David Robson puts some zeros and ones through this Scottish company’s £80 The Director SE digital coax cable. 

Ecosse is a new brand to me. Arriving in the late 90’s which, unfortunately was the start of my Hifi hiatus. Due to house moves and relationship changes my hobby was put on hold for quite a while.

Ecosse have their base in Scotland where they have a factory in which they handcraft their cables. This cable uses “Monocrystal” Pure Copper, and is manufactured to a very high standard. The Monocrystal they believe gives a superior conductor material and having no “Grain Boundary’s”. This taken from the company’s website, an explanation of their theory. “a patented casting process (extrusion and annealing) is employed to produce a ‘mono’ or single crystal ultra-pure wire with significant advantages over other cables currently available. These other cables use ordinary copper or silver, which, no matter how few grains the manufacturer claims, have a grain barrier of oxygen and hydrogen. There are 9 perfect characteristics of this, by now, Monocrystal™ copper: Unidirectional, Free of Impurity, Flexibility, Fatigue-Resistance, Corrosive-Resistance, Low Electric Resistance, Non-crystal Boundaries, Rapid Transmissibility, Perfect in Structure”.

The Director Digital Coax (RCA) is a 75ohm cable and my sample here is 0.8m in length, you can customise your cable by adding lengths of 0.2m (20cm) for an extra charge, BNC connections are also available. The Director is manufactured with a multicore of pure microcrystal copper with polyethylene (PE) insulation and then a further foam PE coating; this separates the central core from the return braided copper which then has a very nice blue PVC outer sheathing. The cables are terminated with Ecosse’s own design MACH2Ag RCA’s. These are silver plated for best conduction of the signal. The outer PVC coating is a nice metallic looking blue colour and is of medium stiffness.

Having had this cable on for a few weeks I’m sure it’s well run in. Playing Van Morrison’s “Back On Top” CD the opening track on the album “Going Down To Geneva” has a Jazzy/Blues bouncing style, the rhythmical drive from bass and drum jump out in true foot tapping style, the Ecosse certainly has a presence. The track lends itself to more of a late night closing track in a hot, boozy club, the Director Coax has just enough detail to carry this effect off. The following song is a much more relaxed and laid back affair. “Philosophers Stone” has the simple tick, tick, tick of a cymbal and nice deep tones of piano and those notes carry a good weight with them, Van Morrison’s vocals strike up showing a little age and patina. Stereo imaging is good and has nice depth between the forward vocals and both the piano and electric organ sounds, these all easily distinguished and separate from each other. The crispness of the high tones from the brass cymbals could be a little better, but nothing too glaring, Mr Morrison’s harmonica does have great sound and voice though, peeping forward of the soundstage, the notes have a nice organic “live” feeling to them. Switching CD’s to Supertramp’s “Some Thing Never Change” CD, this a fabulously clean and clear recording has many layers and things going on, and is one of my all-time favourite “go to” albums. The Director by Ecosse easily transfers the digital signal from the CD drive to the DAC without losing to my ears anything in the way of clarity or quality. “You Win I Lose” starts out with a big reverberating bass drum, the “bounce” is very definitely heard and felt, the drum strikes have a hard edge and the cymbals have quite a crispness, maybe carrying a little too much “brittleness”, although not straying into sharp acidity.

Popping in Dire Straits “Dire Straits” and the second track on the album The Water of Love. This older recording from the late 70’s has had a great transfer onto the digital format. The Glockenspiel intro is clear as a bell (or a glockenspiel) in a stark darkness, there doesn’t seem to be any digital noise in this Director cable, as the track gets itself going the rendition of drums and the twang of the steel guitar feel a little restrained with a touch of hazing, nothing unbalanced and on the whole an even tempered performance. Onward to Six Blade Knife, the laid back, moody tune of the album has real presence to it, the melodic bass guitar leading the track, is tight and well formed. Knopfler’s vocals come hissing out, these have great texture with the Coax cable doing a fine job of conveying this to the listener. The slightly hard edge mentioned earlier becomes an asset with the lead guitar sounds as this fires out from the speakers with steely accuracy.

AT A GLANCE

Pros:

A well made cable, that’s priced well. Having good detail at this price point and is a good step up from the budget cables.

Cons.

Can have a slight hard edge to the sound, but does not become overbearing or fatiguing. Bright sounding equipment may not be this cables best friend.

Price: £80

David Robson

Janine Elliot takes a listen to the Black Rhodium Stream Power cable costing £450 for a 1.7m length…and it’s that length the designer believes to be important.

Reviewing interconnects and speaker cables will inevitably be accompanied with misbelief from a number that cables can ever make any differences to the sound of your hifi. I have even heard that personally from a few ex-manufacturing friends, ‘ex’ being the operative word. To be given a mains cable for reviewing is even more likely to carry that disbelief. I am a realist and not influenced by what I call the Peter Belt syndrome; expecting things to be better because you believe and are told to believe they will be. I listen, and then judge. Cables are just as important as the electronics in your prized audio and video collection, each offering its own resistance and capacitance and, hopefully not, RFI/EMI. Mains cables are just as important a part of your hi-fi collection as the other cables in your possession, and whilst some will replace that cheap and thin interconnect cable supplied with your audio or video component, many more will not bother to change that mains cable. However, this type of cable is as important as any other, even if your amplifier has masses of Farads at its disposal.

The new Black Rhodium STREAM power cable could perhaps be more important to sceptics than many others since founder Graham Nalty goes to great lengths in creating the optimum cable. I should actually say lesser 2cm lengths to be exact, since that is what it is; the STREAM is optimised for the best sound quality by virtue of its length. During the design of a new Black Rhodium mains cable they tested one of their existing power cables, the Fusion which uses the same basic silver plated copper conductors as the STREAM, with several different lengths. Listening sessions they did showed consistently that the best sound quality was obtained from cables cut to a length of 1.65m (wire length 1.68m after untwisting). This aligns very closely with the quarter wavelength of the 50 Hz mains frequency which is 1.7m, and further tests showed that cables in multiples of 1.7m sounded superior to lengths slightly above or below, though longer cables in multiples of 1.7m did not match the sound quality of 1.65m.  As Graham Nalty informed me;

“On longer lengths 3.3m sounded better than 3.0 m and 3.5m and 2.5m sounded better than 3m. I suspect that two things are happening. Firstly those lengths close to a fraction of the sound wavelength sounded better than other values. Secondly as the cable length increased, it picked up more RFI and more electrical forces between conductor.”

For the maths, if you take the speed of sound at sea level to be 340 metres per second and you know that a hertz (Hz) is defined as “cycles per second”, you would therefore have 50 cycles over these 340 metres. So (…calculator at the hand…) 340m divided by 50 cycles equals 6.80 metres (or 22.31 feet). A quarter of 6.8m is 1.7m.  I had been told many years ago that the very short (0.5m) mains cables I had built for personal use were not a good idea as they were too short, though they did mean for a tidier music room. Perhaps if I had made them 0.85m or 0.425m then that would have been OK.  Obviously neither these lengths nor the 1.68m STREAM will be of use in 60Hz countries, unless, of course, a slightly shorter cable is perhaps made; probably just under 1.42m.

Graham Nalty even supplies an 11-point “Highly Essential Steps” brochure with the STREAM (available for £2 separately) to guide you on the importance of cables for your hi-fi, discussing wire material, gauge, stranding and purity as well as insulation geometry and thickness, and whilst asserting resistance and capacitance do make a difference, inductance doesn’t affect cables. Cable design is an art, and more than just mathematical calculations.

“There is a lot we discover in Hi-Fi which we do not understand at the time. When I introduced the ‘Ninja’ cable in 2005 I did not understand at the time why it sounded much more natural than other cables in the range. I now know it was because each conductor was spaced so much further apart from those of the opposite polarity. This had to be done because of the size, but it significantly reduced ‘Proximity Effect’ magnetic fields”

Perhaps the most important thing in the “11 Highly Essential Steps” is that you shouldn’t scrimp on cables, and be prepared to prepare a budget.

The Stream is hand built at the Black Rhodium factory in Derby using high quality silver plated copper conductors.  The wires are insulated in silicone rubber due to its low dielectric loss and ensure extremely low distortion due to dielectric absorption effects. This means sound energy is absorbed in the insulation and released slightly later reducing what BR call “highly audible time-smearing distortion”. The STREAM also includes the use of two separate and complementary materials that effectively dampen mechanical vibrations within the cable, very important in reducing changes of capacitance. Indeed, it is vital in cable manufacture to prevent the cable components and connectors from moving relative to one another, as triboelectric effects (things like rubbing glass with fur, or running a plastic comb through the hair) as well as electromagnetically induced currents will cause distortion and noise in the cables. The Stream is a thick cable with plenty of damping to stop these movements. ‘Transient Phase Distortion’ is reduced by using thicker insulation than is usual in speaker cables, increasing the distance between conductors and therefore reducing the magnetic field seen in each conductor wire due to the magnetic field that is created by the current in the other conductor wire. A further increase in the distance between conductors further reduces ‘Proximity Effect’ distortion, and is achieved by use of the attractive cable braid. Additionally the cable is protected from the distortion caused by RFI/EMI interference by a very tightly braided metal screen. ‘Complementary RFI suppression technology’ located within the connectors reduces the distortion caused by high frequency noise within the power circuits. Finally the STREAM power cable is terminated with the high quality mains connectors including Permaplug 13A plug that have been regularly used in Black Rhodium power cables, and in the basic £450.00 review sample a Schurter IEC. As Graham Nalty informed me “For the more expensive versions, we have our own ‘Black Rhodium Power’ branded plugs in Schuko, UL and IEC sockets which are rhodium plated and specially made for us”.

Sound

Most importantly for me was how this cable length and technology affected the music and video. For the tests I put the cable through a series of equipment that was very familiar to me in terms of sound, plus looked closely at the construction and quality of build. The latter was easy for me to give the thumbs up; the thick cable is good to look at and construction and components are of top quality, and it is available with a variety of plugs.

Some cables can leave you with initial feeling of “wow” or “yuk”, but I like to take a sensible listen and evaluation. After all, having spent more than a quarter of a century sat in front of loudspeakers for 8 hours a day at the BBC and I need a sound that is honest and not tiring. And certainly this power cable is honest and easy to listen to for extended periods of time. That doesn’t mean it is slow. Far from it. I would call it refined and sophisticated. If you want something that changes the sound then look elsewhere, this one just seems to get the best of what is already there but just makes it all behave. Particularly at the midrange. Everything just effortlessly glides.

Playing vinyl using my Manley phonostage I turned to a really lovely new disc of ‘Mozart by Candlelight’, using the Neumann KU-100 Binaural Head, a live recording from Mike Valentine which works with a high degree of three-dimensionality even on loudspeakers.  The performance of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik at St Martin in the Fields in London, The Locrian Ensemble conducted by Rimma Sushanskaya, gave a compellingly fluid performance with a sheen that held it all in place. Nothing too bright or forward, just very carefully presented. This surprised me as I hadn’t heard the recording quite so judiciously performed. My instinct was to turn to something classical with lots of bite, so I put on Walter Carlos’s Switched on Bach, a la Moog synthesisers. Plenty of bass and top-end square, triangle and sine waves produced under the company banner of “Trans-Electronic Music Productions Inc.”, an apt name for someone who would later become Wendy Carlos. I loved this album when I first heard it in the early 70’s, leading to my own interest and endeavours into electronic music in the 80’s. I thought this album would sound gritty and give me a headache – as it did when I last played this recording – but I was surprised at the attention to detail at all speeds of performance and yet there was none of that edginess that even my cat slept through the performance. Normally his ears fidget with anything above 10kHz! The distortion in the recording showed that the STREAM didn’t try to cover it up. The electronic recording of Bach has a clarity, texture and detail that no conventional musical instrument could put across in such a way. I always think of Bach as the inventor of jazz, with musical lines interplaying just as in a trio or quartet, but perhaps he also anticipated the synthesizer. Whilst electronic equipment has come so far since this album I could see why Walter/Wendy had to do this album and that it had to be Bach. The interacting melodic lines and changing dynamics and textures could only be performed with such intricacy in this manner, and the STREAM performed it well.

To conclude the vinyl venture the Third side of David Bowie’s The Next Day was chosen. Some of you will know I’m not fond of David’s mastering technique, even if it does come with a high recommendation of Toni Visconti. Hi-compression and pumping the adrenalin, and very centre-stage and no extremes of frequencies, unlike the very 3-D and no compression/limiting in my own albums, I did find the STREAM did make the sound more manageable and perhaps, just perhaps, Toni goes up in my regards. “(You will) Set the World on Fire” didn’t quite reach out with the flames that it had when using my similarly priced Ecosse Red Mains cable, but it was actually more enjoyable. How weird is that.

Listening to reel to reel was the next order of the day. After delving into binaural Mike Valentine is now looking at reel to reel, and I would like to feel I have a part in that move. The Black Rhodium into my high-speed Sony TC766-2 offered a very exacting, controlled music, courtesy of “Big Band Spectacular”, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, on a 10 ½” ATR MDS-36 reel to reel tape. “In The Mood” takes me back to holidays at family friends in Gidea Park near Romford when very young and waking up to Glenn Miller in the morning played from a gramophone playing from under the stairs in the hallway. Great days. Whilst the sound is very perfectly timed there was no loss of detail. The cable kept everything running with a fluidity and excitement just like the day I was there at the recording session itself. Decaying cymbals at the end of the final track “Anvil Chorus” just showed how nothing was forgotten in this recording or in playback. Brass covered all the pitch and dynamic ranges with no hew, and speed stability was as good as reel to reel could possibly get. This is a mightily good recording and attention to detail in replay was all there but smooth as velvet. Again, the fact I could audition for ever without fatigue but still enjoy it was something I found every time when listening to sources with the STREAM. Midband vocals and strings in a few albums I had copied to reel to reel were similarly musical and human.

Conclusion

Whether or not the 1.7m makes the biggest difference I will never know unless I chop up the cable – which Graham Nalty might be upset with me doing – so I will just have to believe that he has hit on an important discovery and hope for him that others don’t get out their measuring tapes. But there is much more to the STREAM than just the length. In all sources I tried to introduce RFI’s and EMIs from around the equipment, but again Graham Nalty seems to have sorted that out as well, and 1.7m is a long cable and plenty long enough to introduce such interference in lesser cables. This mains cable is for me one of the best products in the BR line up, and whilst that 1.7m might mean some reorganising of your hi-fi placement from the mains sockets, that will be the smallest price you will have to pay.

AT A GLANCE

Pros: Excellent midrange frequencies and with all frequencies covered well

Good RFI/EMI protection

Velvety finesse but still very honest, transparent and with good speed.

Cons:

Some will still not believe that a mains cable can improve your music

1.68m might be too long for some.  

Prices: 

Stream UK 13A to IEC power cable 1.7m £450.00
Stream Schuko to IEC power cable 1.7m £450.00
Longer cable lengths can be supplied at £100.00 per metre pro rata.

Janine Elliot

Göbel Lacorde Statement USB and Ethernet Cables cost 4500 Euros each for a 1.2m length putting them firmly in the luxury, high-end bracket. Dan Worth has a huge amount of experience with digital cables in Hifi and sees what these bring to the rather exclusive party.

Receiving the ‘Best Sound At The Show’ from Hifi Pig after the Warsaw 2016 event and also given AVShowrooms ‘Best At Show’ award at Munich this year, Gobel High End contacted me to have a look at their latest cable options from the Lacorde Statement range. A USB and Ethernet cable – I think they may have heard through the proverbial grapevine that cables are somewhat of a fascination of mine and I particularly enjoy and employ a digital system.

Finding the perfect cable is like finding the perfect women, you try a few, you may have a short or long-term relationship, but it’s only once in every lifetime where you can find a cable loom that no matter what equipment you introduce it to – the cabling is electrically perfect and ends up being a marriage made in heaven. 

Passion and Commitment Equals Excellence

Music is and always has been a big part of Oliver Gobel’s life, from as early as his memories go back. In fact, his entire family are musicians. For example, his Father played the piano, trumpet and guitar. His Grandfather was a protestant pastor, which is self-explanatory really with music being a huge part of the Church’s way of life.

Oliver himself however was much more fascinated in the best possible playback and reproduction of the music. As a benchmark he always had real music played by his expressive family. Oliver’s passion for Hifi began very early when he was around 12 years old, making him more and more curious as to how the electronics produced sound, even though at the time he had absolutely no idea how it all worked, he would always disassemble equipment and attempt to reassemble it.

This obsession led Oliver Gobel to his first profession – as an electrician in the field of Communication Technologies wherein he also obtained his Masters Degree. After this he worked for Siemens in the field of Electro-Acoustics developing loudspeakers and applications for other manufacturers.

“In parallel I had come across the technology of ‘bending stiff bending wave’ loudspeakers”, said Oliver, “which was extremely fascinating for me – as this technology offers so many advantages in comparison to the common loudspeaker technologies. That’s why I deeply investigated this technology and also researched it during my spare time after work and on weekends. After I made my breakthrough, I applied a patent about my developments on the ‘bending stiff bending wave loudspeaker’. Shortly after I got my patent I canceled my work at Siemens and started my own company and named it Göbel High End. I totally stand behind my products, this is why I can lend my name to the company.”

That was14 years ago now, Oliver as well as heavily investing his time in Göbel High End but also has a secondary company which produces OEM products for other companies such as Grundig’s Home Cinema systems and Audiorama’s statement spherical loudspeakers.

“One great aspect in additionally working as an OEM developer and manufacturer for bigger companies like Grundig is that we learned a lot of the importance of quality control and apply a perfect quality control system in order to really assure reliability of our products.”

The Manufacturing Of Cables

So why are Göbel now manufacturing their own cable line? Actually, it is very simple. Oliver of course was looking for the best possible cables in order to wire his loudspeakers internally. He tested and auditioned many, many cables from many, many different manufacturers and felt he wasn’t obtaining the results he was attempting to pursue.

So, the only real option he told me was to research and investigate even further. Starting with the core wire, different materials, metallurgy and alloys, various cross sections, shapes and sizes of conductor, then dielectrics and dielectric cross sections, differing arrangements and shieldings in order to control the inductance and capacitance along with various heat and cryogenic treatments, connection types between the conductors and the connectors themselves.

Not to mention the thousands of hours of listening; Mr Göbel is an extremely meticulous man who doesn’t do anything by halves, just take a look at the Göbel High End website to discover the intricacies and quality of his designs and finishing touches.

From the initial release of the Lacorde Speaker Cables in 2013 it’s taken until now for Göbel who are incredibly stringent and their own worse critics to produce the USB and Ethernet cables I have here for review, with analogue and digital interconnects coming throughout the three year period as and when the team feel that they are absolutely 100% happy.

This same philosophy is employed to all Göbel products within their development building in Munich, Germany. Oliver Göbel conveyed his thoughts to me, referring to companies who have a tendency to push products through, especially cables, then bring out newer versions of the same products consistently over time. Göbel simply build a product until it is in their eyes ‘perfect’ regardless of how much time and money it takes to get the finished article. Although this isn’t a realistic business plan for everybody, Göbel champion themselves on the ability to be fortunate to do so.

“Our goal is to really bring music alive. That is, and always was the passion behind all our efforts, researches and technologies – to manufacture real statement products which bring the ultimate real music experience!”

A very passionate statement from a very passionate and focused man. So, let’s take a look at these cables and see what all the fuss is…

The Physical Product 

Forget the physical product just now, let’s talk about the bomb proof packaging and beautiful way these cables are presented first. The exterior shipping box has enough reinforcement to make its way across the Middle East on a busy day.

The presentation packaging is gorgeous, a black real leather case with contrasting grey stitching and embossed family coat of arms. Internally the velvet comfortably seats the cable, which looks very elegant and feels sleek and luxurious, luxurious, a cable? Yes, the braided soft cotton mix material finish is plush and the bespoke end caps which also act as strain relief, to two of the worst cables to apply strain relief to, feel absolutely solid. The machining detail and fit on the plugs are second to none, with the companies engraved logo giving grip to installation.

Installation could be a little tricky if the rear of your rack is less than tidy, the overall thickness of this cable is very surprisingly flexible, but things are less bendy towards the ends and the cables overall weight can be a slight strain on lightweight equipment, so ensure you install the cable with as much care as you outdo the associated equipment it’s connecting with.

The Sound

The first thing appreciated when I plugged in the Lacorde Statement USB was a calmness that came over the entire system. An additional dose of smoothness combined with an extra sprinkle of resolution simply left my current very high-end USB in the weeds. I didn’t realise how much I was missing until I connected the LS USB. Going back to the usual reference afterwards was like listening to a piano that was slightly out of tune my cable really is an excellent listen at around £3000 cheaper. imagine a graph plotting the frequency response of what the LS USB was able to offer and then drag a fine toothed comb through the wet ink lines removing fine areas of frequency and detail and at the same time these dragged lines smear across the table – an impression of leaving me with minor amounts of distortion in a fog like mist across the overall sonic picture, that can only be assessed with a comparison such as I have here in the Lacorde Statement.

The Lacord Statement USB was in its earliest stages still really, I decided not to cook it on the Blue Horizon Proburn burning in machine, the LS USB was straight out of the box and was already creating a stir. I wanted to hear the progression of this cable, rather than burn it in on the Blue Horizon, as I was drawn into Oliver’s mantra. Complete burn in took little under one month, so I assume that we are dealing with solid core conductors, most likely of a triple alloy type but as I am not even privy to the contents of the cable, experience makes this assumption.

Once the cable had continued running in for two weeks it became quickly evident that comparing the Lacorde Statement with my previous Chord Sarum T was futile, Chord have produced a cable which makes most other USBs submit before it, but here I was considering a USB cable that was in a completely different league, leaps and bounds ahead of any of the competition that I had heard previously at least, and after around the five week mark the final molecules of haze, which I only realised existed until after they had gone, disappeared. Bass extended a little further and the outer boundaries of the soundstage gained better shape and agility allowing timbre to flourish more naturally.

Listening to Bliss’ ‘Wish You Were Here’ gave me a new look into the structure of the recorded mix. I’ve always obtained a three-dimensional, encapsulating sphere of sound in my listening room, which thrives on tracks recorded like this, but now I was getting a thickness of sound all around me that was now almost as prominent as the front of the stage. Similar to going from an Ordinary CD version to its SACD equivalent.

Drum rolls gained extra extension and solidity with more girth and added control. The tighter leading edges flowed perfectly fluently into the looser extension of the acoustic venue, with a decay that was volumetrically representative.

The vocals were the most liquid I had heard to date on my system and in my room, this track has such a beautiful glow and flow and at the same time also being able to convey so much more information. The Lacorde Statement conveys incredible tone and timbre. The source is incredibly important in the chain of any system and many will state that it’s the most important part, myself I feel each component is just as important as each other –  price relative with an overall attention on synergy of course, the LS USB has given my source the aqueduct required to the DAC that was more crucial a connection than I had previously thought and I haven’t always paid strict attention to my USB cable.

Missing minor undertones gives a perception of a brighter sound and damping the highs with added capacitance for instance warms the sound, stranded cables sound a little spitty because they do not have a linear electron flow. Spittyness can also come from incorrect inductance. Dielectric types and geometries also play a huge part of the whole. There are just so many factors related to building cables which leaves me only imagining how much time and money Gobel have invested in creating the Lacorde Statement range. Being the first and only range of cables from the Munich based company shows how precise and competent they are, as this first and only range has got my full attention.

