equipment report

Loudspeaker Cable Survey, Part One

Paul Seydor and Neil Gader

he process of assembling a high-end audio system is by have listened independently and together, recording our impres-

T turns exciting and painstaking. After you’ve dropped

the heavy coin on the high-profile components, there’s
a natural tendency to coast along to the finish line on
the fumes of an exhausted budget. But there remains
one crucial baton-pass that must be executed before any sound is
summoned forth—you’re going to need some speaker cables. This
final link in the audio chain won’t necessarily redefine the sonic
character of the system you’ve created, but it can either polish the
sound to a high luster or coat it with a dull glaze. Paul Seydor and
I will survey a dozen (maybe more) speaker cables in the mid-priced
range, averaging $400 per eight-to-ten-foot pair. We agreed this to
be the typical “upgrade” threshold for most audiophiles.
Our methodology is ruthlessly simple—we’re here only to
listen and then report about what we’ve heard. Thus the cables
were divied up in an arbitrary fashion. The survey will be in two
parts. Six cables will be reported on in Part One. The remaining
six cables and a complete comparison and conclusion will be
included in Part Two. By the close of the survey, Paul and I will
sions. Although we will have discussed and compared notes, our
ultimate conclusions will be our own.
As in our interconnect survey in Issue 138, Paul and I do
not address design theories and philosophies or performance
claims as such. Cables and interconnects are system dependent
and performance can’t be guaranteed on the basis of numbers or
theory alone. The results we obtained in our respective systems
should not be taken as necessarily indicative of what you might
achieve in yours. In short, as Paul suggested in his conclusion to
the interconnect survey, the principal value of what we’re doing
here is not definitive, but paradigmatic. Unlike, say, matching
a phono pickup to a tonearm, where a simple resonance test will
tell you if they’ll work together, there’s no ready-made formula
by which a choice of speaker cables can be made easy. Once
you’ve narrowed your selection, all you can do by way of a final
determination is what we’ve done: hook ‘em up and start lis-
tening. So, engines fully recharged, we return once more unto
the breach: our Speaker Cable Survey, Part One. NG

Paul Seydor’s First Three

KIMBER KABLE 8TC
($288 per 8-foot pair)
Paul Hillier’s baritone and Andrew Lawrence-King’s harps and psaltery in their beautiful
Harmonia Mundi Bitter Ballads recital are captured in a rich ambience, which Kimber’s 8TC ren-
ders with rare coherence and extension. The musicians are fractionally less immediate, trans-
parent, and detailed than the reference, but also less edgy; on the whole I prefer the 8TC.
On Jacintha’s “Something’s Gotta Give” from her Autumn Leaves [Groove Note, ana-
log/SACD], singer and jazz ensemble enjoy a big, forward, open projection
that ideally mediates detail, liveliness, tonal neutrality, and dynamic
contrasts, with a very realistic soundstage. Murray Perahia’s mag-
nificent Goldberg Variations [Sony, DSD/SACD] brought the
only anomaly in the 8TC’s performance, slightly less
control and neutrality in the presentation of his
piano than the reference, though this was
evident only in direct A/B. With orchestral
music such as Christopher Seaman and the
Rochester Philharmonic’s excellent new recording of
Francesca da Rimini [Harmonia Mundi, PCM to
SACD], the 8TC suggested an even superior tonal bal-
ance to the reference, offering a wide soundstage and

