An elaborated and comparing Soundstring Cable Technologies cables review...
Mono and Stereo received the all new Soundstring Cable Technologies GEN II SE cables together with the former top model for a review. The goal of this review was to conduct a long and extended elaborated review and conclude what a customer will benefit with new GEN II model over the past ones.
FIRST THING
The colour of the new GEN II is light grey and they are fitted with wooden RCA barrels at the end. They look very stylish and the new colour is more eye catching. The cables seems very well damped, as when you knock on them, the hit is very fastly absorbed.
Mono & Stereo received both the shielded and the unshielded versions of the GEN II cables. All versions were put through a very extended test with several different components under the scope with a goal of seeing where they fit the best. After some weeks of burn in time they seems to settle down and being ready for serious listening. I'll try to show the differences in the way, that I'll compare them with listening of the same album with both cables...
First up is Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition - Liszt: Hunnenschlacht, S. 105
Unshielded version :
The intro of this album was presented with a very large and coherent soundstage, sound was again very powerful and with a good tonal balance. The dynamics in track 2 was bone shaking and quite realistic. Music had tons of space between the musicians. One could easy distinct the different places that music came from. When the orchestra went up in loudness and strength the cable just followed. What impressed me the most what the way it made the music sound very natural and unrestricted. Its was not 100% neutral, but it didn't colour the music. It has a tad varm in the top but with out hiding anything.
Shielded version :
Same tracks was presented with very similar character, but with lower noise floor. Though it felt like the dynamics was not quite as dramatic. Yet still pretty darn powerful... The bass seems to dig deeper and had a bit more heft and fullness. Top end was more extended and was a bit warmer. Midrange had the same dynamics as the unshielded version, but with more space and details in the music.
Next up Hans Theessink - Sympathy for the Devil and Walking the dog
Unshielded version :
Starting up with some foot stamping guitar the unshielded version had a crips and airy presentation. the studio recording sounds so alive. Theessinks guitar was tunefull and transparent. Micro details in the strings came alive and was a joy to listen to. The background musicians were very well parted and there was natural balance in the soundstage. The window of presenting the music was clear and natural. Bass notes went right in the chest filling my room with very articular l notes. Dry, fast and detailed.
Shielded version :
Again it was quite noticeable, that the noise floor was more quiet. That meant one had a better feeling of being more involved in the music. Soundstage was a bit deeper and wider. That too just enhanced to feeling of being there... I really was enjoying this presentation. So much I forgot to take the notes. One of the things a noticed was it had a bit more grip on things and was some what more extended in the soundstage.
BONUS TRACK : HANS THEESSINK & TERRY EVANS - DELTA TIME.
In this particular track I actually preferred the unshielded version. It made the music come a bit closer to me. I tried the track several times and even included some friends and my wife to join in and they responded the same. The unshielded version made this track come more alive for some weird reason I cannot explain....
Brian Bromberg Time with the cold duck track.
Unshielded version :
The start of this track is very fast and dynamic and every musician is playing full throttle. I had no problem what so ever parting every musician with ease while listening. Brian comes in short in the track with a 45 bass solo. His upright bass just sounded very realistic. Crisp and fast notes was flowing through with no glare of any kind. There were tons of details in the bass despite the drummer was going a bit crazy in the background with his playing. This is not live album, but my wife was screaming from the kitchen "are you having a live concert in there? " No dear I'm just listening to some good music, but darn she was on to something cause it really sounded live. Whats not to like? I wish i could share the sound i was getting here...
Shielded version :
The track was more extended and controlled. The feeling of space between the musicians was greater and the bass notes had more focus. It seemed like it was a bit faster in the dynamic contrast. That gave the music better flow and heft. Rising from quiet to loud passages was prompt. The brass was more airy and had more body through out. The brass players were more parted from each other and soundstage had more three dimensionality. And the impact of cymbals and drums were a tad more full. Its a track with a lot going on and I've heard some of the other cables being muddy and presenting the whole music as an unclear source. Despite the massive amount of information the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables did not collapse in any way. Thats a big thumbs up!
Terry Evans Ry Cooder - Too Many Ups And Downs - Puttin' It Down
Unshielded version :
Starting of soft, the track was presented in very smooth and delight way. Terry´s voice was full of hearth and at some times it went very dynamic. The drummer was sitting a bit back compared to Terry as one would normally do. Snarre drum was very easy flowing in the back, but it wasn't holded back when he was hitting the drums with more power. Thats just showed that the cable was handling the dynamic contrast very well. This is one of those things I appreciate a lot cause without dynamic contrast the music becomes flat and dull.
Terry Evans - Dancin' With Your Belly Up.
An awesome track that starts out very snappy and had my foot dancing away while listening. The boogie factor as high. These cables could boogie the hell out of me. Music was so easy to enjoy through out these cables. The midrange was prompt and very transparent, top end had a bit of the warmth to it, but nothing that would put a damp the music. It was still very extended, resolving and involving. The depth was on pair with some of the much more expensive cables I had in house. Bass notes came out with so much clarity and it was hard to believe, how these cable doesn't cost more.
