Signal Projects Andromeda Golden Sequence

 Signal Projects Andromeda and Golden Sequence Statement Series power cords

The "Statement Series" from the Greek-British manufacturer Signal Projects enables sound tuning of a fine, but perhaps decisive kind with the "no-nonsense" cables Andromeda and Golden Sequence. Plug in, play in briefly and enjoy not huge, but decisive improvements.

The eye listens. Also and especially with those system components that a high-end device neither can nor wants to hide: device connections and power cables. Signal Projects, a company based in Greece, recently sent something particularly fine: power cables from the Andromeda and Golden Sequence premium model series. They look incredibly good and can do a lot in terms of sound.

These fat "power cords" come in sturdy wooden cases with sliding lids that run smoothly. Inside are golden-brown (Golden Sequence) or shiny black (Andromeda) "constrictors" in helix strands, about as thick as the forearm of a ten-year-old child, five feet long and quite heavy or stiff. The splendor is assembled with IEC and Schuko plugs, some of which embody an in-house design: the contact pins come from Oyaïde OEM according to Signal Projects specifications, the housings of the plugs are manufactured in-house. The result feels extremely solid, which also applies to the "plug-in feeling".

The Athens-based company, which has a second location in Manchester, has been working on making cables better for a number of years, which applies equally to signal and power conductors. Lead developer Nick Korakakis, who studied at the University of Sheffield, remembers the days when he designed his first products in a sparse studio with old equipment and struggled with a multitude of distortions. "As the studio equipment got more sophisticated, some of the annoying distortion remained," says Korakakis. One reason to investigate the causes and to consciously tweak some parameters, such as the cable structure. And to "add a few pages to the endless book of music history," as Korakakis confidently notes.

The goal that he and his team were pursuing was to create uncompromising products that should "correspond to the greatly increased quality level of audio and video equipment". In short: Since high-tech with the best sound can now be found even in the lower price ranges, you should not use bell wire strips to connect the devices.

The solution à la Korakakis is a clever mix of materials in all areas, be it the actual conductors, the insulator material or the shielding. High-purity metals in a sound-enhancing mix, above all well-known good conductors such as copper, silver and gold, ensure low resistance and high conductivity in Signal Projects cables. "One of the things we use is copper with a purity of 99.99997 percent (6N)," explains the developer. The source material, which comes from well-known cable manufacturers worldwide, has "also gotten better and better in recent years," enthuses the Signal Projects boss.

The contact pins come from Oyaïde OEM according to Signal Projects specifications, the housings of the connectors are manufactured in-house.

The twisted cable structure, similar to that of a genetic material helix, ensures low inductance in conjunction with a capacitance that is also reduced as far as possible - and you can hear that, even with mains cables, which actually have no other function than transferring electricity from the socket to the socket with as little loss as possible Consumers, i.e. bringing the devices to the plant.

Of course, a power cable can always be a gateway for interference frequencies, whether they come from cell phone networks or are emitted by various radio stations and other radio sources. That's why Korakakis and Co. attach great importance to efficient insulation (“unfortunately, there is no perfect insulator, so we use a mixture of different materials”) as well as cleverly designed shielding and its grounding. "This is much more important than it was a few decades ago, because there are now many more interference frequencies on the road," says Nick Korakakis.

Especially with the latter there are a number of possible variations: Should the shield be grounded on both sides, only on one side of the cable or not at all? The solution is implied to be printed on the cold device plug: "Passive Shield Discharge System" can be read there. The potentials that build up in the shielding are therefore discharged via the grounding. Elsewhere, a defined charge is placed on the screen in order to "bias" it electromagnetically and thus accelerate the discharge of interference frequencies. Nick Korakakis considers this unnecessary. "There are a few other cable manufacturers who use a kind of active shielding, for example with batteries," says Nick. 

On the one hand, this serves to give the interference voltages caught in the shielding a direction and, on the other hand, to discharge them at a defined speed at a defined point. “However, we at Signal Projects believe that it is significantly more efficient to use said 'Passive Shield Discharge System' instead of an active solution, because it gives us the opportunity to achieve the same goal just as safely and, importantly, without changing the cable parameters ' says Korakakis. For this purpose, special coil wires, such as those found in some old radio receivers, are used as shielding over the entire length of the cable. Korakakis is convinced that these have “the ability to attract interference voltages just as efficiently as active shielding,

The Greek-British manufacturer specifies the capacity in picofarads (pf) per foot (ft) (1 foot = 30.48 centimeters). The Andromeda is 9.97 picofarads, which, according to Uwe Klose from the German distributor Applied Acoustics, is over the counter for 3500 euros in the 1.5-meter version. With the Golden Sequence, which is priced in significantly higher at 5000 euros for the same length, it is 9.77 picofarads. The resistance of the power cables is 0.97 (Andromeda) and 1.02 (Golden Sequence) milliohms per foot. And the all-important inductance is listed as 0.39 and 0.37 millihenrys per foot. The struggle for constant improvement, even in the decimal area, is noticeable. 