56 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004

equipment report
again superb detail, tympani
clearly audible through densely
scored passages. On Reference
Recording’s Oue/Minnesota
Rachmaninoff Symphonic
Dances—one of the half-
dozen or so greatest orches-
tral recordings ever made—
the perspective was ever so
slightly distant compared
to the reference, but holo-
graphic in its integrity of
image and soundstage. This
cable has been around for a
commendably long time.
Having used it for many years
through countless changes in
equipment and rooms, I can person-
ally vouch for its versatility and bene-
fits: great neutrality, transparency, and
musicality, and a comfortable fit with
amplifiers that never causes them dis-
tress. Tilting a tad toward the Yin on the
Yin/Yang spectrum, the 8TC has that
elusive ability to remain musical no
matter what’s happening fore or aft: an
outstanding performer by any measure.
MUSIC INTERFACE
TECHNOLOGY MIT AVT 1
($500 per 8-foot pair)
Perhaps canted ever so slightly
toward the Yang, the MIT AVt 1
exhibits one of the most neutral tonal
balances of any cable I’ve heard, and
numbers among its many other virtues a
grip and control that equals, maybe even
surpasses, the reference. The Bitter
Ballads’ presentation was extremely
smooth and nonfatiguing, albeit with an
impression of slightly less bloom and
sense of liveliness than the 8TC. The
same virtues extend to the Jacintha disc,
but with greater openness. On the
uptempo “Something’s Gotta Give,”
which requires as much control as possi-
ble, the MIT’s projection of the ensem-
ble into the room was altogether
remarkable, and its snap and bite, in the
best sense of those words, were well nigh
irresistible. On the orchestral discs, the
58
M I T
a g a i n
exhibited a
supreme grip
over demanding
material, zeroing in on
breathtaking detail amid the
wide, deep soundstage, the preci-
sion of the imaging especially
notable. Murray Perahia’s Bach the
MIT handled better than any of my
first group: bigger, livelier, more in
the room, and noticeably more
neutral sounding. As is obvi-
ous, this cable
made a strong im-
pression on me. In addi-
tion to its other virtues, it suggests out-
standing purity and cleanliness, with
the blackest backgrounds of my first
group. There is something absolutely,
rivetingly convincing about this cable’s
performance in my system that over-
whelms any incidental reservations I’ve
expressed.
TARA LABS RCS
REFERENCE 2+
($495 per 8-foot pair)
In my setup Tara Labs’ RSC
Reference 2+ cable was shown to
its best advantage on large-scale
orchestral material. Tchai-
kovsky’s Francesca was big and
weighty on the bottom;
throughout the upper midrange
the 2+ pleasingly buffed off
some of the edge and brightness
that appear to be intrinsic to
this otherwise excellent record-
ing. With smooth, sweet
strings, dynamic brass and per-
cussion, and softened detail, the
gestalt of an orchestra is nevertheless
both pleasing and persuasive, especially
with respect to center fill throughout
the soundstage. Most of these virtues
extend to the Rachmaninoff, but here
the Tara’s reduced transparency was less
salutary. On Bitter Ballads the 2+ pro-
jected much less atmosphere. While
the size and image were as large as that
of the reference, there was—anom-
alously with this cable—slightly more
edge to the voice. This was also true of
the saxophone that opens Jacintha’s
Julie London recital (Jacintha Is Her
Name). “Something’s Gotta Give”
emerged big enough but overly gener-
alized, with a flatter perspective and
less articulation and authority than I’ve
heard from other cables and also with
considerably less of the MIT’s attractive
pizzazz or the 8TC’s kick. The
Goldberg’s tonal balance was good but
the piano was rather thick and con-
fined, with noticeably less control and
openness, the sense of involvement far
less keenly felt. As Tara Labs makes
obviously fine products, I’m inclined to
attribute the Reference 2’s less than sat-
isfactory performance in my system to a
lack of any real synergy with my associ-
ated gear.
THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004
equipment report
Neil Gader’s First Three
HARMONIC TECHNOLOGY
PRO-11 PLUS
($475 per 8-foot
pair)
This big thick snake
of a cable had a rich and
full-bodied signature
that plumbed the
depths and a
strong and im-
mediate presence
on vocals. If the
Synergistic’s charac-
ter made me think of
Stravinsky, the Pro-11
Plus put me more in mind
of Vaughan Williams or
Holst. Sensual and romantic on
Holly Cole’s “Jersey Girls” [Temptation,
Alert], it demonstrated its bass prowess
with a gusto I’ve rarely heard in my sys-
tem. Yet it was also very sweet in the
upper octaves. Violins in particular were
devoid of any astringency. Low-level
details like castanets, tambourines, or the
gentle pluck of a backing classical guitar
were taut and isolated in space. Nickel
Creek, a bluegrass/pop hybrid trio, sug-
gested a more forward performance with
very snappy string transients on man-
dolin and banjo. Similarly during
“Spanish Harlem” [Rebecca Pidgeon;
Chesky SACD] the vocal seemed a row or
so forward compared to previous experi-
ence. Solid soundstage reproduction was
a strong suit—the breadth of the orches-
tra seemed to expand with this cable,
revealing expansively open concert-hall
venues. Both small combos and large
orchestras seemed to fill their respective
halls without constriction. At its best—
reproducing the weight and detail of
acoustic recordings—the Pro-11 Plus
was very nearly invisible. And never
more so than during Evgeny Kissen’s
performance of Pictures At An Exhibition
[RCA] where the full thunder of Kissen’s
left hand has to be heard. Overall this
was the rare cable that made the record-
ing sound like a stage performance.
60
SILTECH
NEW YORK MXT ($491
per 2.5-meter pair)
Although physically thinner than a
bullwhip, there was nothing squeezed
about the sonics or dynamics of this sil-
ver/copper/gold composite. In fact, I
found myself settling gently into the
darker luxury of the Siltech as if it were
an Italian loafer. The Siltech New York
was sensibly midrange weighted and
neutral in presentation, with a silky,
slightly rounded treble. Although not
the most overtly extended it was one of
the most harmonically palpable. Very
smooth and virtually grain free, it also
communicated first-rate low-level reso-
lution. During Appalachian Spring, the
Siltech conveyed the warmth and defini-
tion of the double basses and the com-
plex layering of the string sections. Its
treble, especially on massed string sec-
tions, was non-peaky at all times. It
excelled reproducing the chesty growl of
Tom Waits’ baritone yet somehow trun-
cated the breathiness at the end of each
note. On “Jersey Girls,” the thrum of
the deepest bass response wasn’t as thick
as with the Harmonic Technology but it
delineated the backing singers in precise
space as well as the reference Nordost
Blue Heavens. A slight rounded tonality
crept in on female vocalists singing at
full tilt. And on the Sheryl Crow “I Shall
Believe” [Tuesday Night Music Club,
A&M] the soundstage was a bit less
expansive in height and depth—the
backing tambourine scooted forward
inexplicably, for example. Similarly
Crow’s overdubbed harmonies were a bit
more forward—sidling up to her lead
vocal. But her voice was also richer and
more articulate. The Siltech was a high-
ly competitive cable with no serious
faults.
THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004

SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH
ALPHA QUAD ACTIVE
($360 per 2.5-meter pair)
The Alpha Quad Active was the
rock ’n’ roller of this bunch. Described
as “Active Shielding,” it uses a plug-in
module whereby DC voltage bias is
applied to the shielding (outside the sig-
nal path), effectively buffering out EMI
and RF before they can enter the ground
circuit. The result is a splashy, high-
energy cable that’s fast and unreservedly
dynamic and detailed. On Green Day’s
“Basket Case” [Dookie, Reprise] the
vocals had a presence that sliced right
through the mix like an X-Acto. It did-
n’t the have the darker woodiness of the
Siltech or the dense bass response of the
Harmonic Technology, rather with its
smidgen of added brilliance in the treble
the Synergistic suggested a blonder
hardwood that was quick to respond to
the percussionist’s touch. The Alpha
consistently felt like it was driving the
beat forward, as if it fed on the excite-
ment and tempo. Imaging was uncanny.
Transient information possessed surgi-
cally-clean edge detail although on some
recordings this impression came off as
being a bit dry or clinical—violins
sounded as if there were a little more
rosin on the bow. This led to crescendos
during Appalachian Spring [NY
Philharmonic/ Bernstein, Sony
62
direct and reverberant sound to begin
with. The blue LED power light near
the terminations look really cool back-
lighting your speakers, too.
Next time: In Part Two of the survey we
will evaluate cables from Acoustic Zen, PS
Audio, Nordost, DH Labs, Cardas,
AudioQuest, XLO, and Wireworld, and will
deliver our conclusions and final wrap-up. &
M A N U FA C T U R E R I N F O R M AT I O N
ALPHA QUAD ACTIVE
SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH
501 Superior Avenue
Newport Beach, California 92663
(949) 642-2800
Price: $360 (2.5-meter pair)
Classical] that felt a little tonally con-
stricted in the upper harmonic region. HARMONIC TECHNOLOGY PRO-11 PLUS
Male singers like Tom Waits or Mark HARMONIC TECHNOLOGY
Knopfler were a little less chesty than 13200 Kirkham Way, Unit 100
with the reference Nordost but the low- Poway, California 92064
level resolving power on percussion (858) 486-8386
minutia was addicting. And soundstag- www.harmonictech.com
ing was palpably dimensional with Price: $475 (8-foot pair)
superior depth. Generally I found the KIMBER KABLE 8TC
Active Shielding feature a subtle but KIMBER KABLE
indisputable enhancement in my listen- 2752 South 1900 West
ing room. It was in the area of detail and Ogden, Utah 84401
three-dimensionality that the active (801) 621-5530
component seemed to shine the most— www.kimber.com
especially from the better orchestral Price: $248-$288 (8-foot pair)
recordings, which have a good balance of MIT AVT1
MUSIC INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES
4130 Citrus Avenue, #9
PA U L’ S A S S O C I AT E D E Q U I P M E N T Rocklin, California 95677
Quad 988 speakers; Audio Physics Minos (916) 625-0129
subwoofer; Sony XA777ES SACD and Quad www.mitcables.com
Series 99-CDP CD players; McIntosh C2200, Price: $500 (8-foot pair)
C46, and Quad 99 preamps; McIntosh
SILTECH NEW YORK MXT
MC402, MC2102, and Quad 909 amps;
SILTECH AMERICA, INC
Kimber Select interconnects, Kimber
76 Green Street
Monocle XL cables
Boston, Massachusetts 02130
(617) 522-7740
N E I L’ S A S S O C I AT E D E Q U I P M E N T www.siltechcables.com
Sota Cosmos Series III turntable; SME V Price: $491 (2.5-meter pair)
pick-up arm; Shure V15VxMR cartridge;
TARA LABS RSC REFERENCE GEN 2+
Simaudio Equinox, Sony DVP-9000ES;
TARA LABS
Magnum Dynalab MD90 Tuner; Plinius 8200
2245 Ashland Street
Mk2 integrated amp; Nordost Blue Heaven
Ashland, Oregon 97520
cabling; Wireworld Silver Electra and Kimber
(541) 488-6465
Palladian power cords; Richard Gray line www.taralabs.com
conditioners Price: $495 (8-foot pair)
THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004