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July 2006

etmcomwh1

Silver Shoot-Out
The Science & Craft
Of Five Cables
Part I

Review By A. Colin Flood
 

mac

dual_connect

Owing perhaps to their extremely low distortion and amazing efficiency, my big ole horns and tube equipment are rumored to work particularly well with the supposedly superior sonics of silver interconnects. In a fit of ambition, I requested 5 pairs of one-meter patch cords for simultaneous audition:

  1. DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix
  2. Dynamic Design Lotus Whites
  3. DACT Dual Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables
  4. MyAudioCables Silver Sound Pipes
  5. MyAudioCables UltraSilver Sound Pipes

Three were modestly priced, while two were staggering high in price. Was there an appreciable sonic difference? Is it worth the extra investment? The bad news is that the silver patch cords were very close in quality. The good news is that in initial tests, one particular patch cord stood out in almost every respect!



1. DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

Darren Hovsepian is the DH of the Labs. His business is located but a bicycle ride from where I used to live in east coast Florida a few years ago. I never had the chance to visit him, though his local reputation is excellent. Hovsepian is an Armenian name, pronounced "Hov-sep-ian," In English, "Hovsep" means "Joseph," and "ian" means "son." Therefore, his name translates into "Josephson." He began making his own microphone cables in the ‘80s and recognized the differences in the feeds. He has made interconnects since 1992 and now provides them for seven other companies. He plans to attend the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show.

dh_labs_air_matrixA dielectric is an electrical insulator, highly resistant to the flow of electric current. The least lossy and most linear dielectric is air. A vacuum is an excellent dielectric. The Air Matrix uses PTFE Teflon foam that is actually 60 percent air. Unlike conventional foam dielectrics, the dielectric has a microscopic texture resembling a fine matrix. The uniformity of the dielectric gives it excellent transmission properties beyond 17GHz. Hovsepian said the 60 percent air to 40 percent Teflon ratio yields an optimum combination of rigidity and performance. Once you increase the air component to 70 percent or beyond, he says, the dielectric becomes too soft, and is too easily compressed. Compared to solid Teflon, this combination exhibits both lower capacitance and lower inductance. He says the Air Matrix is ideal for long cable runs.

The green Air Matrix interconnects are bi-metal, with silver and copper. The custom end locking plugs are the most solid in the test group, with a shiny gold inner center-pin and a pewter outer-locking barrel-shield. Hovsepian said to turn the outer barrel simply, until it is snug, no need to over-tighten. He claims their 99.3 percent copper conducts electricity three times better some other plugs. The Air Matrix interconnects are the most industrial in appearance, with solid RCA plugs and at 5/16", are slightly heavier, stiffer feel than the generic interconnect cords. One meter of Air Matrix with RCA connectors weighs 12 ounces, about three times more that the diminutive DACT threads.

The Air Matrix interconnects come in a commercial hanging display, with a green cardboard back and plastic cover. They also came with a large zip lock baggie, like the MAC interconnects, with 12 commercially prepared color glossy pages of graphics, reviews, sales and information – and a business card. Writing on the cable identifies them as Air Matrix. Arrows on the cables indicate direction. These are the pick-up trucks of the group.



2. Dynamic Design Lotus Whites

The search for "live sound" started Dynamic Design on their journey of discovery and realization. Although Dynamic Design was incorporated in 2000, its founder had been building products for local dealers since 1994. They are located within the city limits of Chicago. They are open to the public and plan to attend the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) show in Denver, October 2006. Retail outlets are listed on at their website.

Bill Artope says Dynamic Design thinks interconnects are only as good as the equipment allows. This means that the performance of a neutral interconnect is greatly affected by the signal fed into it to the extent of "garbage in, garbage out." Each component must be optimized to deliver the best signal possible for the interconnect to transmit to the receiving component.

