Power and signal cables
MONO AND STEREO HIGH-END AUDIO MAGAZINE
Cable industry moved forward in big way in the past few years. I've written recently how high-end audio society at large finally benefited in two segments, High-end audio cables and DAC's (digital to analog converters).
In past we often dealt with various types of cables and manufacturers, that didn't offer a real advancement of tech, yet they all advertise strongly the highest performance and special technology being implemented. Usually only top fliers could afford the large investments into the custom cable solution and consequently a real advantage in sound performance.
Fast forward into the present and you'll find yourself at the bizarre situation. Globalisation have stricken almost every part of our lives. We all watch crazy and lightning fast growth of consuming electronics and mobile devices. Most of us wondered when this movement will embrace high-end audio. Many doubted and still do, yet finally the first signs of true advancement are coming to life.
With the vast offering of conductors from all over the world cable manufacturers are being able to implement different technic and approaches to high end audio cable design. There are still only few large cable companies that can actually afford the complete R & D and final product design under one roof. Most, as mentioned above use the vast offerings.
GETTING DEEPER WITH THE SWISSCABLES
Let us take an in depth look into the company philosophy and approach below:
Swisscables signal- and power-line products are designed for Swisscables gmbh by Lumen White research, Switzerland, a multiple award winning, high-end research and design specialist revered worldwide for their nearly two decades of groundbreaking audio reference designs.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
In a high resolution and time-correct audio system, the quality of cables will prove as important as the quality of the active chain components.
Swisscables products are the result of a complete blank sheet research approach, taking no pre-existent design paradigms for granted and leaving no stone unturned to find better solutions and offer our clients with genuine sonic advancements and ownership value.
That said, they strictly believe that all theory is void when not confirmed in practice - clearly audible.
The are confident that a few minutes listening to the new Swisscables products will convince even the most discerned listeners that these cables establish a new performance benchmark, offering true reference sonics at unheard of favourable pricing.
Selected technical highlights
METALLURGY
Copper based custom alloy, produced by advanced casting in protective gas environment, tempered to resonance-optimised hardness, conductor surface treated for optimal field propagation, signal flow and energy transfer.
GEOMETRY
Custom field-balanced conductor geometry, yielding optimal field orientation and signal propagation while avoiding standing resonances found in conventional cable designs. as a consequence, the signal flows more freely with minimal energy transfer losses and bandwidth equalisation effects.
INSULATING TECHNOLOGY
Advanced air-dielectric design, which eliminates MDI* and signal-reflection causing dielectrics and manufacturing methods, thereby avoiding the occurrence of multiple distortion sources
and signal altering mechanical compression, damping and uncontrolled frequency curtailing effects found in conventional cables.
*MDI, micro discharge interface distortion. the micro discharge interface distortion effects were discovered - already decades ago - by dr. Pierre Johannet, a researcher at the french national electricity institute in the context of very comprehensive signal processing research.
In summary,MDI results from very steep,high-amplitude ultrasonic spikes which occur during all electrical signal propagation. at frequencies relevant to audio, this discharge energy can take on sine wave character with significant impact on the audio signal, and can show up as measurable audible distortion by inter-modulation.
In addition, MDI creates positive Langevin ions (electrically charged particles in the room air), which, besides causing physical discomfort, have been found to obstruct natural sound field propagation in the listening room.
Research into MDI has shown that the majority of modern dielectrics, including the much lauded teflon, plain or foamed, are associated with an increase in MDI......
Listening-selected premium connectors and manufacturing methods
they have reviewed numerous cable termination technologies and countless connectors of different design and material composition to select those which provide the purest signal and overtone preservation, octave to octave energy equilibrium and energy transfer. unsurprisingly, they found that simplistic formulas like "minimum metal" don`t do the complex realities justice and can easily be annihilated by the choice of a single unfavourable manufacturing method or materials.
Swisscables signal goal was to design the products for listeners who value true fidelity performance and know it when they hear it.
Swisscables REFERENCE line
Through my friend Norman Williams Swisscables's Barbara Suter organised for the review samples of their newest Reference line.