Care is also taken to have consistent resistance at both ends of the cable. This allows giving the interference currents a defined direction, even with the passive solution, and ultimately dissipating them via the earth, “safely and quickly”, as Korakakis emphasize. In addition, the cables are twisted in a special way. On the one hand, this makes them measurably less sensitive to high-frequency interference such as radio transmitters. On the other hand, it opens up the possibility of ideally insulating and shielding all conductors and keeping them at a clearly defined distance, which should lead to significantly lower inductance and capacitance values. In addition, the symmetry of the frequency response improves significantly. On the one hand, this makes them measurably less sensitive to high-frequency interference such as radio transmitters. 

The immense development work is paid for, whereby Signal Projects does not only vote according to measured values, but also by ear.

Ever since FIDELITY tested the highly effective isolating transformer Signal Projects Phoenix, we in the editorial team have known about the highly serious approach that Signal Projects takes. What Nick Korakakis and his team are bringing to the market is good for understandable sound improvements. Now, power cords don't make giant leaps, and they can't turn a mediocre collection of gear into a world-class chain. 

But if the basic requirements are right, then the elaborately made, optically and haptically appealing strips can provide exactly the fine tuning that was missing: the bass becomes a little blacker, fast impulses are a bit more precise, the musical events seem more orderly overall and that timing more consistent. Whether you hear the price difference between Andromeda and Golden Sequence - the latter uses somewhat purer metals for conductors and shielding than for the Andromeda - is a decision that every high-end user has to make for themselves. valuables supplied. 

By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect. By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect. By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect.

INFO

Signal Projects Andromeda power cable

Capacitance: 9.97 pf/ft

Resistance: 0.97 mΩ/ft

Inductance: 0.39 mH/ft

Maximum current: 48 A/230 V

Price: around €3500/1.5 m

Signal Projects Golden Sequence power cable

Capacitance: 9.77 pf/ft

Resistance: 1.02 mΩ/ft

Inductance: 0.37 mH/ft

Maximum current: 48 A/230 V

Price: around €5000/1.5 m

CONTACT

Applied Acoustics

Uwe Klose

Brandensteinweg 6

13595 berlin

Telephone +49 30 4614874

www.signalprojects.com/

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AUDIOQUEST THUNDERBIRD INTERCONNECT CABLES

Mythical Creatures. A sonorous designation for the top line of a manufacturer. Even when it comes to something as mundane as device connection cables. The US AudioQuest group calls its latest development in this area "ThunderBird". And the sound quality of the "Thunderbird" actually seems to be out of this world.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Thunderbirds are sound tuning of the trouble-free kind: plug in and have fun. Lengthy running-in times are unnecessary because the manufacturer takes care of that in advance. And the gain in sound is huge.

As a high-end tester, you learn to pay attention to the little things. The influence that this or that harmonically praised component actually has on the sound experience is sometimes marginal and even professionals can only find it in countless listening sessions, comparable to the proverbial needle in a haystack. All the more gratifying when an audible difference is immediately noticeable. Which after a short time turns out to be extremely positive.

Garth Powell, longtime head of AudioQuest development, likes to talk about how high the bar has been set at the company over the years through the consistent use of advanced technology and materials research. According to Powell, this ranges from highly conductive metals for cable production to a three-axis structure with symmetrical connections, air as a dielectric, directional binding or electromagnetic charging of the cable shield, and, last but not least, insulation with multi-layer carbon and aluminum shields. All with the aim of minimizing or completely eliminating the interference from interference frequencies. It is no accident that many professional recording studios around the world are wired to AudioQuest products. Hum and other disturbances are a thing of the past.

The new ThunderBird benefits from experience and technology that the manufacturer has been able to gather with its top models. Part of the mysticism results from the process known as “cooking”: AudioQuest cables are brought in before delivery with tensions that they never have to “endure” in use. This extreme formatting ensures a more homogeneous cable structure..

Going well beyond the level achieved so far has been the declared development goal at AudioQuest in recent years. However, the standard achieved was already so high that "a new approach" was needed, as Powell emphasizes. Not about exotic solutions, as some cable manufacturers strive for with more or less good results, but rather by answering the question of where the biggest problems arise when using an analog device connection cable. The result of several years of research recently bridged the gap between my CD or SACD players and the preamplifier. Two of the latest generation ThunderBird, one balanced with XLR connectors, one unbalanced with RCA (Cinch) connectors plus "Dielectric Bias System",

How complex the construction is reflected in the noticeable stiffness of the cables, which require stable sockets on the “opposite side”. The symmetrical cable consists of three strands twisted together, not dissimilar to a genetic helix. In no time at all, the “Thunderbirds” make up for the comparatively little effort involved in cabling with an extremely significant improvement in sound. And it wasn't created on the digital drawing board: "Does a laboratory test adequately reflect how a cable, a circuit, or a component behaves acoustically in real life?" Garth Powell asks purely rhetorically and immediately provides the answer: "Mostly not .”

Garth Powell admitted to us a little grumpily that, despite decades of research, AudioQuest has not yet been able to find any metrologically reliable indication of cable sound. Of course, that doesn't bother fans of the brand much. In terms of sound, the differences between the cable generations are clearly verifiable.

The reason for this is the numerous imponderables that occur in real use. No cable developer can say in advance under what conditions his product would be used, how the system would deal with impedances, damping factors and the like. In addition, even well-reputed measuring devices have their limits.