The entry level Lotus Blue group is their biggest seller. Their Lotus White interconnects are terminated with low mass, direct plated gold over OFC metals. The Lotus Whites use high conductivity conductors coupled with ultra low loss dielectrics. The conductors are twisted at a precise number of times per inch in reverse orientation (+ and -) for low noise induction. He says Lotus Whites are equally adept with tube or solid-state equipment: "as long as the equipment is well designed, the Lotus Whites will transmit their signatures intact."

Because noise dominates at higher frequencies, the design of the Lotus Whites reduces the induction of noise onto the signal carrying wires. Lotus Whites are designed with low capacitance and inductance values that will not change the frequency response of connected equipment. Their low noise/wide-bandwidth design, he says, will reveal more information than the competition.

Artope says the biggest audible difference in interconnects relates to capacitance values. Low capacitance designs will have a more linear performance across the frequency spectrum while high capacitance designs will reduce the information retrievable at high frequencies. Lotus Whites typically need three days of constant use to break-in. These models were broken-in and ready to go. Dynamic Design recommends that the Whites be kept as far away as is possible from other cables, especially high current ones (power cords and speaker cables). They should be played in the same direction as when broken-in for the best sound. There are tiny arrows on the plug covers.

These interconnects are textured white cable, with a shimmer of gold threaded throughout their rough hide. They glow yellow in some lights and pinkish in others. The Lotus Whites were not as fragile feeling as the DACTs, but they are thinner than generic cables. Their RCA plugs are the lightest in the group and the convoluted labeling on the plug covers is hard to read. They slide off and on easily. These silky luxury sedans are the prettiest in the group, especially when there is a light shining on them.



3. Dual Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables

Danish Audio ConnecT (DACT) is a Danish firm, located in the western part of the main peninsula in Denmark (Jutland). They are west of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark and just 12 miles from the North Sea. Denmark is currently 6 hours ahead of Unites States East Cost time.

dual_connectDACT has been in business since 1995 with their CT1 stepped attenuator. CT1 later developed into the CT2 attenuator, their best selling item. DACT got into the cable business because they had ideas about how to make better sounding (and measuring) cables, "and because we thought that many cable manufacturers design their cables the wrong way." They have been developing the cables over the past 2 to 3 years, but launched them gradually late last year. DACT does not have any showroom. They do business with manufacturers and distributors. For the US, contact Electrum Audio. DACT hopes to attend CES in January, 2007.

Allan Isaksen answered my questions. He says you pronounce his last name exactly as you’d expect; the vowel is the same as the I in Ice. DACT cables try to avoid any coloration at all. "Audiophiles," Isaksen says, "should normally clearly detect that more is coming through. Good systems are likely to benefit more from the difference." For those that really want to tweak, they offer DIY versions of their interconnects, meaning wires in different lengths without the connectors. These DIY wires are intended to upgrade internal wires in amplifiers, etc.

DACT supplied fragile DC-I100/RCA 1m models. DACT uses custom Eichmanns’ Bullet Plug RCA connectors with aluminum housing and solid silver contacts. The RCAs are customized by shipping the silver contacts to Denmark for gold plating and inspection. Then they return to Eichmann, Australia, where they complete the connectors and return them back to DACT in Denmark. For lifetime audio quality performance, they do not believe that anything but pure gold plating works.

Isaksen adds meat to the craft and science of interconnects. He says a lot of design and construction features make the difference in DACT interconnects. There are two conductors in parallel for each wire conductor in the cables. This dual conductor principle is used throughout the DACT cables. This design offers two main advantages:


dotblue


The influence of conductor rolling direction on the sound is often discussed, he said, leading questions the direction of cables. By using two conductors in parallel, DACT matches them so the conductor rolling direction are opposite for the two conductors. Whether there is an effect or not, this mitigates any possible influence. So none of the DACT cables are directional, and nothing on the cable or connector indicates a particular direction.
 

dotblue

Dielectrics, Isaksen says, have the property of making space seem bigger or smaller than it is dimensionally. "For example, when a dielectric material is placed between two electric charges," he says, "it reduces the force acting between them, just as if they had moved apart." DACT says the non-round shape makes it much easier to keep large portions of the dielectric away from the conductors, which greatly reduce the dielectric losses.
 

