(2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
- Details
- Parent Category: 2014 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Prices: speaker cables, $2295 per 2.5m pair; interconnects, $1290 per 1m pair
Website: www.audience-av.com
Doug said: Audience’s Au24 SE powerChords, interconnects, and speaker cables are the most satisfying wiring products I’ve used in the last 39 years. They sit at the pinnacle of cable performance, and provide an attractive combination of big spaces, a very neutral sound and marvelously balanced performance, from the deepest bass to the highest treble.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: The best cables Doug has heard.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2014 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Prices: speaker cables, $2500 per 1.5m pair; interconnects, $1400 per 1m pair
Website: www.claritycable.com
Michael said: If your system sounds good, the Clarity products may make it sound even better, and allow you to hear more of what it is you already like about your components. Clarity’s Organic models won’t win any beauty contests, but they were an absolute pleasure to listen to, and I very highly recommend them. This is one set of review samples I will definitely miss.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: Solid sound from an unassuming new cable maker.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2014 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Prices: speaker cables, $4080 per 8’ pair; interconnects, $2000 per 2m pair
Website: www.claruscable.com
Aron said: These cables are expensive, but I have grown to respect them as no-holds-barred, reference-level products that simply tell you how it is. What more can you ask for from a high-quality cable? Highly recommended!
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: Another good but expensive cable in an already crowded field.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2014 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Price: $1399 per 1.6m cable
Website: www.lightharmonic.com
Doug said: Light Harmonic’s LightSpeed is a seriously good USB cable at a seriously high price. I can’t unequivocally say that it’s the best USB cable money can buy for every audiophile, because its sound is relentlessly neutral. Many audiophiles don’t want absolute neutrality -- it reveals too many recordings as being not very good -- and for them, the LightSpeed cable won’t be the best choice. But for those looking for the truth in music recordings, regardless of what that truth might be, I’m not sure it’s possible to do better than the LightSpeed USB.
Read the SoundStage! Ultra review.
The gist: Unique but expensive for the cable-minded among you.
- Details
- Parent Category: 2014 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide
- Category: (2014) Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Prices: speaker cables, $2924.99 per 2m pair; interconnects, $1459.99 per 1m pair
Website: www.nordost.com
Hans said: When the subject of conversation turns to the best cable manufacturers in the world, Nordost is usually one of the names that comes up. Their Frey 2 line combines a goodly amount of knowledge and engineering harnessed from their vaunted Valhalla cables, at an attainable price point.
Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.
The gist: Premium cables from one of cabledom’s preeminent manufacturers.