July 2006

Stereovox Colibri-R Interconnects and Firebird Speaker Cables

by Tim Shea

Stereovox Colibri-R interconnects...

Review Summary Sound "There was a distinctly superior sense of dimension, balance, and "liveness" that drew me in more subjectively than objectively. Translation: I didn’t have to think about why I was enjoying the music and sound, I just was." "The delicate nuance and tonal purity of SET amps, the holographic imaging ability of properly implemented time/phase coherent speakers, and the removal of noise through cleaner power that gives individual images more pop all seemed to be present." Features "At the heart of both…is a hollow-copper-tube conductor that was designed to minimize skin effect, among other concerns. The Colibri-R interconnects sport proprietary Xhadow RCAs, which incorporate a special crimping process that keeps the solder from becoming part of the connection, and an FEP (a version of Teflon) dielectric. The Firebird speaker cables add a silver-plated copper group to the mix, and the primary connectors are Xhadow bananas with slip-on spade adapters." Use "One quick word on directionality: According to Chris Sommovigo, there is none, at least with his cables." Value "I think it’s fair to say that, especially at their price points, the Stereovox Studio cables are quite special."

I’ve had some very good cables in my system over the years -- maybe not the world’s best (and most wallet-busting), but very good nonetheless. And every time I begin a cable review, more than with any other product, I get nervous. I worry that I'm not going to have anything meaningful or interesting to say, so minute are the differences among cables sometimes. However, in each case, meaningful differences have emerged (or should I say "meaningful differences to an audiophile have emerged"), and I have been spared the nightmare scenario of scouring the thesaurus to find interesting words to make up for a lack of content.

Well, I have to say that this review of Stereovox interconnects and speaker cables was relatively easy to write (for a cable review, that is) because real differences did emerge.

Description and use

The subjects of this review are the Firebird speaker cables ($549.99 USD per meter pair) and Colibri-R interconnects ("R" denoting the single-ended version; $599 per eight-foot pair) from Stereovox’s new Studio line, which are meant to bring a goodly portion of Chris Sommovigo’s significantly more expensive and highly regarded Reference cables within the reach of the common man, or at least the common audiophile.

At the heart of both of the review subjects is a hollow-copper-tube conductor that was designed to minimize skin effect, among other concerns. The Colibri-R interconnects sport proprietary Xhadow RCAs, which incorporate a special crimping process that keeps the solder from becoming part of the connection, and an FEP (a version of Teflon) dielectric. The Firebird speaker cables add a silver-plated copper group to the mix, and the primary connectors are Xhadow bananas with slip-on spade adapters, so you can go both ways (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I received a dual run of Firebird speaker cables in order to biwire, which in the Stereovox world means two separate cables per speaker. Thus, having bananas and spades came in handy for connecting both pairs of cables to my amp's single pair of outputs. Also included were jumpers that can be used either to replace the ordinary jumping plates that typically come with speakers in a single-wire application, or to reduce resistance in a biwire application. (I used the biwire configuration with the jumpers for the majority of the review process.) The jumpers themselves employ Firebird conductors and Xhadow banana connectors.

...and Firebird speaker cables

I’d put both the Colibri-R interconnects and Firebird cables in the Mama Bear category size-wise: They are thicker than some of the thin wires I see out there, but not nearly as rotund as much of the competition. This pays off in setup. Both are fairly flexible and easy to work with, especially the Firebird speaker cables, as the thin wires that emerge from the blue jacket are extremely maneuverable. Also, the spade connectors are the best I’ve worked with to date in terms of ease of use; I had no trouble connecting cleanly and easily to either my amp or speakers. The Xhadow RCAs on the Colibri-Rs were also a snap to pop on and off, and although I’m sure I had solid connections all around, there were a couple that could have been a little tighter.

One quick word on directionality: According to Chris Sommovigo, there is none, at least with his cables. When I first got the interconnects I tried them both ways, because there were no arrows to help me find my way (quite disconcerting because I have a horrible sense of direction to begin with), and quite honestly I heard no difference no matter the direction of the cables. For consistency’s sake and just in case, I always connected the Colibri-Rs the same way.

Lastly, I let all the cables burn in for at least 100 hours before doing any serious listening. Chris recommends 500 for full break-in. When I first connected everything, the sound was good, but there was a definite attenuation in the mid-to-upper-treble region that initially triggered my aforementioned cable-review neurosis. That gradually abated through the break-in period. Whew!

But the question remained: Would there be anything truly interesting to write about?

Sound

Surely you've heard about the component that initially sounds fine but unremarkable, until one day, WHAM! the world changes. Well, that didn’t happen here. What did happen was that as I was scrolling through the cuts on my Keb’ Mo’ Slow Down CD [Okeh/550/Epic 69376], which I find to be a particularly useful barometer for picking out individual areas of strength or weakness of a product, when I noticed that I was listening to tracks I normally skip. Hmmm. By the time I got to track 7, "I Don’t Know," which is usually a fly by for reviewing purposes, it hit me -- hard. With all the Stereovox cables in place, there was a distinctly superior sense of dimension, balance, and "liveness" that drew me in more subjectively than objectively. Translation: I didn’t have to think about why I was enjoying the music and sound, I just was. My left brain had been put to sleep, and the right was in full control.