With a connection as electrically sound and as thoughtfully made as the LS actually makes me wonder whether I should be re-writing previous reviews of the associated electronics as I feel that they are now working to a far greater potential than before. Of course, the influence of other parts of a system effect a new addition in a well-balanced system and vice versa. This is what we know as synergy but imagine if the entire system was coupled together with electrical perfection and the only aspect that required balancing was overall tone, now that would be a dream that many will not achieve but fortunately and currently I’m blessed enough to feel that I have the correct inductance throughout using a full Studio Connections Black Star System (due for review later this year) and with the addition of the Gobel Lacorde Statement USB the act is now more complete and allows me to feel that whatever I place into my system equipment wise will be able to show it’s true potential without any bottlenecking allowing me to  simply forget about the cable loom altogether.

The additional abilities of the soundstage are also reminiscent of installing the Black Star loom, timing is absolutely on the money and placement accuracy within the transparent and effortlessly complex performance again proves electrical compliance to be just so more precise and materials used to be quite exotic in their precise geometry. Air fills the soundstage like water in a fish bowl allowing notes to flow freely around, amongst, in front of and behind a vocalist with absolutely zero smearing of more complex passages which have a confidence that allows for the smallest of transients to be completely appreciable and easy to focus on within the performance.

The only other time I’ve come across a digital cable that performs in a similar manner is the MIT Oracle AES/EBU but then that has a slightly different job to perform. Carrying power and data across a cable is an extremely difficult task to manage in a USB, Go Göbel has had the foresight to split the data and power lines to minimise stray electron interaction and I can only imagine what an incredibly low SNR linear supply would offer in addition to the +5v VCC and ground conductors.

Adding The Lacorde Statement  Ethernet 

In addition to the Lacorde Statement USB, Oliver Göbel had the foresight to send me two of the ranges Ethernet cables in order for me to assess their performance in my streaming setup. If I’m completely honest, conveying the absolute maximum ability of their performance would have possibly more fruitful if I was using them as I2s connections but unfortunately my I2s connections uses the more up to date HDMI protocol. I am able of course to install them between Melco streamer and linear switch and from switch to a linear powered router as well as from the Melco to a Linn Klimax DS which just landed for review and will be backed off of the Melco for its music library due to the Linn having no onboard storage. I also have Tidal and Qobuz streaming services I can use the Lacorde Statement Ethernet cables to support.

I have an existing bundle of ethernet cables from various companies such as Audioquest, Tellurium Q, Meicord, SotM along with some other prototypes which I am testing for companies. I’ve been exploring Ethernet cables since better quality versions hit the market a few years ago with moderate to good effect over the better constructed more standard fair offerings. My most recent acquisition is the Tellurium Q Black Diamond and in comparison, with all other options available to me is a clear step up over the rest in overall bandwidth, background silence and top end control, I’ve been considering trying the AQ Diamond after getting one of their Diamond HDMI cables for I2s duties but in all honesty, I feel that again as mentioned above could well be overkill for a streaming cable rather than I2s.

The implementation of Gobel’s Lacorde Staement Ethernet cable proved that there is still room for improvement in my system when streaming, even over the Black Diamond from TQ which has been an excellent enhancement to my Tidal and Qobuz streaming the Lacorde Statement instantly rained in some timing errors I was not aware of having. The LS over any standard Cat7 cable can be likened to a high-end interconnect change over the throw away ones that come with a cheap CD player, so no need to do any comparisons there. In comparison to the TQ which is less than 1/4 the price performance although not relative is a clear step up again, as it was over all the other Ethernet cables I currently possess.

Overall resolution is enhanced with finer inner details culminating in better micro dynamics especially in the top end where the cleaner presentation makes way for more exposure in the black background. The crowd at the beginning of Fink’s Perfect Darkness sounded as though it had been fed through its own separate speaker and amplifier combination with me able to hear the individual cheers and screams from each of the contributor’s male or female, I could have probably sat there and counted the number of each, there was that much more resolution on hand.

Upper mids too allowed for a smoother and more controlled rendition of female vocals especially and far better balance and cohesiveness of the uppers and midrange, which was already very transparent but now cleaner and more playful in its transient response accompanied with a little more depth than I was used too.

Our Editor here at Hifi Pig Stuart Smith is not a cable enthusiast, appreciating a good well made cable over the pursuit of constantly trying to better what he has or factor them too heavily into his overall plan when building a system. However, the handful of times he has been to shows that Göbel High End have demonstrated at I receive a phone call soon after with emphatic praise for the Gobel Sound. Göbel High End as a company that produce products with real excellence and as stated in my introduction to this review Oliver Göbel and his team have worked over the past couple of years to get this range of cabling just right and previous system setups its other manufacturers cables have just not been able to push their products to their full potential according g to them. What Stuart heard was a combination of the whole, all Göbel’s expertise applied to overall system synergy and being of a similar mindset can really appreciate how important the links between our valued equipment have to be.

To champion a cable as much as I champion what I’ve currently heard from the Lacorde Statement range can be said by some as grave, personally I can understand where all this negativity comes from when it comes to cables? It’s due to insane pricing and the spiel the majority of manufacturers want to influence you with. However, like anything in life you need to trawl through the garbage and build relationships with products and companies that offer excellence, combined with solid engineering techniques, along with vigorous R&D – Göbel are a company who cover all these bases and more. Their attention to the finer final details in all of their products is nothing short of obsessive.

With the Linn Klimax DS having been playing continuously for nearly a week now I feel I have a very good handle on its abilities. It’s a fantastically clean sounding piece of equipment which conveys great timbral qualities and musical tone. At £15,800 it is one of the most expensive streamers on today’s market. This price tag and its lack of inputs – being confined to only one Ethernet input to carry it across a home network and internet based streaming channels, is in fact more relative to the Gobel’s Ethernet price tag of €4500.

My expectations of improvements were thoroughly confirmed when I attached the Lacord Statement Ethernet from the Klimax DS to the Melco. My first observation was an improvement in dynamic dexterity, the Klimax has a very well-constructed soundstage with great timing and with the LS in the front to back projection flared outwards wonderfully, lending its character to much more air and space. My favoured acoustic genre of music benefited wonderfully, with reverbs and acoustic space becoming even more lifelike with a more naturally informed density across the larger picture.

Bass note were given a slightly more elastic bounce as well as a slightly more effortless flow and roll that decayed more appropriately dependent on tempo and beat.

Vocals remained very solid and engaging and I would express my findings to be more openness with the release of the smallest amount of midrange congestion, rather than adjustments of tonality or vocal positioning, allowing them to be more focused and explicitly true to the artist.

Overall, I would say that the Lacorde Statement Ethernet induced an experience into my system every bit as well as the Lacorde Statement USB, with further potential to be had when used in a direct I2s configuration. I favour many many cables at many price points in a market that is flooded with an over-bearing amount of options. This like anything else is simply derived from experience and knowledge.

Conclusion

My opinion, and one that hasn’t changed ever since ever since is that the goal when searching out quality cables and components is to work hard, test whatever you can get your hands on and accept to include cables in your entire system budget. You will then naturally over time find manufacturers that are sincere and capable of building a cable, such as Göbel High End’s Lacorde Statement range (if that’s where your budget lies) that can lend itself to any piece of equipment or system – allowing that component to express itself with more ease conveying its character without the cable being any sort of bottleneck in one’s assessment of the equipment. Rather than being coloured by a link which due to a less than concise electrical match – forcing the character of equipment to be heavily influenced by the cable. The Lacorde Statement cables I have reviewed here have no colour and no influence on the tonal palette of the music, instead they allow every molecule of inhibited information to confidently flow.

On a personal level I’m intrigued to hear what the rest of the Lacorde Statement range will have to offer a system such as my own, which is already connected with expensive cabling that again I believe has been produced extremely critically, from a brand I know and trust for the exact reasons I have gained respect for Gobel High End.

The Lacorde Statement USB and Ethernet cables are very expensive, more so now considering the diminishing value of other world currencies against the Euro, even to those with the thickest of wallets, which is my only criticism. Their performance however, certainly does make a statement – taking my associated equipment to another level of insight, resolution and transparency. So, if this is the price of cable perfection then I leave the justifications down to you the end-user.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: One of the finest built pieces of cable I have come in contact with

Sound Quality: Simply the finest sound I have heard by a fair margin in these cable types

Value For Money: Can you put a price on overall musical satisfaction? Well if they are out of your price range then yes you can

Pros

The most Analogue and effortless sound from a digital cable of this type

Dynamically astute and sincere

Timbrely majestic and tonally expressive

Will extract every ounce of resolution

Increased soundstage size and dimensionality

Build quality, packaging and overall attention to detail is absolutely superb

Best cable strain relief system of any USB or Ethernet to date

Cons

The chunky connectors and thick cable require a system to be organised accordingly

Will be considered as very expensive by many

Price: 1.2m USB or Ethernet – €4500

Dan Worth

Albedo are a Poland based company that go to great lengths (excuse the pun) with their cables’ manufacture. This goes all the way back to smelting the metals and drawing their own conductors. Dominic Marsh listens to their Monolith Reference Speaker and Interconnect cables to see if is all worth their effort. 

Albedo have been making audiophile interconnects for over 20 years now and I say too few people have heard of the brand which I think is a great shame. That is partly due to being manufactured in Poland and distributed by a global dealer network.

There is very little that is radical in their designs with the exception of some unique conductor geometry, however they do use only the finest materials available and pay particular attention to construction.  Albedo smelt all of their own metals, draw their own conductors through specialised dies and build everything in house, so they could never be accused of buying reels of generic wire and repackaging as their own.

Hifi Pig reviewed an earlier version of the Albedo Monolith cables back in 2012 and this set of cables reviewed here are evolved and updated models, plus I have owned a pair of Flat Gold interconnects in the past myself and as I recall I was very pleased indeed with their sound characteristics.

Construction

Both the interconnects and the speaker cables use very high purity soft annealed monocrystal silver in their conductors, in this case forged and fastidiously manufactured by Albedo themselves into very thin ribbons and separated by using air as a dielectric with antistatic materials added. 

If you have the perception that “silver cables are bright sounding” then that couldn’t be farther away from the truth.  The only “silver” cables I have heard with a tendency towards brightness have been silver plated, poor quality silver wire (as in recycled), or hard annealed silver wire.

All the connectors are manufactured by Albedo themselves to their own specifications and are of very good quality, all fitting snugly into their respective sockets.

The notable difference between the Reference model over the previous incarnations is that they are now built as individual cables rather than being coupled pairs.

The outer sheath is an expandable nylon braid in a pale silver/grey colour, with plastic attachments named with “Albedo Reference”.

Speaker cable priced at 2450 Euros for a 2 metre pair whilst the balanced XLR interconnects are priced at 1950 Euros for a 1 metre pair.

Sound Quality

I don’t need to be told that the Albedo Reference cables are made from soft annealed pure silver wire, as their sound characteristics told me what they are made from – soft annealed high purity silver.  Treble had a sweet delicacy about it without any fizz or harshness and the bass is as fulsome and insightful as you could wish for.  Treble errs a tad on the side of warmth if we are to be honest about it, but nevertheless these cables are truly excellent at reproducing both macro and micro dynamics.

So, to translate these observed sonic snippets into some music some of you might be familiar with, I put Supertramp’s Crisis, What Crisis? in the CD drawer and pressed play to hear my favourite track on the album, ‘Lady’.  This track has raw edges to it that comes straight at you in a direct way, which was not unexpected.  The vocals sounded like they were recorded elsewhere like in a cavern, there is so much echo and reverberation added, but they still sounded yards deep throughout the entire track, while bass and drums are recorded to the foreground and form the underpinning of the track.  Kick drum was solid and tangible almost, cymbals are represented by high hat beats which never vanished into the mix even when the band was playing at frenetic levels.  The last one third of the track is comprised of the bass guitar in a 1 – 3 repetition, the high hat beat, clicking of fingers and simple vocals.  Delightfully simple, but not exactly challenging either, so I suppose it is part of that track’s charm.  Track 8 is another favourite on this album called “Just a Normal Day”.  A slower pace perhaps, a touch on the melancholy side as well, but the track has piano, saxophone, violins and a haunting vocal that either touches your emotions or leaves you cold, depending on how well it all hangs together, which the Albedo cables mastered well.

This was also evidenced in Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album, where each venue during one of the band’s many European tours has a unique atmosphere and acoustics at each location.  The Albedo cables captured this phenomenon very well indeed with a notable lack of background noise for good measure.  Bass had a powerful taut punch to it and especially so during the driving Floor Tom whacks the drummer inflicts on that instrument which fair made my listening room vibrate with the power delivered.

Imaging abilities are also noteworthy, no doubt due also to that lack of background noise, with top class width, height and depth, the audience on this album being extremely well reproduced so it sounded like you were sitting around five rows away from the stage.

AT A GLANCE

Conclusion

I apologise now for this review not being an endless parade of superlatives to describe the Albedo Monolith Reference cables.  Having said that, I could find no fault either and that makes a rather refreshing change for a seasoned reviewer of cable confections.  Most of the cables I have reviewed for Hifi Pig have had areas of strengths and weaknesses with a general set of compromises incorporated into the design, which we either live with or we don’t, arrived at under the guise of “synergy”, as in matching to the system and of course our own listening preferences.

I would sum up their sonic characteristics as being neutral, that is there isn’t one area of the audible spectrum that is either recessed or overblown, all of that audible spectrum is dare I say, almost ruler flat in response but you shouldn’t interpret those words as these cables being boring or lacklustre, far from it in fact . On the contrary, they offer sparkle and dynamics, but in a rather grown up sophisticated kind of way, which I am sure will find many admirers, myself amongst them.

Build Quality: The looks and build are above average, but that’s not the reason you would buy these cables.

Sound Quality: I will give this rating in reverse:  I couldn’t fault them in sound terms.

Value For Money:  Very good bang for the buck product and you wouldn’t want to upgrade.

Pros: The best thing about these cables is they live at the back of the rack and simply do the job they were bought for, with no fuss or fireworks.

Cons: Sound, build, value, all good, but come resale time they are not fast sellers because of their unfamiliarity in the market – regrettably and hopefully this review addresses that in some small way.

Price: Speaker cable 2450 Euros for a 2 metre pair and Balanced XLR interconnects priced at 1950 Euros for a 1 metre pair;

Dominic Marsh

Hifi Pig review of the latest cable from innovative UK company Wire On Wire. This time it is their 660 speaker cable that has, to say the least, an interesting, and configurable, geometry. Contains a video of the owner of Wire On Wire explaining the concept behind his cables. 

Regular Hifi Pig readers may recall that I reviewed the Wire On Wire interconnects a while ago and so we now move on to their Experience 660s loudspeaker cables.

CONSTRUCTION

As the loudspeaker cable’s construction follows along a similar path to their interconnects, I have copied some paragraphs from the interconnect review:

At first look it looks like something a drunk spider has fabricated after a generous glug of some home brew with what appears at first sight to be a haphazard weave pattern, but look past that and you find a cable that obviously has great attention paid to its construction.  Anyone can do a simple three strand plait weave blindfolded, but this cable is a lot more complex than that and according to the designer Chris Bell it took an inordinate amount of research and experiment into arriving at this final design. The resultant geometry is called “REDpurl” and I understand that a patent has been applied for and pending  (GB1602578.5).

Most of us will (hopefully) know that  resistance, capacitance and inductance are all traits inherent in any speaker or interconnect cable and whilst resistance remains fairly constant dependent on wire metallurgy, tamper with capacitance parameters and inductance falls victim to that and vice versa.  Some designers rely on those two parameters to shape the final sound but it is fixed once the cable is manufactured into the final product.  Wire On Wire decided that there was an opportunity to manipulate these parameters in their favour and also allow the end user to do likewise by a simple yet ingenious method of adding or subtracting spacers to vary the geometry of the weave pattern. These spacers are not introduced randomly, they are allocated at predetermined intervals or “nodes” along the length of the cable.  A well laid out handbook explains where within in the cable length the spacers should be introduced (or subtracted) as required.

Wire On Wire have chosen silver plated copper conductors despite this configuration having a reputation for having a sharp edgy treble performance, but that is mostly earned by cheap silver plated copper wires and many leading cable manufacturers also use this combination of silver plating and copper core to good effect, so that reputation is rather too generalist, applied with a very broad brush and perhaps not applicable to all silver plated copper wires.  Although not actually measured, the conductors themselves appear to be of different diameters, some with a red outer insulating jacket to preserve polarity for termination, which can be either 4mm banana plugs or spade terminals. Insulation is by PTFE.  The spacers are manufactured from black plastic and appear to be a custom molding.

SOUND QUALITY

The review sample was received in a “naked” state with no spacers actually installed, with spacers attached by cable ties in the appropriate places to make my life a bit easier for the initial listening tests.

My first impression of them was very good, the sound being evenly balanced throughout the audible spectrum, nothing untoward manifesting itself in the sound, which before any running in period was commendable.  Without any instructions to the contrary, I allowed 50 hours of running in time before I commenced the actual evaluation.

My resident speaker cables are by Studio Connections and the Wire on Wire Experience 660s almost  matched them in sound quality, much to my surprise. I then had to ask the question could I wring some more performance from the Experience 660 cables by tailoring the sound with the spacers in situ?

Bearing in mind that other people’s results may vary considerably, with many factors to consider like system components and listening preferences to name just two. The best I can therefore achieve is to convey to you the results that I obtained.

Now for some music and into the CD drawer went my reference recording in the shape of Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album and that has many cues that puts any hifi components through their paces for me. The first is the ambiances recorded at each venue of Fink’s European tour to perform this music selection where each has its own unique reverberation and of course, each audience too has its own signature in the way they cheer and applaud the performance. I would expect to hear each as unique and the Wire On Wire cable performed this with ease, so you could easily tell the capacity of each theatre by that ambiance. Imaging width and depth was very good, with steady instrument placement in the sound-stage.  Bass however was just the tiniest fraction behind my resident cable and almost mustered the definition and shape of bass notes the resident cable can portray down in the lowest registers.  Mid-band was equally as clear and lucid – male and female voices too for that matter was certainly on a par between the two cables. I went through most of my CD collection over a period of two weeks and then I felt the time was right to introduce the full “spacered” up variant of the Experience 660 speaker cables.

The sound to me was a fair bit away from what I heard from the “naked” cable;  what was a sweet and natural sound from the bare cable took on a tiny amount of edginess and that didn’t surprise me at all because the Quadral speakers already ran that knife edge of treble detail between just perfect and leaning towards a slight brightness artifact.  Very similar results in the mid-band too which I attribute entirely to the Quadral’s ability to seek out even the smallest details and inflections.  Bass definition and coherence was always right on the mark no matter what spacers were installed.  However, Wire On Wire suggest inserting the spacers into nodes 5, 12 and 26, which sure enough produced a marked uplift in image definition and depth.

Thankfully, Wire On Wire thoughtfully provide a handbook that shows how to tune the cable by subtracting and adding their plastic spacers to the cable, the nodes being numbered and counted off from the source end, no matter which way round the cable is initially installed.

AT A GLANCE

CONCLUSION

Wire On Wire’s website has an anecdote about Chris Bell’s cables which says their product HAS to sound good or the man will be locked in the shed until it does. He obviously has been let out on good behavior.

I recall that the Wire On Wire Experience 680 interconnect I also reviewed sounded at its best in my system without any spacers being added at all in the final analysis.  To be honest I didn’t altogether relish another review which meant I spent many a long hour putting spacers in and out with the Experience 660s speaker cable, only to find I preferred it best sounding with no spacers at all in the “naked” configuration, like the interconnect.  Having such a revealing speaker used during the evaluation that was already running at peak performance showed up how little change was needed to provoke the sound a bit over the top, which with any other “normal” run of the mill speaker wouldn’t exhibit.

I will then sum up this review with the statement that it was a real pleasure to evaluate a cable that actually did what it said on the tin it would do, at least during the time I had them.  That increase in image definition and depth was claimed and executed so that is a real milestone in a reviewer’s experience of cables and makes worrying about “synergy” almost redundant.

Build Quality:   A real tour-de-force in hand-built cable geometry.

Sound Quality:   It isn’t a static entity like other cables, so it’s within your power to achieve the sound you want. Hifi Pig’s editor Stuart was very impressed with the WoW demo at the Cranage 2017 hiffi show.

Value For Money:  Good quality wire hand built with a complex weave pattern from scratch will never be cheap.

Pros:  Great sound already and able to be tuned to suit, so what’s not to like?

Cons:  Cannot think of any.  Get them on your audition list, I say.

Price: (2m length pair with 4mm banana plugs) £480.00.

D. Marsh

Submitted by email for editing and publication 21st February 2018. 

Watch the video of Chris Bell explaining the concept of his cables

David Robson takes a listen to the relatively budget “The Element Superior” interconnect from Scottish brand Atlas Cables costing £72.50 for a 1 metre pair.

It’s been a little while since I’ve had some Atlas cables in for review, and I was pleased when Andy from Atlas made contact and asked if I would take on a pair of the new Element Superior RCA’s by Atlas Cables Ltd originating and operating from Kilmarnock in Scotland since 2001, and making some of my favorite no-nonsense cables.

When new cables are developed or a new line introduced, there is always something in their make-up that is a little different from their predecessors or peers. This cable has some new technology incorporated within that is sure to boost the performance, without taking it out of it perceived value for money foothold within the marketplace.

CONSTRUCTION

The new technology incorporated here is in their joining of the conductor to the RCA plugs. There are several ways to do this, soldering, crimping and compression screws. There are pros and cons to all styles of connection, the ultimate aim for whatever connection used, it’s to have as little effect of the signal path and purity as possible, adding or taking nothing away from the music being replayed. Atlas have researched and invested in some new equipment to address this issue and have found “Cold Weld Crimping” has won out over soldering on listening tests. This, incorporated with the 100% calibrated compression fittings for both the signal and return conductors has they say, very little or no effect on the characteristics of the cable. The internal copper cable has been increased by 20% to aid in giving a natural character to the sound. This sits wrapped in a stabilised foamed and polyethylene dialectric and polyethylene outer. The cables have their own brand non-conductive “Integra” RCA plugs as terminations. These I have found to be very good on the other Atlas cables I have tried in my little man-cave.

SOUND

Out the box these  cables are silver gray in appearance and quite flexible. The Integra RCA plugs look very nice and quite classy. There is no directionality printed on the cable so I hook them up in the direction of the printed writing on the cable sheathing. I hook The Element Superior up to my Dac, they slip on effortlessly and feel secure and in no way easily dislodged. Left for a good 72-100 hrs to settle them in, I pop Derrin Nauendorf’s “Natural” album into the CD Transport. The Atlas cables are attached to the pre-amp via a digital coax and DAC then the Atlas superior to the Pre Amp.

Normally when I have a cable change there is an immediate change to my usual sound, there was very little change from my reference. The sound came across smooth and sleek, no obvious peaks or troughs. Mr Nauendorf’s song “ Too Much Wine” where the track is guitar and drum led with a smattering of percussion came crashing crisp from my set up, the leading edge to his guitar was sharp without being ice hard. The transients had finesse and lasting realistic decay. “I Won’t Turn My Back” sees a single acoustic guitar and vocal come stirring out from an inky blackness. The weight of the strings comes across as clean as you would like, the Atlas Element Superior delivering just the right amount of detail to put it up there in the big league. Again, vocal bass weight is delivered with a great realism and has Mr N’s words hanging out in smack in the centre of the performance.

