said before, actions have consequences.
If you choose to continue to reward them for a change in marketing direction, fine
Not I.

It's snake oil rubbish.

AMEN

Before, Schiit had a bad rap around here.

Because they were selling crap.
After they were called out on it they started to change their ways.
But personally I still have no use for their products.

Denon had a hiccup when replacing DAC IC from AKM with much inferior ones in their AVRs. Not appreciated here on ASR, to put it mildly.

A decision made due to the AKM factory in Japan burning down.
Not a change made by choice.

 

[Trell]

A decision made due to the AKM factory in Japan burning down.
Not a change made by choice.

They could have made a different choice of replacement DAC IC.

 

[Sal1950]

O' rubbish. Snake oil product is snake oil. I looked at the BJC website and did not find that Belden snake oil cable hype that was there. Maybe I missed it but it appears to be gone?

Hummm,
Also the Iso transformer is now listed as Temp. Out Of Stock
Maybe someone over there is listening.

 

[Sal1950]

They could have made a different choice of replacement DAC IC.

I don't think there's a lot to chose from
but not my area of expertise?

 

[Swtoby]

O' rubbish. Snake oil product is snake oil. I looked at the BJC website and did not find that Belden snake oil cable hype that was there. Maybe I missed it but it appears to be gone?

To YOU it's rubbish. I don't think regulars here would claim a tube amp is anything other than crap based on SINAD. But some people prefer them. That's OK. Choice is good. Dogma on the other hand...

 

[Sal1950]

To YOU it's rubbish. I don't think regulars here would claim a tube amp is anything other than crap based on SINAD

Not just SINAD, most Tube amps will measure quite badly into all areas.
Frequency response can vary wildly and be just about anything depending on it's output transformer and the
speaker's input impedance. Feel free to listen to anything you like.
But if your interested in High Fidelity and hearing the source as the production intended, your much better
served by a modern SS amp.

 

[sam_adams]

Hummm,
Also the Iso transformer is now listed as Temp. Out Of Stock
Maybe someone over there is listening.

It is entirely possible that they got blindsided on a change to the product by the supplier that they buy from. Until we know the real reason for the performance shortfall, we should exercise a little patience to see if they can work this out.

 

[Swtoby]

Because they were selling crap.
After they were called out on it they started to change their ways.

No. Their mulitbit and tube options, typically dumped on here, are still being made. Schiit was just being savvy. They saw the response here and decided to tap into the objectivist segment of the market with the Heresy. Just like BJC is being savvy with those cables for the subjectivist crowd. These companies are in it to make money, not follow your value system. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[ocinn]

I can't speak for @Blumlein 88, but personally I quit recommending BJC when they introduced Iconoclast.
IMO priorly a great anti snake-oil supplier of no nonsense cables they turned their back on integrity to make a
few extra bucks..

They didn't "introduce iconoclast" they were contracted to assemble them. Start at the homepage of their website and try to find any mention of iconoclast. You won't.

This line of thinking is the same as saying you wouldn't buy a GE fridge or washing machine because they also make fighter jet engines (assuming you don't agree with the morality of war). That becomes a slippery slope. You should consider cutting off water and power to your house, canceling your health insurance and refusing to ever go to the hospital because those entities participate in lobbying on things that are generally against the greater interest of the population.

Where do you draw the line?

Blue Jeans Cable (a small American business) choosing to assemble cables for another company, for a few extra bucks to keep them afloat, while not advertising, suggesting, or mentioning them in any way a prospective customer of theirs would be able to find, is a non-issue.

Edit: I'm willing to put money on that the factory that assembles World's Best Cables, has "snake oil" cable assembly lines 20ft away... We've already proven that nordost's OEM manufacter comes from a generic cabling factory, whats to say WBC has an exclusivity agreement with their factory? I can guarantee you they don't as the pricing is far too low.

Just like BJC is being savvy with those cables for the subjectivist crowd. These companies are in it to make money, not follow your value system. Nothing wrong with that.

"There is no ethical consumption under Capitalism" - if BJC decided to stick to this arbitrary moral high ground (which is weird because they don't even mention or promote iconoclast), they would go bankrupt and someone else would make the cables, and then we'd have lost a great American objectivist cable assembler, due to people sending them emails whining about something they didn't even do (promoting subjectivist ideology).

 

[pablolie]

I'm aware of the reputation. Some of the comments here just look like hypocrisy. What exactly is wrong with them tapping into that segment of the market?

From a business strategy point of view, and given the gullibility of the market... why not try? From a credibility point of view, it isn't great. Just checked their website and could not even find this product though.

 

[Blumlein 88]

From a business strategy point of view, and given the gullibility of the market... why not try? From a credibility point of view, it isn't great. Just checked their website and could not even find this product though.

It is under Subwoofer Cables. Though now showing temporarily out of stock. Maybe the review prompted a run on them.