The most damaging location of lossy dielectrics is close to the conductors because that’s where the electromagnetic fields are strongest. You can see this design at their web site. They say they are able to keep the Teflon dielectric quite far away from the conductors on large portions of the perimeter. Opposed to traditional round wire, this is a big improvement as normal designs have dielectric touching the conductors all the way around. So not only does DACT reduce the amount of dielectric close to the conductors, but they also use as little dielectric as possible in a thin tube. Moreover, the dielectric they use has low loss itself (Teflon). DACT thinks it is difficult to reduce dielectric losses/distortion further than that.

Since DACT believes gold is a better sounding conductor than both silver and copper, they looked for the real reason. Although copper is a better conductor than gold, gold has one free electron that is two orbits further out than copper. Isaksen says this means there is no direct relation between this and pure resistive conductivity.

As DACT interconnects have very low capacitance, Isaksen says the interconnects increase bandwidth, in many cases noticeably. DACT believes their interconnects are better for both solid state and tube amplifiers. The only other case might be if you use them in a system that is already too bright, in which case Isaksen says the larger bandwidth lets more high frequencies pass through. In principle that will also slightly affect the high frequency impedance, but they don’t think makes much of a difference. The larger bandwidth, he says, can be measured if you have measuring equipment that reaches sufficiently high in frequency. Purely by listening, most audiophiles will be able to tell the difference.

DACT generally recommends a break-in period of 100 hours before starting critical listening. However, Isaksen says the difference shows up from the first minute. The DACT models for review were not broken-in, so they were exercised for four days with the a Test CD of music, words and tones on continuous repeat. The DACTs were the last interconnects heard in the initial phase.

DACT has no special instruction for placement. The cost of DACT cables is heavily burdened by the exploding raw material prices of gold and silver (for the first time in decades). Prices of course are subject to changes. These are the most expensive cables in the bunch, costing 10 times more than the least expensive ones. The DACTs arrive double-boxed, in a lined, collectible cigar box. The box is made MDF with gleaming real wood veneer and layers of polished coating like a Rolls Royce. A white spec sheet comes with the sumptuous case; DACT e-mailed a pack of dense information.

The white DC-I100/RCA 1m interconnects are feather-light, flexible, with three braided plastic threads, glimmering with gold. They are the most unique interconnects. The DACTs are impossibly delicate compared to the industrial quality of the DH Lab Air Matrix. The pair of 1m RCA interconnects weigh a total of 102 grams. This is less than 4 ounces, about the same as an iPod Mini and a third of the DH Air Matrix. When there is not a light to shining on them, these are the prettiest in the pack from a distance. It is a shame to hide these intriguing wonders behind an equipment stack.

These are the small racecars of the group. Their light plugs are obviously not metal. The plugs are snug, wiggling them off and on - ad infinitum, for multiple tests - with such delicate cabling was scary. Normal use of course, should be no problem. DACT warns that under no circumstance should the interconnects be pulled off the equipment by their thin wires - only by the connectors. In addition to any factory warranties, Electrum Audio adds an unconditional money back guarantee (30 days, in original condition).



4 & 5: MyAudioCables Silver & UltraSilver Sound Pipes

macMyAudioCables (MAC) is Steve Hallick’s Internet speaker and interconnect cable business. Hallick has been an audiophile for over 30 years, and providing cables for 4 years. He is located 20 miles from New York City. No any retail stores sell his products. These are introductory prices. His site promises "high end sound without high end dollars." MAC cables are the result of testing hundreds of types of wire and configurations. The connecting ends are made of silver plated brass or pure silver. Hallick says his most popular model is the MAC Palladium Sound Pipe, but he sent two silver interconnects:

4. MAC Silver Sound Pipes are 30 American Wire Gauge (AWG) and we must note that American wire gauging doubles the wire diameter for every 6-gauge decrease, and every 3-gauge decrease doubles the wire cross sectional area.. These cables use pure silver conductors that are silver soldered into Cardas SLVR RCA connectors. MAC Silver Sound Pipes are designed for an affordable entry into silver audio cable paradise. These are the least expensive cables in the bunch, costing 10 times less than the delicate DACTs.