In a few weeks stylish white cardboards with three products arrived. We set for Swisscables Reference 2.5 m Power Chord, 2,5 m speakers cables and 1,5 m RCA interconnects. As at the time XLR interconnects are being deveolped, we scheduled for their review at later time.
Having a constant change of review components at Mono & Stereo I had enough time and great chance to let all the cables perform under different setups. Their initial 300+ hours burn time was passed quickly and I started to dedicate more listening time to them.
THE CABLES
Many or most reviewers avoid reviewing cables as it takes quite some guts (as I've been told repeatedly) to go nuts and public about the different cable differences. And it takes an enormous portion of time also with the comparing, changing and critical listening.
As stated above and at numerous times no other high-end components received a true move forward in past fews years as audio cables and DAC's.
My eyes lighten up when I saw that the Swisscables cables were designed for them by Lumen White Research Switzerland. I've stumbled on their product and out of the box thinking on many occasions and they are a multiple award winning, high-end research and design specialist with worldwide impact. They do things in a bit different way and one can experience this.
CONSISTENCY
Having Swisscables cables with me for few months I've got found of them and their performance. As with most cables, they did change over the time and 500 hours under the heavy operation started to give them a consistent fluidity.
They showed their ability to reproduce the music with an impact even after the first few hours, but really excelled when they settle after the official "torture".
Across the quite few systems I found the Swisscables nature of transparency with a bit of the warm touch, that added a human feeling to the reproduced music. Many contemporary cables work hard on achieving the unnaturally open sound, that goes to extreme in producing almost harsh results being unbearable after longer periods of listening.
Cables should be a transparent medium between the different components by default. Their basic role is to transfer the music unaltered and without any constraints. On paper this sounds like very easy task, but the reality to often shows completely different results.
POWER CABLE
Swisscables Power Cable showed very quickly its ability to shift the dynamics to the the very high level. I always talk about dynamic simplicity when testing the power chords. This translates to managing the power impact without loosing it's straight gain impact. Over the years I've realised, that its much easier to design good performing interconnect and speakers cables then power chords. When it comes to the power cables, you can go wrong in zero time. Many high-end audio power cables claims its high performance, but fail within simple tasks. Even complex elaborations and white papers do little or any good when it comes to the listening tests.
INTERCONNECTS AND SPEAKER CABLES
I've tried both Swisscables interconnects and speakers cables in the same way. They shared the similar potency and so called natural transparency without sounding too clinical.
Dire Straits albums share the familiar quality over the albums, but many of us cherish their first albums. I would say the same for the Pat Metheny ECM albums, Bright Size Life or Pat Mehteny Group. I know those two by heart and mind. Perhaps even each note strikes coming in, since they've been in my continued listening for decades.
The stream of energy and emotions produced in both of these classical albums are enormous. This was the time of Pat letting it go to the maximum, with a lyrical impact that few if anyone at all can match. It is the same with Mark Knopfler and his band mates. The earlier Dire Straits albums share something common in the core of the music, that touches you directly and drive the innards with a special energy.
In what I call a balanced system both Swisscables interconnects and speakers cables never failed at presenting the music in dramatic and emotional way, without ever loosing the pace. This is something that is rarely achieved at this price point.
CONCLUSION
In the times where high-end audio cable industry offers such a variety of hig end audio cables, Swisscables present down to earth pricing with solid performance that holds strongly in its price range, rival quite few more expensive cable offerings and brings the quality of audio that many manufacturers would envy.
Swisscables holistic approach and with the Lumen White behind the technology embraced the important attributes of high performance in forming a stylish, high end audio cables.
Swiss is know for their legendary quality and technical approach to the products. Swisscables combines great technical background, musical nature and natural impact.
They are complete, mature product for both demanding listeners and music lovers.
Do not pass this company when your cable urge is kicking in...
http://www.swisscables.com
Matej Isak. Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine. All rights reserved. 2006-2013. www.monoandstereo.com. ..:: None of the original text, pictures, that were taken by me, links or my original files can be re-printed or used in any way without prior permission! ::..