Five-Way Cable Comparison; with Bonus!

zingo

After acquiring a pile of cables, I finally got down to comparing all the cables head to head. This originally started out as a comparison of RCA interconnects, but I ended up having a pair of speakers cables as well, so compared those against each other as well. The contenders for RCA interconnects was Cardas Crosslink (stranded multi-gauge copper), Transparent MusicLink Plus (stranded copper with network), DH Labs Pro Studio (shielded, silver plated stranded copper), Esoteric Audio E7 (solid core silver plated copper), and PS Audio Reference (solid core copper). The two speaker cables were PS Audio xStream Prelude (10g multi-stranded copper) and DH Labs Q-10 Signature (10g silver plated stranded copper). For the test, I ensured that all the cables were adequately broken in, and then used the cables in varying order while playing Seven Years by Norah Jones over and over (and over and over) again. The associated equipment with the cable test was: PC Music Server, Virtue Audio Nirvana USB cable, Musiland 01USD USB Transport, DH Labs D-75 Digital Coax, Matrix mini-i Balanced DAC, Custom KingRex T20U+PSU Amplifier, Klipsch Forte speakers with Jantzen Crossover and Crites Tweeters, and Monster HTS2500 Power Center.

Conclusion:

PS Audio xStream Reference RCA
These cables were less flexible than other cables as use a solid core, but have locking connectors which is useful, and a soft, cloth jacket. The xStreams provide a very nice sound stage, but emphasized the female vocals and set it forward of everything else in the mix. This trait is not bad, but did not sound as pleasing in my system. Their low bass response was one of the best in the bunch, with plenty of detail; although a bit of a leaner mid range at times.

DH Labs Pro Studio RCA
Second best overall interconnects of the mix. They had well defined low bass that was a little more lean than the MusicLink Plus, and a very natural and balanced overall sound with more than enough detail. They were designed for recording studio use which hints at their sound qualities, and are the best cables I've built to date. As they are only available in DIY form, some assembly is required, and they work nicely with DH-Labs Ultimate RCA locking connector which has the highest copper content of any RCA connector.

Cardas Crosslink RCA
These cables were very balanced, but slightly veiled compared to the others. They have a great sound, and do just able everything right at 90% of the sound of the MusicLink Plus; a good mix of detail and musicality. They seem fairly simple compared to the other cables as they have no cloth jacket or locking connectors, but they are very flexible, and are the definition of simple functionality.

Transparent Cable MusicLink Plus RCA
The best overall interconnects of the comparison. These had the low bass tone and detail that brought the music to life, coupled with great upper mid range and no sense of glare or grit. I would not have picked these cable at the onset as this is my first set of "network boxes", but they sound quality, musicality, and overall system synergy was undeniable when switching back and forth between the many sets of ICs. They have a smooth jacket, non-locking connectors, and are fairly flexible making them easy to route; even with the boxes.

Esoteric Audio E7 RCA
I was not able to test this cable in the mix as it was the only cable in the comparison to not be two separate interconnects for right and left channels, and the two conductors were not able to span wide enough to plug into the NFB-7 DAC. In other systems (and my PC rig where this cable usually resides), the E7 RCA interconnect provide a nice, neutral sound with great sound stage, but it is the least flexible of the bunch, and obviously picky on connection width.

PS Audio xStream Prelude Speaker
This cable has great bass extension and a rich, musical sound. I could only hear the lean-ness in the upper mid range when compared back to back with the Q-10, and I probably would have kept it in my system otherwise. The screw style connectors provide for great flexibility as you can change between spades and bananas on either end, at any time. These are the thickest and least flexible cables I've used to date, so know where they are going when you route them.

DH Labs Q-10 Signature Speaker
The better choice of speaker cables in my system. This cable provides a little less bass response in the lowest bass region, but was more natural in the upper mid range and provided a little more distance and clarity in the sound stage. The cable itself is fairly flexible and small in diameter for a pair of 10g conductors, but you are stuck with the gold over copper terminations as they are soldered on.

fbm211

Good to see you like the Q-10 cables.I like mine too but plan to move on to something else this spring.(And will have to spend 5 times more to better them I bet)
Im surprised you didnt have Daran send you some Raw Q-10 sig so you could terminate them with your own choice of plugs or spades.He will always cut a deal to match PCX prices wich are lower than the MSRP.I chose to terminate mine with silver plated pure copper bananas(furez)which have double screw set terminations (no solder is needed) so you have the added benefit of better transparency.
You should really try out the revelation ICs they have.Maybe a little lean in the lower bass but the mids and highs are outstanding as well as the clarity.Very hard to beat in overall SQ.I put them up against 5 other ICs till I found something better but I kept a set for my pre to amps connection and they will stay there.
Great review by the way.

zingo

Thanks for the comments. Daren did send me unterminated Q-10 Signature cables, and I chose to terminated them with his solder bananas on the amp end and solder spades on the speaker end. My remark about being stuck with the terminations, is that you can't swap them anytime you want, like the PS Audio cables. I like Daren's spades and bananas, but it just provides a little less flexibility.

mantis

Very good thread.
It's nice to learn about the interaction between gear and different cables. It's almost impossible to find the correct mix unless you send the spec's of all your gear to a wire company and have them build the exact cables that works best to interact with your system. I have been doing some research and found this is the part that makes cables sound different in some systems. Why companies try to "filter" certain things out to improve overall performance on most systems. How "these" cables react to EMI and RF and handle environmental issues.

Such a deeper topic then just A is better then B for these reasons.

Conradicles

Thanks for taking the time to post this review Jake. Great stuff. The Transparent are on my list to try out.

WagnerRC

Thank you for your post.

zingo

Good thoughts Dan. They all are good cables with their various attributes, and the Transparents sounded the best in my system, but any of these cables could stand alone as good performers. Cable/system interactions are very complicated, but I personally feel that most cables can sound good with most systems.

danz1906

Nice Review!