5. MAC UltraSilver Sound Pipes are also pure silver, soft annealed, multiple conductors, silver soldered into covered Cardas SLVR RCA connectors. Cardas SLVR RCA's are standard on all MAC interconnects.


All MAC cables are handmade - no machine processes. Hallick says they have been tested and work equally well on either tube or solid-state preamplifiers or amplifiers. There are distinct differences between cables, he says, in the MAC line, however there are no actual tests. No measurements were made for changes in frequency response or impedance.

Hallick has a 30-day, no-questions asked, purchase/trial program; but he says the interconnects need a 100+ hours to break-in. Meaning it could take a month of movie and music evenings before the interconnects sound their best. Thankfully, these test models were broken-in. Hallick burns all his interconnects for 48 hours on a Hagerman Frykleaner Pro machine. The FryKleaner creates a broadband noise source, modulated by low sweep frequency sine wave, to exercise all possible frequencies with music-like transients.

Hallick’s web site says he makes "NO claims to engineering (or photography), impedance, capacitance, skin effects or any other technical explanations of why 'X' cable is technically better than 'Y' cable, "but he does recommend crossing other cables at 90 degrees and placing speaker cables off the floor. These are the family sedans of the group. The black MAC cables have barely any features to distinguish between them, except for the black labels on each cable. The Ultras feel lighter and the plug covers are slightly different. The same installation sheet accompanied both interconnects. The Silver pipe connectors are larger than generic and slide smoothly off and on. The UltraSilver connectors also slide easily, but they covered. Installing them on RCA connectors set closely together might be a snug fit.



Oh No, He Didn’t!

I hate this when it happens to me, but yes, I am afraid I did it. This article concludes in a second part. Darn! The initial test of the silver patch cords not only revealed confoundingly close proximities in quality, but also that one particular patch cord stood out in almost every respect! Clearly, this called for a lot more testing - and a second part to the review. Sorry. The good news is that part two is almost ready for the August issue. I learned a lot about cable construction, value and sound in this comparison. I will be sure to share it with you. Thanks for waiting...

Copyright© 1995 through 2006 Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.
All rights reserved.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM Enjoy The Music.com
DACT.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL VERSION AT ENJOYTHEMUSIC.COM

Mid-September 2006

etmcomwh2

Silver Shoot-Out
The Science & Craft
Of Five Cables
Part II

Review By A. Colin Flood
Click here to e-mail reviewer

 

  In a fit of ambition, I tested five pairs of silver one-meter interconnecting patch cords. This is part two. Part one covered their science and craft. See part one here. This part has the tests and conclusions. The initial test of the silver patch cords not only revealed mind-boggling close qualities, but also one particular patch cord stood out in almost every respect! In a casual blind test, the girlfriend and I spotted this cable each time. It has a slight edge in quickness and immediacy making it noticeably enjoyable. Three of the test subjects are modestly priced, while two are staggering high in price. At a thousand dollars a pair, the most expensive interconnect is ten times the cost of the least expensive one! Is there an appreciable sonic difference? Is it worth the extra investment? Your intrepid explorer finds out....

 

The Patch Cords

  1. DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix
  2. Dynamic Design Lotus Whites
  3. DACT Dual Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables
  4. My Audio Cables (MAC) Silver Sound Pipes
  5. MAC UltraSilver Sound Pipes

 

Additional Information

Darren Hovsepian of DH Labs says his connecting plugs are copper ("not brass like everyone else uses"). His most popular model interconnect is the BL-1. Many of his products use proprietary materials - developed sometimes in cooperation with outside engineering firms, specifically for his products – such as the Air-Teflon Matrix dielectric and his HC (High Copper) connector alloy. About 50 retail stores sell the DH Lab product, which explains their ready-to-sell, off-the-hook commercial packaging. Hovsepian says measurements with digital cables, correlate well with listening tests, but for "analog cables, the correlations are much less obvious."

