tmajni%sequent.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET (Tim Majni) (03/08/91)
What follows is a review written for the Oregon Triod Society Newsletter,
which is a hobbiest audiophile publication issued quarterly. It is the
second largest organization of its kind in the world. Readership is mostly
local, but is growing to include many people across the USA, including the
editorial staff of Stereophile Magazine! I hope you all find it informative
and interesting...
LOCAL OREGON CABLE COMPANY HAS DESIGNS ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE
IN HIGH-END AUDIO
Products reviewed: Bradley Audio Engineering interconnects ($199 meter
pair), Madrigal HPC interconnects ($150 meter pair), MIT CVT
interconnects ($535 meter pair), MIT PC-Squared ($100 meter pair),
Monster Interlink-500 ($45 meter pair), Tara Labs Space-and-Time
Standard interconnect ($145 meter pair).
Most Audiophiles tend to focus on things like digital pre-processors,
preamps, power amps, and speakers when thinking about seriously
upgrading their systems. Small things like cables, power isolation,
and interconnects take a back seat to these bigger ticket items. Only
when the bank account has been exhausted, do attentions finally turn
to less expensive but undeniable ways of improving the sound.
Many an audiophile is penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to
upgrading their systems. A gross example would be purchasing a cheap
"strong" amplifier rated at 200 watts per channel of dirty power
rather than a more expensive "weaker" 50 or 100 watt a channel of
clean power. While this is characteristic of only the most uneducated
listener, lesser but more common travesties abound: purchasing a
powerful clean amplifier like Krell, Levinson or Threshold and
plugging it into a common 15 amp household circuit. Personal
experience has shown that a 20 amp dedicated line is required for the
best sonic performance from this kind of gear. Another example is
putting a turntable or CD player on a fancy but sonically disastrous
wooden stereo cabinet full of ugly resonances. The point is that many
things can be done to exploit the latent potential of the gear you
already have in your possession. This is where good interconnects can
make a major difference. If your still debating or doubting whether
or not "expensive" interconnects are worthwhile, then you have yet to
cross the line into real high-end audio systems.
Before getting into the actual cable review, you must know what the
reference system was at the time of audition: Mission CD player (also
used as the transport for digital processors), Theta Pro Basic digital
processor, Esoteric D-10 digital processor, Wadia x32 digital
processor, Quicksilver preamp, Threshold S200 amplifier, and Thiel
CS1.2 speakers. Bradley Audio Engineering half-meter interconnects
where used to connect the amplifier and preamp for the duration of the
audition. All cable changes happened between the digital processor
and preamp, knowing that's where the differences would be most
noticeable. The Mission to processor link was provided by Theta
digital interconnect. Speaker wire used was Monster 14 gauge zip cord
(I know this is cheap wire, but one thing at a time please). Most
readers will agree that this is a fairly high resolution setup, the
kind of setup where interconnects can make a big difference. This
isn't the time or place to talk about the diversity of digital
processors used, but Theta was used for the bulk of auditioning. It's
stunning sonics were helpful in showing the differences between
interconnects in stark relief.
Let's cut to the chase. What are the factors one should consider when
selecting interconnects? Obviously, sonic purity is the leading
factor. Wire configuration and construction makes the most difference
in sonics. In particular shielding, dielectric used, and spacing of
wires influence sound quality the most. Connectors can affect the
signal if they don't secure properly, or if the surface tends to
oxidize reducing signal strength. Hence, gold plating is used on
audio connectors. Interconnects should have sturdy connectors because
repeated hookups can actually fatigue connectors to the point of
breakage - a totally unacceptable situation for expensive audio
products! This plays to the most important factor in purchasing audio
gear: cost. While I'm willing to spend big bucks on audio gear, it
must perform beyond it's price point for me to be a happy consumer.
Spending $200 on a pair of interconnects is tough, very tough indeed.