According to Powell, one has to accept that there is far too much electrical noise to be eliminated by sophisticated cable design alone. It is nevertheless feasible to eliminate the cable resistance as much as possible by using electrostatic shielding that is one hundred percent effective. Powell developed the corresponding technology for AudioQuest's power cords and later used it successfully in the Niagara line filters. The overall package also includes a carefully designed burn-in procedure - which the end customer can consequently save.

The result speaks for the years of effort of the developer and the immense production effort: The new ThunderBirds not only blow their predecessors on the wall - they are among the best device connectors that I have ever encountered in my life. The listening test starts with the XLR version, because Mark Levinson's 390S CD player and the 38S preamplifier from the same company have symmetrical inputs and outputs and therefore sound the best. Replacing my usually used insider tip strips from Silnote Audio (also a US company) with the Thunderbirds directly reveals more room width and depth and a more homogeneous frequency response, the upper and lower extremes of which are more harmoniously integrated into the overall event.

Italo blues player Zucchero Fornaciari stands in person in front of the listener in his finely recorded new unplugged album Inacustico (Polydor), the guitar strings buzz and click in the acoustic versions of well-known Zucchero songs in a three-dimensional way. A skiffle-blues combo, The Devil Makes Three, The Devil Makes Three's similarly-sounding but much cruder-recorded Longjohns, Boots And A Belt even draws me into a small club. And the Arabic soprano Fatma Said becomes an ethereal meta-creature on El Nour (Warner Classics) with the promise of comforting goosebumps. This works at least as well, especially with high-resolution material from the SACD. With the Thunderbirds you can take off to exhilarating high-altitude flights

INFO

AF cable Audio Quest ThunderBird
Concept: AF cable symmetrical and asymmetrical
Conductor material/construction: solid PSC (“Perfect Surface Copper”), air as dielectric, copper-coated HF conduction
Assembly: with XLR and RCA connectors, length 0.5 up to 6 m, special lengths/assemblies on request
Price: from £2,500 (0.5 m, RCA connector)

CONTACT

AudioQuest
Hoge Bergen 10
4704 RH Roosendaal
The Netherlands
Telephone +31 165 541404

www.audioquest.com

The prices shown are valid at the time of evaluation. Deviations from this are possible.

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Tchernov Cable Ultimate review

Tchernov Cable Ultimate review

Review. Interconnect and speaker cable  Tchernov Cable Ultimate. The pinnacle of cable creation

 Having started its activity at the dawn of the new millennium, Tchernov Audio was able to achieve a very high level of quality in the production of Hi-Fi and High-end Tchernov Cable cables, and today Russian brand conductors are actively used to complete the audio systems of the world's leading manufacturers.

The production of Tchernov Cable interconnects and acoustic cables is carried out using unique materials and technologies (among which a significant part is the company's own developments) with strict observance of carefully verified physical parameters. This allows the manufacturer to comply with its main principle, which is that the cable should provide the most realistic and accurate sound transmission without any distortion and interference. This principle is practically taken to the absolute level in the new flagship line of Tchernov Cable Ultimate cables, which was recently introduced to the market and which is the subject of our review.

First impression

The Tchernov Cable Ultimate line is designed for the most demanding audiophiles who are willing to pay a lot of money for impeccable sound quality.

High quality products must be packaged appropriately. Therefore, the first thing that caught my eye when looking at the three Ultimate cables provided for testing by the manufacturer (IC RCA (1.65 m), IC XLR (2.65 m) and SC Sp / Bn (2.65 m)) was a quality package without frills. Each cable is supplied in a good quality cardboard box with polyurethane foam inserts. To protect the connectors during transportation, special polyurethane nets are additionally provided.

Also read: Tchernov Cable Special Coaxial IC Review

Tchernov Cable Reference AC Power Review

As for the Ultimate cables themselves, like an expensive car, their high level is visible literally at first sight. They are very solid in appearance, quite thick and heavy. However, the cables remain highly flexible, which is largely due to the well-chosen braided sheath material. The contacts of the connectors, which, according to the manufacturer, are made of beryllium copper, also look very high quality, and hard rhodium plating provides them with high durability with repeated on / off.

It should be noted that the design of these cables uses a number of advanced technological solutions, some of which are patented developments of Tchernov Cable. These include stranded wires made of oxygen-free copper BRC +, and multi-layer insulation made of various materials, and reliable shielding. The speaker cable has Banana connectors, complemented by a "drain conductor" that provides electrical contact in the shield along the entire length of the cable. To fully realize the wide possibilities of the cable, the manufacturer recommends connecting this output to the negative input of the speaker system.

The sound of Tchernov Cable Ultimate cables as part of the reference path

To conduct the test, we used a traditional reference system in the following composition:

computer Toshiba Qosmio G50-12L (8 GB RAM/2×1 GB HDD);

NAS Round Audio (4 TB);

M2Tech HiFace Evo converter;

ASUS Xonar Essence III DAC;

Bricasti Design M1 DAC;

monoblocks PA Round Audio based on the IcePower 125ASX2 module used in balanced switching;

acoustics Round Audio FR12;

Round Audio cables - interconnect and acoustic.

The first round of testing compared the sound of an Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m) interconnect with a reference system interconnect from Round Audio. The AudioDoctor FSQ 2006 method was used to evaluate the sound. Using the Ultimate IC XLR cable (2.65 m), a connection was made between the output of one of the DACs of the reference system and the PA input (Round Audio monoblocks). A computer connected to the DAC via a USB interface was used as a source. The phonograms were played by the Korg Audiogate 3.02 software player, from the corresponding CD. 