Steve Hallick of My Audio Cables says his name is pronounced as it is looks, "Hal-lick." He does not have any graphs or measurements on his cables: "MAC's are built purely on what they sound like," he says. Hallick says his tops of the line Palladiums are his best sounding patch cords. He added an upgraded MAC UltraSilver+ Sound Pipe model to his line of patch cords.

DACT filed a patent application for their Dual Connect design. The expensive DACT interconnects fall somewhat outside a strictly silver shoot-out because their conductors are solid gold. All of their patch cords use solid gold as conducting material (that's the wires themselves). The connectors use gold plated, solid silver for the conducting parts. More about this later...

 

The Measurements

I asked for measurements or graphs showing the resistance, capacitance and inductance values for the center pin, outer sleeve and between conductors, but only DACT supplies this information with their literature. Here is what the other manufacturers sent:

 

Comparison

Resistance

Capacitance

Inductance

DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

.009 ohm per conductor

24 pf per foot conductors to shield

0.1 micro-henry per foot

Dynamic Design Lotus Whites(All measurements are at 1kHz).

0.058 ohms per 1 meter

27mf per foot

91H per foot

DACT Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables

 

Between conductors is 15pF/meter

 

Basic Generic Freebie for comparison

Between conductors: 5.5 megaohm

Between Conductors 344pF

Between conductors: 72.4H


From the table above, it looks like silver interconnecting cords have lower values than inexpensive freebie cords. Silver wire has lower resistance compared to the same gauge of copper wire. On long runs, this should make an audible difference.

 

The Tests

cable1For convenience, the initial run-through tests swapped the silver patch cords between a basic Onkyo R1 CD player and Red Wine Audio's Clari class "T" digital amplifier, using a conventional Altec-Lansing cone loudspeakers in my home office. Most listening was conducted at mid 70s SPL, as measured on the slow C rated scale, in a typical size office. Directional or not, the same end of the patch cord was always connected to the amplifier. In the pictures, one of the patch cords is my own basic Monster copper cables. For comparison, the tests include them as a reference. The white patch cords stand out amongst the dark jungle behind the A/V rack, making them appear to be of higher quality.

I used the reference and music discs in my bio, Test CD and music articles. Most of the time, I alternated quickly after each song. In one session, I played 15 seconds of the same song, swapping cords in random order. In another test, I quickly swapped random patch cords for the "could care less about stereos" girlfriend until it was obvious that she was picking the same pair over and over again (the ones I came to love too). Even after the initiation run, swaps between specific models confirmed differences. At first, prices were ignored — until some surprising results began to bubble to the top....

 

The Listening

On discs like those in my reference stack, music reviews and Test CD articles, I found myself listening particularly for certain qualities, such as: depth to the male voice, articulation of female voice details, cymbals in the background, bite or blare in the saxophone, and if the piano was presented in the foreground or not. Although my copper Monster cords acquitted themselves better than expected – they were not harsh or muddy sounding — any of these patch cords are better than these classic audio shop models.

Although the best use for quality patch cords might be between the pre-amplifier and the amplifiers, the shortness of these 5 test subjects prevented that comparison. Because of these silver interconnects were tested only between the CD player and the integrated amplifier or pre-amplifier, I can not comment on the urban legend that silver patch cords roll-off the bass. They might do so when used between power and pre-amplifiers, but I heard no such thing. Thinking of the many urban legends that mystify the audio hobby, I did not find that "bass was better with copper," so that part of the legend was not true. Indeed, as is the case with urban legends, some part of the myth is grounded in fact. In fact, I did find the "highs better with silver," and the sound quality overall, was better with gold.

