Readers of Mono and Stereo are no strangers to the Zavfino 1877Phono products. We have already tested their various cables as well as the turntable. Zavfino 1877Phono has been designing and manufacturing cables, components, and accessories for some of the biggest names in the Hi-Fi industry for over 15 years.
Over the past 9 years, they're offering products under their brand names - 1877Phono and Zavfino - to distributors, dealers, and manufacturers worldwide.
Zavfino 1877Phono Pure Silver and OCC copper tonearm wiring kits are used by some of the leading tonearm manufacturers. They are also the first choice for rewiring vintage Japanese tonearms.
PRIMA -MKII 9AWG AUDIOPHILE LOUDSPEAKER CABLE
Newly redesigned and optimized to perfection, the Prima MKII speaker cable consists of more OCC single crystal copper in a multi-stranded construction with an individually insulated, silver-coated core with an LDPE dielectric sourced from Japan. By implementing a tight strand/high pitch layer, this 9AWG speaker cable was boldly designed from the ground up to handle the most demanding systems and speakers on the market.
The Prima-MKII was devised to exude power and grace so that high-end audio systems don't feel sonically restricted and are provided with the right amount of pure and consistent power that they need.
The Prima-MKII, like all Zavfino 1877Phono cables, goes through the new Ultra Sonic purification process where the raw copper is run through a water bath that is super-charged to burn away dirt, oil, residue, and impurities on the surface of the wire.
This Ultra Sonic Bath also ads the unique effect of giving the cables a pre-burn sound that would take hundreds of hours to achieve in normal use. The bare conductor of the Prima MKII is also cryo treated prior to extrusion.
Additionally, the new copper BFA connectors, which use a Delrin socket insulator with 6061 aluminum cylinders, provide unconstrained sonic performance.
THE MUSIC
Kenny Burrell's "Mule" (Remastered) from the iconic album Midnight Blue is one of my perennial reference tracks when judging the unfolding of the sheer vibrancy.
Burrell's magic was captured by legendary Rudy Van Gelder and the remastered version from 2012 brings a significant shift up in clarity. Especially on the guitar, where the tone clarity feels more in line with reality.
With the Prima MKII speaker cables, in action, there was an easily notable prolonged sense of notes' sustain and decay without any deformation of the fundamentals or cut-off of sustain. This characteristic alone makes the Zavfino 1877Phono speaker cable stand out from the crowd.
The most difficult thing for any cable manufacturer is to maintain the appreciated and established sound balance when new features/materials are implemented in the latest model. With the Prima MKII, Burrell's prime animating force was able to fully explicate without the shortcomings one might expect at this price point.
Another recording that needs no special introduction is Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring & Symphony No. 3, performed by Minnesota Orchestra and published by Reference Recordings.
In the case of "Fanfare for the Common Man", it is the dynamic longevity quality that should be invoked rather than the diminishing transience. To my surprise, the proportional dynamics of the Prima MKII cables proved audacious and compliant to provide much-needed dynamic breadth.
The Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKII cables were able to hold everything together at the very crux of the Minnesota Orchestra. Performers and instruments were portrayed as if they were actual and not a sonic nostrum. This apart is not easy to achieve at any level of the high-end audio speakers' cables.
Santiago Lara's "Minuano" from Flamenco Tribute to Pat Metheny beautifully expanded with unforgettable Metheny narration. Lara's "Minuano" cover paints an interesting kaleidoscope that requires some degree of overall transparency to truly fully realize Flamenco Tribute to Pat Metheny.
It was interesting to observe how uncommonly well the Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKII cables reproduced the underlying sound patterns. On top of that, the notes did not drift into blackness too early, as is the case with most speaker cables in a similar price range.
The full-scale drama Gladiator "The Battle" from Hans Zimmer is a highly dominant composition and is all too easy to project as a sonic kaleidoscope full of aural expletives, making it sound like a mediocre score without genuine energetic shifts.
Not with Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKII cables. They unveiled another exciting positive attribute with Hans Zimmer's energetic score. "The Battle" epochal core, was not hindered from its unending dynamic peaks, allowing the sheer energy and drive to unfold onerous and necessary scope.
Certainly another characteristic normally associated with far more expensive high-end audio speaker cables.
It's clear how the Prima MKII speaker cables benefit from the constant efforts of Zavfino 1877Phono R & D.
This was evident from track to track, album to album in the unique sonic continuity of Prima MKII. Rather than operating with a particular sonic monoculture signature, the Zavfino 1877Phono speaker cables managed to maintain the flow and dynamics of the music at all times.
CONLUSION
While many of the high-end audio manufacturers are trying to reach the upper echelon pricing and clientele, Zavfino 1877Phono, in contrast, is trying to push the envelope of what can be achieved at an affordable level.
Zavfino 1877Phono's vast experience, as well as past and present OEM work, allows them to expertly implement many materials and approaches that have already been validated by the market while introducing the latest materials and discoveries.
All too often, the lower price tag forcibly puts up with many undesirable sonic characteristics. The Prima MKII speaker cables are not trying to analytically present music as a rational collection of sounds. Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKIIs are above all cables dedicated to music lovers and audiophiles with expectations above the usual norm.
The Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKII speaker cable does not act as many separate traditions but encapsulates the primary qualities such as transparency, strong presence factor, necessary midrange vibrancy, exploding dynamics, and full frequency extension with unexpected ease.
Across all genres of music, the Prima MKII speaker cables act as a closed sound circle, unlike anything I've heard in this price range.
Zavfino 1877Phono team have once again outdone themselves by creating not only something meaningful and great sounding, but a truly outstanding speaker cable at a real price that opens the window to the high-end audio universe far wider than it should.
What the Zavfino 1877Phono Prima MKII speaker cables achieve at their given price point is really more than worth highlighting. For what they represent in terms of value and music, the Prima MKII is a clear winner of the 2021 Mono and Stereo Best Buy Award. ⧉
Matej Isak
PRICE
- The MSRP is 625USD for a 2.5m pair with insulated BFA's
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATONS
- PC OCC Single Crystal Copper Conductor
- Silver Coated OCC Center conductor
- Litz construction
- Tight pitch stranding
- 9AWG
- Insulation/Dielectric 1: HPE Clear
- Insulation/Dielectric 2: High Density PVC
- Jacket: High Flexibility PVC 105C
- 105C degree PVC
- Spaced layer extrusion 6mm
- Anti-static direct braid jacket
- Anti-vibration EVA cable breakouts
- Braided silicone fiberglass breakouts (black)
- Sleeve 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monofilament
- Diameter 19.5mm
- Connectors: Zavfino BFA/Delrin, 24k gold plated, 8pcs
- Lengths: 2x2.5m (custom lengths and termination available)
CONTACT
Zavfino 1877Phono
772 Black Rock Road
Truro
Nova Scotia
Canada
Tel: +1 (902) 701-9289
Web: www.zavfino1877.com
Email: will@zavfino1877.com