The following tracks were used during testing:

No. 15 - setting the volume level to 86 dBA at the listening point;

No. 9 - determining the width of the created stereo base;

No. 10 - assessment of the accuracy of the transfer of microdynamics of sound and depth of the scene;

No. 11 - assessment of focusing and localization of sound, attack;

No. 12 - assessment of the quality of tonal balance and transmission of the spatial characteristics of the scene;

No. 13 - assessment of sound quality at low volume levels, assessment of macro- and microdynamics.

It should be noted that the Round Audio interconnect cable used for comparison is relatively affordable but produces quite a decent sound. However, its replacement with the tested Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m) was a real breakthrough. In terms of sound quality, the flagship from Tchernov Cable simply left no chance for our reference Round Audio. A significant improvement was found in almost all parameters, including the reliability of timbre coloration, transparency, macro- and microdynamics, and spatial characteristics. The sound of Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m) can be called extremely accurate and realistic.

 The cable gives perfect tonal balance, deep and extremely informative subjectively perceived bass. When using this cable, a continuous and spacious stereo base is created, which is completely independent of the speakers. The very high resolution in terms of the depth of the stage is impressive - the distance between the drum and the double bass is perceived extremely realistically. The space and volume of the scene is also perfectly conveyed. The sound of the cable impresses with excellent macro and micro dynamics, excellent attack transmission. The sound is superbly focused and localized in the horizontal plane. As for localization in the vertical plane, it is transmitted at least very well, with the corresponding real height of the musical instruments. At low volume levels, the sound is very good - the timbres of musical instruments are not only reliable but fully correspond to the real sound. The sound of the cable impresses with excellent macro and micro dynamics, excellent attack transmission. 

The key characteristic of the Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m) interconnect cable is its apparent absence from the path. For the test, the path of the reference system was selected in such a way that all its components were as neutral as possible. The tested cable fully meets this requirement. It does not add any characteristic features to the sound, but makes the path even more transparent, which brings its sound as close as possible to live sound.

A rather interesting feature characteristic of this cable was revealed by replacing the Bricasti Design M1 DAC with ASUS Xonar Essence III. The level of sound quality of both DACs paradoxically converges while maintaining all the features characteristic of each of them. Obviously, the extreme neutrality of the cable allows you to almost completely smooth out the existing limitations of the circuitry of the output stages.

The Ultimate IC RCA cable (1.65 m) turned out to be just as great, connecting between the unbalanced outputs of the reference DACs and the analogous PA inputs. He demonstrated all the characteristic advantages of Tchernov Cable. However, the spatial characteristics have slightly decreased. The scene narrowed a little and became less deep, the overtones became a little shorter, the localization a little worse. At the same time, one cannot say that the sound has become bad - it is magnificent. In fact, we probably would not have noticed any shortcomings if it were not for the previous listening to the Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m), against which the sound of the Ultimate IC RCA (1.65 m) faded slightly. And in this case, we are absolutely sure that these shortcomings are provoked not by the qualitative characteristics of the cable, but by the unbalanced path of the system.

We'd gotten used to the wonders Ultimate did over the previous two listening sessions, so we were prepared for the difference that the Ultimate SC Sp/Bn (2.65 m) speaker cable showed after replacing the Round Audio cable.

In general, no matter how good the price / quality cable is, an uncompromising approach always gives the best result. If you do not interfere with a talented engineer and do not constrain him with a budget, driving marketers away for a while, then you can create real masterpieces, as Tchernov Cable did.

When connecting Ultimate IC XLR (2.65 m) between DAC and PA, and Ultimate SC Sp/Bn (2.65 m) between PA monoblocks and Round Audio FR12 loudspeakers, the reference system completely dissolves in the sound generated by it. Here there is practically no point in discussing the scene, localization, depth, tonal balance and any other parameters - everything is extremely realistic, as in life. A certain dissonance of perception is created. If you believe your eyes, then there is an acoustic system in front of you, but your hearing stubbornly insists that there is a drummer there, and a little to the left, in the back of the stage, a double bass.

In further testing, the disks that have already become traditional were used:

"Glenn Gould, Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor" - Sony/BMG 88697148062, 2007.

"L. Roizman, I.S. Bach: Works for Organ" MEL CD 10 01 1230, 2013.

"Katie Melua Collection" - Dramatico DRAMCD0046, 2008

"John Fogerty, He Wrote A Song For Everyone" - Sony Music 88765487152, 2013.

The main impression when listening to real musical material, perhaps, was the unprecedented realism of presentation with an almost absolute effect of presence. The noises and hum typical of old recordings, which are present on the first two discs, are audible. But they are at the limit of perception and are practically not connected with the unfolding musical action. These noises are perceived in much the same way as the extraneous sounds of the audience in the hall when we are at a real concert. As for the modern recordings on the third and fourth discs, they sound detailed and bright, in full accordance with expectations. The genre specificity and characteristic features of the performance are perfectly conveyed. Moreover, such detail and detail does not in the least interfere with perception, but, on the contrary,

During the tests, the capabilities of the cable were also evaluated when playing high-resolution formats. This was also helped by the remasterings of the following discs, traditionally used by us in the DSD and HiRes tests:

"Santana, Abraxas" - Sony Music, 1970. 2013 remastered.