Comparisons

Are the sonic differences in the interconnecting cords merely "different differences?" A slight change that sounds better simply because it is different? Indeed perhaps they are. I can't see any one of the patch cords here making a significant difference to a typical home movie and music reproduction system. Yet I can see a tweaking audiophile, whose system is already the best it can be in all other respects, adding the best interconnect cords for that added subtle, "different difference."

 

In most of the cords, I am guessing that there is not enough of a difference to identify them in a double blind test, with the possible exception of the fragile DACT Dual Connects. Using some components encourages even more use. But quickly swapping such evenly matched patch cords was fatiguing — unless the one with the sweet sound was up next. On a scale of 1 to 10, where the very best loudspeakers rank above 8, the differences the silver patch cords made was subtle. Even the standout best of the bunch scores only 1 or 2 points at best. My first impressions were that the DH Air Matrix sounded as solid as they felt, while the DACTs leapt to the fore as being quite different from the others. This was a lead they were never to give up. For tweaking audiophiles, whose home movie and music reproduction system costs quite a bit, the DACTs made an audible and enjoyable difference. Sitting in the sweet spot seemed to make a difference in the enjoyment of the better cords, the Lotus Whites and the DACTs, but not so much with the others. The attack on notes was also better with the upscale pair.

 

Monster Copper

These are my long-suffering standard patch cords. They are classic audio shop staples. Just as I include them in the photographs, I add the Copper cords to the testing to compare a base level sound, known for decides, with the new interpretations. These patch cords are my experiment controls. Though possibly due to age, the Monster Copper has the loosest fit. On the audiophile jazz standard, Stan Getz/ Joao Gilberto "The Girl From Ipanema, 1997"), there are no surprises. The male voice has less air, but no bite to the saxophone, and no sparkle to the piano riff. These are overall gentle performers. They are full, even somewhat delicately defined, but piano notes not as striking. Measured in real-world working-dollars, the basic Monster Copper cords did surprisingly OK. I thought they would sound loaded with grunge, but no, all of the music was there, competently performed if not wonderfully so. During purchase, I compared these cords back-to-back with offerings from Radio Shack with similar qualities. Sometimes I choose the Monster cables, sometimes not. In either case, the difference in sound quality was slight, less so than the difference in price. Now however, I don't think I would choose them again, except of course for their convenience and price.

 

MAC Silver Sound Pipes

macOn the Getz/Gilberto CD, the DH Air Matrix's high-end was less sparkling, merely competent. The saxophone doesn't have that magical edge. There is less piano sparkle. The difference was amazing. On Norah Jones' Feels Like Home, the Sound Pipes have less bass thump, though a little sharper in the mid and highs, These were my least favorite patch cords, although significantly better or worse than the copper Monster cords.

 

MAC UltraSilver Sound Pipes

On Getz/Gilberto, the UltraSilvers' sound quality approached the expensive DACTS. They brought out the magic of horns, much better than the Silvers did. On Jones, the Ultras were sharper, yet more delicate, with more solid bass. Although I thought the Ultras did as well as the DH Air Matrix, the girlfriend did not like them, possibly because they sounded "louder," which some tweaking audiophiles translate to mean harsh (too sharp for her?).

 

DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

dh_labs_air_matrixThese patch cords to be loosened to slide off and on, but they certainly make the strongest connection. On Getz/Gilberto, the sax not as sharp, but more mellow, with room for cymbals. Reviewing them is actually tough because of the subtle differences. Yet instruments seem to have the room they need, On Jones, they are full, but there is still an edge. They are a better value than the copper Monster cords. They don't sound as good as the DACTs, but they are not missing anything significant either.

 

#2 Dynamic Design Lotus Whites

On Getz/Gilberto, the Lotus Whites were softer, with deeper male voices. They are smoother, with sharper sax, and an easy on-off slide. On Jones, there is not so much edge. (Thank goodness, there weren't more patch cords!) Percussion stands out on the Whites, but are these patch seven times more valuable than the MAC Silver ones?