 

[Venga Velo]

While not dirt cheap, Performance Audio is a better choice <for me> than either WBC or BJC due to the wide variety of options available in their custom cable offerings. Have a look here, if interested:

Performance Audio cables

The wide variety of cable types from Mogami and Canare, multiple color options, wide variety of termination choices plus other cosmetic options make them an excellent source for high quality cables at a fair price. At least to me. I've ordered from them several times and have yet to be disappointed. As usual, no affiliation, blah, blah, blah.

edit: I meant to mention that they're also a great source for bulk Mogami and Canare speaker and star quad cable. They've always had the best prices that I've found.

edit 2: Removed quote because someone was apparently upset that I mistakenly quoted them rather than someone else somewhere up the thread.

 

[ocinn]

It is under Subwoofer Cables. Though now showing temporarily out of stock. Maybe the review prompted a run on them.

@pablolie was referring to the iconoclast, which is NOT on the website index , as it is not their product, they do not sell it or promote it, like I’ve said multiple times in this thread.

 

[JP]

They didn't "introduce iconoclast" they were contracted to assemble them. Start at the homepage of their website and try to find any mention of iconoclast. You won't.

They may not link to it today, but they certainly did introduce them: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/iconoclastintro.htm

From iconoclastcable.com:

Brought to you by Belden and Blue Jeans Cable​

Iconoclast bulk cable is manufactured by Belden in Richmond, Indiana; assembly and connectorization is done in Seattle, Washington, by Blue Jeans Cable, an audio/video cable assembly shop which has been working with Belden for over fifteen years in bringing broadcast-quality video, audio and data cabling to the consumer market. Iconoclast seeks to bring a bit of fresh air into the high-end audio cable world: serious, straightforward, documented engineering applied to the task of producing the utmost in audio performance.

Iconoclast Cable
3216 16th Ave W
Seattle WA 98119​

That's Blue Jeans address.

 

[ocrazor]

Guys, the Iconoclast line is clearly made by Blue Jeans, but its a luxury product for people that want to buy a luxury product. That's why it has it its own separate website. If it performs terribly, then sure, fault them for it. But if it performs well, and just costs a lot extra for gee-whiz, gold-plated, impress your buddies reasons, then there's no problem offering that to people who want to blow their money on it. I sure hope all you guys that are criticizing them for that drive base-model Toyota Corollas, because anything more is a waste of money when a Toyota Corolla will get you from point A to point B perfectly.

 

[JP]

Guys, the Iconoclast line is clearly made by Blue Jeans, but its a luxury product for people that want to buy a luxury product. That's why it has it its own separate website. If it performs terribly, then sure, fault them for it. But if it performs well, and just costs a lot extra for gee-whiz, gold-plated, impress your buddies reasons, then there's no problem offering that to people who want to blow their money on it. I sure hope all you guys that are criticizing them for that drive base-model Toyota Corollas, because anything more is a waste of money when a Toyota Corolla will get you from point A to point B perfectly.

Sure.

We've had many opportunities over our years in business to associate ourselves with one line or another of "high-end" audio products; we have bins full of samples sent to us by factories and sales representatives. But we never took any of these proposals very seriously, until one day Steve Lampen, then a sort of technical-rep/evangelist for Belden, whispered to us that there was a real cable engineer at Belden who not only thought that different audio cable formulas sounded different, but thought he knew why and was going to do something about it. A year later we met Galen Gareis, and here we are with the most well-engineered product we can imagine.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Well forget all the hullaballu around BJC. Focus on the product that was reviewed here. So far not responding here or to emails about the result isn't encouraging, but willing to give them a few days to respond.

I could maybe overlook the Iconoclast thing the way you might need to overlook Porsche making an SUV. Making a product that actually has abysmal performance is worse.

 

[Sal1950]

It is entirely possible that they got blindsided on a change to the product by the supplier that they buy from. Until we know the real reason for the performance shortfall, we should exercise a little patience to see if they can work this out.

Actually the ball is now in their court.
Offer past and possible future customers a explanation of the situation.

While not dirt cheap, Performance Audio is a better choice <for me> than either WBC or BJC due to the wide variety of options available in their custom cable offerings.

LOL, Try to pay attention, my comment was about the Denon AVR DAC choice.

From a business strategy point of view, and given the gullibility of the market... why not try? From a credibility point of view, it isn't great. Just checked their website and could not even find this product though.

Sure, but isn't that what we try to do here, inform our readers on the credibility of products and manufacturers?

They didn't "introduce iconoclast" they were contracted to assemble them. Start at the homepage of their website and try to find any mention of iconoclast. You won't.

They may not link to it today, but they certainly did introduce them:

Correct JP, and they were listed on the site some time back.
This isn't a new subject here, discussion of the Iconoclast cables and BJC goes back at
least as far as 2019

Blue Jeans Cables Jumps the Shark

Remember, when Blue Jeans Cables sold reasonably priced well made cables? Well they still do, next to their new Belden Icococlast cables for which they claim: “In bringing these Iconoclast cables to market, we hope to inject a bit of fresh air into the high-end audio cable world: serious...

www.audiosciencereview.com