"Dave Brubeck, Time Out" - Columbia, 1959. 2010 remastered.

"Queen, A Night At The Opera" - Parlophone Records, 1975. 2010 remastered.

"Glenn Gould, JS Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988" - Sony Classical, 1982. 1999 rematered, SS 37779.

«Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fisher, Rachmaninov: Symphony no.2 in E minor, Op.27; Vocalise no.14, Op.34" - Channel Classics, CCS SA 21604. Recorded 2004.

"Cuarteto Casals, Joseph Haydn: Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze" - Harmonia Mundi, HMC 902162. Recorded 2014.

The advantages of high-resolution formats over conventional CDs were clearly demonstrated in terms of the reliability of timbre coloration, the smallest details of sound extraction, the transfer of air and stage space, macrodynamics and microdynamics. At the same time, an interesting feature was revealed, similar to the previous experience with the replacement of the DAC. The inclusion of Tchernov Cable in the system gives the CD a level of sound quality comparable to that of high formats. In this case, when listening, you pay more attention not to the format, but to the quality of the recording or mastering itself.

Conclusions

Tchernov Cable Ultimate cables are a pleasure not available to every lover of good sound. However, the key here is the word "pleasure". If you can afford these cables, by all means let them. Yes, it is not cheap, but you will pay not for the mythical blood of a unicorn shed on the night of the full moon, but for the quality of the materials used and the perfection of technical solutions.

If now the price of Ultimate is too high for you, be sure to try other, more affordable products in the company's model range in your system.

PS After this test, the internal wiring of all Round Audio speaker models is equipped with Tchernov Cable conductors

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Tchernov Cable Special Coaxial IC Review

Review. Tchernov Cable Special Coaxial IC. Another level

I am a long time fan of Tchernov Cable branded cables, many of them went through my system during the tests, and I myself own several cables, for example, the USB line Classic, the power line Special (in transport) and the digital coaxial SPDIF line Original. So I was wondering when I got a pair of new coax cables, but of a higher range - Special, with RCA and BNC connectors. What kind of cables are these and how justified is the twofold difference in price?

At first glance, the difference between the cables is only in the color of the sheath, my cable is blue, and the beginners are gray (as well as the power cable of this series, which I use in transport). Therefore, for the difference in characteristics, I turned to the official website: www.tchernovcable.com . These cables, like mine, use a 0.70 mm2 (19 x 0.23 mm) stranded BRC conductor , three-layer CAFPE ® insulation , and a double shield. One of the most important differences between the new cables and the Tchernov Cable Original IC S / PDIF I have is the use of Elastollan ® thermoplastic polyurethane as a sheath.. According to the manufacturer, this solution "provides long-term stability of all parameters and effectively dampens acoustic noise and vibration effects." Another important improvement is the use of more advanced Classic V2 connectors with a beryllium copper center pin with 10 µm gold plating.

As with other Tchernov Cable cables, arrows are marked next to the connectors indicating the direction of the signal. To complete the external inspection, I’ll say that the cables, like their predecessors, are made very carefully, it’s impossible to find fault. Beautiful high-quality connectors, excellent appearance of the shell and braid, flawless soldering. You will never know how much these cables cost if you don't know the answer beforehand.

All this is very interesting, however, you need to appreciate the sound. Above I said that I use Tchernov Cable in the system, and for a reason. This is especially true for the SPDIF cable. My system is very picky about the SPDIF cable, and not everyone is suitable, and it's not just about the price. I liked my current cable for its density, saturation, excellent relief and tangibility of sound. And it is clear that I expected no worse results from the newcomers.

The main character of this review will be the cable with RCA connectors, but in general, everything I will say applies to both cables. I will dwell on the difference between them separately. In addition, I will compare the new Tchernov Cable Special Coaxial IC / Digital RCA (S/PDIF) with my Tchernov Cable Original IC S/PDIF.

Since the cables were completely new (I opened the packaging myself), it was necessary to run in, which I did by running the cables in my system continuously under a signal for more than 200 hours each (that is, more than two weeks, since I never turn off).

However, of course, before that, I still listened to the system, without waiting for the burn-in. And at first he was very puzzled. I was expecting a roughly similar feed, but with better performance, or something. However, instead of this, at first glance, I got a more airy, spatial picture, but obviously not as dense as I was used to. Well, I thought, the taste and color, because someone will definitely need just such a sound option.

I even put my cable back into the system to check if I made a mistake and my memory is not failing me. No, it doesn't, and that's fine. I installed a new cable again and decided to wait at least a week for the critical auditions.

And not in vain! Now I can be more specific.

The physicality, density and relief that I so desired returned, and what seemed like airiness before, turned out to be transparency, accuracy and high resolution after running in!

All the hallmarks of high class appeared. First of all, I heard very detailed, tangible highs, natural, believable cymbals, timbre very reliable, with an excellent sense of the weight of the cymbal and the density of the main tone. Unfortunately, too much modern equipment turns the cymbals into something ephemeral silver, melting in the air, and this is not always the case. Everything is in place here, you close your eyes and see the plates in front of you.

Something similar happens with the bass, and no, of course, we are not talking about cymbals, but in this case, especially for plucked strings - a marvelous amount of detail, the same required relief and an abundance of overtones.