To convey this experience in another way, if I had been blindfolded and asked what had changed in my system I would have probably guessed that someone swapped in a SET amp, time/phase coherent speakers, or a power conditioner. I’m not saying the absolute change in sound was of that magnitude, but many of the positive sonic characteristics generally associated with each of these types of components seemed to be at work through the Stereovox cables. Specifically, the delicate nuance and tonal purity of SET amps, the holographic imaging ability of properly implemented time/phase coherent speakers, and the removal of noise through cleaner power that gives individual images more pop all seemed to be present. And the result was utterly captivating.

Taking "I Don’t Know" as an example, the keyboards at the right of the stage became more tangible and real by the stronger occupation of space and tactile presence, which is what initially grabbed my attention. As I listened further, I found the same quality in the guitar, and even the snare drum seemed to settle more naturally at the back of the stage instead of being placed there through some audiophile trickery. It wasn’t so much of the sound coming at me that made the difference, but rather the sense of energy around each instrument that helped better define it in space and thus better capture the whole of the performance.

Something else that contributed to the ease and believability of the listening experience through the Stereovox cables was the overall balance of the presentation. By that I mean that none of the top, bottom, or middle frequencies seemed out of proportion to one another, artificially hyped or attenuated. Often, especially with cables, I find a tendency toward generosity with regard to either upper or lower frequencies, but this was not the case with the Stereovox cables. Everything just seemed to cruise right along without calling undue attention to itself. Case in point, on "Rondo" from Tony Falanga’s Soul of the Bass [plane 88846], the sound of the bow scraping the strings can become pronounced to the point of distraction, and although it was still very much there through the Stereovox cables, it did not overwhelm the performance, nor did it make me feel like it was being unduly squelched. This disc also served to point out that there was plenty of color to the midrange as the tone of the bass came across as fully developed.

So where, you might ask, do these wondrous cables fall short? Well, as I mentioned earlier, I noticed that pre burn-in there was a slight lack of energy in the uppermost frequencies. It certainly faded, but it did not disappear completely. For those who crave every last bit of air, reverb, bite, or scrape, you might feel just a bit shortchanged. But, and this is a big "but," I am one of those people hypersensitive to such things, and I really didn’t care. I think it goes back to the balance thing, and the other good things going on. They put those other little details out of my mind. The bottom line is that when I was listening I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

By the way, the main culprits in the high-frequency detail wars are the Colibri-R interconnects, but that is also where much of the rest of the aforementioned magic lies as well. The Firebird speaker cables, on the other hand, are more like precision instruments that thrive on revealing every last iota of whatever cruises along their purportedly thin skin. Bass is also tight and quick with the Firebird, and a little more round and full with the Colibri-R. I was surprised to find these character differences between siblings, but in the end the differences became symbiotic, which may have been the goal all along. Only Chris knows for sure.

Oh, what about those jumpers? The big difference I noticed was in the bass, which was more taut, damped, and controlled with the jumpers in place and a bit more ponderous and loose with them removed. I can’t say I heard a whole lot of difference up above that, but for many folks, myself included, better bass is a big plus.

Comparisons

I thought it interesting that my reference Acoustic Zen cables were polar opposites of the Stereovox sibs. Compared to the Colibri-R, my Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II interconnects ($948 per meter pair) were the quicker and more detailed of the two, while the Colibri-R brought more tonal color and weight to the table. And then there’s that special spatial thing that goes to the Colibri-R. As for the speaker cables, ironically the Firebirds turned out to be the quicker, leaner, and more agile cable versus my Acoustic Zen Satori shotgun biwires ($1188 per eight-foot pair when still available), which countered with fuller bass, more overall weight, and a more laid-back but still detailed top end.

The bottom line is that both sets of interconnects and speaker cables worked synergistically together, with the Stereovox cables having the edge in spatial relationships and 3-D realism, while the Acoustic Zen cables came across as a little more accomplished on the top end, with more detail and upper-level transparency. Quite frankly, if I could combine the two I’d be one happier camper, but I guess that’s why both manufacturers offer more expensive alternatives, no?

If I had to pick between the two, my choice would depend on the purpose of making such a choice. It would be very much akin to asking me if I’d like to live out the rest of my days with just the right or left side of my brain. If I were picking for sheer musical enjoyment, I’d probably go with the Stereovox cables, but for reviewing purposes, I’d probably stay with the Acoustic Zen cables. In the end, as with my brain, I feel like I need both sides to be truly happy.

Conclusion

I think it’s fair to say that, especially at their price points, the Stereovox Studio cables are quite special. They bring something not always found, even in more expensive audio gear: sheer musical enjoyment. They walk that fine line of not too much detail, but not too little either. They display great overall balance and an uncanny ability to reproduce spatial relationships and promote spatial awareness, all of which meaningfully enhances the listening experience. The Colibri-R interconnects may not be the last word in reproducing the sound of dog whistles, and the Firebird speaker cables may not give you a big, warm bear hug, but they do make beautiful music together -- to the point where you may question the need for animal metaphors in your life. Not only do I not need a thesaurus to help describe what these cables can do, they’re perfectly able to speak for themselves, and they’re worth listening to.

...Tim Shea
tims@soundstage.com

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