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2011 Value Stars Generally – not defensibly – interconnects are priced by relative performance, not according to construction cost. Sadly, without really transparent cables, you simply won't hear what your bits and boxes are doing. We regularly audition analog cables to be able to make meaningful recommendations at various price points and favour transparency above all other apparent 'attributes'. Here are our current favourites:
Analog Cables by LAT
Analog Cables by Vintage Audio Labs (Valab)
Analog Cables by Verastarr
Analog Cables by Wireworld
If ever there was a snake-oil slathered pit of double-tongued marketing iniquity, it's the slippery den of the carpet python. We spent years, and tens of thousands of pounds, auditioning every conceivable method of component connection and came to several conclusions: first, you can't beat well soldered hard-wiring to a mainboard; second, some of the most attractive cables we heard were made by Richard Dunn of Nene Valley Audio, Nicholas Chua of Promitheus and Colin Yallop of Chevron Audio. In fact, none of our initial conclusions were commercially germane to our quest to find a good value range of cables we could offer customers, so we just didn't sell cables. Fortunately, we eventually found Wireworld, Valab, Verastarr and LAT International. Check the latter's website for some refreshing cable demystification. Although the entry-level Wireworld and Valab cables auditioned superbly, we sought the optimal price for an 'upgrade' cable, just at the point where prices escalate stratospherically into ga-ga land. The best value we heard here were the LAT range – particularly the IC-300 with Silver Eichmann bullets. In fact, each model in the range pretty much defines what a cable can do at that price point. Wireworld is unusual in that the company develops every component of their cables in-house to specific requirements. The company was also an early proponent of the 'digital cables matter' school, developing some of the best USB cables now available at non-loopy prices. Wireworld's analog cables are also outstanding and commonly top group tests: proprietary geometry and cutting edge materials feature at all price points: from the eminently affordable Terra 5 to the slightly potty but astounding Platinum Eclipse. They also strive for maximum transparency rather than 'tuning': a factor in common with all the cables we offer. In our experience, every cable they sell performs as well as can be expected at that price. For some customers, money is not the issue – ultimate performance is. I would not dispute that in this territory every normal concept of value and proportionality is abandoned. High-end cables that genuinely sound 'absent' are ironically insanely expensive. The trouble is that once you've heard a top-flight cable like the Verastarr Grand Illusion, everything else is like smearing mud on your glasses. We can't pretend that Verstarr cables are a bargain, but if you have to have the best, they are truly the finest we've heard. Together these manufacturers offer products we currently believe to be the most competitive at their price point. When we find something better, we'll stock that instead. |
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