And then you realize that the main addition of new cables is resolution. A large number of events, more connections, more quiet details, and, finally, that very “blackness of pauses”. Oh yes, this is not for a red word. There is a feeling that some invisibly present elusive background noise, which has now completely disappeared, has gone somewhere. And this is not a completely formalized feeling, since the background hiss from the speakers from the power amplifier is still more tangible than the intangible noise from interference transmitted by my standard cable. There is just this feeling and that's it!

Against the background of this absence of noise, firstly, that very “transparency” appears, while we do not lose in density and corporality. Secondly, the smallest bursts of the signal at attenuation become audible, and all these “tails” drag on for a very long time, which gives a feeling of unity, lingering sound, coherence and melodiousness. Third, it gives us momentum! Surprise of attacks, brighter crescendos, dynamic contrasts.

At the same time, the clarity of the transition from the attack to the main tone becomes very good, and hence the clarity of perception of the moment the note is taken, and hence the coherence, PRAT, integrity.

All this set together defines the audiophile class of the system. And this is the main difference from the Tchernov Cable Original IC S / PDIF cable I have. That one is more melomanic, again both solid and embossed, but more “simple”, plays music mainly on the first layer. As soon as you install Special Coaxial IC / Digital RCA (S/PDIF) – everything is added here, little things everywhere, but the overall increase creates a screaming difference in the class. You begin to perceive music more easily on other layers - phrasing, intonation, sharpness of parts, general emotional intensity, energy, a clearer message. All of this, as I said earlier, is the result of what can be summed up in one word: resolution, but I wanted to be more specific. While maintaining the same parameters with my old cable, the new one is just a cut above in this aspect, yes actually,

Would I change the old cable for a new one? The answer is of course "yes"! Without hesitation. The advantage is great.

And about the difference between options with different connectors. In general (and perhaps this is not surprising), they sound very close to what can be called the word "same", but still there are some nuances. The BNC version is more airy (well, yes, it didn’t “seem” here anymore), it gives a slightly wider space, and, probably, some slightly greater “clarity” of the picture, or something, but in general I advise you to choose a cable based on the available connector system.

In summary: Special Coaxial IC / Digital RCA (S/PDIF) and Tchernov Cable Special Coaxial IC / Digital BNC (Clock) are great cables! I enjoyed this test and got a lot of impressions. I think in your short list of cables in the region of 10 thousand rubles. one of these cables must be present.

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SVS Prime Tower Review

If you're looking for a new set of floor-standing speakers and don't know what to choose, the sheer number of brands and models available can make the task daunting, to say the least. But there is one brand that has won the hearts and minds of audiophiles, home theater fans and general users, and that is SV. Today we take a look at the  SVS Prime Tower floor-standing, speaker , which may not be new on the market, but has managed to stand out in the affordable Hi-Fi market over the years.

SVS Prime Tower was released in 2014, so it's been with us for 8 years now. And while it may not be a very long time in the speaker market due to the slow updates we get from speaker manufacturers, it's amazing that it has managed to maintain its value and remain a favorite even after so many years and new models released. At $1,200 for a pair of SVS, the Prime Tower may belong in the entry-level hi-fi market, but don't let the "entry-level" definition fool you, and we'll briefly explain why.

The Prime Tower is part of the SVS Prime series and is a 3.5-way design with one 1" aluminum dome tweeter for high frequencies, one 4.5" mid-range driver and two 6.5" woofers. They are housed in an FEA-optimized cabinet with carefully placed bracing and come in the black ash and black high-gloss piano lacquer finishes for which the SVS speakers are renowned.

Having been on the market for so many years, SVS Prime Tower has proven its worth countless times. But it's time to test it out for yourself and see what all the fuss is about. So, without further delay, let's begin our analysis.

Design, inputs and characteristics

Appearance

The Prime Towers aren't the biggest SVS floorstanders in the Prime series as the Prime Pinnacle occupies that space, but they measure respectable 36″ x 8″ x 11.1″ (914 x 203 x 282mm) nonetheless and weigh 40 .1 lb (18.19 kg).

If there is any brand that you can immediately recognize by its looks, it is definitely SVS, and the Prime Tower models have a special design that SVS likes to use in many of their releases. Like black columns, Prime Towers give a sense of authority and power when you look at them.

But it's not just that SVS put a lot of effort into developing these systems. They use a FEM-optimized cabinet and bracing to eliminate resonances, while the beveled edges of the Prime Tower speaker's front panel, known as chamfers, minimize diffraction at the edges for a clear and accurate soundstage reproduction.

Internally, SVS uses separate woofer cabinets with optimized port tuning frequencies for smooth and accurate bass reproduction, while a separate sealed midrange cabinet shifts standing waves out of the driver's bandwidth, improving sound quality.

Acoustic systems, like many SVS products, are presented in just two color variations. The black ash and glossy black finish definitely look more premium, but also cost a bit more. Unfortunately, only black colors are available, so you have to decide whether they suit your room design.

As for the gratings, they are acoustically transparent and optimized by the finite element method to minimize diffraction. They are non-magnetic and use a conventional pin system to attach to the front panel. But, frankly, such beautiful speakers greatly lose their status with hidden drivers. Without grilles, they look much better, but this is a matter of taste and does not affect performance.

