Cabledyne Reference Silver XLR Interconnect Review Chapter 3

[jameslrock]

Since the Cabledyne Reference Silver Power Cord review I have become a fan of Cabledyne http://www.audioaficionado.org/cable...apter-2-a.html. The improvement to my system using their power cords in place of the stock PC was immediate and significantly positive. I wondered if the Reference Silver XLR Interconnects would likewise continue this improvement.

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In Chapter One of this series I discussed the excellent build quality and attributes of the cable line so I will not repeat in this installment but ask that you click back to that post http://www.audioaficionado.org/cable...apter-1-a.html. My 2-channel system can be seen in the signature line and listed in Chapter Two. Since this series of reviews build from one to the next I thought for music it will be best to continue with Diana Krall’s “The Girl In The Other Room” SACD and Dire Straits’ “Brothers In Arms” SACD. I also added for a change The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Wasps; The Lark Ascending.

My current interconnects from the preamp to the mono amps are the very good 2-meter AudioQuest Columbia 72v DBS XLR Interconnects. The AQ cables were listed in The Absolute Sound 2012 Buyers Guide. At 2 meters the AQ cables are over 2.25 times the price of the 2-meter Cabledyne Silver cables. Can the Cabledyne Silver compete at this price difference? The AQs are copper based, very well balanced, but on the warmer side. The Cabledyne Reference Silver was chosen over their Reference Copper to see if they will open up my system more.

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I continued the process of listening to the SACD first with the AQ cable and then the Cabledyne Silver. The first SACD was Dire Straits’ “Brothers In Arms”. I went to the track “Ride Across The River” as it has a better range of distinct instrumentation compared to some of the other tunes. What I noticed right off was a quicker pace to the music with a bit more punch and impact especially on the drum licks. There was a more holographic depth. Individual notes seemed to have greater individual clarity. Bass kept the same degree of tightness and weight of the AQ. The only area where I had reservation with the Cabledyne Silver is that Mark Knophler’s guitar had a distinct edginess to it. This may be attributable to these being the Silver cables and that, along with the B&W 802 Diamond tweeters, may have introduced a bit too much brightness to my system when it came to the natural distortion created by the guitar riffs. But as with the PCs, the crickets were ALIVE (listen to the tune and you will understand). I then listened to the other songs on the SACD and found a constant theme of quicker pace, more definition of the individual notes, taut bass, but still with more edginess of the electric guitar.

I then switched over to Diana Krall’s “The Girl In The Other Room” SACD. I noticed the same attributes but found it interesting when I heard instruments that had not before shown themselves. Most notably on track three “Temptation” for the first time I heard a slight cymbal or gong coming from the depths through the right speaker. I thought it interesting that the Cabledyne Silver revealed this instrument but somehow it was lost with the AQ. I also noticed the Hammond Organ was more involved in the track. I again believe this is due to the greater clarity of the Cabledyne Silver but at the same time I continued to find an issue with a bit of brightness.

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Finally I switched to The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Wasps; The Lark Ascending SACD. I found that the Cabledynes were very musical and enjoyable. Since I had an issue with the edginess of the guitar riff on the Dire Straits SACD I wondered how the violins would be heard. I was pleasantly satisfied to hear a very nice flow and movement of the piece. The violins were life like and never piercing. This difference between the edginess of the Rock SACD and the sweetness of the Classical SACD may be due to the recordings. I believe with the B&W 802 Diamonds I have accurate tweeters and the Cabledyne Reference Silver cables revealed this difference in detail.

While the AQ Columbia cables may be a bit more balanced overall I am very impressed with the musical presentation of the Cabledyne Reference Silver cables. They provide an increased level of detail and clarity to the individual notes and instruments with taut deep bass. While they may be slightly on the bright side for my system I suspect the Reference Copper cables may have provided more balance for my use. As Cabledyne states on their website, “Our Copper XLR cable is slightly warmer and full bodied whereas our Silver XLR cable is more open and detailed. This allows the audiophile to choose the optimal cable based on personal preferences, system tonal balance, recordings, and budget." With Cabledyne you get the same build quality whether you choose the Reference Copper or the Reference Silver. I suggest you call or email the Cabledyne folks and they will help you make the best choice to complement your system.

Next, Chapter Four, Cabledyne Reference Silver Bi-Wire Speaker Cable.

[jdandy]

James.......Thank you for the informative and interesting Cabledyne review. Good job.

[Bernd]

Thank you jameslrock for Cabledyne Rewiew, that i just found. Where can i find chapter four? Did you compare the Cabledyne Reference Silver XLR Interconnect with the Wireworld Silver Series 7 (from your profile)?