Shielded version :
Tonality it was more or less the same but there was a bit darker background which helped me in getting a better sense of the music being played. Though I felt that the shielded cable weren't as fast in the response as the unshielded version the difference was only the minor one. Yet it had a stronger and more potent soundstage with better fullness of happening and size.
Martin Fröst - Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus
Unshielded version :
Allegro started with such a beautiful sound. Soundstage was breathtaking. Martins clarinet was very dramatic and stunning. The dynamics in this track takes one through a journey from the silent presentation to the very powerful and dramatic orchestral impact. The violins were are placed very solid in the mid back of the soundstage, while Martin almost rapes his clarinet the violins sits back most of the time. Yet, when demanded they responded very l l promptly. Martin is one of the best clarinet players in the world. And with the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables throughout the system his performance was enhanced further for the listening joy.
Shielded version :
Allegro just got even fuller and the clarinet is even more involving. Details had s more finesse. The sidewall and rear wall in the recording moved a bit further away giving more room for the music to expand. Its as the shielding provides more detailing in the soundstage and the tonal balance was a bit more neutral also. Background was pit black and you can hear every detail in the album regarding of how complex the music gets. It seems like the shielded version has more headroom for more complexity. I even noticed more musicians presence. Cellos were more distinct and had more vivid character. The bows on the violins was clearer and more dynamical in their presentation.
Jimmy D. Lane - Legacy
Unshielded version :
Track - In This Bed is all of what blues is about. Love, sorrow and troubles. One of my favourite blues musicians. Such a good performer. I it a late night after a long day and was blown away with how the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables system was giving me that awesome feeling of having a live concert in my living room. His voice was fully, crisp and clear. Drummer attacks were dynamic all the way down and with all the details. Contrast between the keyboard and drummer was among the best I've heard in this system cable wise. When Jimmy´s solo kick in, the other musicians were toned down a few db to get his solo more out. Every little detail wad presented with ease and headroom. When things got loud, they got LOUD! Just as the music should!
Shielded version :
Had more attack in the s and the midrange. Top was more controlled and sounded more extended. Cymbals had a more natural flow and rand out more life like. Detailing in the soundstage was more realistic. Wider and more impact full. It was easier to follow the different notes. His guitar amp noise stood out more, keyboard was more vivid and bass notes had more personality and stood out more for the listener to enjoy.
Ive tried a tons of different setups with the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables. Soundstring Cable Technologies cables GEN II speaker cables stood out the most. Almost everything I've compared them with was and easy match. They were very close in performance and in some cases even better despite the other cables being far more expensive. Not just a little but 3-4-5 times. Thats quite insane and shows how well the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables performed with every thing I've tried them with. Going through the four/five different setups in my 6 months of testing the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables was such a joy to ride. Despite the differences there is between unshielded vs shielded I wont clearly sat how one is better than the other. Clearly in most aspects the shielded version was sounding more real to my ears. Yet, they do also cost a bit more. Still, they are one heck of the good buy cause they're bit expensive at all. Quite the opposite. You wont believe it until you hear them and how well they actually perform! They're actually stunning!
My suggestion of power cables being used as following....
The Unshielded version is sublime for source components with hefty power supplies. Also with amplifiers with solid power supplies. Hence in unshielded vs shielded it was noticeable, that the shielded version work the best with the components, that have very large power supplies amplifiers with small capacity etc. Not that i wouldn't work with properly made power supplies. Tt surely will. But, I've found how components, that had not so sophisticated power demands the unshielded cable sounded the best for some weird reason. Cant really figure out why...
One should notice that the unshielded cables need to be used in setups were there is a order to the cable runs. And if you can say yes to that your in for some serious good cable panache, that wont ruin your budget. Furthermore the build quality is so solid it seems like it could last a life time.
The speaker cables are so easy to work with. The could be bent with out any kind of strain. This helps them being easy to use them in places were room is restricted. More companies could learn some thing from Soundstring Cable Technologies dedicated design. Its never a joy to work with stiff cables if your in a room restricted environment. Here the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables are sublime. Soundstring Cable Technologies cables performed on pa with some of the best cables I have in house. Comparing them in value... NOTHING beats them!
To sum it all up here come the conclusion:
Soundstring Cable Technologies cables GEN II both the shielded and the unshielded performeed flawless in every way I'v tried them. No matter the setup and system their performance stroke me as something very unique. When one compares them in value they did and I mean DID knock to socks of every cables I've tried for many many years. I could EASY live with the Soundstring Cable Technologies cables for the rest of my days. They are that good! They do not have the final word in resolution when comparing them to some very expensive brands. BUT! It is a very minor difference. And if you don't have the right acoustics in your room you surely wont notice it at all!
The Soundstring Cable Technologies cables are a highly recommend components and if there was an award for cables of the year these Soundstring Cable Technologies cables GEN II would be getting one with out a doubt!