Prime Towers come with two sets of feet to ensure optimal placement on a variety of floor surfaces. The elastomer insulating feet pre-installed on the Prime Tower legs can be removed and replaced with the included set of threaded metal spikes. Both sets of legs are threaded, making it easy to level the Prime Tower if they need to stand on an uneven surface.

We love the type of stand/legs the Prime Tower uses. With them, the speakers retain the appearance of the column, and they also do not affect the overall area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe speakers themselves, as many other floor stands do.

In conclusion, we can say that the Prime Tower is truly amazing acoustics. And in appearance, and in design, and in build quality. SVS knows its art and it shows. Yes, when you choose SVS, you know that there are not many options in terms of color variations, but this is not the reason why you will choose a speaker from this brand.

Internal equipment

The Prime Tower uses a 3.5-way design that houses one tweeter for high frequencies, one mid-range driver and two woofers for better bass reproduction.

The 1" aluminum dome Prime Tower tweeter comes with an FEA optimized cone. The tweeter is light, efficient and rigid, and reproduces crystal clear sound at high volumes.

A single 4.5" midrange driver is housed in a separate and completely sealed compartment to deliver smooth, accurate and clear midrange sound without coloration. The cone material, made of polypropylene, is extremely light and rigid, has an excellent stiffness/mass ratio and piston-like behavior to maintain a flat frequency response with excellent controllability in the main mid-range frequencies.

There's also an aluminum ring that's used to reduce break inductance, reduce distortion, and improve high-frequency response, while the molded ABS fiberglass composite basket ensures precise component alignment and superior heat transfer.

Dual 6.5" woofers have many of the same characteristics as a mid-range driver, but on a larger scale to deliver deep and crisp bass and movie sound effects. Each woofer has a separate internal bay in the chassis with its own customizable port frequency.

But the drivers themselves are not complete without the use of a good crossover, and here SVS applied the innovative 3.5-way SoundMatch crossover. Its conical grille is designed so that each woofer has its own discrete crossover to minimize the chance of scattering. This creates an expansive yet focused soundstage with precise frequency response at all listening positions in the room. SoundMatch's fine-tuning of the crossover also ensures the highest precision while maintaining the signal's pristine purity.

The crossover between the mids and the tweeter was set to 2.1 kHz (roll-off 12 dB/octave), the crossover frequency of the top woofer (woofer combo) to the mid-range is 350 Hz (roll-off 12 dB/octave), and the bass frequency woofer frequencies - at 165 Hz.

The combination of an aluminum tweeter, midrange driver and two 6.5" woofers gives the Prime Tower a frequency response of 30Hz to 25kHz (±3dB) with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a sensitivity of 87dB.

Connection

All Prime Speakers, including the Prime Towers, include terminals with handy gold-plated 5-pin terminals that accept cables with banana plugs, speaker poles, spade plugs and, of course, bare cable. The choice is yours, but to be honest, we have always preferred bare cable for most applications.

Location

Unpacking the speakers was relatively easy as the speakers don't have a stand. You only have to choose between rubber feet and spikes depending on the floor you put them on.

Now, as far as positioning is concerned, SVS assumes they are at 30 degrees each (total 60 degrees between them) and also allows for 5-10 degrees of convergence for the best image. In general, if the speakers are placed too close to the walls, the bass is amplified, but can be boomy and unclear. If the speakers are placed away from walls, it can improve stereo imaging and surround by attenuating and delaying edge reflections.

We usually try to follow the manufacturer's advice when placing speakers in our test room, but as always it's more of a trial and error process and you should place them in a way that sounds best to your ears. As we always do in tests, we left about 2 feet from the back wall to give them a little more air. The distance between the two speakers was about 9 feet.

The speakers we had for testing had already been running for many hours, so their break-in period had already passed. Most manufacturers suggest 50 to 70 hours of run time before the speakers can reach their peak performance, but we always recommend waiting around 100 hours if they are new to be completely sure of what you hear.

Now, as far as our testing is concerned, for our films we prefer to use a simple 4.0 channel surround system with only two front channels and a pair of surround channels, and the reason for this is that we can more easily determine how the front speakers can cover the sound in the absence of center channel and subwoofer. Weaknesses become more pronounced, and while this is not the case with any real home theater system, since almost all of them will have both a center speaker and a subwoofer, we are here to specifically characterize the two front channels, and at least this is the best way for us to do it.

On the other hand, when it comes to our musical testing, we prefer, as always, to use a pure 2.0 channel system with just two front channels. Now, after all the necessary connections and calibrations with our Marantz AV receiver, we are ready to start.

Movies

In this review, we started with 4K UHD Pacific Rim: Uprising with its great Dolby Atmos. One of the first things that immediately catches your eye is the clarity and transmission of even the smallest details.

Its quality as a sequel may not match the first, but such an effects-driven film has very carefully engineered sound design, and Prime Tower takes full advantage of that. The front soundstage exploded in front of us with wide movie scenes and epic battles. Especially during the city battles, there is so much audio information about buildings collapsing, debris flying all over the place, metal clashing, projectiles firing.

It seemed like Prime Towers was made for this kind of chaos, and they were able to reproduce the scenes with the highest fidelity both in terms of picture and tonality. Our setup lacked a center channel, but even so, the front speakers managed to keep dialogue centered. It was so satisfying that we could close our eyes and almost believe there was a center speaker.