Swapping to an old classic, Dire Straits “Telegraph Road” The title track is atmospheric, the delicate nuances of the intro carry out of the speakers with deft lightness, the accompanying low bass rumble is tight and clean the rumble of thunder some way off in fantasy land, no fuzziness to the tonal delivery. Once into the vocals the Element Superior has great separation, music and voice in an open space, with individual instruments easily followed. During music with quiet passages you can hear a slight background noise with some lesser cables, the Element superior doesn’t suffer this fate I’m glad to say! This effect would spoil the delivery of “Private Investigations” again a atmospheric and haunting track, the Atlas brings this all together in a coherent musical story. The sound effects of breaking glass and shoe fall on paving stones is portrayed with texture and realism, not a crunch and scrape. For the cost of this cable it can easily play with some other higher priced alternatives. Together with the detail the verve this cable puts out keeps rhythm and fun factor going and keeps you focused on the passages of music and song, it carries enough bass weight and bounce so not to sound lifeless or sterile. “Industrial Disease” is a track that has this effect plenty going on to get your teeth into. The sound effect of air escaping throughout the track can become irritating as it seems out of time with the beat at times but it’s not harsh or piercing and becomes part of the entertainment. A very enjoyable experience.

CONCLUSION

This is yet another great cable from Atlas. It’s well constructed and falls well into where it’s aimed at in the market. Seems to have the balance just right. If you’re looking to take a safe step into the “better” cable market this is an excellent starting point. If you’re already moving up that Hifi ladder this cable won’t unbalance your sound, will in many ways enhance it.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Excellent, and surpasses its price point.

Sound Quality: Easy going, detailed and neutral sound. No elements that would make me worry about adding it to any system.

Value For Money: Another great cable from Atlas. Putting those on the road with a view to their first foray into cable upgrading onto the right path for very little outlay.

Pros: Great, even and balanced sound. Clean and neutral and doesn’t try to impress in any one area.

Cons: Nothing of note. Does everything it should and nothing it shouldn’t at this price.

Price: £72.50

David Robson

Ian Ringstead tries out the Tellurium Q Ultra Black XLR interconnects costing £540 for a 1m pair. 

I recently reviewed the Tellurium Q Black II speaker cables and was highly impressed by them. Geoff  Merrigan rang me recently and asked if i’d care to try their Ultra Black interconnects as I now had the Ultra Black speaker cables in my system. Of course, I said yes and promptly received a set of XLR to XLR 1.5 metre cables to use between my ATC pre and Jeff Rowland 112 power amp. Trying out cables at this price is perfectly valid i believe when you have appropriate quality kit and so I happily burnt them in and then started to listen.

I must say the build quality is excellent, as it should be but these give the customer pride of ownership and longevity of use. I used to sell all kinds of interconnects and it was amazing how they differed in quality of build and materials used. Obviously, the cheaper ones weren’t as durable and if used for demonstrations they usually failed after a few months. Of course, in a domestic situation you wouldn’t be changing them all the time, but even so it inspires confidence if they are built to last.

Geoff is naturally secretive about how his cables are made and what’s in them, but states how they are designed on solid scientific principles and not alchemy. They act as filters and dependant on the materials used do sound different. To be honest I don’t mind not having any idea what the cables make-up is and I think it’s just a question of using your gut instincts and experience in materials technology and experimenting with different designs based on your given approach. Jean Hiraga many years ago highlighted that cables sounded different when it was all flat earth and only certain cables were recommended. I like many became intrigued and have ever since tried many combinations from cheap to relatively expensive cables, including interconnects, power cables and loudspeaker cables

I approach cable reviews with as much objectivity as I can. Do they make a difference and indeed is there an improvement in the sound? If they don’t improve the sound, which is the main aim here, then what’s the point. My close friend reckons if a cable is made of quality copper then that’s all that matters and this cannot be improved upon…needless to say I disagree with this point of view and I keep an open mind and use my ears to decide. He is a sceptic and won’t be swayed by any snake oil or wild claims about cable qualities.

I do use good cables and won’t compromise given the level of my ancillary equipment, so the Ultra Blacks from TQ were a welcome addition. Immediately on connecting them up I noticed how clear and detailed they sounded in comparison to my previous cables, complimenting the rest of the system very nicely indeed. My Audio Physic Avanti’s have exceptional imaging capabilities and with these cables in place I was given an even more three dimensional image. Integration from the very top the very lowest frequencies was seamless with a lovely open mid-range that benefited vocals and acoustic instruments. It’s the tiny details and intricacies that make the difference for me when I listen to recordings I think I know inside out and suddenly hear new things and here these details I certainly did with the Ultra Blacks in place. Equipment takes it part here, but cables are the glue that hold it all together I believe and these cables pull an already very good system together to sound greater than the sum of its parts. The Ultra Blacks are not TQ’s top level cable so if these sounds so good then what must the one’s further up the range sound like? (Here’s a review of Tellurium Q’s Silver Diamond interconnects and speaker cables – Ed) Until you hear the better cables you don’t know what you are missing, but once you do hear the improvements, as plainly heard here with these cables, it is very difficult to go back to a lesser cable.

The Ultra Blacks along with matching speaker cables naturally worked in harmony and it is well known that matching cable looms are recommended as the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts and I heartily recommend that if you own the interconnect or speaker cables then you should seriously consider the full loom. I had no problem listening for hours to my system and boredom never crept in, a good sign in my book. So often cable can increase sibilant frequencies or artificially bloat the bass to the point where it sounds unnatural and artificial…not so with these cables.

Sound-wise the Ultra Blacks worked supremely well. Take Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells Two album. I love this reworking of the classic original that everyone will know and prefer it in many ways. As he plays all the instruments and mixes them it is a tour de force of musical achievement. Dynamically it has big swings and the cables clearly showed and highlighted this and could react along with my power amp to the sudden changes in level and intensity. There are a lot of subtle parts in this album; bells, various guitars, keyboard effects etc. and the mix is very complex. If you listen to it on a cheap system you certainly miss all the subtleties and detail and you don’t realise what you are missing until you hear it properly. The Ultra Blacks could unpick the mix like a difficult puzzle and reveal the answers with great aplomb. The Ultra Blacks do a fabulous job of unravelling all the signals and nuances in a recording. 

CONCLUSION

The Ultra Blacks are a conduit to the sound like a motorway (on a good day) compared to a B road. In other words, they allow you to have a faster and more enjoyable journey than on the inferior roads. The Ultra Blacks aren’t cheap and only you the customer can make the decision on whether they are worth the asking price, but my experience with them was very positive indeed. Any dealer worth their salt should allow you to trial them at home in your system to see if they work as you want them to and I heartily recommend that the Ultra Blacks are on your audition list if you are looking for interconnects in this price range. Not everyone has the same tastes in sound and presentation. Believe me I know from my retailing experiences how people differ dramatically at times in perception and expectations of a sound and system balances. The Ultra Blacks for me did just what I wanted them to do and that is to be honest and truthful to the recording, neither highlighting nor hiding anything.

AT A GLANCE 

Build Quality: Excellent for the price.

Sound Quality: Natural, open and detailed. 

Value for Money:  Excellent compared to some far more expensive cables I have heard. 

Pros: If you have a good system then it deserves great cables like the TQ Ultra Blacks. Neutral and natural presentation. 

 Cons: None other than they aren’t cheap, but still offer great value against some other brands.

Price £540 for a 1m pair.

Ian Ringstead

Copyright Hifi Pig 

No part of this review may be published in part or in full without the prior consent of the editor of Hifi Pig 

David Robinson takes a listen to the new Gekko Cables Purple Haze interconnects that have a unique construction and cost £2499 for a one metre pair. 

Having watched Gekko Cables over the last few years grow, and having the pleasure to meet their creator and designer Boban Djurdjevic, I have also had several of his cables in for upgrade auditions on my equipment during a resent spate of upgrades. I am quite used to the standards of workmanship and sounds these cables provide. Here though today I will be reviewing and testing one of Gekko’s top of range cables the Purple Haze in RCA form.

CONSTRUCTION 

The Purple Haze arrives in a smart Aluminium carry case, and within it sits in some secure foam liners. Purple in name and purple in colour the cable is encased in a woven cotton like jacket that is actually polypropylene, there are wooden collars on the cables themselves with the company logo imprinted into them, but for a first time for me the RCA’s at each terminal end are also encased in wood, each held in place by a tiny screw. There are directional arrows imprinted into the wooden sheath to advise on which way round these cables should be inserted into the chain of electronics. The cables are very flexible and should offer no problems whatsoever fitting around equipment or other cabling.

There are two internal pure silver (99.99) AWG 26 cables insulated and laid down in a twisted and woven geometry style. Each wire is individually shielded in PTFE and then covered in a cotton dialectic outer then all is encased within its distinctive purple woven jacket.

Hmmmm nothing too special in that on first glance you may say. The very interesting part to these Gekko Purple Haze cables lies within the quite unique construction of their RCA’s. Here is where Boban has worked some magic, and has a patent pending design on how your music arrives to the terminals on your equipment. Apart from the Silver wires there is no other conductive material involved in these RCA’s. Gekko has made the inner part of the plug from a non-conductive plastic. Here you will see the raw silver cable, cleverly wound round the center pin of the RCA while at the edges there are two other silver cables pinched to the side walls. The idea here is that no soldering, crimping or screw fittings are able to effect sound quality and only the bare wires make the electronic connections. This is as close to “Hot wiring” your hifi as you can get! Now I really like the idea of minimalist connections, the simpler the better for me. Although this design is anything but simple, the fact that the bare wires connect your equipment makes sense to me, and wondering why I’ve not seen this before? Having had a good look at these raw conductors I can say they are quite solid in their plugs, I was worried that maybe they would be easily dislodged, but it would take some heavy handedness to mess them up.

The cables do feel quite different to standard RCA’s when you insert them though, they feel quite soft n squidgy, but a good push n twizzle gets them in place. One end of the RCA’s wooden shrouds have been shaved down to allow them to be used where the receiving RCA sockets are close together as the wood is quite thick. The cables are also marked for directionality, whether you believe in this or not it allows consistency when fitting.

SOUND QUALITY

Having the Purple Haze running in the background for a few weeks while doing other reviews has them well and truly burnt or bedded in, although advice was a couple of days. So first impressions? Well I was expecting a bit of harshness that I have experienced before with silver and silver hybrid cabling. Not so here, a mellow and smooth outlook appearing between the speakers. Spinning a few of Keb’ Mo’s albums first, superbly recorded, vocals and guitar are the star of the show. My system errs on the side of warm and smooth and this cable sits in well and compliments the other members of the family system. Sounds and instruments are well separated, and sit in an inky black soundscape. This is a similar effect that fitting XLR cables has. A very quiet and soundless background presentation, thus providing an excellent opportunity to fill that clean space with extra details, or at least make those details more apparent. As much as I’m used to a 3D experience, the Gekko cables give instruments a slightly more space to express themselves in. The multi-dimensional feel gives to me what surmounts to a new level of listening pleasure. There are instruments now that although where always there, now have more of a purpose than being just an also ran.

Vocally the Purple Haze has tonality and texture spot on, there is a good level of feeling and emotion conveyed through the detailed midrange, running some Corinne Bailey Rea and Joan Osbourne for the female side of the coin has the speakers dripping with soulful and rounded sounds of Rea, and yet keeps things from getting too hard and harsh with some of the tracks from Ms Osbourne, which I have found some silver cables can stray into when pushed with a bit of volume, not so here.

Bass is nice and full, an increase from my standard cabling and making it fee a bit deeper and there is a slight softening and bloating to the edges, not really smeared though, just rounded and fat. This only occurs at the lower registers as tight bass guitars are juicy and easily followed, as are the bass drum kicks that have a taut venom to the sound. The top end of the scale has percussion perceived with proper metal textures and feel, crisp and believable sounds are emitted and none of that soft shushy, mushy or indistinct sounds and the timbre and decay of notes are correct to my ears. The openness that the Purple Haze brings has those sounds sited very clear in the soundstage without being pushed too far forward to become out of joint with the rest of the music or other instruments, which is quite a nice experience to behold.

CONCLUSION 

For those who like the minimalist approach this could be your Valhalla. The Purple Haze has a unique build quality in the fact that the RCA holds the bare wires that carries the signals between your equipment. This approach delivers a clearer sonic picture and If silver cabling suits your system and you want to hear the sound pure silver can deliver then this set of cables by Gekko may well be the final bit of icing on your cake.

AT A GLANCE 

Build Quality: Super hand-made build quality, first rate workmanship and unique design.

Sound Quality: The Purple Haze has that quality where you know your missing nothing from the music and your hearing nothing added to the music, that extra level of depth and separation is an appreciated asset, although a technical step up, it’s a simple concept that I believe holds nothing back from what goes through those silver wires. Although a slightly softer low end sound than I’m used to.

Value for money: Gekko Purple Haze is an innovative and new product, the research and development involved was never going to put this cable in the bargain bucket category, and it’s price tag will put it out of reach for the vast majority. This cable falls into the exotic box, only a lucky few will need to audition this cable, but if your in the market to drain the last ounce of performance from your high end system, this must be on your list of cables to try. It brings many qualities to the table and is in the running sonically with similar priced kit.

Pros: Build Quality, Extra depth and detail.

Cons: Unusual design. Bare wiring, may not sit well with some. Soft lower Bass sound.

Price: £2499

David Robson

Review Equipment: Mytek Brooklyn Pre/dac, (with Sbooster linear power supply), Nord NC500 Power Amp, Oppo UDP 205 (used as CD). Wilson Benesch Arc Speakers. Black Cat Redline Tube Speaker Cable. Russ Andrews Yellow Power Cables.

Titan Audio, A relatively new company, starting out in 2013 and based in Northern Ireland with a passion for getting the best mains power to your HiFi equipment. Not only do Titan strive to construct the very best power cables and connections, they back their work up with a “Lifetime” guarantee too. Here Dave Robson will be be testing their Styx Power Distribution Block and the first three power cables in their line up. The Styx, Tyco and Helios power cables.

CONSTRUCTION 

Styx Power Distribution Block. (£150) 

The Styx Power Distribution Block, is a relatively slim and lightweight affair. It is constructed from aluminium with acrylic ends which also form the feet for the module. Fit and finish is excellent, the Titan Audio logo embedded into the acrylic is a nice touch and although quite simple in external design there is a quality look and feel to the product. It’s inside the Styx Block where the technology surpasses some of the other distribution blocks on the market. Now I’m to expert when it comes to “electric-trickery” so I’m not going to try and bamboozle you with science, but most power blocks use a “Bus-bar” to distribute the electric within the block, this takes the electric connection at one end and then the other plug sockets run off that supply. Not so here, the Styx sockets are individually hand wired with OFCC copper cable so that the supply of the current is the same to the first socket and through to the last socket. This ensures each component attached has the same supply and does not degrade sound quality down the power supply chain.

You need to fit a separate power cable to the Styx and as the company have sent me several cables I choose to use their “Helios” power cable, as this can supply double current to the other cables here due to the amount of copper used in it’s construction. The operation of inserting the plugs into the sockets is a fuss free affair, and feels secure on all sockets with no variation in tightness or tension.

Styx Power Cable 1m. (£50).

The Styx Power Cable is the base model in the Titan line up, it offers an entry onto the upgrade path and it’s main intention is for use with ancillary equipment like CD players etc. Fit and finish on the Styx Power Cable is fantastic. Even though this is the base model in the line up, there is still an individual reference number where you can register your product for it’s “Lifetime” guarantee. The Styx has a three core construction, each using 30 x 0.25 strand OFCC copper cabling. It has extruded PVC and galvanised steel braid internally and finished in a classy black and green woven outer jacket, all there to reduce RFI and EMI interference. The IEC plug has Copper pins and all plugs are screw fixed and hand tightened, no solder involved in their construction, which may reduce final sound quality.

Tyco Power Cable 1.5m (£100).

The Tyco Power Cable is of the same excellent finish as the previous cable and distribution block. The cable I have here is the standard 1.5m version but longer lengths are available. The cable is constructed with the inner OFCC cores laid out in a twisted pattern and shielded in PTFE outer and shrouded in a polythene woven jacket. The plugs on the Tyco can be either UK, Shuko or US type, at the component end is a Wattgate style plug, and all plugs are cryogenically treated. The Wattgate plugs fit positively and snugly within their housing and give a secure connection.

Helios Power Cable. (£175).

The Helios Power Cables comes third in line, no need to elaborate on the build as I’m accustomed to the qualities and attention to detail the artisans at Titan purvey. The Helios has been designed to supply a greater current delivery, so perfect for Power Amplifiers and A/V equipment alike. Its use is also recommended for plugging into the Styx Power Block where several pieces of equipment may be plugged in and drawing on power from your mains. Like all cables in this series there is plenty of shielding to reduce EFI and RFI interference and the smart clear blue plugs are cryogenically treated. The only downside to these “Hosepipe” type cables is that they are all quite stiff and don’t bend and twist easily, that’s the same for all manufacturers so quite normal.

SOUND QUALITY 

After following the advice from the very knowledgable guys at Titan I decided to wire up my system and their cables using the Helios Power Cable to supply the Titan Power Block, the Tyco to supply my power amplifier, and the rest of the Styx Power Cables to supply the power supply to the Dac and the CD Transport. My thought was to swap the power to the Amplifier which is sensitive to where or what it is getting its power from between the wall socket and the Styx Block.

After a week or two of occasional listening I took on some serious listening sessions. My initial thoughts over the previous days where positive, the sound had settled quickly. My other Power supplies were of a good standard and upgrades from the supplied ones, all identical and all wall mounted. When I had my listening space built I had quite a few sockets fitted and a mains spur and consumer unit fitted, so new and hopefully clean electric to the system.

Clean and clear, my thoughts on these Titan products, playing several of my favourite test tracks and albums, I had the feeling of a little lift to the whole performance. A deeper and wider presentation with more breathing space between instruments and vocals. This was making the ambiance of the listening experience feel like you where being sucked into the recording that little bit more than usual, this is more evident especially with pseudo live recordings.

The amplifier came across as quite relaxed with the Tyco, a certain improvement over my usual cable. Bass notes where taut without being unnatural or fluffy, a defined edge and form made the music flow, there was a little more depth to each note and my blues and funk compilation loved it. The top end came across as sparkling and shiny without any brashness or hardness becoming evident.

The supplied bundle of Titan cables certainly seeming to work very well together, the “In-House” synergy seems to be alive and well and complimenting my system and the music. John Martyn “Church With One Bell”, Sade “Stronger Than Pride”, Eva Cassidy “Nightbird” and Steely Dan “Gaucho” among some albums playing. Nothing of my usual fare seemed odd or out of tune using the Titan cables, just a level and natural lift of the enjoyment levels, with the sonics keeping your ears fixed to what the music was saying to your senses. As the hours of listening ticked by, the whole experience became more and more enjoyable, whether that was me getting used to the little nuances now audible or the set of cables bedding in further and further I can’s comment

One late night session, when all was chilled, relaxed and quiet, I came to a moment with my John Martyn recording, everything just clicked into place, the volume was set that tiny bit higher than normal, the music just opened up and he was there! The soundstage was wide and deep, I was inside the music, all the pain and emotion in his voice was quite evident, the instruments all doing their part to attend the the needs of the recording. Quite a surreal moment when you know you have never heard a better sound from that album on your system, and yes it did make me swear out loud! Any number of variables may have gotten me to arrive at this point that night, but the Titan cables, used in their recommended formation really has to be the common denominator for my little epiphany.

CONCLUSION 

Titan Audio Cables have done a brilliant job in assembling a set of cables that for not a bank breaking amount can lift and enhance your listening experience. Whatever methods and materials they have incorporated into their designs, this adds up to something that works for me. If you are just starting out looking at upgrading your power cable supplies, then the Styx will be my go to recommendation. The Styx Power Block again, is superb, as it doesn’t seem to effect the sound any differently than if equipment is plugged into the wall socket, which is exactly what you want. My Amplifier is quite sensitive to where it is plugged into, the sound can either shift leaner or heavier or tinnier and hard depending on its connection. There was no noticeable difference when it was connected to the Styx block with the Helios as its electric supply partner. This for me is a little holy grail and knowing there is a solution to connection issues if they arrive is a reassurance.

AT A GLANCE 

A well built set of cables that do exactly what you want. Competitively priced and should be on your audition list.

Build Quality:  

Excellent fit and finish and attention to detail.

Sound Quality: 

These Titan Audio cables in the formation recommended proved an enhancement to my system and thus listening experience. Very neutral and balanced, throwing nothing unusual or distasteful into the final sound, giving the equipment the clean feed of power it needed. That little lift to the sound we all appreciate.

Value For Money: 

Excellent value for money, the little extra brought to the game could and possibly would have cost a fair bit more if equipment swapping where to take place. Sometimes the simple things can reap great rewards.

Pros:

Great sound, great value for money, and a good family sound that has synergy with its stablemates. The added “Lifetime Guarantee” gives peace of mind and customer commitment. 

Cons:

The larger diameter cables are a little stiff and unwieldy as all the heavy tube style cables are. My only real gripe is that the Styx Power Block connects it main power cable from above and not at the end laterally. This reduces the “length” of cable reach. It also makes the block tilt and fall depending on the thickness of cable your supplying power with.

David Robson

Review Equipment.

Mytek Brooklyn Pre/dac, (with Sbooster linear power supply), Nord NC500 Power Amp, Oppo UDP 205 (used as Transport). Wilson Benesch Arc Speakers. Chord Shawline Digital Coax. Black Cat Redline Tube Speaker Cable.

Janine Elliot takes a look at the innovative IsoTek Evo Ascension C15 mains cable costing £3000.

I like a challenge; the most jam doughnuts I can swallow in a minute, or the furthest I can swim underwater. Whilst reviewing interconnects can be fairly easy, mains cables are much more of a challenge. It’s not so easy to do A-B comparisons, and it’s not going to be possible to change all the mains leads of your equipment in a review. IsoTek don’t make any interconnects, but they do know a thing or three on mains conditioners and mains cables. I saw their EVO 3 Ascension at The Festival of Sound show in Hammersmith, a very serious looking cable with such a large girth it would do well as cable on a suspension bridge. Coming in a cool purple colour and 20mm physique it is available in choice of connecting options, including IEC C15 or 19, Schuko, Australia, UK or USA plugs. This is no ordinary mains cable, and significantly more complicated than the ones I helped design for Tacima, even if I was proud of them.  This cable is at the top of the range coming in at £3000 making it pricier than many conditioners or balanced mains units.

I must own a dozen makes of audiophile mains leads and 5 different mains conditioners, so I am rather OCD on RFI’s and EMI’s. I wanted to see if this heavyweight product was worth the price. I tested it connected to the input of my top conditioner as well as directly to equipment, such as CD player and phono stage. Looking at the build quality and components alone make this money well spent, and anyone with serious kit in their home should consider quality cabling. Unfortunately, many audiophiles refrain from spending their hard-earned cash on serious cabling, despite the fact that it makes such a difference to the overall sound. Bear in mind that much of the stuff inside all their Hifi is actually wiring, anyway. It is good to see some companies taking mains leads seriously, with GamuT for example now supplying all their products with IsoTek mains leads rather than off-the-shelf kettle leads. They realise that cabling affects the overall sound even with onboard complex mains supply and smoothing capacitors.