Kenneth Jensen, Senior editor at Mono & Stereo.
The system list the cables were used are as followed:
AMP :
Audio Note M6 phono pre amplifier.
Acoustic Plan Sitar MK II int hybrid ampflifier with phono stage.
Audioheaven 300 watts hybrid mono blocks.
EAR 509 II mono blocks.
YBA IA350 int amplifier
YBA passion 650 stereo amplifier.
Ars Sonum EL34 SE int amplifier.
SOURCE :
VPI scoutmaster II turntable
Heybrook TTII modified turntable.
Takeda San the general cartrigde
Miltek siltek cartrigde.
AudioTechnica OC9MKIISE cartrigde.
Audio Note DAC 3.1XII Signature
Audioheaven DAC ONE.
Bel Canto DAC 3 SE.
Wadia CD 381i
Speakers :
Verity Audio Fidelio Enocre.
Gamut EL supirior S5SE
Xavian Vituoso.
LOKA Audio reference one.
Sonics Allegro IIS.
Cables :
Soundstring GEN II (shielded and unshielded)
MIT AVT MA
MIT Magnum MA
Audioheaven Silver ONE
Cardas Clear
Art Audio.
Bertram Audio Proxima II silver.
Audio Note Spe and LX.
http://www.soundstringcable.com
Manufacturer comment:
Manufacturer comment:
Dear Matej,
Thank you for the new review just published in monoandstereo.com for the Soundstring Cable GEN II and GEN II “SE” (Special Edition) cables written by Kenneth Jensen, Senior Editor. We appreciate his very positive review and enthusiastic endorsement of our cables. His closing comment that they are “highly recommend components and if there was an award for cables of the year, these Soundstring Cable Technologies cables GEN II would be getting one without a doubt!” is very much appreciated!
In reading the review several times, I found that Kenneth’s continued reference to the interconnect cables as being unshielded (GEN II) and shielded (GEN II “SE”) may be a bit misleading to your readers. I would like to clarify that issue to insure that there are no misunderstandings. Kenneth was given two complete sets of GEN II type cables for his review. One was the standard GEN II cables that had high out-put power supply cords, bi-wired speaker cables and shielded and single ended interconnect cables with our patented “low mass” RCA plugs. The second set of cables were the newer GEN II “SE” (Special Edition) cables. They also consisted of high out-put power supply cords, bi-wire speaker cables and shielded and single ended interconnect cables with our RCA plugs. We were not asked to supply any unshielded interconnect cables for the review and none of our power supply cords or speaker cables are made with any type of metallic shield either. Contrary to what many cable companies say, shielded power cords and speaker cables are not necessary or recommended in our opinion, especially if the designs and constructions of those cables are properly done! The proof is in the unqualified endorsement of the performance of our cables by Kenneth and other reviewers that have given similar high praise to our cables.
Based upon the way that Kenneth described and wrote about the interconnect cables, I am concerned that it may give your readers the impression that the standard GEN II cables are unshielded and the GEN II “SE” cables are shielded. This is not correct. The GEN II and GEN II “SE” interconnects we were asked to supply for the review both have a 98% spiral shield made of 99.9999% pure oxygen free high conductivity electrolytic bare copper. In addition, ALL of the GEN II “SE” cables have a very special proprietary non-metallic 98% braided shield that acts as a barrier against any type of RF interference. This non-metallic shield is light weight and very flexible. It adds some extra cost to the GEN II “SE” cable constructions, but the cost is far less than adding an extra metallic type shield! The GEN II and GEN II “SE” interconnect cables are also sold in “unshielded” versions (no copper shield). With the unshielded type, the “SE” interconnects still have the non-metallic RFI braid shield, as do all of the GEN II “SE” cables.
The enhanced overall performance of the GEN II “SE” cables is also due to changes we made in the construction of the individual copper conductors in each cable type. By using thinner individual strands of copper, we were able to add more individual strands to each conductor. In doing so, we increased the overall surface area of the signal carrying cables and the voltage flow capacity through the entire conductor of the power supply cords. These conductor changes along with the non-metallic RFI braid addition is what makes the overall performance of the GEN II “SE” cables superior to the original GEN II cables, as Kenneth so wisely described in his review.
A small part of the review was also devoted to comparisons between the standard GEN II and GEN II “SE” Power Supply Cords and Speaker Cables. In both cases Kenneth found that each cable type performed very well in different ways and the “SE” power cords with the larger and heavier conductors and RFI shield was ideal for the higher powered components. Again, we stress that none of the GEN II or GEN II “SE” power supply cords or speaker cables are available in metallic shielded versions so in those cases, the unshielded (GEN II) and the RFI shielded GEN II “SE” were properly represented and reviewed.
Thank you for the opportunity to bring this clarification to your readers. It in no way diminishes Kenneth’s review, but it does clarify the unshielded/shielded aspects of his comparisons.
Very truly yours,
Len Miller
Leonard Miller, President and C.E.O.
Soundstring Cable Technologies, LLC