I want an interconnect that will not only out perform those costing
the same, I want it to perform at least as well as those costing much
more. I may have found such a product, so read on.
Listening Material
==================
The listening material used during auditioning was limited to keep
testing manageable. The Chesky test CD was used for imaging tests.
BB & the Flim's "Tunnel" (jazz) for ambiance and highs like cymbals.
Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the Archive label for overall tonal balance
and potentially difficult complex passages. I like to evaluate cables
by playing them for an extended period of time to get used to them,
and then change them. Differences between cables should be readily
apparent. Poor cables are easy to spot in a batch of good performers,
but it can become tedious deciding which cable is better between two
good performers. It should be noted that interconnects will sound
different from system to system. Hence, many people tend to use
interconnects as tone control mechanisms to fine-tune their systems.
I'm of the purist school, so I prefer products that don't color or
alter music in any way. The cables tested are in their ranking from
worst to best as I perceived them. Remember, don't take my word for
it, demo them at home for yourself.
$100 and under Interconnects
============================
MIT PC-Squared wire is a very popular wire, and at $100 not what I
would consider an inexpensive priced wire. Sonically they were OK.
Imaging was maybe a foot or so outside the speakers. Overall
presentation was better than the Monster I-500, but was still veiled
when compared to better wires. Highs were grainy. Quality control
seems to be poor with this wire. One wire was almost an inch longer
than the other. The connectors had to be recrimped to secure them to
the wire after only a few uses. This wire is very similarly built to
the Monster I-500, two stranded copper conductors with PVC dielectric,
surrounded by a better shield of plated mylar and copper wire.
Connector quality is typical of all MIT wires, OK but not great. It
kind of makes me wonder what the world is coming to when $5 in parts
can be sold to gullible audiophiles for $100.
Monster Interlink 500 at $55 is the least expensive interconnect
tested. Sonically they are very poor. Imaging was limited to within
the speakers. They presented a very veiled soundstage. The best way
to describe them is as fuzzy throughout the entire range. These
cables use PVC covered stranded copper conductors, shielded with
plated mylar with a copper drain wire. PVC is known to be a poor
dielectric for audio applications because it smears the signal.
Workmanship was very good, considering the relative cost to other more
expensive wires. A problem was found with the directional arrows on
the wire jackets being inconsistent with grounding. The connectors on
this cheap wire are superior to most of the other wire tested. The
turbine cut on the connectors allowed them to fit very snugly.
Overall, this is a good wire for budget systems only.
$150 to $200 Interconnects
==========================
Bradley Audio Interconnects were the shining star of this auditioning
session. While they aren't inexpensive at $200 for a meter pair, they
offer a lot for the money. They were the best wire heard. Imaging
when coupled with the Theta was stunning. Voices and instruments
sounded as if they where coming out of the walls at times. The Thiels
also seemed to disappear. The Theta is an awesome unit, and these
interconnects don't get in the way of it at all. There was no sign of
grit. These wires sounded smooth, as well as having very extended
highs. They sounded bright when compared to the MIT Shotguns, but
much more true to the music. There is definitely much more sonic
information available to the listener. Build quality is superb. The
connectors are WBT knockoffs, which are heavy duty locking connectors.
The fit of the wire into these connectors was snug, and not about to
come apart. The wire is custom made: silver plated copper twisted
pair, teflon tape dielectric, polypropylene packing, heavily shielded
with plated mylar and tin plated copper, another layer of teflon tape,
topped off with a satin black PVC jacket. They are easy to handle as
well, being very flexible, without potentially damaging the wire. A
one meter BAE wire also measured the lowest end-to-end capacitance of
all the wires tested: 63pf. The nearest other wire measured twice as
much! These wires should be excellent for long runs where low
capacitance is a must. I can heartily recommend these wires.
Madrigal Helical interconnects are common enough looking, but I assure
you they aren't. Imaging and soundstage was slightly smaller than the
BAEs but excellent. Highs were very clean and extended. They are
very smooth sounding with no grit. Sonically, they are second on my
list. They seem to be a good buy at $150 for a one meter pair.