CONSTRUCTION

The wiring in this unique design consists of 4.0sqmm silver plated continuous cast copper conductors made by OHNO, deep cryogenically treated by being cooled down to -196°C (the temperature of liquid nitrogen). These cables also offer a greater level of purity than conventional OFC cable. The geometry and metallurgy used in this cable is designed to offer superb performance with impressive electrical conductivity. The cable is surrounded by a coiled dielectric of FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene, better known as Teflon) tubing in order to give an air-space and the closest thing to the perfect dielectric; a vacuum. The virtual air dielectric (or VAD barrier, as they call it) offers a constant (k) of just 1.05, and FEP is also actually a good dielectric itself with a coefficient of 2.1. Each of the individual conductor assemblies is wrapped in Mylar to offer further shielding as well as being a further barrier against RFI. These three assemblies are combined with even more shielding supplied by three FEP tubes of air, helping to maintain that low dielectric constancy plus aiding cable construction stability. The outer jacket is made of purple PVC in order to give flexibility, mechanical damping and strength. For £3000 I would have preferred a woven outer jacket added just to make it look a bit more expensive. Termination at one end is supplied using IsoTek’s bespoke ultra-high-grade audiophile connectors of solid OFC with pure silver-plated conductors to offer the highest level of conductivity and quality performance. The other end was supplied with a Furutech 3-pin mains plug. I love these as they are easy to grab hold of to unplug from the wall, unlike conventional MK-type plugs.

No surprise, it takes between 8-12 weeks to make each cable, including procurement, fabrication time and testing.  Termination of the cable is also a lengthy process, including hours spent carefully isolating each conductor shield to earth, and then termination and final testing. The plugs used in these cables are made to exceptionally high standards and are large, not least because the cabling is so thick it needed to be big enough to allow conductors and sheath to fit inside. However, being so large might cause problems connecting to your Hifi if the platform or stand is close to a wall. Similarly, both cable and pluggery is very heavy, so if your CD player or DAC box is mostly full of air it might tip it up!

SOUND QUALITY

My first listening was using the cable with my self-designed mains conditioning unit. I know just how that sounds with all my sources connected, so made for a good starting point. We might be turning against CD as a source, but the Krell KPS20i is an exceptional player, largely due to the Philips CDM 9 Pro transport and some very clever thinking electronics. Vincent Belanger’s newly released ‘Pure Cello’ from Audio Note Music is available on vinyl and CD. It is excellently recorded at the Chapel at Pomfret School in Pomfret CT, using a pair of Lauton Audio Horizon microphones at close-proximity in XY configuration plus two DPA omnidirectional microphones further back for natural sounding room acoustics. The close mic’ing not only allows a detailed retrieval of the playing but also of Vincent’s concentration with spurious noises emanating from him throughout the performance. What the Evo 3 did more than anything was retrieve even more information such as noises from the bow hitting the strings and a clearer sense of the harmonics. Moreover, the noise floor was even lower. This world premiere performance of Grutzmacher’s ‘Elite Etuden’, which he wrote as concert encores, was even more enjoyable than I expected on CD. This series of 12 pieces use every part of the cello’s range from lowest C to the very highest notes, and due to its complexity most cellists wouldn’t even attempt them. This recording contains four of the best.  I also noticed a greater depth of soundstage and dynamic range in the music, allowing the music to come through with better detail and timing. When the mains unit was used directly to the CD player, that performance was even better. Precision from the violin solo in Vivaldi’s violin concerto in B minor (RV.386) from Mike Valentine’s “Vivaldi in Venice” made the music come to life and added depth to the bass provided by the hall’s reverb in this excellent recording, plus increased space between instruments and lowered noise-floor gave me faith in digits from this fervent analogue diehard.  

Turning right on cue to vinyl I wanted to test further the increased noise floor in operation with a low-level source that can be prone to hum or interference, and no surprise the EVO 3 Ascension added to that noise floor with a clearer depth to the soundstage and more detail to the sound. Playing STS’s excellent live recording ‘Harbour Jazzband’ recorded on their prize Philips reel-to-reel recorder on 1^st October 2017 the sound was precise, and I felt I was there in the audience, though as a trad pianist I wished I had actually been playing keyboard. There was a definite improvement in dynamic range as well as no interference from all the other wires that are my spaghetti junction behind the audio separates. Just wish the EVO was easier to manoeuvre behind the equipment; such a complex design means it doesn’t “bend” as easily as lesser cables. “Potato Head Blues” (Louis Armstrong) had some excellent banjo, clarinet, trombone, piano and bass solo work which was allowed to breathe in this performance, and trumpet fortes were given their full range with no compression or fatigue. Each instrument had its own space and time.  Vocals from Greetje Kauffeld on STS’s album titled ‘On My Way to the 30^th Analog Forum Anniversary’ were smooth as silk and the soundstage so open and clear that I couldn’t believe that a length of mains cable could actually make such a difference, but I was converted after only a few minutes. With so much wiring behind all my Hifi – and yes, I know I should keep it nice and tidy – it isn’t always possible to prevent wires from coming into close proximity with any other, but this purple cable made this less of a worry for me. It picked up nothing from any other cable around it.

Turning from my main system to my digital source and Slee Majestic DAC/Pre-amp I decided to play my 24/192 rendition of Eagles ‘Hotel California’. This album can sound rather prominent in the mid-frequencies, but the Ascension was able to ‘eek’ out extra depth from the bass and an overall increase in information from vocals and percussion. Turning to Dire Straits ‘Brothers in Arms’ opening track “So far away from Me” the percussion had more speed and vocals were even tighter. Changing the scene to Sibelius’s picturesque Second Symphony opening Allegretto (Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle) the soundstage ‘opened up’ even further for me to get inside even more detail from the music, with increased resolution, a bit like watching HD tTV and then moving up to 4K. The Ascension doesn’t “add” anything to the music, rather it just retrieves more of it. I’m glad IsoTek don’t make interconnects or loudspeaker cables. Their forte is power, and this Ascension is a powerful product worthy of adding to your hIfi if you can afford it. Just remember that you might need to pull out your KIT from near to the wall in order to connect it all up.

CONCLUSION

I was sceptical that a mains cable could need to be £3000, and then I tried it. The extra depth to soundstage, increased speed of presentation and reduced noise floor quickly converted me to its magical powers. Ascension is definitely the right name for this product as it allows all areas of music playback to ascend to levels not experienced before and transcends all other mains cables I have yet tried. Now, whether you have £3000 to spend is another matter, but if you’re serious about your music then you might consider it well worth trying it out.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Excellent build, especially internally, and with excellent quality connectors.

Sound Quality:  Divulges more from the music including greater soundstage and noise floor.

Value For Money: £3000 is lots of money, but could be a cheap upgrade for your serious hi-fi.

Pros:

Improved noise floor

Improved soundstage
Improved screening from unwanted interference

Cons:

Not cheap
Need to move your hi-fi out from the wall
Very heavy cable

Janine Elliot

Review Equipment: Pre Audio t/t, AT33sa cartridge, Manley Steelhead Phono-stage, Krell KPS20i CDP, Graham Slee Majestic DAC/Pre-amp Krell KAV250a and Leak Stereo20 amplification, Graham Audio LS5/9 speakers with Townshend Supertweeters, Ecosse, Townshend and Nordost cables, Townshend rack

David Robson takes a listen to Black Cat’s Coppertone speaker cables and matching RCAs costing £276 for a three metre pair and £159 for a one metre pair respectively. Will David be the Cat that got the cream from this relatively budget offering? 

Well today took me back in time over 3 years! The parcel I received from Black Cat Cables was the self same manufacturer that provided me with my very first opportunity to review HiFi cables back in October 2015. Then the Redline Tube RCA and speaker cables had arrived from Japan, the brainchild and work of Chris Sommovigo, who’s handmade cables achieve stunning levels of sound reproduction. Chris has now relocated back to the USA, Alpharetta Georgia to be exact. This line of cables will become the starting level for music lovers to experience the qualities that Black Cat Cables are known for.

Black Cat Coppertone RCAs

CONSTRUCTION

The neat red boxes the the cables arrive in are the usual high standard that accompany all Black Cat Products. “Coppertone” emblazoned in a “Coca Cola” like font and is very striking to behold. The RCA cables out of the box are slim and flexible. This means that they are easy to route around your other HiFi cables and equipment. The outer sheathing is of a Nylon multi-filament braid in striking red! The Cables are finished off with high quality gold plated “REAN” RCA’s. Fit and finish is exemplary and the handmade quality shines through. On the inside of the Coppertone cable, Chris has used a central conductor made from 24AWG copper. This “Airwave Center” core is woven into a loose spiral shape, this sits inside a Teflon tube so only the outer edges of the wave shape touch the inside of the Teflon. According to the designer this conductor format allows the interconnect to be very low capacitance and high velocity by substantially suspending the conductor in the air within the tube. Outside the Teflon tube sits a set of multi stranded tin-coated copper strands, helically wound around the inner, this is then all covered by the nylon outer. There is no directionality printed on either the sheathing or the RCA’s but there is a shrink wrap collar halfway down the length of the cable with the Coppertone name printed upon it, for those with cable OCD this can help with consistency of fitting for those who require it.

SOUND QUALITY

Chris advised an initial 50 hours break in time with 100-200 hours under their belt as being fully bedded in. That only means one thing, hours of listening to Black Cat quality while waiting! ( insert smiley face! ).

During the first few hours of letting the Coppertone settle into its optimum performance, the sound was imminently pleasing, I was expecting to hear some hardness and limited bass frequency, but no, the sound was lush and honey like straight out of the box. Over the next few days, I heard nothing shift by any measurable margin, not in the highs or lows, just a well contented level of detail and smooth top-end, very very similar to my own reference cables.

After several days of casual listening, and being confident no other changes may take place to the sound, I popped Bill LaBounty’s “Into Something Blue” into the Oppo 205uhd I use for CD transport duties. The Black Cat Coppertone carried the signal beautifully, the musical instruments kept apart and separated, vocals sitting central and in their own black space, carrying feeling and emotion out of my speakers to my ears. Sound-stage remained open and wide, depth front to back again allowing the instruments to sit in a proper stage like formation. I’m very impressed and these represent a welcome addition into the system, they seem to have an easy synergy with my equipment. Simple cymbal strikes have a crisp timbre and have good hard edge, yet with an extended delicate decay, not slipping into a shushy, slushy sound, though hard sounding speakers may not suit this level of detail, a very accurate portrayal is what we get. Bass is tight and tuneful, not fluffy or indistinct. It keeps the timing and rhythm like a metronome, and brings a real boogie to the party. 

CONCLUSION 

I really like these Black Cat Coppertone cables, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Black Cat cables before, and I use their speaker cables as my reference set. The quality and family sound thankfully runs throughout the range. This cable for it’s price point is superb, this may be the only cable you may need to buy if it fits in as well, and as easy as it does into my reference set up, which is generally very revealing of inadequacies or faults in presentation.

Playing a few genres through the Coppertone, it didn’t seem to favour one over another, if I was pushed to a criticism it would be that very bright systems may not benefit from what the Black Cat brings to the party. It would have to be a very bright and hard edged system though, this is because of the high levels of detail that is seemingly being transferred to the speakers at the high-frequencies. An absolute pleasure to listen to and experience.

AT A GLANCE 

The Black Cat Coppertone 1m RCA is a superb step up in sound quality from the lower rung on the Hifi cable ladder. Although this isn’t a budget cable, it’s closer to my reference cables than I imagined them to be. I’d be very happy if I’d taken the initiative to buy blind and arrived at this sound.

Build Quality: The usual excellent Black Cat build and and attention to detail shines out with this cable. 

Sound Quality: It has an even and natural balance with my equipment. It doesn’t step out of line or cause imbalance anywhere I could detect.

Value For Money: What we have here is a seriously good cable and this leads me to believe it is one of the very best I’ve heard at this level and price point.

Pros: Sound quality, easy system matching, and value for money.  

Cons: A very hard and bright system may not be an ideal partner. Apart from that, nothing of note.

Price: 1m – £159

Since the review, Chris has been in touch to say “I’ve decided to use my own Lovecraft MINI RCAs as standard now, which otherwise would have been an upgrade to the REAN. The biggest difference in construction between these is that my signal pin is made from pure copper, direct gold plated (no intermediate plating), hollow, and uses a set-screw to create intimate contact between the wire and the pin before soldering.”

Black Cat Coppertone Speaker Cable

Having tested the Black Cat Coppertone RCA cables, next up are their matching Speaker cables in 3m guise, these retail at £276 terminated with 4mm banana plugs, other lengths are available.

CONSTRUCTION 

Like the previous RCA cables the Coppertone Speaker Cables arrived in the self same smart red box with the Coppertone logo splashed across the front. The cables are very flexible and like the higher-end cables have a stiffer red connector then the black connector cable, which feels like there is nothing inside it! Be sure though that there is a cable lingering inside the sheathing. The cables designer Chris advised me that the speaker cables are of similar construction to the RCA’s. A central conductor made from 24AWG copper. This is what the designer calls an “Airwave Center” core, the single copper filament is woven into a loose spiral shape, this sits inside a Teflon tube so only the minimal amount of copper touches the inside of the Teflon tube. Thus this aids the very low capacitance and high velocity by substantially suspending the conductor in the air within the tube. The speaker cables differ only slightly in that they have a tin plated copper shielding on the Negative / Return. All this is wrapped up in a black nylon multi filament braiding.

SOUND QUALITY 

After giving the Black Cat Coppertone some 40-50 hours use I settled down to some serious listening.

The family sound is transferred across the range and the speaker cables have the same inherent qualities that the RCA does. The bass is tight and rhythmical, regardless if played by bass guitar or drum, it’s tuneful and fat. You can so easily follow every note within the music. Detail on every thumbing of the bass guitar, the warmth and the vibrant twang from a badly hit string is definable. The sonic flavour of the Coppertone pushes me towards funk/jazz, soul and pop. The high frequencies do not stand out as harsh or fatiguing, as a crisp yet smooth presentation is delivered. These are in for the long listen, happily playing away while I write, even stretching me into some styles of jazz I’m not usually comfortable with. The heavy clanking on the top keys of a piano usually leaves me heading for the volume button to reduce the harshness, but the Black Cat seemingly to take that very top edge off, maybe there is a little rolling off at the top and upper middle that alleviates the discomfort? The sound stage, is a nicely open presentation, spreading across the rear wall opposite my listening position. Not as deep front to back as my Redlevel reference cables but just as accurate left to right with instruments and vocals perched in their correct order. Running through my usual fare of CD’s I find I’m liking the even balance that the speaker cables give, there is nothing I’m worried about with regards to what type of system these cables would suit, even handed and easy going comes to mind. Playing some new music by Kennedy, Miteau and Segal “Cross Border Blues” has a lot of Cello and Harmonica, the coppertone gives a great rendition of the textures, every oscilation and vibration is played out with an effortless ease. Vocals have a reality and human warmth that is well appreciated, no fluffing of the leading edge of the words being sung. There are no real issues with this cable I can identify, if I was pushed there is possibly some loss of detail in the top / mid range, but this is compred to the cables costing many times the price from the same stable. This shouldn’t stop you trying and buying this cable, the overall balance is very good indeed.

CONCLUSION 

Another great cable from Black Cat. Chris Sommovigo has delivered an entry level cable into the big league. An even and very balanced cable with great sonic abilities that should fit into many systems. Although not cheap, and in a very competitive market, the Coppertone can stand shoulder to shoulder with it’s competitors, the even handed and balanced sound could make this a great choice for many venturing onto the upgrade path.

AT A GLANCE

Hand made quality and matching sound, one more for the must audition list. If you haven’t heard Black Cat before this should be on your list. Simple ideas well executed.

Build Quality: Really good, the usual Black Cat standards.

Sound Quality: Even handed and will slip into many systems.

Value for Money: This is a tough sector at these prices. A lot to choose from.

Pros: Nice well built cables, very flexible and easy going on the ear.

Cons: This price point is a very competitive one. A slight rounding off of the upper mid-range and top. Nothing huge but an overly warm system may not bring out the very best in these otherwise great cables.

Price: 3m (pair) £276.

David Robson

Review Equipment: Mytek Brooklyn Dac+, (used as Pre Amp), Oppo 205uhd, Nord NC500 (one up) Power Amp. Wilson Benech Arc Speakers/Stands, Gekko Silver Lining XLR (pre-power), Black Cat Redline Tube Speaker Cables, Titan Audio Power Cables.

Tellurium Q Ultra Black II Speaker Cable is the latest incarnation of this British company’s Ultra Black cable and costs £310 per metre. Ian Ringstead plumbs it into his system for Hifi Pig. 

I’m no stranger to Tellurium Q cables and I have been using the highly regarded TQ Ultra Black mk1 version for a couple of years now as my system reference speaker cable. It made perfect sense for me to review the new MkII version, so Geoff Merrigan kindly had a 3m stereo pair sent to me with jumper cables as my speakers are bi-wireable. What goes into Geoff’s cable designs is a close kept secret and to be honest it doesn’t matter. Geoff is a chemist by training, so he has a great understanding of materials and elements. I see him as a magical alchemist who has an ability to get the best out of materials by instinct and hard graft at experimenting. Cable design is a black art to my way of thinking (pun unintended) and the ability to use certain metals as conductors and di-electrics as insulation is not a simple task. Jean Hiraga in the 1980’s concluded that cables sound different and that some sounded far better than others, a fact many disputed then and some still do now. It was no different to the original assumption that if a piece of electronic audio equipment measured better than another then it had to be better sounding. This doesn’t hold water now, but as to why is a mystery.

CONSTRUCTION

There is little to say about the design, the cable comes in mono pairs that are a flat ribbon construction sheathed in an outer cover which is very smart looking, and each end of the cable is neatly finished with a metal spacer and a choice of good quality gold spades or banana plugs can be fitted. Lengths are generally by the metre, and custom lengths are readily made to order.

SOUND QUALITY

The original Mk 1 version of the Ultra Black sounded great to my ear and having used them for a couple of years I take them for granted. Would the new version be much better? The answer is absolutely. When I listen to equipment or cables if I can’t hear a discernible difference then it’s either because there isn’t one or my ears/brain are having an off day. It took a while for the Ultra Black II’s to bed in. Geoff had kindly had them burnt in for me before I got them, but even so, a few weeks on they seemed to suddenly burst into life. They sounded better straight away with more detail and a fuller sound all round, but then one day recently the system just sounded sublime. It wasn’t a one-off event either as this pleasurable experience continued thereon in.

Vinyl and CD both benefitted in equal measure. I particularly enjoyed ‘The Best of the Crusaders’ from 1972 on ABC records. This album is mainly studio recordings but the live track ‘So far away’ written by Carole King really conveyed the atmosphere of the venue it was recorded in. You could picture the clinking of the glasses and the laughter and interaction of the audience as they lapped up this performance. Near the end of the track the horns hold a note for what seems like minutes using an incredible technique that has the crowd whooping and a hollering when it finishes, and the rest of the band join in again to finish. It was a moment that I am sure the whole audience would never forget. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and I wish I had a time machine to take me back to that event all those years ago. The Ultra Black II’s really dig deep into the mix of any tune or song having an uncanny ability to open up warts and all the musicians’ artistry. I listened to many albums I thought I knew inside out, but time and time again they surprised me. It was like when I upgraded myTV from an HD LED set to an Ultra High Definition 4K set. The differences were stunning. My daughter when she first saw the new TV said it was too realistic as it showed an amazing amount of detail as you would expect, but she wasn’t used to the improvements. Another analogy is looking through a camera lens that is out of focus where the image is blurry and then adjusting it so the image snaps into sharp focus.

Layers in the music I listened to that had previously appeared very detailed to my ear just took on a whole new meaning and level of enjoyment. Just like the layers of an onion, you don’t realise how many make up the complete onion until you cut a cross-section right through it. The Ultra Black II’s allow our ears and brain to work as they would in a live environment picking out every nuance and sound cues to create that actual experience, not a close approximation. Let’s just say I was hearing so much more into the performance. I genuinely was hearing microscopic details I just didn’t know we there before. Imagine you are looking at a beautiful painting in an art gallery like I was recently in Edinburgh at the National Gallery. It was a Dutch master artist Gerard Dou. The scene was a room with a young man sat down with a violin at a table surrounded by many objects exquisitely painted and light was coming in from the window, just sublime. It was like looking at a photograph. They say art is an approximation or interpretation by the artist of the real thing or what they see in their mind. Abstract is all well and good but for me reality is key. The Ultra Black 11 does reality.

CONCLUSION

I could talk all day about all the albums I listened to but that would bore you and be of no interest anyway if you didn’t know the music or like it. What I can state is that the Ultra Black 11 cables are currently the best I have heard in my system and I will sorely miss them if they go back. At £310 a mono metre they certainly aren’t cheap and the 3m pair I had would cost £1860. In the context of my set up that equates to about 10% of its value, so it is not a ridiculous overspend or imbalance. If you are serious about Hifi and love your music then great cables to finish it off are not just de rigeur (a fashion statement), no, they are essential. Geoff and his team are once again to be congratulated on a fabulous design and addition to his range.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Excellent for the money.

Sound Quality: To my ears they were spot on and currently are my reference in my system. Oozing quality and detail without ever drawing attention to themselves as the music just flowed.

Value for Money:  As stated earlier not cheap. If kept in the context of the value of your system or budget, then go for it. You can buy them and have gone way over the 10% rule and still be happy. The key is to as always ask your friendly dealer to loan a pair out to try at home.

Pros:  Excellent organic sound that is brimming with detail and depth.

Cons: Just the price. 

Price: £310 a metre.

Ian Ringstead 

Review Equipment: Luxman PD300 t/t, Jelco SA750 arm, Ortofon Quintet Black mc, Gold Note PH-10 and PSU-10 , Luxman D-05 cd player/dac, Lime Tree audio pre amp and Temple Audio mono blocks with supercharger PSU’s, Audio Physic Avanti 111 speakers, HiFi Racks podium slimline rack, various mains leads from Missing Link etc, TQ Ultra Black speaker cables, Way, Chord and Missing Link interconnects. GIK bass traps.

Tellurium Q Silver and Silver Diamond mains cables are both are new additions to the Queen’s Award For Enterprise winning company’s product range. The Silver is their entry-level Silver power cable and the Silver Diamond is the top level of their Silver range. They cost £1200  for 1.5m of the Silver and £2200 for the same length of Silver Diamond. Dan Worth takes a listen.

It’s always nice to have some TQ paraphernalia arrive here. It’s always so well presented in its sleek and stylish packaging. It makes me laugh sometimes when cables arrive in gold leaf CNC cut boxes as I think “Jesus, how much of my money is going towards packaging which is just being stored in a cupboard?”. On the flip side, some manufacturers make some wonderful cabling which comes in a plain brown box or Jiffy bag… if you’re lucky. Well Geoff Merrigan of TQ manages to hit a sweet spot here, with the solidly made, custom-made classy packaging that all TQ cables come in – yes, the higher priced items are reflected by a step up in quality of packaging but I still don’t look at it and feel I’ve wasted money in unnecessary areas.