 

#1 DACT Dual Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables

dual_connectPerhaps this silver shoot-out is comparing apples to oranges. The DACTs use solid gold wires and the silver connectors are gold plated. The DACTs are prettiest patch cords from a distance in this review. More so than any of the others, they stood out from the crowd, both when the gun went off and when the race was finished. On Getz/Gilberto, the DACTs had more detail and less chest in the male vocals. They are the most lifelike, with better imaging, and a delicacy to the voices. They have greater extension of the bass. Their initial impression was startling, almost breath-taking. They are the gold standard to beat in this review. I loved the texture of the sax. The cymbals stand out in the background. Drums imaged in space alongside the piano, As usual, on Jones, these were the best sounding, with almost no edge to Jones' opening words. They project image into the room excellently. I came to love hearing what they could do. Does this make them the best value? You do get what you pay for, except the cost is through the roof.

Therefore, the DACTs only four Blue Notes for value, but 5 for own enjoyment category, because they sound so good. These delicate and expensive patch cords made me realize what I love and what is important about my big ole horns – and this is the highest possible compliment - they are both musical. They make you want to listen to music. Although because of the noticeable difference the DACTs have, it seems they interpret the sound the most. Yet no damage is done. Although my informal test spotted the DACTs, a proper double blind test should make them stand out. Bias definitely set-in as the swapping continued: it became no fun to swap to the other cords.

 

The bluenote2 Ratings

Using the EnjoyTheMusic.com reviewing parameters and reference quality DMP discs made this a painless, but time-consuming, exploration. In the table below I substitute numbers for a field of Blue Notes, so differences are easier to spot. Ratings are from zero (0) Blue Notes being the worst possible, to five (5) being the best. With a table of numbers, a sum begs to be calculated. Not that it should mean anything. Yet I was surprised by the results. The final two-digit tally accurately reflects not just the close proximity of their sound, but also my feelings about the patch cords. It how little difference there is between the patch cords, and how such a little differences can easily add up.

 

15 Reviewing Parameters, Plus One

In this review, the teacher with the low grades is back. Practically of course, most students in any class must be three Blue Notes — average. Nothing wrong with that. They perform as expected. Still I felt like a villain while assigning so many average Blue Notes for what is perfectly acceptable performance. Once again, I grant 4 Blue Notes on those categories for which the patch cord is above average, compared to the others here. Only the best it could ever be, regardless of cost, wins 5 coveted Blue Notes.

 

 

1. DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

2. Dynamic Design Lotus Whites

3. DACT Dual Connect Precious Metal Audio Cables

4. MAC Silver Sound Pipes

5. MAC UltraSilver Sound Pipes

Tonality

4

4

4

2

3

Sub-bass (10Hz - 60Hz)

3

4

4

3

3

Mid-bass (80Hz - 200Hz)

3

4

4

4

3

Midrange (200Hz - 3,000Hz)

3

4

5

3

3

High-frequencies (3,000 Hz on up)

3

4

4

3

4

Attack

3

4

5

3

3

Decay

3

4

5

3

3

Inner Resolution

3

4

5

3

3

Soundscape extension into the room

3

4

5

3

4

Imaging

3

4

5

3

3

Fit and Finish

3

4

4

3

3

Value for the Money

4

3

4

2

3

Enjoyment

3

4

5

2

3

Overall score

41

51

59

37

41

 

In my own Enjoyment category, the winner was the DACT Dual Connects because their improved definition of sound really makes you enjoy the music, although their high cost doesn't make them the best value there could ever be. They have a slight edge in most categories. Are they worth ten times the cost of the MAC Silvers? Maybe. Is there an appreciable sonic difference? Certainly. Is it worth the extra investment? Maybe not. If you can spend $1,090 as easily as $200, definitely get the DACTs. Any of the others are good, solid performers, with no serious anomalies or deficiencies, but the musical qualities of the DACT Dual Connects make them the audiophile's choice in this bunch.

Copyright© 1995 through 2006 Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.
All rights reserved.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM Enjoy The Music.com
DACT.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL VERSION AT ENJOYTHEMUSIC.COM

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