Construction was good, being bettered only by the BAEs. This wire is
unusually made, with the conductors being flat wire that is coiled,
hence Helical/Planar. More hype? Maybe not in Madrigal's case.
Capacitance is high though, making them a dubious choice for long
runs. The manufacturer also warns about bending this wire because it
is easily damaged! This wire is somewhat of a mixed bag, but I
wouldn't be ashamed to own a pair of these.
Tara Labs Space-and-Time wire is also a very popular wire, priced at
$145. Imaging with this wire is much better than the MIT PC-Squared,
being two to three feet outside the speakers, but no match for the MIT
Shotgun, BAE, or Madrigal. The high end seemed to have a very fine
grit to it. This wire didn't seem to be as musical as the best wires
tested. It is solid core in construction and well shielded. Solid
core wire is stiff and prone to fatigue and fracturing from bending.
This shouldn't be a problem if you're careful not to move this wire a
lot. They tout this wire as being made of oxygen free Australian
copper which is slow drawn. Marketing hype? Maybe, considering its
standing with the other wires. Construction proved to be of low
quality. The plastic insulation holding the RCA center pin got too
hot during soldering causing it to bend out of shape creating the
"leaning tower of RCA". It should have been rejected at the factory,
but there it was in my hot little hands. The connectors were very
large on these wires making them difficult to connect to RCA jacks
spaced close together.
Over $200
=========
MIT 330 Shotgun was the only "expensive" wire auditioned. It is a
unique looking wire, looking like it cost a lot, and it does, $535.
The main body of this wire is quite large, reminding me of a garden
hose with nylon (protective?) mesh. The large body is reduced down to
wire similar in size to the PC Squared which is terminated with
standard MIT RCA connectors. All the magic of this wire is hidden
from view, but MIT literature talks at length about phase coherence.
The wiring is made up of several diameter sizes isolated by dielectric
to make sure all frequencies show up at the same time. MIT claims
other wires have this problem. If phase coherence is a problem, how
are they sure they have the proper ratios of wire sizes, effectively
building a crossover network? This might just be a lot of bunk. No
phase differences where immediately obvious from this wire when
compared to other good wires discussed here. In all fairness the demo
may not have been extensive enough, or MIT might say my poor speaker
wires invalidate the entire test! Build quality appears good, with
one flaw, the RCA connectors. They are marginally better than the
ones used on the PC-Squared. Why MIT doesn't use better RCA
connectors on a wire this expensive is beyond me. It has a good sonic
signature. Imaging is excellent with extension four or more feet
outside the speakers. Highs were definitely attenuated though, almost
to the point of darkness. They are very smooth sounding. The Shotgun
is a good choice to tame really bright systems. However, these wires
can not be claimed to be neutral in character, and therefore not to my
personal liking. This wire also has a high capacitance which will
further attenuate highs on long runs. All in all, this is a good
wire, especially for bright systems, but it seems a bit expensive,
doesn't it?
Conclusions
===========
There is a lot of competition in the interconnect business these days.
Competition doesn't seem to be keeping prices down though. In fact
many seem to be ignorantly high priced. You can easily double the
cost of your system when buying wires. Needless to say this is a very
high margin segment of an already high margin industry. No nonsense
engineering, high quality parts, and great sound at a great price
aren't easy to find in a single package. The BAEs stand out as an
exceptional value in this regard. Several dealers already carry Seth
Bradley's wires, and they all agree that it is a stellar performer at
it's price point. One dealer now uses BAEs as reference wires instead
of Kimber KCTG! They are that good. Don't take my word for it, demo
for yourself. All the high-end dealers in the Portland area encourage
you to take their wires for a road test yourself.
Author: Tim Majni
tmajni@sequent.com
(503) 578-5194 (work)
(503) 591-8221 (home)