But Prime Towers not only capture a lot of detail very well, they also have good dispersion, making them ideal for large rooms and places far away from the listener. Bass was good and the dual 6.5" drivers proved to be capable enough to capture all the low frequencies, although to be honest we expected a bit more from them.

Next test and we turned on Alien: Covenant 4K UHD, which again uses very good Dolby Atmos. Unlike Pacific Rim, Alien: Covenant has a more atmospheric tone and isn't all chaos and destruction. When the paratrooper enters the alien ship for the first time, you can hear a lot of sounds played with precision, making the scene much more believable.

Dialogue was more focused here, and the speakers did a great job of keeping everything in the foreground with clarity and high resolution. Prime Tower worked in harmony with our surroundings to provide great transitional effects.

The last challenge for today, and we couldn't do without the Lord of the Rings action. As the Rohirim gallop towards Sauron's army, you can feel the earth tremble as hundreds of horses race towards their doom. Again, the effect isn't as crisp or pronounced compared to what your subwoofer can do, but the bass drivers are very well crafted here.

When the Olyphants arrive in the movie, Prime Towers took the show to the next level. Everything was so carefully crafted that it looked like the speakers were playing on a playground. The heavy steps of these gigantic beasts, the sound of their battle horns, the cries of soldiers, the clash of weapons and shields, all sounded natural. No exaggeration, no harshness and hiss.

The sound was wide and well distributed throughout our room, faithfully recreating the vast dimensions of the Pelennor fields in all their glory. Finally, the speakers had a remarkable balance as none of the frequencies seemed overly exaggerated or overlooked, creating a very pleasing sonic result.

And that's where we end the testing of films. What we can say about the Prime Tower is that at their current price, which should be considered the lowest for a Hi-Fi speaker, it will be difficult to find a speaker that has the same advantages and does not have any of its disadvantages for that same price. The Prime Tower can be a great choice if you want to build a new home theater system and have amazing quality speakers without burning your pocket.

Music

The last test for today is all about music, so we switched to a pure 2.0 channel audio system with only two front speakers connected and played some FLAC music tracks through our Marantz receiver's front USB port.

Prime Towers may not be considered an expensive choice for HiFi audiophiles, but the quality of music you get from them far outweighs the amount of money you have to pay. Keep in mind that they don't make the warmest sounds and can be a bit over the top and harsh at times, but their balance and great poise more than make up for those little inconveniences.

The front soundstage comes to life as the speakers can recreate every musical instrument with amazing fidelity. The sound image was also very satisfying and there was amazing fidelity and fidelity in space.

In terms of bass, the Prime Towers proved to be decent, although again we felt that something was missing. Don't get us wrong, the speakers have powerful bass, and even on some songs with intense bass, they never had a problem following the rhythm and muffling the sound as much as they could. We just hoped to get a little more, which would allow them to rise above the competition. Even so, they performed surprisingly well, delivering clean bass without being muffled or boomy.

As with all of our speaker tests, we tried several different genres to see if the speakers would behave differently, and so this time we tried jazz, electronic music, some heavy metal, pop, and ended up techno. Most of the time, Prime Towers performed very well without deviating much from their core performance. In some cases, we wished we could hear a little deeper bass, while the treble was a bit brighter than what we wanted to hear, but looking at them overall, they scored highly across the board.

One thing that plays a very important role in this is the type of electronics you are going to be using. Speakers can work well in many genres, but since they have a few specific characteristics, you need to think about what they will pair with to create a more balanced result.

If you're looking for a pair of speakers that can really work well in whatever genre you like, then the Prime Towers have proven to be great value for money.

Conclusion

Although Prime Tower speakers have been on the market for 8 years now, they are still a respectable option in the budget price range, showing how much engineering and design SVS put into them when they were originally released. And even today in 2022, we can assure you that they can easily compete with much newer speakers that can cost a lot more than they do.

There are so many good things to say about these speakers that it's hard to find new words to describe them. Starting from the design and build quality, SVS has put all their experience into them and is sure to exude a powerful aura when you look at them. In terms of sound, they may not offer the warm sound that some other speakers do, but the level of detail and overall balance you get is hard to come by at this price. The treble was punchy without getting in the way, and the bass was deep, crisp, and articulate.

Is it possible to say something bad about the acoustics? Of course, speakers need some air to work well. When we tried to place them close to the wall, we felt that the bass overshadowed the rest of the performance, but this can happen with most floorstanders with rear ports. Its audio output had amazing detail, which came at the expense of warmth, as we just mentioned above, while the treble sometimes felt like it lacked the dispersion of some of the other speakers we heard.

This concludes our review, and as a final comment, we can say about the SVS Prime Tower that this is an acoustic that, even for its age, remains one of the best budget speakers you can get at the moment. Its quality isn't outstanding, its performance is undeniable, and it could be a perfect choice if you're a home theater fan or an entry-level audiophile. SVS is a brand that makes sure you get the best for what you pay, and Prime Tower remains a very distinctive example of what they have to offer.

PROS

High-quality parts

Excellent build quality

Balanced Sound

Ideal for both movies and music

Cons

The sound is not warm enough

Required space when placing

No magnetic grids

Only 2 color variations

Overall Score

Design: 9.0/10

Cinema: 9.0/10

Music: 9.0/10

Inputs and features: 9.0/10

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