Much like the packaging scenario, TQ has gained recognition throughout the years for allowing their products to speak for themselves – they don’t fill each product’s page with blurb or convincing marketing spill about how fantastic each product is, forcing the customer to believe “this is what you will hear”, and this approach I really respect. This ethos to business has gained TQ a worldwide reputation with enthusiasts knowing that they will be receiving a product that is built with great care and will perform with great potential. This commitment to business is why TQ were awarded recently with the “Queen’s Award For Industry”.

THE CABLES

The Silver is a fairly chunky and surprisingly flexible cables which has more stiffness at each end but still able to bend at quite sharp angles from the outlet of its gold Furutech plugs. Under its jacket it has a r relatively thick protective outer layer, no doubt chosen to compliment it inner dielectric layers and its weight promotes flexibility of the inner conductors whilst retaining their integrity.

The Silver Diamond is the Anaconda of power cables, a cable almost twice as thick as the silver, yet still flexible and bendable enough behind the Rhodium Furutech plugs to get into slightly tighter spaces, unlike many big thick cables. I’d imagine that there is a lot of tension in the cable, which is difficult to manage when maintaining flexibility as damage to the conductors will be a key issue for the team. I have some experience in cables and their construction and although the cable looks simplistic with its tube-like outer shape, what will be going on inside will be nothing short of an array of very critically laid out factors, which all determine the overall performance of the cable, even down to terminating pressures and conductor finishing. You will just have to take my word for this as TQ aren’t going to explain the fundamentals of their cables – they just want you to make an informed decision on their performance through trial and not give you any preconceived ideas of what you should hear, as previously mentioned.

SOUND

SILVER POWER CABLE 

Firstly I installed the Silver power cable. Run in time on cables is realistically going to be a couple of hundred hours, but I have a burn in machine which is a useful tool for me to speed up this process and not use up valuable time on my expensive preamp tubes. Even after burn-in on the machine, I always feel that cables take up to a further 48 hours to just settle into the system and perform consistently.

With the Silver feeding my Balanced Power Supply (which then feeds the entire system) I could gain a good impression of what the Silver is offering across the board.

A slight polish over my Reference cables is one factor to note, with a cleaner overall appeal. The top end is crisp, silky, finessed and detailed, with a small loss of inner detail over my reference, but not so much so that I felt I was missing a great deal of information that took me away from retaining an interest in the music. On the flip side I gained more prominence in leading edge detail in the upper bass. Midrange depth is a little more forward and vibrant, yet balances extremely well with the position of other frequencies. A little more vibrancy in vocals with a cleaner effect on vocal tonality was clearly observed. My system is well put together and I know it well and it is great in highlighting forward and bright details, it’s incredibly transparent and at the same time tonally rich and well tuned to my ears, so any changes are well conveyed and understood by me. So, although a fraction more forward than my reference point, the Silver is not an inherently forward sounding cable.

I like the tunefulness of bass notes and how quick transients are. The Silver is a fast cable which decays well also. It is tonally clean but still expressive and has good naturalness. Its ability to convey bass weight in this position between wall and power supply is very strong and I’m hearing a very deep rendition of bass and the cable doesn’t seem to restrict the broader lower spectrums. Soundstaging is nice and wide and although a touch more forward than my everyday cable in this position, it has great height and I still hear artefacts around me, which is a quality I must retain when making changes in my system as I like to feel more encapsulated in the music rather than have a huge wall of sound in front of me.  It’s a very accomplished cable that gives a great deal of performance for its price indeed.

SILVER DIAMOND POWER CABLE

Introducing the Silver Diamond to my system in the same position as the Silver instantly provided clarification of a family sound. Although the Silver and Silver Diamond are each a separate range, their commonality in tonal reproduction is similar. Much like going from Tellurium Q’s Black to Ultra Black, there is a general consensus that these family members live in the same house but their hierarchy is clear to determine.

My first impressions with the Silver Diamond was how much more space there was around instruments and how much more space each instrument had to playfully dance. Smaller decays faded from around each of the instruments into their own areas of darker acoustic space. This gave better overall pockets of depth and three-dimensionality to the overall soundstage. The encapsulating effect I love was larger and more complex and with the whole image being more vivid and vibrant.

Tonally it’s easy to hear that there is a bond with the two cables, with the Silver Diamond extracting more texture and instrument timbre from the recording. The Silver does an exceptional job of conveying music, the Silver Diamond does a better job of exploring music.

Top end is very concise, precise and controlled, with a silkier and more micro detail and micro-dynamic complexity to it. It keeps me in a position which I am more used too, hearing right into the music and all its delicacies but against my reference cable it gives a bit more vigour and vitality to my sound, without pushing anywhere close to a brightening of the sound, it’s simply cleaner and with more finesse.

I found more dexterity in the bass, compared with the other two cables and bass Information was fantastic and arguably a better match to the integration of my Rel S3i subwoofer, with its clean deep controlled bass lines.

Midrange, tonality and shape is a stand-out feature with the Silver Diamond, all that additional space and depth over the Silver was a pleasure and the Silver Diamond no doubt reflects a good system. The cleanliness of the upper-midrange got a touch closer to what I would like in ultimate cleanliness, but still relaxed and effortless. I only had one of each cable for review and maybe more would have changed my opinion slightly but if I was to liken the Silver Diamond to the cherry on the cake or the Flake in an ice cream, this is how I feel within the parameters of what I have to work with here, it’s a very special sounding cable and due to me spending so much time and effort on balancing my system my impression is that it enhanced the tonal vibrancy, added a little space and integrated my bass with the subwoofer a little more accurately.

CONCLUSION

Both the Silver and Silver Diamond Power cables have obvious benefits to recommend. They both have a distinctively clean and controlled sound, that has great extension and tonal qualities that bring the vibrancy out in the music whilst retaining musicality.

It’s not very often that I come across power cables that balance this act so well and a lot of their performance is so critically aligned with geometry, dielectric and cable tensioning, not just conductor choice. I can imagine that when creating these cables that there were times where the prototype was either dull and full, or bright and lean and finally combining all elements in a recipe that became as tasty these cables are must have taken many hours, if not days/weeks, of critical testing. I have my suspicions on certain parameters within the cable and these suspicions only make me appreciate them more.

Each cable I feel performs exceptionally well within its price bracket and promotes TQ’s abilities to offer a range of cables suitable for any system dependant on what the end user wishes to achieve tonally. Even if your budget can’t reach say a Silver Diamond or Black Diamond, you can still choose a cheaper cable from each of their respective family ranges. Similarly, dependant on each piece of equipment you have in your system and their own characteristics a TQ cable from the same horizontal range yet of a different family flavour will give you similar performance with more accurate tonal matching. For instance, a Silver with a valve amp and a Black on the CD Player, or a Black Diamond on the DAC or digital source and a Silver Diamond on the amp – the Black range of cables are warmer sounding and the Silver range cleaner.

I’d strongly recommend both of these power cables and suggest that if your system and wallet can entertain the Silver Diamond you will be nothing short of delighted. If the Silver is where your budget is, rest assured performance will strongly reflect the outlay.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Solid, surprisingly flexible for their thickness and with great plugs.

Sound Quality: Clean, finessed, controlled, vibrant and playfully musical and with great detail.

Value For Money: Very reasonable and with a feeling of pride in ownership.

Pros: Bags of performance for their respective prices. Detail-rich, clean with great finesse and spacious sounding. Fantastic build quality utilising high-performance, quality hardware components.

Cons: The only against I can say is that tonally the Silver range may not perfectly match each component – but that’s where TQ can still accommodate with a suitably performing cable with a different tonal quality elsewhere in the family.

Price – Silver £1200 – 1.5m. Silver Diamond £2200 – 1.5m

Dan Worth

Costing from £100 for a 1m length, the Titan Audio Nyx power cables could be a great starting point for people looking to upgrade from supplied cables. Alan McIntosh plumbs them into his system for a listen. 

I firmly believe buying the very best components for my budget in all aspects of my system and it has derived aggregated incremental gains as a result. That includes the power supply, of course. I have been starting to add higher grade power cables and blocks from different manufacturers into my system over the last few months, including DIY kits and usually the change, while at times very subtle, has been audible. Will you hear what I hear? Who can tell, we are all working with very different personal and architectural components in our rooms, but I for one am always interested in new components coming from good stables in the cable arena and so was very interested to hear Titans latest offering which is just hitting the market now.

CONSTRUCTION

Continuing on the theme of Greek mythology, Titan Audio has launched a new power cable called the Nyx. As a Titan user already I was keen to be one of the first to try it out, and with power cable among other things aiming to shield our music from unwanted noise, it’s apt then that the Nyx is so named after the Greek goddess of Night. The desirable inky darkness in the background of our music was perhaps a cue for the naming of this cable.

Throughout their range Titan power products have impressed me with a solid construction, high-quality materials, clear sonic results and strong aesthetics – that they are built here in the UK is a plus for many. Why do I mention aesthetics you may ask? When I am investing in components I want to see that investment from the manufacturer being evident throughout the full design and build process, it gives me a sense that the overall products is held up to inspection from drawing board to shipping, and confidence that those working on them take pride in what we as consumers implement into our beloved HiFi systems. Of course, function must match or exceed form when it comes to playback.

Like all their products and very unlike many well-known power cable manufactures who leverage China as a production base, the Nyx is hand made in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is positioned within the range as a High Current power cable, coming in above the Styx and below the Tyco with regards to price-point, both of which I already own (as well as the superb Helios). With three and half times the number of conductors than the well-priced Styx I think we can safely say that’s “high current”, so ideal for those looking to power key source components or amps.

Until now it felt like Titan had a slight gap in the pricing structure that the Nyx fills perfectly and with such high-quality IEC, plug and conductor content the £130 tag (1.5m) is exceptionally keen – a coup for Titan in an increasingly competitive market. The materials alone make this a very competitive solution in my eyes.

Cable construction itself is OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) with a PTFE sheath that’s dressed in Titan’s lovely woven outer. Each Titan cable has a signature colour with the Nyx being Black and Copper, with a matching transparent red IEC. The whole construction is designed to offer robust RFI shielding and high current delivery. Where the entry level, but very competent Styx has a decent but fairly basic black moulded plastic IEC and simple wall plug, the new Nyx has been graced with a custom high-quality copper watt-gate style model previously only available on the higher end Tyco and Helios cables, making this a very attractive solution indeed.

Titan has taken the decision to also offer Nyx with an improved wall plug that bears the Titan branding and available in either a UK, Euro or US variants. This “permaplug” style can be seen on some much higher-end offerings in the market typically coming in around £450, so you are getting a serious bang for your buck here – both plugs on Titan products are cryogenically treated – something that many manufacturers do provide, but often at a charge.

The Nyx, like many high-quality power cables has a certain girth and stiffness to it (to accommodate those conductors and shielding) so it’s very suitable that Titan offer the Nyx in a 1.5m length as I feel a 1m cable would have been slightly too short to fit some restricted back wall clearance systems when you factor in the curvature needed.

Suitable for running Amplifiers or the Titan Styx power blocks as well as key source components I wanted to test it in various configurations. Fitting the Nyx IEC to my Audiolab MDAC+, Auralic G1 or Arcam SACD it connected very snuggly into the female connector. When dealing with power I want nothing less than a solid, snug connection. I have found with some other cables, especially with self-build kits, that some IEC’s are somewhat loose in the female sockets of my set up, this doesn’t give me a good feeling and tends to distract me from enjoying the overall listening experience as I know it’s just not right. No such niggles with the Nyx.

The Nyx like all Titan products comes with an individual registration number and carries a lifetime replacement warranty. 

SOUND QUALITY

As my the test Nyx was brand new I connected it first to my Arcam CDS27 SACD player on repeat for a day or so before settling down for a more introspective listen.

Working my way through some well known CD’s I almost immediately heard a difference, which only deepened over time as either the Nyx continued to burn in or my listening became more acute to the improvements. As I worked through The Division Bell by Pink Floyd and then into a core test price – Melody Gardot’s Live In Europe – I was struck first by the edge of clarity brought, especially to percussion and drums – rim hits, snare and bass were just crisper, clearer – “thwackier!”-  in The Rain, a pacey and complex Jazz journey, the emotion of the piece was much more evident, drums were more immediate and I was surprised to find the bass digging deeper and with more “grunt” than before.

Time to move the Nyx to my Audiolab MDAC+ (being fed by my beloved Auralic Aries G1) and get to listening to tunes such as Kayleigh on Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood (Deluxe, 16bit/44Mhz) and again there is that enhancement of focus and space from an already strong starting point and with Alan Parsons Project’s Pyramid the kinetics and timbre of guitar on What Goes Up was brought into sharper relief and the whole tracks was imaged more deeply. Throughout that night, subsequent nights and even over the next few days, I had numerous moments where I just had to smile at how good my system was sounding. Massive Attack’s Angel from Mezzanine sealed the audio deal and I’d never heard it sound so good!

It’s unusual for most of us to have enough wall sockets for 6 or 7 components so we tend to use power blocks. I have invested already in Titans Styx block, which has a detachable power cord and so after running directly to source I moved it to power the block to allow me to compare like for like vs my a bog standard power lead. Overall vs the standard cable the lift was less evident that directly into source but it has the edge – Simples Minds Someone Somewhere (in Summer) came across fuller and better controlled, the bassline not boomier but certainly denser, and the whole piece came across as having a slightly improved imaging and avidity.

Suffice to say, I’ve had a couple of great weeks with this cable and yep, its staying… and I’ve already ordered and installed more of Titans offerings to gain the benefits across my whole system!

CONCLUSION

A superbly constructed cable offering great quality materials and a noticeable lift in playback. Providing a lift to energy, air and resolution especially on digital sources in my system. Versus the hot competition in the market today Titan has somehow managed to include genuinely class-leading components at an incredibly sharp price point and the Nyx should be on everyone’s audition list. I’ve now invested in more, as well as complimentary products. A bigger improvement for me direct into source but an improvement over the Styx when into one of the Titan power blocks.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Superb! The materials, plug and IEC are all a class beating and are of great standard, and well above the norm for this price point, sheathing and termination are visually very attractive.

Sound Quality: Substantial improvement over my standard supplied cabling, while mostly it’s a revealing effect, the sense of energy, drive and clarity especially around percussion and detail is clear, with good ability to dig into and grip mid and bass.

Value for Money: With the inclusion of the high quality copper watt-gate style IEC, super quality wall plug and that tripling of the conductor material plus cryogenic treatment I frankly think you would be crazy to pass the Nyx by if looking to get into high-quality power cables for your amp, power bar or source components (Which I recommend to all!) .

Pros: The clear sonic improvement, build, aesthetics, quality of conducting material, fit of IEC, warranty

Cons: Nothing at this price.

Price: 1.0m = £100. 1.5m = £130. 3.0m = £220

Alan McIntosh

Review Equipment : Technics SL1210Mk3D, Origin Live Zephyr arm, Hana ML cartridge, Timestep PSU, Vincent Pho700 Phono Stage, Auralic Aries G1 Streaming Transport, Audiolab MDAC+  with Supra USB IC, Arcam CDS27 SACD player, Fyne Audio 500 speakers, WyWire Blue interconnects and speaker cable. GIK acoustic room treatments.

WyWires Blue Interconnects and Speaker Cables reviewed by Alan McIntosh. 

Maybe, like me, you have built up your system by investing in bits here and there when budget allows and as a result perhaps you haven’t yet matched all your interconnects and speaker cables to a one brand loom, or perhaps you have chosen not too. For me, it took some time to decide on interconnects from one manufacturer and that was based on a sound I liked and that balanced well with my components and ears, but even then I still had another brand on my speakers and at times a third or fourth on phono stages as I sought the best I could (or afford). I’m a big believer in synergy and balance in a system so having the chance to test a full loom (analogue interconnects and speaker cable) from the US company WyWires, the brainchild of Founder and President Alex Sventitsky and manufactured by hand in Los Angeles was one too good to pass up.

CONSTRUCTION

WyWires’ Alex tells me that their cables are “bespoke, based on clients’ needs and goals for their systems” which sounds good to me. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee when you buy direct and suggest that you have a consultation by phone or email prior to buying so you can be confident you are picking the best options for your setup and playback preferences (and budget of course).

The WyWires analogue range includes Red Series Personal Audio, Blue, Silver, Platinum, and Diamond for traditional HiFi. Their Blue Series, on test here, is the “entry point” and WyWires suggest it offers an economical product line with a commitment to great value, with Alex saying they offer much of the performance attributes of the Silver, albeit in a simplified and less luxurious offering.

Decked out in a royal blue label and black sheathing, the Interconnects come as a US standard 4ft (around 1.20m for us Metric heads) – which happens to be the size I tend to use – and can be terminated with either RCA or XLR (at the same price point). Length and termination can be selected at the point of purchase online.

Cotton-wrapped copper Litz wire in construction they are designed in-house manufactured to Alex’s specification and then hand-assembled back in Los Angeles to have a rated Capacitance of 5.9 pF (per foot at a frequency of 10 kHz). Connectors are sourced from the EU and Japan. Terminations are screwed and not soldered which I prefer as I feel it retains the integrity of the join with the conductor.

Pricing is tailored to the order based on length, cable type and connectors selected (all part of the order process). Alex says the company mission is to guarantee great value at any price. A nice touch is that all their products come with a Certificate of Authenticity, hand-written and signed Alex himself and offer extra peace of mind with a 5-year warranty (the only exception being their Red series headphone cable)

On the speaker cable, terminations can also be selected easily – Spade or Banana (with the option of each per end for those that like spade at binding posts but banana for your amp) – I am a fan of banana so that’s what I was using for the test. Very minor point here was that at times when pulling the speaker cable out of my amp/binding posts the termination sheath occasionally slipped, easy to rectify but maybe worth a look at.

SOUND QUALITY

Due to Work and vacation travel, I have been sitting on these cables for a few months, allowing me to really get to know them and allowing for swap in/out testing over time. They have also been present through some other upgrades (such as power cables) so it was interesting to see what they could do long term and whether I found I became fatigued, discovered any “niggles” or found anything wanting. It also meant I could listen without the pressure of time, coming back to them at different times, with different music as well as my go-to test pieces. It feels like a long courtship but as cables can be very personal with one mans “clarity” is another mans “clinical”, it was great to have the luxury of listening at length.

My main go-to test pieces revolve around 3 main genre’s – electronica for bass response and smoothness through mid’s and highs, prog Rock (think Floyd and Alan Parsons) to hear timbre and decay as well use of staging and details and finally Jazz to test realism in sound.

With this in mind I kicked off with a one-step all analogue Speakers Corner pressing of Alan Parson’s Eye in the Sky (cat no. AL9599). The iconic bright intro to the instrumental Sirius, used by so many sports events now to usher on sport-stars is reproduced wonderfully before that sublime bassline rises under it. Parsons production shines through wonderfully. Not overly clinical or sickly bright, the decay is just enough to dig into the tail of the notes giving a great sense of the electronics used in its production. As its slides into Eye in the Sky that detail and depth just continue and it feels like you’re getting a few rows nearer in that imagined live event we all seek through our HiFi.

Now onto OMD’s Architecture & Morality and then Organisation (Abbey Road half Speed master) to get an opportunity to test out the high and high mid’s of the system. What can come across as jarring in some synth sections of The New Stone Age or The Misunderstanding is instead reproduced with wonderful, airy energy and with all the rawness you’d want from these pioneers of electronica but none of the unwanted harsh sonic aftertaste that brighter cables can leave you with.

Over the weeks I’ve listened both actively (at volumes allowing me to hear detail and variance from my standard rig) and passively just enjoying my music, delving into all genres I enjoy, at times re-discovering some old skool 90’s house, Blue Note and Mo-fi Jazz classics and, as always, wearing out my Floyd collection.

Streaming hi-res offerings both from NAS and online sources via the wonderful Auralic Aries G1 only re-enforced my opinions of quality.

There comes a point where audiophile hyperbole ceases to have any real meaning and instead settle back into simpler language – I’ve had fun. I’ve lost myself in great music, I’ve found some extra goodness in old favourites and not once have I had any quarrel with the WyWires, never fatiguing or harsh and not overly sweet, but smooth through mid’s and highs.  Bass is well reproduced, full but under control. There have been points where the quality has made me sit up and say wow – and it’s why they haven’t left my setup… and won’t for a long time I think.

I upgraded my cartridge recently to the new Hana ML (from Denon DL013r) and am feeding my amp via a Vincent Pho700 hybrid valve stage. The WyWires have really allowed them to get closer to that edge of resolution I think we all seek and at a comparatively budget price point.

I am at the rare point today where I’m just listening very contentedly enjoying my system and don’t necessarily have “the next upgrade” already on the wishlist, although I would like to hear what the WyWires could allow a more premium or larger speaker than my already excellent Fyne 500’s to deliver as I think it would be nothing but positive.

CONCLUSION

I added these to my system a couple of months ago and therefore have had a lot of time to listen to them. With time, the detail increased and more and more I just found recordings becoming lighter, better resolved and simply enjoyable. I forgot about “listening” and just enjoyed them, comparing to my Ecosse 2.3 speaker cables there is no loss of that smooth sound I liked but there is more detail and refinement, with the full loom across my system, replacing a set of Chord Clearway, that sense just extended and the synergy with my components and the sound I enjoy is clear. Open, clean and airy without being harsh or bright. Musical and detailed but not overly clinical, a great balance with my Hana ML pickup.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Overall very good, slim and flexible which makes for easy runs and with good quality copper Litz and synthetic cotton insulation. Good choice of configuration of terminations. Rubber shrink wrap hoods over banana plugs on the speaker cables can slip at times when pulled but this is a minor point, easily resolved in the factory.

Sound Quality:Cables, it has been said, shouldn’t have a sound and instead should “get out the way” and for me the WyWires do a great job of opening the music doors further, uncovering details and allowing an extra edge of musicality and top to shine but without being shrill or harsh. Detailed and defined without being bright. They are staying in my primary system.

Value for Money: While these may not seem budget they are at a relatively low price point for premium offerings. Pre-terminated and with copper Litz and synthetic cotton construction, plus braided sheath these are, for me, a quality cable at a keen price point for those looking to step up from budget/cheap cables. Add a 30-day money back guarantee (when ordered direct) and 5 year warranty you really can’t go wrong!

Pros:  Price point is relatively low, revealing and open sound, excellent quality materials, cable flexibility. Guarantee/Warranty.

Cons: At this price nothing really apart from need to import from US (not a big deal and not an issue for me).

Price: Blue Series Interconnects $299 (roughly £235 at time of press) per 4ft (RCA or XLR), Blue Series Speaker cable $499 / 4ft (approx. £394 / 4ft at time of press).

Alan McIntosh

Review Equipment: Technics SL1210Mk3D, Origin Live Zephyr arm , Hana ML cartridge, Timestep HE-V PSU, Vincent Pho700 Phono Stage, Auralic Aries G1 Streaming Transport , Audiolab MDAC+  , Arcam CDS27 SACD player , Michell Argo HR  Pre and Alecto Power amplifiers Fyne Audio 500 speakers. GIK acoustic room treatments.

Tellurium Q launched their very first cables ten years ago this month and so what better time for Janine Elliot to test out the second iteration of this UK based company’s Ultra Black interconnects, the Ultra Black II costing £558 a pair in XLR format.

