Audiophilepure

I truly enjoyed my time with the Danacable Lazuli™ Voilà II Headphone Cable, like all Danacables, they give you more without changing the character of your headphone. While quite pricy, it is money well spent on a headphone of this caliber. The extra separation provided by the use of two distinct separate cables is well appreciated, and the use of bridges to both keep the cables apart and together greatly facilitated this upgrade. There was a clear difference in dynamic range, detail, resolution, timbre quality, and soundstage with the Lazuli™ Rhapsody Headphone Cable versus the stock cable, there was an equal improvement with the Voilà II versus the Rhapsody. The phase linearity and current capacity of the Voilà II bring the SUSVARA to a whole new level of performance, especially when it comes to the low frequencies where control is so difficult.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1271-siltech-royal-single-crown-speaker-cable

The overall neutrality of the Art Series Monets, their quick, insightful nature, and their coherence and imaging is certainly part of a family sound that translates over to the Royal Single Crowns. The Siltechs, though, add in a most endearing character through the midrange, fleshing out instruments and voices in a manner that the Monets can’t quite match. I noted other improvements in the frequency extremes, like increased definition that better focused the flying wedge of basses and drums, and a clearer, more incisive treble that provided more easily digestible information, especially at higher volumes.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1934-shunyata-research-theta-speaker-cable

Throughout my listening to Shunyata Research’s Theta speaker cables, all genres of music flowed with transparent immediacy that rivaled a live performance. Most impressively, the sotto voce portions of the music I auditioned were audible and clearly defined. The Theta speaker cables provided nuanced detail, clarity, and focus, along with exceptional dynamics. I had a preternatural sense of hearing deeper into all the music I auditioned without feeling overwhelmed with information. I was extremely sad to see these cables leave my system. I recommend Shunyata’s Theta speaker cables to enthusiasts who want exceptional performance without needing to take out a second mortgage.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1124/Siltech_Master_Crown_Cables_Review.htm

or the most salient of comparisons in my reference system, after installing the two-an-a-half meter spade terminated speaker cables ($150,900/pair) between my True Life Audio SSA-350 monos and my Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA 9 loudspeakers, I installed the one-meter balanced interconnects ($68,000/pair) between my DSA Phono III phonostage and my True Life Audio SSP-1 linestage, and the two meter AC power cord ($51,800) to power the DSA Phono III as well. And, I did them in that order, with considerable time in between each installation, in the hopes that I would be able to identify each product’s individual contribution to the resultant sound.

I’ve heard less variation in these headphones changing amplifiers actually, so the Lazuli Vocalise really were doing something that I’ve never heard on an aftermarket cable upgrade. This cable helped Norah’s voice shine through like I’ve never experienced with the AB1266 Phi TC headphones. Bass was also very clear, taught, and punchy, and all without bleeding into the midrange. This cable seemed to offer a concrete fence between the bass and mid-range like no other. With cheaper cables, this area could be smeared a smidge, that the Lazuli Vocalise controlled the speaker-like bass of these headphones with such precision had me truly impressed. Finally, the sense of air and space with this cable was also a cut above both the stock cable and other after-market cables I have tried (all costing significantly less). The sound staging was literally the best I’ve ever experienced. So while not cheap, if you are looking for the “final piece to your Phi TC puzzle”, this cable might be exactly what you’re looking for!

The frontRow cables excelled at their reproduction of the frequency extremes. The frontRows played back high-frequency instruments with consummate air, extension, and clarity, and without any accompanying grain, grit or brightness. Elvin Jones’ cymbal work on “Outlaws” from his Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones CD (Nonesuch 79624-2) had a condign mix of bite and burnish, and was played back with seemingly endless air and extension. And Dave Holland’s bass playing was supple and rhythmic, with propulsive drive. The frontRows’ bass was chameleonic in nature, adding no innate editorializing to the musical message.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0724/Siltech_Master_Crown_Cables_Review_Launch_Event.htm

They also include an advance on Siltech’s Balanced Ground Principle, a unique cable winding geometry that significantly contributes to its exceptionally low noise floor. Their analysis of the design shows that this allows the cables to reveal signals down to an astonishing eight trillionths of a watt (0.000000000000008 watt)!

The Master Crown’s conductor and insulator construction employs both their Current Shield Distortion and Magnetic Field Distortion Reduction technologies, said to substantially reduce the effects of magnetic field distortion, allowing them to achieve incredible clarity in the critical vocal range.

Looking over the VIABLUE^™ cable product catalog, the cable options aren’t so much defined into clearly separate lines as opposed to wire gauge and design differences. This makes for a multitude of choices and a large degree of customization to be available to the end-user. Speaker cables are categorized by the number of conductors employed and if the products use VIABLUE^™ Air Pipe topology. Power cables are differentiated mostly by conductor gauge. Analog cable varies by using either pure OFC copper or Silver-plated OFC copper conductors, and whether they employ Air Pipes or are configured in a twisted pair under an outer sheath. VIABLUE’s digital cable offerings are the most straightforward, essentially constituting a single tier. All digital cables (except for Toslink Optical) use Silver-plated OFC wire. VIABLUE^™ also plans to release an HDMI cable later this year.

Although chunky, meaty, well-paced, and foot-tappingly rhythmic, the cable sounds steadier and more relaxed than the Jorma Unity or my affordable favorite, the Driade Flow Link Reference 808. Both are leaner but also nimbler and subjectively faster, and both are airier and more refined. But while the Jorma is more impactful and timbrally convincing than the Driade, neither has the “live”-like robustness, stance, tonal saturation, “meat on the bones”, and overall weight that exemplifies the Mad Scientist cable.

As a final test, I connected the Black Magic Gold interlink with a dCS stack that happened to be on visit at this time: the Paganini Clock/USB interface and Puccini CD player/DAC. This turned out to be a particularly well-working combination, the Black Magic Gold’s body and tonal saturation marrying beautifully with the dCS combo’s slightly lean and highly detailed nature. The dCS combo’s inherent purity and cleanness were expressed well without leaning toward clinicality. But it must be said that, here, too, the treble did not quite have the level of nuance, air, and ultra-high resolution that the combo can produce with the Driade or the Jorma. Nevertheless, the combination sounds articulate yet energetic and, again, timbrally very natural, harmonically rich, and overall very convincing.