Fid-Audio Cantus "Con Brio" Active Interconnects Review

[elnero]

Introduction

As most people who regularly read the cables forum know I recently reviewed the Audiogeek Nitrogen interconnects and was quite pleased to find they made a significant difference in my system. My original intent in doing that review was to do a comparison of a few cables but due to some timing issues I decided to go ahead and write the Nitrogen review on its own. Shortly after that review was posted Eugene, or fiddler as we know him here, managed to get me a pair of his Fid-Audio Cantus “Con Brio” Active interconnects to review.

As I did with the Audiogeek I’ll quote a design description from the Fid-Audio website to give a better idea of what an active interconnect is.

The Con Brio is the supercharged (literally!) active version of the Cantus, building on its strengths by using the same signal conductors, 100% shielding, and twisted-pair conductor arrangement. The Con Brio's secret lies in a revolutionary idea: dielectric biasing. This involves taking a voltage source (such as a battery) and applying it across the shield and ground conductors.

As such the Con Brio’s have an extra lead coming off each interconnect; these leads hook into a small box containing two 9 volt batteries. According to Eugene this is an open circuit, the leads should remain plugged in and the batteries should last for years.

Out of the Box

The Con Brio’s look like a completely different beast than the Nitrogen’s, they are rather thin, maybe only half as thick as the Nitrogen’s and far more flexible by comparison. They are a grayish color with a black Deltron connector. There’s no guesswork as to how these hook up. Each connector is clearly marked with white or red and the extra lead end should hook into the source end.







Initial Impressions

When I first plugged in the Con Brio’s I was struck by a richer sound than the Nitrogen’s but there were clearly some issues in the treble region I had some concerns with. Namely there seemed to be an added emphasis on sibilance that I had pretty much eradicated from my system. This concerned me greatly but talking with Eugene he mentioned that they usually need a few days of being plugged in to settle down. So I heeded his advice and left them plugged in and didn’t actually get much of a chance to listen until a couple of days later.

The Difference A Few Days Makes

When I sat down to listen again I put in David Sylvian’s “Secrets Of The Beehive” which had been one of the albums I noted the added emphasis on sibilance. Much to my pleasure the sibilance I had noted before was no longer evident, it was much more natural and realistic sounding. This makes reviewing them a far easier prospect because my attention isn’t constantly being drawn to the sibilance distracting me from the rest of the music.

A Couple Of Notes

When I reviewed the Nitrogen's I found they made a significant difference over the cables I had been using. They did just about everything right in my system, they had a big tuneful bass, rich tonal character, smooth non-fatiguing presentation yet they managed to reveal details that my old cables masked and they also never failed to keep my toes tapping. It was like they opened a window and let the music on the disc through where the cables I had been using was masking the music and holding it back. I liked the Nitrogen’s so much that they now reside in my system and are my baseline for which I will judge others.

I should also point out that my system consists of a Cambridge Azur 640C feeding a Singlepower PPX3 which in turn feeds the Grado RS-1’s. I’ve tried to put together a system that has an accurate tonal character and is smooth and tuneful while retaining a good level of detail. I feel that for me it’s a system that’s strikes a good balance between being both musically and technically satisfying.

On With The Review

Words that come to mind when describing the Cantus “Con Brio’s” are creamy, smooth and rich. They have a nice musical flow that lacks some of the toe tapping goodness of the Nitrogen's but are what I can only describe as dreamy and euphonic, they have a way of allowing the music through in an effortless fashion that is infectious in its own way.

The bass is very nice, round yet tuneful, thicker and weightier than the Nitrogen’s but lacking some of the Nitrogen’s tightness and detail. At times the extra weight can be a bit much drawing more attention to itself than I would like but at other times gives a more rounded, full bodied feel. That they measure up reasonably well to the Nitrogen’s says to me that the Con Brio’s make a very good showing of themselves because these are some of the Nitrogen’s strongest points.

The highs on the Con Brio’s were my initial main concern but after a few days they settled down to become smooth and sweet, in fact they’re even smoother than the Nitrogen’s now. This may be viewed as good or bad depending on how you look at it. I don’t think one would find the highs to ever be offensive or out of hand but they lack air, extension and detail in comparison to the Nitrogen's. Don’t get me wrong, they still do a very good job, in fact the highs ended up reminding me of the treble on the W100’s, never offensive and I never felt like I was missing out, but when I switched to the RS-1’s, as when I switched back to the Nitrogen’s, the treble gained air, detail and sparkle that seems more natural. On the flip side of this is the Nitrogen’s are a bit more revealing of bad recordings with harsher high ends while the Con Brio’s softens them a bit making them more accessible.

Where the Con Brio’s truly shine is through the midrange. They have a full bodied tonal character that is richer than the Nitrogen's. In this they remind me of the stereotypical single ended tube amp, warm, rich and creamy sometimes to a fault. This is very pleasing and I enjoy it immensely but it can be a little much. I can’t get away from the impression that they are spicing things up a bit by adding a little something here as well as in the upper bass. For instance piano has wonderful body and tonality but can also sound congested whereas the Nitrogen’s lose a bit of the overall tonal color the Con Brio’s have but don’t have the congestion giving it a more natural presentation. It’s kind of like a good chocolate chip cookie, adding more chocolate chips is great but depending where you bite it can be a bit much. This is really a minor quibble because I really do enjoy this rich character and feel this is where these cables really shine.

As for imaging and staging, the Con Brio’s place music more out in front which gives the impression the instruments are smaller with less height to the stage. They are less airy but more layered and it’s easier to pinpoint instrument positions. While the Nitrogen’s are closer and less layered they surround me with the music. This gives them a bigger and adds to the airy sound but also takes away some of the definition of placement. In a way it reminds me of the difference between the way Sennheisers (the Con Brio’s) and Grado’s (the Nitrogen’s) present music. The Senns set you about mid auditorium placing the music in front of you with nice depth and width of stage while the Grado’s put you right on stage with the musicians. In this case using the RS-1’s I find both presentations quite enjoyable.

Conclusion

I can’t help thinking that some of my findings may come down to the voicing of these cables. I know Eugene uses HD600’s while I use RS-1’s so they may very well play to the strengths and weakness of the HD600’s more so than that of the RS-1’s. That said I could happily live with the Cantus Con Brio’s in my system. They take the already rich tonal character of the RS-1’s to new heights and given a few days to settle in keep the high end and any tendencies towards sibilance in check. When switching back I feel the Nitrogen’s airier, faster, drier and more detailed character is ultimately a better match in my system but I enjoy the Con Brio’s immensely and find their contrasting rich, creamy character addictive and have been fun to have around for a nice change of pace.