Geoff Merrigan of Tellurium Q is very protective over the content of his cables at Tellurium Q. Their design and components remain a mystery to everyone except him and his UK based team. Geoff believes you should just listen to them and judge them for yourself without being inundated with blurb about their inner workings. All he will say is that his cables are unique; “The things we look at in developing a cable are not what people would expect”. Even the excellent XLR plugs on the model for review here are made to Tellurium Q’s own specification with three levels of plating, and solder chosen for its acoustic transparency. When making new products they are put into studios and then friends to audition before they ever go to market, and every component is chosen because it is the very best for the particular quality bracket (more on that later). Similarly, Geoff doesn’t take reviews for granted and is always nervous about the outcome, though he needn’t have worried about this one.

On asking Geoff what was better about the Ultra Black II interconnect over its predecessor the Ultra Black he simply sent me both cables so that I could listen to the two and hear the difference for myself. That was a great opportunity for me to experience some great chemistry from this ex-industrial chemistry student. Training in material science, Geoff turned to cable manufacturing exactly 10 years ago. Certainly, Geoff puts a lot of magic into his cables as they have been raved about by reviewers and the company achieved the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018. This second version of the cable, the Ultra Black II, is nothing like its predecessor, indeed, the only reason it carries the name to the next level is because it fits in the same quality bracket, the Ultra Black being mid-range with the Silver range tops and Blue the starter range and with each range designed for matching with particular levels of products. The Ultra Black range prides itself on being a natural and transparent series “that allows an incredible life-like reproduction for use in a well-balanced system to simply unlock what the system can do”. The loudspeaker cable bearing the same name looks nothing like the interconnect, their big link being, as Geoff says “The minimizing of phase distortion, inherent in all cables. This is because all cables act as filters and add their own amplitude and phase characteristics”. Tellurium Q aims to remove this; “We are primarily focused on removing the smearing of frequencies through a timing shift and by doing this you get better clarity and transparency”.

Reducing the filtering effect is not an easy task, and when making cables Geoff needs to consider everything going into construction including multiple stranded conductors of slightly differing materials and various dielectric materials and geometries. Attention to detail also includes the solder, plating thicknesses and even consideration as to specifying what chemicals should or should not be included in a plating bath. The process of soldering (temperature etc) also varies depending on which cable is being made. He, like many others including myself, doesn’t like silver solder, but he has found an ideal solder that doesn’t contain silver or lead. Geoff has discovered that the shininess of the silver used in the connectors varies, commenting “A shiny finish is less conductive because of the additives used in order to make it shiny” and so the silver used in the cables appears matt. Tellurium Q wants to engineer as clear and phase-neutral a path for the signal as possible and to preserve the original signal phase relations as much as is possible.

The loudspeaker version of the Ultra Black is indeed an exceptional cable, so just how good would the XLR interconnect version be…I wanted to find out. My main system comprises two XLR cable paths; one between my Krell KPS 20i CD and Music First Audio pre, and the other cable between the pre and the Krell KAV250a power amp, the cables consisting of top Nordost and Ecosse cables respectively. They work a treat, so the Tellurium Q would need to be pretty damn good to get my vote. Whilst both Ultra Black and Ultra Black II look totally different (apart from the plugery) I would be in for a surprise just how different the two cables would sound. To do that I would need to spend several hours listening to the earlier model followed by the new. This all became a very enjoyable few weeks for me listening to Saint-Saëns, Tangalgo, Holst, and Pink Floyd amongst others.

Sound Quality

Don’t tell me CD is dead. Using my brilliant Krell KPS20i gives some astounding results. I still believe this to be one of the best and musical performers out there. This not only uses the excellent Philips CDM9 Pro transport but has no less than four power supplies and 12 regulators for digital and analogue sections, with the important digits up-sampled to 24bit and featuring 56-bit internal precision. No wonder the thing gets so hot. I wasn’t shy to use this machine as the first part of my testing, initially with the older Ultra Black. The first piece of music was my Saint-Saëns Symphony no 3, better known as the Organ Symphony, though it also employs a brilliant rippling pianoforte part. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra do the best version out there in my opinion; a performance of great musicality with excellent placing of instruments and attention to detail of dynamics marked in the score. As expected, the Ultra Black gave a compelling performance with great bass, punchy treble and good detail of position of each instrument. It was good, but nothing on the scale of the Ultra Black II. I could now not only hear exquisite detail of each instrument, including the Organ sounding slightly out of tune on a few top pipes but in the second movement could hear the individual weight of the bow falling on the violin strings on their reprieve of the main theme. Everything was up a large notch on its predecessor; a more extended and clearer bass-end and improved speed and detail at all frequencies. This is quite unusual; usually one end of the frequency scale benefits at the expense of the other, but here nothing was lost. More importantly, it sounded like the orchestra was in the room with me.

Turning to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (Orchestre National de Lyon) the music was precise with a greater bass extension and energy than I remember it having. “Walking on the Moon”, Yur Honig Trio, had me flying high with excitement with the level of detail of the music, particularly the powerful and close drumming with echoes from the snare drum so very clear. “Children Go Where I Send Them” (The Fairfield Four) was open, exact, tight and with an extended bass that my Torus sub welled in.

Thelonius Monk was a brilliant jazz pianist, and Devialet with Fondamenda has created a series of rare or forgotten albums of jazz treats including Monk’s concert at Rotterdam in1967. ‘Ruby, Dear Ruby’ is one of his best-known works. The Telliurium Q gave an open and spacious performance, especially front and back. Despite this recording’s lack of stereo depth, the cable made mono wholly acceptable even to my stereo ears. Monk’s style might be somewhat dissonant, aggressive and with modern harmonies, but the cable eked out every ounce of musicality with panache.  Music was controlled and highly addictive. The excellent percussion mic’ing allowed the music to sound alive; it might be forceful, but it was in control. The extended bass solo in track “Hackensack” had equally high potency, control and detail. This cable picked up everything.

Staying with jazz I turned to “Jump St(u)art” from Jim Gallioreto’s Split ‘Decision’. Again, it was the detail and pace in the bass that caught my attention. This track is recorded with just two AKG 414EB microphones recorded on to a Nagra IV S tape recorder, something I am in favour of to give a very natural spread and phase correct sound across the sound stage. With the acoustic bass on the left and Rhodes piano on the right and with tenor sax and drums in between this was a very natural sound covering all frequencies with detail and musicality, and no phase issues at all from this cable. Next, I chose “Poetspeak” with Fred Simon on keyboard. This had great control and depth with top ends clearer than from my resident cables. This was pure magic at work. Listening to “Tubby” (Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls) I was even able to pick out sympathetic vibrations from the bass on the ‘snare’ of the snare drums at the start. Everything was given space and respect from this cable; nothing out of place or exaggerated, nothing filtered out. This was as clean a sound as it gets.

Turning to Mozart’s Horn concerto in Eb K-447 suddenly the soundstage was wide and spacious. Indeed, something the Ultra Black II excelled in was in getting the maximum out of the soundstage. I was now in a big hall rather than it being a ‘pair of AKG microphones’. The Ultra Black gave a greater depth to the soundstage than the more forward sound from my resident cables. Whilst the Mozart horn concertos don’t perhaps get such a good reception as his piano concertos, in reality, the horn has an even wider expressive range than the keyboard and is none the less exciting. Indeed the horn is thought to be closely related to the human voice; its range being close to that of a baritone. The TQ cable gave an extremely emotional and human performance, so much so that I was compelled to listen to the other three Horn concertos on this album from Philips (Hermann Baumann and St Paul Chamber Orchestra). So much for doing a quick review. Whatever I played I wanted to hear more and more. Not bad for TQ’s mid-range cable. I just wondered how good their top-end Silver cable would sound like.

Placing the Ultra Black II between the pre and power amplifier gave equally good results. Listening to Lee Jones’s distinctive voice in “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”, her almost “yawning” voice was so detailed accompanied by the equally relaxed bass and guitar I was far from yawning as I hadn’t heard such a controlled bass end for ages.

The “world’s first Binaural Direct Cut Recording” from Chasing the Dragon and Pachelbel’s Canon was next on the listening list. This record really needs to have a pair of headphones at the end of it as it doesn’t work so well on speakers, but the TQ cable made every ounce of reverb count. Whilst other cables might smear the sound, the Black II was pure black and white. Nothing added and nothing taken away. I was there amongst the musicians.

STS from The Netherlands make some amazing recordings, largely using the iconic Philips EL3501 reel to reel, though their collection of other machines from around the world will set any reel-to-reel lover drooling at the mouth. I am pleased to have several recordings from this company. Their “On the Way to the 30^th Analog Forum Anniversary” is perhaps not the easiest title to remember but the music is very memorable and easy to listen to, with close-mic’d guitar and beautiful saxophone playing. Fritz de With’s recordings have excellent space and timing as well as great sound quality and track 2 “They Can’t Take that Away from Me” from George Gershwin certainly had nothing missing. Again, the TQ gave a clear rendition with complete focus on making good music. I could understand exactly what Geoff meant about focusing on eradicating phase distortion. Interestingly Fritz de With ensures in his recordings that there is phase purity, both by the choice of cables/connections and also acoustic phase that is acquired through proper placement of the microphones, something I was OTT about as a sound engineer at the BBC. The TQ cable extended that further in my system. The music was so pure. “It Might As Well Be Spring” allowed me to pin-point in 4K detail every breath from the beautiful tenor saxophone. This was fun and I really didn’t want to have to unplug these cables but alas I would need to do so, well, maybe after a few more records and reel to reel tapes, and perhaps a glass of wine…

Conclusion

For precision from lowest to highest frequencies and with all types of music these cables are a no brainer. Having run in these cables over the few weeks that I had them I could see exactly what Geoff was trying to do, even if he is rather secretive about what magic is inside them. And boy did the cable work in my system; the music was controlled, and with an open and natural transmission of the music with no colouration. There was a great sense of spatial and phase awareness in the music, and this meant not just between speakers but all around them, giving for a more exciting and compelling listen. I just hope I get asked to review the Ultra Silver.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Excellent quality control. Excellent XLR connectors.

Sound Quality:  Excellent clarity and transparency to the music at all frequencies with excellent speed of operation.

Value for Money: £558 might sound a lot but boy does this sound worth every penny.

Pros: Clarity and transparency. Excellent soundstage allowing music to sound exactly as it is intended.

Cons: Nothing other than I wish I knew what was inside…

Price: £558

Janine Elliot

Review Equipment: Pre-Audio GL-1102N/AT33sa (turntable), Manley Steelhead (phono stage), Krell KPS20i (CD), Ferrograph Logic7 (reel to reel), Krell KAV250a/MFA Baby Reference Pre (amplification), Graham Audio LS5/9 plus Townshend Supertweeter and Wilson Benesch Torus sub (speakers). Other cables used; Ecosse, Townshend and Nordost.

Esprit Audio has been handmaking audio cables in France for over 23 years but they are little known outside their home country. Could all this be about to change? Janine Elliot takes a listen to their Beta speaker cables and interconnects.

A large box arrived at my door recently, full of cables from a French manufacturer I hadn’t even heard of, so I was very eager to try them all out. The cables might be well known in France but as yet hadn’t crossed the waters, something that’s in the process of changing.  Meet Esprit. They are a company based in a tiny village in the centre of France called Epenède, though soon to be moving to larger premises in the nearby village of Confolens as the team is growing and exports increasing. Founded by Richard Cesari 23 years ago, he has in fact been making cables for many more years than that; starting it as a hobby making them for himself and friends. His cables were found to be so good that he got a lot of interest from his audiophile friends. Richard had a lifetime goal trying to figure out why the cable linking good HiFi components could generate so many acoustic issues. He quite simply wanted to make the best cables money can buy. After a few years making them as a hobby, he decided to form Esprit in 1996. From then on things grew pretty fast, and while some manufacturers are happy to stick to making the same cables for many years, Richard is always on the hunt for better materials, technologies and assembling techniques in order to make his cables even better. The Eterna range introduced in 1999 was an instant hit and 20 years later Esprit is now producing the 8th generation of their cables. Richard pays special attention in creating the very best product he can, whether it be the conductors, insulation materials, shielding or connectors, and everything is tested by ear. Being a saxophonist and drummer, he has good musical ears to be able to determine what would be a great sound.

Esprit hasn’t just been making cables, though. Richard first toyed with making a turntable and loudspeaker and later the RendistoR, an HF/RF noise-reducing passive unit fitted between terminals of the loudspeaker. Now his technical knowledge is being expanded further to produce a power distributor called the Volta. This is an 8-output distributor made of CNC aluminium to make any system more “silent, more dynamic and transparent”.

With 8 ranges of cables presently, there are plans for two more to complete the range with the Gaïa and L’Esprit as the pinnacle of the collection. These top-end products will only be made to order by Richard himself. Finally, Esprit has been working on an area of cables that have long suffered in terms of audio and construction; guitar cables. Both Richard and Eric are musicians and have been experimenting with homemade guitar cables for a long time as these, like HiFi cables, can make a huge difference to the sound. I have personally found an enormous difference in sound and quality in guitar and microphone cables over the years, with most only really suitable as skipping ropes. Esprit is presently in the process of finalising the prototypes and soon will have a professional line of guitar cables, pedalboard patches and possibly other professional cables such as microphone cables following later.

DESIGN

The intention of this review was for me to listen to the cables provided to me from their Bêta range as a complete set. However, I have decided to listen to each component separately and only at the very end to put them all together, thereby me getting a chance to identify differences and similarities in the cables set against my known HiFi persona, and then at the end seeing how well the cables work together as a set. The box of toys arriving at my door included the Bêta interconnect (1m), Alpha mains cable (1.5m – there is no Bêta version) and the Bêta loudspeaker cable (3m).

Esprit believe listening to the cables is worth so much more than words, and that, of course, would make my life easier if I didn’t have to tell you about the assembly of the cables, but it would also not indicate just how much work has indeed been put into designing them. All Esprit cables use a symmetrical structure for conductors and an asymmetrical structure for insulators. For the symmetrical structure of materials, this means identical conductors for both phase (+) and neutral (-). According to Esprit, it makes for a more dynamic, more detailed and more silent performance compared with coaxial cables. It also helps tonal balance and timbre.  The asymmetrical structure of insulating materials is there to avoid the build-up of an electric load inside the cable, and there are two different insulating materials being used; one soft and one hard. One wire is insulated with a stiff dielectric material, the other with a soft one. The result is said to be a more balanced sonic performance, with a combination of the qualities of both.

“Identical insulators load up the same way. Once they are loaded, it can often result in a more aggressive sound. The asymmetrical structure avoids this so that the tonal balance of your electronics and speakers are preserved”.

Esprit uses only 5N and 6N OCC copper. They don’t believe in using silver as they feel pure silver can be rather smooth sounding, or conversely bright if it is a thin plating.  5N pure OCC copper is used in Alpha, Bêta and Kappa Series, with 6N copper used on all other cables in the range. They source their copper from a Japanese company that guarantees consistent, high-level quality. All Esprit cables use multi-stranded OCC copper, with 720 0.07mm strands on the lower end RCA and speaker cables and 0.32mm strands, for example, on the XLR interconnects. The Bêta range only uses silver in the terminations, with 20micron silver-plated copper connections. They are available in a black or white finish and marked with direction of connection to your HiFi, and the build quality is excellent. Richard aims for consistency as you go up the ranges; a proper sonic signature. All cables follow the same aims of bringing you more silence, more dynamics, more timbre, more soundstage, and as my findings will show I can agree wholeheartedly with their aspirations.

SOUND QUALITY

Beta Loudspeaker Cables

With 8 cables in the portfolio, the Bêta LS cable comes in as the second cheapest after the Alpha at  €580 (3m). This compares with the top of the range Eureka coming in at €10200 (3m). The cable is available terminated with 20 microns silver-plated copper banana or spades connectors, and with partial and integral screening. The cable includes a ferrite choke to reduce RFI/EMIs and comes with a direction arrow for the best audio. To begin with, I chose to listen to some of my known audio tracks as used in many of my previous reviews. Firstly, I listened to the beautifully sung “The Oak and the Ash” from the King Singers. The cable really worked well in the vocal range offering a very relaxed performance of the song. Everything was there, just rather tranquil, and quite different from my regular Ecosse cable. Turning to Pictures at an Exhibition (The Hut on Fowls Legs, Minnesota Orchestra), that relaxed nature persisted; it didn’t reduce my enjoyment, it simply felt slower and gave me more chance to get deeper into the music and enjoy it. All frequencies were covered, and the soundstage was equally detailed. Indeed, the background murmuring strings at 2’ into the music were given more space and time to come across. Listening to “Walking on the Moon” (YH Trio) the Bêta gave an excellent dynamic range and detail to the instruments, particularly the snare drum, but again the performance was much more relaxed than I am used to. At long last “New Orleans Bump” (W. Marsalis) made me jump with surprise as it began in earnest. This track is on my Ortofon test record from the ’80s and has excellent drums and brass along with a great banjo. This performance was not short of speed and detail and it gave these cables a chance to show off the excellent dynamic range, particularly at the very last chord. These cables really do open up the sound. This track has a wide range of instrumentation including rasping saxophone and rhythmical banjo and the cable could bring out all the instruments with great detail and passion. Another good selling point from the cables was the excellent bass end; songs like “CottonTail” (Dee Dee Bridgewater) and “All or Nothing at All” (Diana Krall) both showed weight and balance.

Turning to Talgalgo ‘La Zucca Barucca’ the tango-based album is fiery and fast. Playing through the Bêta introduced me to a new experience over my previous encounters with this fine album; a more controlled timing and excellent soundstage. The bass was notably present, and that timing was refined and somewhat slower than my usual cables. In track two the percussionist often hits the sticks against the rim of the snare drum, and the Bêta gave me a chance to enjoy this rather than wonder why it made its way onto the record.

‘Love over Gold’ from Dire Straits is one of those greats from the past, although it wasn’t as successful as ‘Brothers in Arms’, which sold 30 million copies. Beautifully recorded (indeed the CD version was a great hit in the ’80s as the album you should buy to “show off” your CD player) this album didn’t rely on click-tracks, and often the timing wasn’t that great, but at least it was human. Today’s click-track/pitch-correct recording technology is so unreal it can be hard to listen to. “Love over Gold” gave me a chance to take in a wide dynamic range and frequency sweep and tons of great playing. Mark Knopfler’s voice isn’t bad either and with the interconnects connected between phono-stage and preamp gave his voice a gentile manner that was magical. Detail to instrument positioning and initial transients and frequency range was faultless.

Beta Interconnect

If anything, the interconnect had more speed and urgency than the Bêta speaker cable. “Private Investigation” is my favourite track on this album. Here there was an excellent dynamic range – particularly when the guitar comes in after the quiet mumbling – and great timing apart from a few of the drumbeats from Pick Withers that aren’t quite so well-timed (5’30”). The Bêta comes in at €420 for 1.2m and €540 for 1.8m, which means being exceptionally good for the price of a cable that offers such good overall performance, if you accept that slightly laid-back timing. The cable’s precise timing and honesty with all frequencies mean that it will give you long fatigue-free listening pleasure. The cable comes with a ferrite choke and build quality is excellent.

Glenn Gould was a pianist/harpsichordist/organist from my long and distant past, someone who I loved to hear playing when I was learning the piano as a child. He is famed not only for his own accuracy of timing and never speeding away out of control but also for his voice that hummed and burbled away in the background and picked up by the microphone. He got so involved in the music he would sing the melody or bass line in the background of all his playing, something I found hilarious as a child but gradually I got to ignore it just as one ignored the hiss on those Dolby B cassette recorders after a few month’s playing. His album ‘Bach; The Art of the Fugue and Handel Suites for Harpsichord’ has as much character as the performer himself. The Bach Contrapunctus 1 is a harmless introductory movement which lacks any energy or excitement, that no cables could possibly enthuse. Only in the next movement do we get a sense of character and power, with the cables coming to life as Glenn bashed away on the keys and hummed.  The set of 10 movements in this album certain get us close to the composer’s and Glenn’s mind. The interconnect allowed the music to speak and its gentele manner enabled it to have more timing and space. Bach wrote this around 1748 and only completed it two years later in the last year of his life. Also on the album is a collection of Handel’s harpsichord Suites. Work on these was begun that same year as Bach’s death, and the recording sounds very close mic’d with much mechanical noise and loss of top-end in the recording; my Yamaha Clavinova has better sounding samples! But it did give me a chance to hear Glenn’s distinctive vocals and test the honesty of the cables. Reducing signal losses is a fundamental design aim at Esprit. Their cables are highly efficient (putting them up against similar RCA and LS cables) and nothing is lost in reproduction. Interestingly, my findings showed the interconnect was not quite so efficient as was the loudspeaker cable, though both are excellent.

Alpha Mains Lead

Finishing off the package was a 1.5m Alpha mains cable, the baby of the family, but certainly not short of build quality and performance. Coming in at €425 (€390 for 1m) the cable has partial shielding and 40-micron silver-plated connectors and 5N pure OCC copper. Having such a thick silver plating does affect the sound, whether it is the connectors or the cable itself. Esprit is very serious about the thickness of silver plating and how it can affect the sound.

“A robust myth is that silver cables enhance the top end of the sonic spectrum. Pure silver is in fact a very smooth sounding material, much like the sound of OCC copper. The myth behind that reputation actually comes from the fact that most ‘silver’ cables you can find on the market are in fact made of silver-plated copper.”

Only super-thin silver plating would cause a ‘brighter’ sound. The plating used in the Alpha mains cable certainly doesn’t cause a lift in top-end. It makes for excellent contact with my sockets, but my initial problem was actually using it as the suppled review cables (two of them) unfortunately had euro connectors, something not very useful in the UK even without Brexit. Luckily a little bit of DIY enabled me to soon be able to use and test them. Having recently tried a £3000 mains lead and being amazed at just how much of a difference it made, testing this cable certainly showed its credentials; noise-free, great dynamics, excellent frequency response and sounds beyond the loudspeakers. This was indeed an excellent mains lead that looked the part, too. As well as choice and structure of conductors being paramount in creating the ultimate sound, so too insulation materials have their own sonic signature. Esprit has found that stiffer dielectric materials such as High-Temperature PVC tend to have a bit more bass, a slightly attenuated treble and quite a lot of punch. Softer dielectric materials, such as silicon, have a drier bass and a more detailed midrange and treble.  Consequently, Esprit uses two different insulating materials: one wire is insulated with a stiff dielectric material, and the other with a soft one. The result they say is a more balanced sonic performance, with a combination of the qualities of both.

The Big Listen

It soon became time to listen to the complete setup, the total coming in at €1425. This is by no means a large financial layout, the theory being that 10% of the total layout on hi-fi should be reserved for the connectors. Immediately I was aware of a sense of control and passion in the music, with the music somewhat laidback compared with my home cables, but no less interesting. Goldfrapp’s ‘Felt Mountain’ is one of my favourite albums of recent years, first heard on Radio 3’s “Late Junction” show that I was mixing at the BBC studio, so I bought a copy. The album has an eerie spaciousness that the Esprit cables pulled off with passion, plus added control and depth to the music, especially the vocal line and bass. With the close-mic’d vocal line you can almost see Alison between the speakers. The detail was very enjoyable if perhaps too well-mannered for some.  Yes ‘Drama’ is my favourite album from this progressive rock group of my youth. Each track in this well-produced album fits well with those either side, nothing sounding out of place. This album takes me back to late evenings at university, days full of drama. Whilst the Esprit lost a tad of this drama it made for a very controlled performance. My favourite track is “Into the Lens”, a track about a camera. The Esprit captured it with a great image of reality and naturalness. The musicians follow the precise rhythmic patterns on their instruments with great precision; there was no digital Cubase or Protools editing to make life easier when this was recorded. They had to be exactly on time with each other and indeed the Esprit followed the performers with equal precision.

