For the end of the year I will be returning to my other great passion, with a few cable reviews. Admittedly, they lean towards the high end of the market so will mostly be directed at hardcore cable enthusiasts. But in the near future I will also be doing some more entry-level cable reviews/impressions that are more accessible for a larger audience, so please bare with me for now.
Recently I have been spending a lot of time with plusSound’s gold-plated copper cable, a cable that I’ve grown to appreciate very much. It has a smooth, slightly midcentric signature with a focus on tonality. When I compare it to two other cables that are in the ‘natural realm’, the Rhapsodio OCC mk 2 and SilverFi IEM-R2, the R2 cable has more forward lower and center mids, giving it an inherently warmer midrange. On the other hand, it has a more prominent midcentric signature that strongly imposes its own flavor on an iem. The Rhapsodio OCC mk 2 has more energy in the upper midrange, giving it a more open and clearer sound, but reducing the density and meatiness of the midrange. The plusSound GPC falls right in between, with an excellent tonal balance between the center and upper midrange, giving it a very balanced yet natural sound with an accurate instrument tonality. As the sound isn’t overly warm, the stage remains clean and well defined. I’ve received some questions in the past about people that were looking to improve the performance of their iem, while focusing on tonality. I didn’t really have a proper answer as copper and silver cables often tend to do one or the other, but the GPC would currently be one of my highest recommendations in that regard.
The next cable is Labkable’s Pandora cable; a spectacular 10-braid hybrid of gold-plated copper, copper, and silver. The Pandora has a reference signature, combining clarity and resolution for a well-defined and articulated sound. There is a slight cut in the upper bass/lower midrange that creates a very clean stage, but slightly reduces the subsection of midrange notes, although the sound isn’t lean all together. I just wouldn’t necessarily call it an emotional, warm sound, although it isn’t overly bright. The Pandora offers a lot of detail, but mostly a very articulated sound that is slightly brighter than neutral, especially with already bright iems. Compared to a natural sounding cable like the plusSound GPC or SilverFi IEM-R2, the Pandora can sound a bit digital. This might have a bit of a negative connotation concerning tonality, but let’s not forget ‘digital’ is also associated with a high level of precision. The Pandora combines an exciting, precise sound, with a powerful and well-defined low end. While I’ll pair the plusSound with a smooth midcentric iem as Zeus or Prelude focusing on tonality for instrument-based music, I’ve been using the Pandora with iems like the S-EM9 and NT6pro for electronic music.
I’ve also traded in my SilverFi IEM-R2 cable and paid extra for the R4. I’ve mentioned SilverFi once or twice before here. In my opinion, it is a very special and unique company as they create their material from the ground up. Their cables always use cotton-shielded silver wires, and accordingly, they share a very strong house sound with a focus on a smooth, emotional and natural sound. The wires might be made of silver, a SilverFi cable does not sound anything like a silver cable, or a copper cable for that matter. If anyone’s heard the Lime Ears Aether, that is pretty much the iem equivalent in tonality of the SilverFi house sound. The R4 is a 12-wire cotton-shielded silver cable. While it shares a similar tonality to the R2, the R2 has a more forward lower and center midrange, making it warmer, more emotional, with a thicker subsection of midrange notes. R4 on the other hand has as more linear balance between the center and upper midrange, making the sound purer and less colored, while retaining the smooth and natural tonality. In addition, attenuating R2’s lower midrange presence makes R4’s stage cleaner. More importantly, R4’s stage is larger in all directions. Hearing the R4, is like listening to the AK380's stage for the first time. The depth and spatial cues create a holographic stage that is on a different level than what I have heard before, even compared to R2. For instance, the Pandora also creates a holographic stage in width and depth, but the layering is rather flat. R4's stage is not only larger, it adds height creating a dome shape, and a truly 3D experience. Accordingly, separation is on a different level due to the added height. The R4 combines this special stage with an impressive midrange resolution, and the trademark SilverFi natural and smooth tonality. At the same time it should be noted that SilverFi cables are not really meant to be used outside. There are some practical concerns due to the cotton fabric of the sleeving and flat braid, which should be taken into consideration.
Finally, PW Audio’s 1960 cable has been getting some attention from Singaporean members around the forum
From what I understand it is an extremely promising cable that I have very high expectations of. I will be receiving it next week, and will follow with impressions.
For now, best xmas wishes to everybody around the world.
I bigot the brushed nickel thinking I'd like it, but I didn't care for it, so sold it to jmills8.