Next was Neillson’s Symphony Number 4 (The Indistinguishable). This is a powerful album written in the Romantic era by a Danish composer opposed to the soft and sentimental music of this period and hence is considered an anti-romantic composer. He is famed for saying “A harp in the orchestra is like a hair in the soup”, so expect strong brass and woodwind. I do enjoy this work and it is rather Wagner’esque (actually, he also hated Wagner). The cables gave a solid performance with plenty of space to enjoy or endure the blasts. Even coming to the end of the first section of the movement with long chords the flute and violins can be heard trying to interrupt the ‘violence’ with their very quiet passages. I could understand so well what Richard wanted to achieve with his cables and also could hear just how well they worked together as a trio of cables. Just like the movements of the Yes album, each part worked well with the next not sounding out of place with the other, each sharing the same footprint. As a team, the components added more dynamic range and timbre to all the music I played and with a controlled soundstage. Only that the overall soundstage wasn’t quite as wide as I would like.

Returning to music I played during the individual trials showed me just how well the cables work as a team. Talgalgo ‘La Zucca Barucca’ was exceptionally well put together, confirming Esprit’s bass flair, something not in short supply in the album. Initial transients in the drums were very natural and powerful. The quiet start to track 2 had an eerie nature and I could almost breathe the air being radiated in the recording studio; it was so close to reality. All frequencies were present, just a slightly dominant bass. The soundstage, whilst excellent, was just not quite as wide as my home cables, and top-ends were accurate but not quite so refined but, and this is very important, I actually preferred the musicality afforded by these cables. They were quite simply honest, not out there to impress, but rather be accurate. As a sound engineer and musician that is what I want to hear. And if this is at the cheap end of the scale then I hope I get a chance to audition the top of the range.

CONCLUSION

For honesty of sound with a noticeably controlled nature and with great dynamics and timbre, these are certainly cables that we ought to know more about in the UK. They are also excellent value for money and work well with all types of music. With excellent bass and a relaxed performance, long listening sessions will be guaranteed.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Excellent quality of build including terminals and with a glistening silver sheen under the black outer tech flex cover.

Sound Quality:  Very restrained and honest performance, particularly honest dynamics and timbre

Value for Money: €1425 for all your basic cable needs makes this all sound worth every euro.

Pros: Excellent dynamics. An honest reproduction of the music. Refined timing.

Cons: You might not get on with the cables if you want an exaggerated, fast or over-exciting sound.

Price: €1425

Janine Elliot

Review Equipment:

Pre-Audio GL-1102N/AT33sa (turntable); Manley Steelhead (phono stage); Krell KPS20i (CD); Ferrograph Logic7 (reel to reel); Krell KAV250a/MFA Baby Reference Pre (amplification); Graham Audio LS5/9 plus Townshend Supertweeter and Wilson Benesch Torus sub (speakers); IsoTek mains conditioner, Townshend rack; Other cables used; Tellurium Q, Ecosse, Townshend and Nordost.

Ken Stokes takes delivery of the Chord CompanyEpic and EpicX cables and puts them through their paces. 

 INTRODUCTION

I have not written many reviews of HiFi kit before, though I have though been active in groups and like lots of HiFi enthusiasts discussed the merits or otherwise of a fair amount of kit over the years.  I may be relatively new to formal reviewing, having only written twice for HiFi Pig before, but as friends would confirm, I’m not new to sharing my opinions on HiFi!

Truth is I enjoy writing and have enjoyed putting together write-ups of kit before, for friends and various groups so I was really pleased when Stuart asked me if I’d like to review some Chord cables for HiFi Pig.

Initially, all I knew was that I would receive some Chord cables, but once I was sent further details I realised that I already had one of the listed cables in my rig anyway. The Chord Epic Digital RCA Coax was a cable I knew well as I’ve been using that cable for about two years.  It is my current digital cable in use between my CD spinner and combined DAC/preamp. No need to send me that particular cable then!  I was though eager to see how the rest of the Epic range would fit in my system.

I’ve long been a better cable advocate and already had what I considered to be carefully chosen, quality cables in use and so I looked forward to demo and review. I knew I would be able to assess this range from a standing start having swapped and changed cables numerous times over the years before arriving at my current choices – cables I’ve now been happy with for a good few years and I did feel that the Chord Epic cables were going to have to really impress to shift my opinion. The Chord Epic range and my current cables were all pitched at similar price points, except the Chord USB and my current premium budget USB. This immediately posed a question for me, what would be different with cables at similar price points and could a significantly more expensive USB be any better than a well-made premium, but budget USB cable?

To further add to my intrigue, I was then advised that these cables would be dispatched, but with a delay on the speaker cable because the speaker cable was a new to market product and needed to be made up for me.  This new to market cable was a new version of the Epic, the EpicX speaker cable, launched at the very end of October. I had no idea what differences had been made to this new EpicX, only that a cable was to be made up per my request of banana terminations at amplifier and spades at speaker ends.  HiFi Pig had an exclusive on reviewing this new speaker cable and so I felt pretty privileged. As my system is all digital, I didn’t need any analogue RCA cables. I was to receive a 5m Chord Epic USB, 2m Chord Epic XLR pair and 2.5m Chord EpicX speaker cable pair.

CONSTRUCTION

I already had a fair idea of what the construction of these Chord Epic cables would be like since as already mentioned, I already own a Chord Epic Digital RCA cable.  However, to put in perspective for those not familiar with the Chord cable ranges, the Epic range is positioned in the middle of their cable range.  These are not entry-level cables.  They all have quality silver-plated terminations and it’s claimed heavier gauge conductors than Chord’s Shawline range and with improved shielding.

What is very clear on the first inspection is that these cables are all finished to a high standard, have solid and very secure custom Chord silver-plated terminations and fairly stiff and durable outer coverings.

All the Epic range have a visible outer weave that is silver in colour. The EpicX speaker cable is though a little different in appearance is significantly thicker and has what appears a clear tough outer covering with the ‘weave’ pattern visible through this darker stained outer. All the Epic range are clearly built to withstand knocks and bumps.  As I run my USB from MacBook to DAC under the carpet I was pleased that it was a fairly robust cable with a tough outer. The EpicX speaker cable was a fairly stiff cable and although not a criticism, just an observation, it is worth bearing in mind this is not a cable for weaving around tight corners as it is a fairly stiff cable.

All the Epic range are terminated with custom terminations; silver plated and in unique Chord casings. They have the usual shrink wrap logo’d with the Chord name and arrows to denote direction, although the signal direction was not really an issue for me, since, of course, XLR’s, USB and custom terminations on the speaker cable made it pretty obvious which way they should fit.  Perhaps more to relevant RCA to RCA or if speaker cables are terminated same each end, but as I say, not an issue in my case. Worth noting that for the EpicX speaker cable Chord are offering a custom termination service and choice of spade or banana terminations.  Also, this service can be used at recognised dealers with the Chord termination equipment (called the Chord OhmicHex Gun) and retro fit to older cables is possible.

All the cables came in very well constructed zip up Cordura fabric style, round carry cases. Although these cables are far from entry level cables the cases are a nice touch.  I’ve had cables costing more and had them arrive in plain cardboard boxes.

All the cables, except the EpicX speaker cable are shrink wrapped at each end.  The EpicX has a custom outer with an additional black PVC outer that shields the final few inches and divides very neatly, covering the positive and negative conductors.

For the technically minded;

Epic Digital RCA (also available with BNC terminations).  Available in custom lengths.

I have the RCA terminated cable. The terminations are silver plated and use the Chord tuned ARAY conductors and dual foil screen.  Chord also say ‘’Whilst it’s the critical element in producing such outstanding cables, the other materials used to produce this cable have also been improved. The silver-plated conductors have been upgraded and the separate shields for send and return conductors are of a higher density.’’

Epic XLR. Available in custom lengths.

Again referring to Chord for the tech specification, they say these cables are based on the same heavy gauge silver plated, multi strand, oxygen free copper conductors as the Epic RCA cables, but with an additional extra conductor as per balanced XLR needs.This means that the performance is very similar to the Epic RCA cable.

Epic USB Available in custom lengths up to 5m.

Chord say that the Epic USB bridges the performance gap that existed between the Shawline and Signature USB cables and features their unique Tuned ARAY conductor concept. Chord also say that the Epic USB is built in a very similar manner to the Signature Super ARAY USB and although the conductors are slightly different, in just about every other respect the same design philosophy is applied.  The Epic USB contains four conductors, (two of which are individually shielded). Chord also say this cable has improved effective gauge silver-plated copper conductors and uprated PTFE insulation and that the earth shielding connection is further protected from high-frequency noise with a two-layer braided screen. Custom USB connectors (type A and B), silver-plated to Chord’s specifications in the UK, with all connections soldered by their engineers.

The EpicX speaker cable. Available in custom lengths and choice of terminations.

Chord says ‘’EpicX is based on our multi-award-winning Chord OdysseyX speaker cable.  Both cables use 12 AWG oxygen-free copper negative and positive conductors, silver-plated and insulated with XLPE before an outer PVC jacket is applied.  The key difference (and performance leap) is due to the effective high-frequency combination shield and translucent PVC jacket that is added to EpicX.’’

EpicX uses Chords branded ChordOhmic plugs, the Epic terminates with what Chord call ‘trousers’. This term did amuse me but does describe rather well the appearance where cables separate to allow positive and negative to separate at cable ends.

Worth noting that Chord are also offering ‘’In addition to factory terminations, the cable can also be professionally terminated by participating Chord Company dealers equipped with the new ChordOhmic Hex Gun tool; the service not only delivers tailor-made lengths, but it also jumps the build queue at the factory. Existing cables can also be upgraded with the new plugs, trousers and terminations, too.’’

SOUND QUALITY

My approach to testing any new kit is based on pretty well recognised approaches – a fairly straightforward approach. I first try to get some hours on new kit, in the case of these cables I was told that they had been ‘toasted’ for me by Chord prior to dispatch. However, because I knew I would have the luxury of having cables for at least a couple of months I knew I could take my time. Also, due to the staggered delivery with speaker cable dispatched later, I decided to try each cable individually first and then later try the whole loom once I had a feel for what each cable did or didn’t do.

Naturally, like most, I tend to find that over the course of playing a wide range of music I inevitably start to notice differences, least if there are differences to be heard! My ‘process’ is then about a mix of critical listening combined with more ‘relaxed’ listening sessions as I note any specific characteristics.  I often re install my own ‘back to base kit’ to double check and always do a final retro critical listen against identified pieces of music that I felt highlighted differences.

Epic USB

Being brutally honest I didn’t expect any difference to be heard switching from my premium cost USB cable.  My USB cable is well made and robust, not the cheapest with an RRP £80, but being tight with my wallet I’d bought in a bin sale at an audio fair for a fair bit less and only because it looked very robust!  So why didn’t I expect a difference in SQ between this Epic USB and my premium USB cable?  I’d read that USB cables can’t make a difference. I’d read articles on this by several writers whom I respect and they provided a range of reasons why the USB protocol simply doesn’t work in a way that means a cable can make a difference. They either work or they don’t being the gist of what I’d read! It’s packet sent data with error correction and buffering.  Frankly that made sense to me.

However, I have also read about shielding and claims that particular conductors might create and be subject to general electrical interference causing possible negative influence on signals. Typically, claims seem to be expressed with the view that the data signal, those 1’s and 0’s are expressed as a stepped square wave electrical signal and still prone to the usual kind of electrical field interference that any electrical signal can be subject to. This despite that data being error corrected and buffered using the USB protocol. I don’t pretend to be an expert on any of this, in fact not even close. I was though prepared to contact Stuart at HiFi Pig and say I couldn’t review the USB…… I had doubt’s about spending on USB cables for the reasons mentioned above!

I was shocked though, fascinated to put to the test, but as I say, shocked. It honestly did not take long before I felt I was noticing differences. I did as I do, playing various well-trodden paths in terms of my test music pieces and switched back to my usual USB cable. In fact, I switched back numerous times because I was so sceptical. I know I will have friends who will give me some grief on this subject, but I realised I could not, in any fair way, tell Stuart at the ‘Pig HQ I couldn’t hear a difference in SQ when I could!

I am not going to discuss, as often happens in reviews like this, the nuances as per album X and album A (I will though list some of my test/demo selections in my conclusion). The difference, as I perceived, is really pretty easy to describe. As I listened to more and more of my favourite albums I realised that the sound quality, was, in simplest terms, cleaner.  More defined separation between instruments and soundstage was also, I think as a consequence of this improved clarity and detail, spatially broader and deeper. Instruments and vocals were easier to define in terms of position. When I put my usual USB cable back into my system the most immediate difference was a ‘flattening’ of the sound stage and loss of micro detail. It’s not that this Epic USB cable ‘added’ anything, it seemed to me it removed a slight ‘fudging’ that had been present in the presentation with my usual USB cable, that ‘fudging’ for want of a better term blocking what was revealed by this cleaner Epic USB cable.  I know there will be critics so the best I can say is try on a home demonstration. Decide for yourself.

Epic Digital RCA

I wasn’t sent this cable to review because it’s a cable that has been installed in my set up for a few years already. It is already my cable of choice, this does, of course, make me a little biased!

Going back to when I first demoed RCA digital I was, just as I was about USB, sceptical that a digital cable could make any difference, however, having demoed several I felt there must be some truth to arguments I’d heard that RCA digital was, as a protocol for digital transfer subject to potential electrical field interference. The argument being that RCA digital is real time streaming, with no error correction and very little, if any, buffering. That those 1’s and 0’s are as in USB represented by a square wave electrical signal and before decoding by a DAC, subject to possible electrical interference distortion of some sort. I decided to check this and wondered if I would detect any difference. At that time, I had a cable made up, very much an ‘it does what it says on the tin’ kind of offering.

I contacted my dealer and was sent several cables to try. The differences between my £15 budget cable, a Chord Shawline digital and several other cables I’d gathered together to try were really pretty apparent. I involved my wife in my critical listening tests which she hates! My wife hates ‘HiFi’, but loves music, critically though she has very good ears and prefers I don’t spend money so she makes a great neutral arbiter and frankly I prefer to have her onboard if I’m spending money!  Even though I trust my wife ears I still wanted another independent opinion so I invited a friend over to compare notes. We agreed on differences without any real debate, my friend confirmed my wife and own conclusions. We all felt the Chord Epic digital had a more pronounced bottom-end and a slightly richer overall balance than the Chord Shawline. Both the Chord Shawline and Epic digital were very detailed and had a level of openness missing from all the other cables tried. We agreed that the two Chord cables left all the other sample cables standing.

Epic XLR

As I tried each of the Epic range of cables, I’d have to say that they all seem to share some fairly well-defined characteristics. The Epic XLR were, as per the two digital cables already discussed, open, detailed and clean. However, detail is not gained as a consequence of a loss of bass or richness through the mids. I’ve never been fond of hard or bright sounding systems or cables that are revealing by virtue of being light on bass. I find such a bias in the sound quality to be fatiguing. These cables are in my system open, detailed, crisp at the top, but nicely balanced with some serious depth to bass, bass though that has no sense of being wooly or overblown. I like bass, bass that can be felt with the thwack a kick drum deserves! These cables did not let me down. These Chord XLR cables showed less difference between my usual XLR cables than the previous discussed digital cables or the EpicX speaker cables, a slight difference in SQ, but I’d happily keep these Chord XLR’s in my rig and if I were choosing from scratch, I’d be very happy to have in my system.

EpicX

Switching out my usual speaker cable for the EpicX was a journey, initially, I wasn’t sure, but in retrospect I think this cable still needed some use before it settled. I again did all my usual retro switches and extended listening and am very glad I stuck with this cable. I know when kit is changed sometimes the impact of a different balance, different timbre to music can be a shock. After all, if something is different this can take a little getting used to. To start I actually wasn’t sure if I liked what this cable was doing. Maybe it needed more ‘toasting’, maybe I needed to get used to a different SQ or perhaps my system maybe just needed to settle.  hankfully things did settle.

After around two weeks and some substantial hours I’d simply settled into listening to music. Any initial ‘overbearing’ I’d felt present, a slight brashness leading to a bit of listening fatigue had simply gone. I was though noticing a big lift in detail, crisper and sharper highs and equally more heft to bass. The bottom line though was that everything simply felt ‘more real’ as the expression goes. I was again surprised, but for very different reasons to my shock regarding the digital cables. I’m used to analogue cables offering different presentations, slightly different sound quality, this though isn’t slight and was confirmed with a vengeance when I conducted my first retro test, putting my usual speaker cable back into my rig my wife actually shouted from our kitchen demanding to know what I’d just done!  The soundstage shrunk, the highs sounded muted and everything had a ‘woolliness’. Bass was bigger yes, but lacked definition in comparison. I literally couldn’t wait to put the EpicX back into my set up! I managed two days and decided I really didn’t see any point in not enjoying this EpicX so put it back.

CONCLUSION 

I had built up to using all the Epic cables I’d been sent on a step by step basis with a ‘back to base’ retro critical with my own reference cables after each cable change. The difference though, on a final retro, taking out all but my Epic digital RCA (part of my back to base kit anyway) was astounding. After having gradually built up to installing the full Epic cable loom and getting used to that presentation, to then remove and go back in entirety to my reference rig was not subtle. I’ve long felt that small incremental changes of kit do ultimately add up and boy did it show! My ‘reference’ cables didn’t deserve the term reference any more, reference only in as much as they were my measure and back to base reference.

I wanted the Epic cables back where they had been and not in those nice Chord Cordura cases. The impact of the full loom  – all those cables installed simply made my rig more transparent, more detailed, but without fatigue or any sense of harshness. More real.  I could offer up all those usual ‘audiophile’ adjectives, but I think we are all very familiar and they just don’t do justice. I love the change these cables have brought to my rig, I’m hearing nuances in albums I’ve been listening to for forty plus years that I have literally never heard before. A depth and insight I’ve simply not experienced on my set up before.  I’ve even been able to remove a couple of acoustic panels from behind my speakers that were there to calm a very slight overbearing bass. As an experiment and review process, I am now left a little dissatisfied with my back to base cables! I’m not sure I can offer any better recommendation than to say I’m now thinking about how I could make a few changes!

I have had these Epic cables now in my set up for months, I’ve listened to hundreds of hours of music, silver disc, streamed from Qobuz Studio and ripped FLAC using Audirvana for playback. We also use the same system for audio for our TV so my impression of these cables has not been based on a couple of weeks and a few forced listening sessions. These cables have certainly done the ‘long haul’ and have not been found lacking.

A few samples of my ‘critical listen’ albums would include;

John Martyn’s Church with One Bell, especially useful for assessing low bass

Ian Drury New Boots and Panties, a tight and lean mastering so useful to assess depth/range

Nick Drake, all his studio albums, useful for stripped-back acoustic and vocal

Jeff Buckley, Grace, my version a slightly ‘hard’ master, good for checking fatiguing or bright hi’s.

Miles Davis, Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, a superb remaster with lots of hi trumpet and rich tenor saxophone, intricate and complex layering, great for listening to complex overlaid instruments and sharp piercing brass.

I could go on listing albums I’ve referenced, everything from hard rock to complex jazz ensembles and Gregorian chants.  I’m happy to say that nothing came out in my listening in any way detrimental.  Thumbs up from me!

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Well made, absolutely no complaints, looks every bit the quality cables they are.

Sound Quality: In a word, superb. Clean, clear, detailed, but not fatiguing or brash.  No shortage of bass heft and mid-range warmth.

Value for Money: When it comes to cables and this question my inclination is to say that only the listener can assess by listening and considering their own budget. I assessed these cables in my set up and did not find lacking. These cables are not cheap, but in my opinion, if they are in your budget, they are well worth an audition.

Pros: Excellent build and clear, detailed sound quality. Well balanced and easy to live with.

Cons: Not cheap, but then quality often isn’t. Might be beyond the budget of some and certainly, the 5m USB digital cable I had are above what many might consider being within their budget. However, my recommendation, if these cables are in budget, is to give them a demo.

Review Equipment: Roksan Caspian M2 CD player (transport only), MacBook Pro using Audirvana for ripped uncompressed FLAC files and Qobuz Studio for streamed.  Benchmark Dac3 to Nord NC500 upgraded to MK2 spec’ Dual Mono Power Amp, Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand SE Speakers, mains – Belden DIY Screened Mains Cables.

Prices: 

USB: From £400

Digital RCA: From £400

XLR: From £450

EpicX Speaker Cable: from £60

Ken Stokes

Distributed in the UK by Russ Andrews, the Kimber Carbon 8 and 16 loudspeaker cables use a carbon polymer in their construction and cost from £861 and £1634 for a terminated 1m pair. Ken Stokes takes a listen.

I’m relatively new to reviewing for HiFi Pig, this is in fact only my third review, my first regarding a power amp upgrade, the second a recent cable loom review. Because I’ve not written many reviews and my last was a long review on a loom of cables I was a little surprised to be asked to write another cable review so soon. Being honest I initially had reservations, but the more I thought about the offer to review these Kimber cables the more I warmed to the idea. It is probably worth saying from the outset that these Kimber cables are at a very different price point from the cables I reviewed prior and also, so far as I’m aware, a rather unique construction and a very different

approach to the usual speaker cable offerings that we see offered by most companies.

Given that these cables, in 3m pairs, retail at around £2000 for the Carbon 8 and £4000 for the Carbon 16 (depending on terminations) these are cables at a price point I’d not normally ever consider, but I have heard some pretty esoteric and pricey kit in my time and so I was very much looking forward to seeing what these cables at these price points might or might not do to change the sonic character of my rig.

My brief was to compare the Kimber Carbon 8 with the Carbon 16, but for me, there was also the additional point of interest, that is as I mention above, pondering what might speaker cables ‘do’ at this price point, in my rig. The Carbon 16 actually retail at more than I paid for my speakers! So from the outset perhaps not a typical situation, maybe not a typical review, but I do know my system is plenty resolving enough to highlight differences and this certainly proved the case, but more of that later…

CONSTRUCTION

In the introduction, I mentioned that these cables have been produced using a rather different approach and construction. So what is so different I hear you say! Rather than paraphrase in my words what Kimber says, the simplest and logical approach seems to me to simply reproduce what Kimber actually does say about these cables;

‘’A major feature – and a completely new direction for Kimber – is the use of carbon in these cables. The conductors are pure, VariStrand copper over which a carbon-infused conductive polymer is pressure-applied. The polymer fills the spaces in between the strands helping to maintain the geometry and means that the stranded conductors behave more like a solid core conductor (a benefit), while retaining its flexibility. The copper conductors and carbon polymer are then insulated in the conventional way with Kimber’s Fluorocarbon (Teflon) insulation. The Carbon polymer reduces mechanically-induced noise and improves the performance of the outer (Teflon) insulating material.’’

So having read what Kimber says, what does it mean in practice you might ask. The cables are very well constructed, the terminations on the cables I received were the standard Kimber banana contacts, a well made, solid and secure termination (note though these cables are also offered with either UltraPlate™ Spades or WBTCu plugs at respective additional cost).

The actual cable looks rather like the woven cables we are familiar with that Kimber have produced for years and that they are well known for. These cables have the usual Kimber silicon sleeve completing the finish at terminations. Nothing notably different to any other Kimber cables in terms of terminations. The carbon range is, as fits the natural attire of carbon, all black in colour. However, this really is where the similarity in appearance with other Kimber offerings or other cables for that matter, ends, but of course most of that ‘difference’ is in fact under the bonnet.  Although being a woven cable they have a different ‘feel’ and sheen to any other cable I’ve used being encased in Teflon coated carbon. They are reasonably flexible and can be fed around corners etc. They are not though a ‘limp’ cable. I would avoid trying to feed round very tight bends.  Having said that though the 3m cable pairs I received came in Kimber heavy-duty cloth bags of approx’ 9×10 inches so that should give a fair idea of flexibility.

Overall I liked the appearance of these cables, I was impressed with finish, albeit in an understated sort of way. The cables I received were well made and certainly gave me no concern about construction. I particularly liked the way that the negative and positive on each speaker cable length were woven and separated as part of the weave at each termination end, very neat.

CARBON 8 DATA:

Eight 19.5 AWG braided conductors per channel

VariStrand pure copper conductors locked in place with carbon polymer and insulated with Teflon

OFE copper 102% IACS grade

Seamless braided transition to positive and negative

Kimber Banana and Postmaster spade and WBT plug options

Hand-built at the Kimber factory

CARBON 16 DATA

Same spec as the 8 except sixteen 19.5 AWG braided conductors per channel

SOUND QUALITY

Perhaps by way of context, it’s useful to mention that I am very happy with the speaker cables I now use as standard so was aware this review might upset the apples and supporting cart! However, when it came to noticing differences betwixt my usual more humbly priced fayre and these Kimber cables, differences were immediate and frankly, in keeping with the budget differences, staggering. I had been prepared for a different SQ, but not anything quite so dramatic!

I started with the Carbon 8, I felt perhaps the best approach would be work toward the range-topping Carbon 16. I had no idea if these cables had any prior use, but it did look very much that they had not. Both pairs of cables looked newly minted and unused so I figured they would need some ‘toasting’ to give a fair chance.  I was told by a colleague that these cables do need a fair few hours to really show their real character. Putting bluntly my initial reaction with Carbon 8 was not entirely positive. I could tell immediately that these cables are very detailed, maybe not an accurate technical term, but the effect was very ‘dynamic and fast’. I want to use superlatives, like breathtaking, fast, sheer, majestic. It was as if delivery accentuated the scope of everything I played, it was as if the attack of the music I listened to was on steroids! Initially, though it felt a bit too much.

Predictable enough that there might be a rough edge, least with straight out the box new cable, initially there was a clinical, hard edge I found a bit uncomfortable.  Of course, first impressions are not always accurate predictions of where sound quality may end up. I decided to leave in situ and get some hours on these Carbon 8 and then reassess.

Unlike some reviewers I don’t have the luxury of a reviewer man cave, my system IS the house system, used by the family and also used for TV audio via HiFi 2 channel stereo as well so to some extent the ‘wait and see’ approach is a little more a case of living with change in this review den! This does though have a plus, I also get feedback from the rest of the family and they care not one jot if “what Ken has changed this time’ is budget basement or sky’s the limit pricing. Feedback is blunt and unprejudiced. I do set some store by what family say, no vested concern (other than my wife in relation to my wallet!) and no special interest in HiFi. Agreement was unanimous, but more of that later.

My approach is very much a mix of ‘just listening’ and more defined critical listening sessions, when, like most, I use specific musical selections across most genre from acoustic folk to electro, jazz, rock etc. It did become apparent that the Carbon 8 softened from that initial jolt when first set up. It would be a stretch though to say it was all plain sailing, it was probably, in equal measure, at various moments, a mix of absolute disbelief that music I’ve played literally countless times over the last fifty years could sound so incredibly good, mesmerising, breathtakingly real and yet with some pieces leave me struggling and finding the sound quality a little harder.

To be fair the Carbon 8 was installed about a week before Christmas, it didn’t get a reasonable run-in prior to the holidays and family visits etc. My wife actually asked me to reinstall our usual cable for the holiday period. I was though a bit cheeky and instead installed the Carbon 16, oops…imagine a cheeky emoji, I know, a bit naughty! Anyway, again a very noticeable shift, but immediately I felt the Carbon 16 gelled better in my system, it had all the same grand slam drama of the Carbon 8, but from the off felt a little smoother and more balanced. Rather telling, my wife is not slow to comment when she feels I maybe haven’t been upfront about spilling beans. I fear she could see beans on the floor….  She could tell I had not put our usual cable back into play. However, we both agreed the Carbon 16 offered a more comfortable sound quality for us in our system from the off and I was granted permission to leave the Carbon 16 installed over the holiday.

Like the Carbon 8, the Carbon 16 had a breadth and scale I simply wasn’t used to, I literally didn’t think my system could be this good! I was astounded, mesmerised and found myself lingering over some albums on an almost track by track shock basis, how could this sound this good! How could my humble system sound like this. Also, worth noting, this Carbon 16, like the Carbon 8, did become smoother as I put more hours on the clock.

The real tell for me in my review routine is usually the retro test, going back to base, by now a few weeks after Christmas and having put at least eighty hours on the clock for the carbon 16, I’d have to say it had become our ‘new normal’. I felt the time was ripe to put back our usual cables. The impact was again immediate, obvious and again being blunt, it was rather disappointing. Suddenly my wife and I both felt short-changed with our usual cables and a sound we had hitherto loved. Sound stage shrunk and speakers suddenly sounded as if I’d at one and the same time somehow ‘pumped’ the bass with hot air, generally bloated bass AND thrown a blanket over the tweets! We lived with it for a day and to be fair after a few hours we were enjoying our rig as we always have, but…. This is when I become the unbearable HiFi nerdy reviewer in our house. I knew the carbon 8 deserved a revisit.

I then proceeded to switch back to the carbon 8 and I’d say this time putting these back into the system was a lift, perhaps a mix of having had some hours on them, less of a shock when making the change, but both my wife and I found the Carbon 8 much more comfortable than we had the first time around. Critically not irritating in the way we had found before. There is though no point pretending my wife and I didn’t prefer the Carbon 16. The Carbon 16 were for us the clear choice in this comparison. To be fair, maybe it’s not surprising we preferred the Carbon 16, twice the cable, literally, but also twice the price. Maybe though the real key here IS more about system matching, there was, in my opinion, a better balance that clearly suited my set up with the Carbon 16 in place.

I found that both cables offered very similar sound quality and characteristics through the upper-mid and high frequencies, but the Carbon 16 in my set up, both for my wife and my ears, were richer and fuller through the mids and lower frequencies. It was this lift through lower frequencies that gave a more balanced listening experience from my system. My set up does respond well to a richer presentation in the lower frequencies and being fair it is, without doubt, my preference in systems generally to hear a slightly richer timbre in the mid to lower registers.

CONCLUSION

The Carbon 8 and 16 share some characteristics, both are very neutrally balanced, both detailed and both deliver a very dynamic sound quality and huge soundstage with positively almost visible gaps between instruments. In my system and to my ears the Carbon 16 offers a fuller and richer timbre in the lower mid and bass registers, not remotely bloated in anyway, just a little richer. I suspect these cables maybe marmite, that is I suspect few will be indifferent to them. I found both to have huge scale, a presentation that was sheer. I’m erring toward metaphors like ‘the north face of the Eiger’, sheer, breathtaking, now I know I’m being repetitive, but breathtaking is a word I’m struggling to shift from my vocabulary. These cables both, at times, saw me sat listening mouth wide open, it takes a lot to do that.

I know technically it’s not a correct term, but delivery felt to have a speed I’ve simply not heard with my system, ever. These cables brought a realism I didn’t know my system was even capable of. The impact from leading-edge drum kicks and the detailed decay of lingering notes was something special. I thought my system was really pretty revealing anyway, but these cables showed me my set up is capable of delivering way more than I realised. I found myself latching onto rhythms and shifts in the compass of music I’ve listened to on lots of rigs and over years. I’m not one for lots of references to specific pieces of music in reviews, but one such example; I became aware of syncopation between the bass lines and drumming; cymbals, kick drum and snare on the Supertramp title track on the album Some Things Never Change. the example for me was really about this, I’ve heard all those ‘components’ in that music before, like lots of HiFi enthusiasts I’m an analytical listener, but, I’d never heard exactly ‘in that way’. Never noticed a really dramatic syncopated kick. That presentation. It feels simplistic to say these cables are detailed, even though they are, it seems to me some of this detail is not about hearing, say, ‘that voice in a background vocal’ it’s more akin to realising there is a glottal plosive in the way that vocalist in the background voices certain words or the scratch of a fingernail on a piano key. Micro detail and interplay between musical elements were shown in real relief.

Despite my positive, exuberant, praise, I have to add a note of caution, these cables are revealing and dynamic in a way I did initially find uncomfortable. This discomfort, for want of a better expression, is not such that would see me rushing to send back if by any miracle Russ Andrews forgot about them (in my dreams of course!), but does I feel deserve mention if only so that potential buyers give a chance and are aware. Also, if a HiFi system has flaws, I did very much feel these cables are not likely to be forgiving, you will hear what you offer them, no ‘extra’ layer of numbness to music covering a hard cymbal or rough vocal, if it hits hard that is what you get and boy do you get it!

My view is very much that if matched with a well balanced and nuanced system you could be in for a very big treat indeed. Maybe some of this is about price point, these are not cables in an entry-level price range, these are clearly for those with pretty high-end rigs and even though my system isn’t what some would refer to as ‘high-end’ I could tell these cables have much going for them, they are out of my typical price range, but for those who do have the reach and system to match all I can say is enjoy!

I’d also like to add that despite my initial reservations about the Carbon 8 that I’d be curious to compare the Carbon 8 in a slightly warmer bass rich system than mine. I suspect the Carbon 8 may well be the preferred option in some rigs. I’ve not been shy about my preference, but don’t let that put off the Carbon 8. My advice as always would be to try. These cables are not simply different in technical construction, they offer a scale of presentation that shocked me. If you get chance and these are within your budget I seriously encourage giving a listen.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Understated was my first reaction, well made and options on upgrade terminations. Neat finish and good solid woven construction, but other than the look and feel of the carbon under Teflon, not much to note that gives away that these cables are different, but think most will realise they are. I wouldn’t envisage too many issues with construction. Enmeshed in Carbon and Teflon I think the actual cable is very well protected for all normal use.

Sound Quality: Careful system matching will pay big dividends and in the right system I would expect results to be absolutely breathtaking. Keywords being dynamic, fast, detailed and able to convey real drama, wallop and kick with a splash of top-end brilliance in abundance. I found the soundstage to match the overall dynamic grip these cables offered and was huge. 

Value for Money: When it comes to cables and this question my inclination is to say that only the listener can assess by listening and considering their own budget. I assessed these cables in my set up and did not find lacking, but would have to say, rather sadly, they are beyond my budget. These cables are not cheap, but in my opinion, if they are in your budget, they are well worth an audition. If you have a system that warrants cables at this price point I’d certainly recommend putting them on a demo shortlist. 

Pros: Fantastic dynamic detailed sound, massive soundstage and lots of attack and ‘guts’.  Micro detail I simply didn’t know my system was able to offer. Very clean and neutral and if offered with quality dynamics and sources sound quality will shine. In my system, the Carbon 16 did offer a slightly richer bottom end presentation which I really did like, but both cables have much to commend. 

Cons: Price would be the first hurdle for me, but if that is not an obstacle and you have a system to match then I’d suggest trying. My only caveat would be to make sure these cables have synergy with your system. Experience has shown me that the closer we get to truly neutral response and detail, slight deviance in terms of system matching can really matter, not a fault of these cables, more an observation that goes with the territory at these kinds of budgets.

Prices:

with Kimber bananas

Carbon 8

1.0m pair                      £861

2.5m pair                      £1524

3.5m pair                      £1966

4.5m pair                      £2408

Carbon 16

1.0m pair                      £1634

2.5m pair                      £2960

3.5m pair                      £3844

4.5m pair                      £4728

For Kimber Postmaster spades add £35 and for WBT-0610Cu plugs add £353 to the above prices.

Ken Stokes

Review Equipment: Roksan Caspian M2 CD player (transport only), MacBook Pro using Audirvana for ripped uncompressed flac files and Qobuz Studio for streamed. Benchmark Dac3 to Nord NC500 upgraded to MK2 spec’ Dual Mono Power Amp, Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand SE Speakers, mains – Belden DIY Screened Mains Cables.

Tellurium Q has updated their entry-level cables, Janine Elliot compares the old with the new.

Geoff Merrigan is different from most manufacturers. He doesn’t like to give away too many details about his cables, even to friendly reviewers, as he feels you should just listen to them and come to your conclusion as to just how good (or not) they are. After all, you could be sold a lot of information on the cable’s design, but unless it actually sounds good it’s not much use. Luckily Tellurium Q has been producing some amazing products over the past 10 years, winning numerous awards including the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2018. When Geoff sends me cables to review that are new versions of existing cables, he always sends me the old cables as well so that I can do a direct comparison between old and new. The Blue II was no exception. This allowed me a great opportunity to experiment with both cables from this ex industrial chemistry student who trained in material science. Geoff turned to cable manufacturing just over 10 years ago. Tellurium Q produces three ranges of cables; the Blue family of products is their entry line aimed at giving warmer and richer sounds, the Black range is midway and more revealing, and at the top sits the Silver top-of-the-range series, with more detailed and revealing sounds. On opening the TQ website it shows a moving image of a single sine wavelength multiplying into several, illustrating a fault of many cables where the pure sound input can morph into something quite different by the time it gets to the other end of the cable. Their mantra is “Phase relationships in a signal is our focus”.

“We are primarily focused on removing the smearing of frequencies through a timing shift and by doing this you get better clarity and transparency”.

According to Geoff, no one can totally rectify this issue, rather just make the effects less audible.

“Every material a signal passes through will shift differing frequencies by differing amounts relative to one another. That will vary by each and every material and fields acting upon those materials. That is just the laws of physics in action. Even an ultra-pure amazing conductor will exhibit this problem, there is no getting away from it. It is only really an issue though in the transients – leading and trailing edges, but that is enough. So, you have to carefully match/develop materials, dielectrics, etc to get a better result to listen to”.

In a Bell Labs report from 1930 they found that transient phase distortion affected the ‘naturalness’ of voices, and this has inspired Geoff to create cables that gave a pure representation of the source. For example, the more expensive interconnect, Ultra Black, is one of the best cables I have ever heard, so I looked forward with great excitement at trying the new entry-level Blue II. Complete with the 1m XLR interconnect, weighing in at £235 (the RCA version is £180 for a 1m length), I was also supplied with a 3m Blue II loudspeaker cable, working out at £16.50/m plus £12 for termination.

Construction

This section will be very short since Geoff is very secretive about what goes on inside, and I didn’t particularly want to cut a cable in half! What is very important in terms of construction is that a lot of different areas build up to create the ‘best’ cable, not just the choice of conductor or dielectric. Geoff told me that manufacturers can be too dependent on getting as much purity of the copper, rather than looking at the overall design;

“People assume that to get the best performance the “fastest” conductor – pure silver or something even better has to be used. Which is also one of the reasons for the pointless chasing of nines as I call it i.e. copper to 99.9999999% purity as if that is the single most important factor for a cable!”

Even the choice of solder is vitally important to Geoff and is the result of many tests. As a result, solder is both silver and lead-free. Important, too, are the connectors. For this entry-level product, the excellent Neutrik connector is used, but in the higher range products, they have multi-layers of plating and not always the materials you would expect. Indeed, the plating process itself is chosen carefully, even to the thickness of the plating, and what has to be in the plating bath as well as what shouldn’t. Whilst both old and new Blue cables look very similar (well, actually the new Blue interconnect is a nicer lighter shade of blue), that is where the similarity ends. Improvements have been made in the conductors and dielectrics, plus work on the asymmetric shielding. The speaker cables follow the TQ pattern of a flat cable design, and the finish of all the cables sent to me for review was exemplary.

The Music

For the review I used two hi-fi set-ups: one high-end and the other more in keeping with the price range of the cables. To start the review, I decided to listen to the old Blue to totally understand how they sounded before moving on to the new products. When reviewing the interconnects I kept my existing loudspeaker cables in situ as I know them so well, only listening to the TQ loudspeaker cables when the first part of the review was completed.

Initially, the XLR cables were used between my excellent Krell KPS20i CD player and MFA pre-amplifier, and then between the passive pre-amplifier and valve Synthesis power monoblocks. On listening to the original Blue and then the new product it was easy to establish the differences. Indeed, the cables were like chalk and cheese. The new cable was astounding in comparison – though the original was still a very good product. Listening to Tangalco’s ‘La Zucca Barucca’ on the older cables the sound was forward and engaging but lacked extreme bass. I also found in comparison with the newer cable that the sound wasn’t so forceful and certainly not as engaging. This album is a very exciting performance, and the instrumentalists sit in their own defined areas which wasn’t so clearly heard with the older cable. With the Blue II positioning was improved and there were better initial transients that even made my cat jump up in surprise at the beginning with the piano and drum rhythms. The music actually sounded louder than with the elder cable and it had a far better top end. This cable is really aimed at getting close to the Ultra Blue though I could hear some similarities with the Ultra Black which I had previously reviewed. Each instrument was placed in its own defined space with the musicians visible in the room, rather than behind a curtain, as in the older Blue’s. As well as improvements in the treble, the bass was further extended and tight with the double bass and percussion.

Mozart’s String Quartet in Bb KV174 was next (Philips Complete Mozart Edition). The Blue sounded a little blue in comparison with the Blue II, with detail not as good as with the new cable. The Blue II had a “cleaner” and more extended top end. Lower mids sounded particularly good, especially the viola. Interestingly, everything sounded a tad faster. The interconnect gave a warm and musical rendition of the work with excellent space around the five instrumentalists. Continuing with classical music I listened to a mono 1955 recording of Ravel’s 5-movement Miroirs. This work is very dry; no digital reverb to spoil the music, though in the recording its dryness was perhaps a little too much. This was like listening to a piano in the smallest bedroom, but it enabled me to accurately assess the cables. The Blue II did this much more successfully and admirably. Nothing was added nor taken away. Shostakovich Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Orchestra in C minor is a particularly innocent work with plenty of oomph and space, and much more reverb. The cables gave a faithful and honest rendition, with the Steinway grand piano easily identifiable against any other make with its handling of the top frequencies and the bashes of the lowest “B” and “C”. Whilst this isn’t my favourite Shostakovich piano concerto it is a particularly enjoyable one, basing ideas on neo-baroque combinations of instruments, hence the small orchestra. The piano seems to get most of the playing with the louder trumpet taking second fiddle. But when he does play, the cables are able to bring quick and tidy transients and separate the soloists in space with the orchestra. The trumpet does have the final laugh, though, playing the final melodic line.

Turning to things a lot louder the punchy “Dancing in the Moonlight” from Toploader (Onka’s Big Moka) gave the electrons something to dance about, the cable not having any problems giving a feisty performance, with all frequencies accurately catered for. “Just Hold On” is particularly good in respect of frequencies, particularly the highest, and the cable again gave as good as it could. Slowing things down ‘Tres Lunas’ from Mike Oldfield, an album more suited to reiki or reflexology sessions, gave me a chance to unwind. The dated digital instruments were easily discerned, but the cable did so in a very musical manner, something some more expensive cables can find problems with. All frequencies were evenly distributed. Only the digital bass line in track two was a little too prominent, though my Wilson Benesch Torus sub handled it with relish.

Time to add the loudspeaker cables. Listening to the excellent ‘Vivaldi in Venice’ and Tartini Concerto in E minor, the original Blue cable had lots of detail but the instrumentation was very central and lacking in excitement. Tops were good and detail in the bass adequate, but it was not as good as I know this album can be. But soon as I switched to the Blue II my eyes just lit up. This was a far superior cable. Instruments weren’t so confined, and the acoustics of the Venice San Vidal Church could be heard in all their glory. London Grammar’s album ‘Truth is a Beautiful Thing’ allowed me to hear a surprisingly truthful performance from both of these cables, but the elder sounded more relaxed and subdued in comparison with the new cable, which was also much more natural. “Everyone Else” has significant phasing in the track which was more confused in the original Blue but opened up with greater clarity in the newer cable. The latter gave an excellent bass and clear treble in “Non Believer”.

Some of the listening of the loudspeaker cable was done using Slee amplification and Chartwell LS3/5a’s. Whilst the lowest octave might well be missing, I had no sensation of the loss of musical prowess. This cable made these speakers sing with precision and accuracy to a much higher level than I expected. When replacing with Wilson Benesch Arcs that accuracy was even greater with these clinical sounding speakers, especially the initial transients. Listening to John Barry “Raise the Titanic” (John Barry ‘The Collection) the music was detailed and very precise at all frequencies, particularly from the brass and percussion. Jennifer Warnes “Bird on a Wire” had very quick and accurate striking of bass tom-toms with precise lead and backing vocals being given space on the soundstage, plus extended decays. For ultimate space I turned to Kitaro ‘Live in America’, an album I first heard in the States. Whilst the LS3/5a might miss the lowest frequencies,the Blue II added more depth and space than I expected for such a cheap cable. These really are the bargain of the year. Combining both Blue II interconnect and speaker cables gave a very capable performance for the price, particularly its ability to transform the aged digital sounds in the live performance into a very musical and realistic affair. 

Conclusion

Both cables excelled in giving a faithful reproduction from the very lowest to highest frequencies with a speed that far belied its price point. The interconnect particularly excelled with all music thrown at it, and combined with the loudspeaker cable formed a tight, musical and extended frequency package. Music was controlled, and with an open and natural transmission of the music with no colouration. I would highly recommend both these cables not only for the cheaper hifi set up but, as has been shown in this review, also for those with top end audio but on a budget. These really are a bargain!

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Excellent quality control. Good XLR connectors.

Sound Quality:  Excellent clarity from lowest to highest frequencies, with excellent speed of initial transients for the price.

Value for Money: £235 for an interconnect and £99 for 3m loudspeaker cable is excellent value for the quality of sound being produced.

Pros:

Transparency.

Excellent speed.

Clean and extended response.

Cons:

Nothing other than I wish I knew what was inside.

Price: £235 1m Blue II XLR interconnect (£180 1m RCA interconnect)

£99 + £12 termination 2 x 3m Blue II loudspeaker cable

Janine Elliot

Review Equipment:

System 1; Pre-Audio GL-1102N/AT33sa (turntable), Manley Steelhead (phono stage), Krell KPS20i (CD), Ferrograph Logic7 (reel to reel), Synthesis Roma 98CD/MFA Baby Reference Pre (amplification), Graham Audio LS5/9 plus Townshend Supertweeter and Wilson Benesch Torus sub (speakers). Other cables used; Ecosse, Townshend and Nordost.

System 2; laptop/Fiio (digital sources), Slee Majestic (pre/DAC), Slee Proprius (monoblock power amps), Chartwell LS3/5a and Wilson Benesch Arc (speakers).

The post Tellurium Q Blue II Interconnects And Speaker Cables first appeared on Hifi Pig.