Soundstring Cable Technologies Gen II Cable Review (2014)

Soundstring Cable Technologies
Gen II Platinum Series Cables
Checking All the Boxes!
The role of cables in the audio chain
has surely evolved over the years. I
still remember when for less than a
buck a foot you could wire your entire
system without giving your cables
much thought. Nowadays there is so
much science fiction in cable design
that it is possible to spend more on
cabling a system than it costs to buy the components.
Remember the good ol’ days when you could buy a component
and the AC cord and interconnect cables that came with the
component were good enough? And they were free!
It sometimes it seems as though sanity goes on vacation when
it comes to cable design. And yes, I count myself among the
insane. Lord knows that I have done more than my share of
cable reviews. But just like everything else in high-end audio,
I have simply learned to compartmentalize what I’m reviewing
so that I’m only evaluating it from the perspective of its
marketplace… At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
But thankfully there are still companies who design and build
audio cables with sensitivity to affordability without making
compromises in design, parts quality, or Sonics. One such
company is South Norwalk, Connecticut based Soundstring
Cable Technologies.
We Met In SanFransico
I first saw the Soundstring cables being used by mega speaker
builder Wisdom Audio (are they still around?) at the H.E. 2003
Show in San Francisco. Wisdom Audio had a well-earned
reputation for building state-of-the-art, gorgeously built, very
large and very expensive loudspeakers.
The Soundstring cables sat in attractive wood cases with
bright red fabric linings. I immediately wrote them off as
lovely cables that would never find their way to my house
simply because they were being used by Wisdom Audio.
Imagine my surprise to learn that these cables were priced in
the $100s of dollars and not $1,000s.
But the best part about this company was not even that their
lovely cables were also affordable. No, the best part was the
makers of the cables themselves, particularly Len Miller, the
company’s President & CEO. When you ask a manufacturer of
cable products to send you review samples, they usually will
try to send as few cables as possible and only in whatever
standard lengths they have available. The reason for this is
understandable, as they don’t want to waste a lot of material
on something that they can no longer sell as new. So when I
talked to Len about getting review samples of their new
Generation II Platinum Series cables, he asked me to send him
a list of the quantities and lengths of cables that I would need
saying that he would try and accommodate me as much as he
could. Needless to say, I was floored when a little more than a
week later two large boxes appeared at my house from
Soundstring. Not only did they send me every last cable that I
requested, they also sent over some cables that I didn’t
request but that they thought I might enjoy checking out. If
only all manufacturers were this accommodating.
But, as nice as it is dealing with products I can actually afford
and with people who are a joy to talk to is, if the products
under review don’t deliver sonically, then you have to move
on. So let’s get into the Gen II’s and see what we really have.
Built Like A Snake
According to the information that Len provided to me, the Gen
II’s use a platinum silver tightly woven Nylon “static guard”
outer covering (which is where they get their name). They’re
made using very finely stranded 6-9's (99.9999%) pure
Oxygen-Free High Conductivity (OFHC) bare electrolytic copper
conductors. These copper strands range in size from 40 gauge
to 44 gauge. The Gen II “high out- put” power cords and both
their standard and Bi- wire speaker cables use 672 individual
strands of #40 gauge copper per conductor.
On the Gen II’s
smaller low out-put
digital power cords,
there are 168
strands of #40
gauge copper in
each conductor and
for the interconnect
cables there are 168
strands of #44
gauge copper per
conductor. Having that many individual fine strands of wire in
each conductor for each cable type provides for excellent cable
flexibility. It also means larger surface areas for the signal and
frequencies to travel over and larger cable diameter (circular
mil area)for the voltage to flow through. The result is a faster,
more accurate, open and transparent cable performance, not to
mention a cable that is very soft, flexibleand easy to work with.
This I love.
The insulation materials used on the Gen II’s are UL approved
100% lead-free PVC with low durometers for increased
flexibility and greater adhesion to the individual conductors
during the extrusion process. This eliminates the trapping of
oxygen and other gases between the inner wall of the
individual PVC jackets covering the conductors and the outer
surface of the conductors themselves. Thus, the potential for
long-term oxidation of the conductors is virtually eliminated.
The use of these compounds compared to more exotic and
costly materials also helps to keep the cost of the cables down
in keeping with Soundstring’s policy of selling high performing
and affordable cables.
Finally, all conductors are wound around each other in a
precisely determined geometry that minimizes surface contact
while creating a round geometry to wind an unsintered PTF
Teflon tape coating around them in a precise 1/2” overlay that
keeps the cabled conductors in place and prevents adhesion to
the inner wall of the outer jacket as it is extruded over the
conductors to form the finished cable.
Just as I learned when I reviewed the first generation of
Soundstring cables nearly ten years ago, these are thoughtfully
designed cables built by people with decades of experience who
know that you don’t have to use dielectrics handmade by
Himalayan monks out of cryogenically frozen yak hair or that
you don’t have to attach miniature nuclear power cells to the
connectors in order to help move the audio signal through the
wires at warp speed. Just solid design principles and top notch
materials will do, thank you very much.
Come On Dave, Get On With It
Okay, okay, I know I’m more than 1200 words into this review
and still haven’t said anything about how the cables sound.
Well, as I mentioned earlier they sent me a whole lot of
product so there is a lot to discuss. Because they sent me an
entire suite of cables I was able to wire my entire system with
Soundstring cables.
The reference system used for this review consisted of the
George Warren turntable with Incognito-modified Moth2 arm
and Transfiguration Phoenix cartridge, going into a Pass Labs
XP15 phonostage. It sits on an Adona Corporation Zero GXT
equipment rack. The digital sources were the Oppo DV-980H
disc player (as transport) and Apple TV music streamer feeding
the Vitus Audio RD-100 DAC/Linestage. Amplification came
from the Pass Labs XVR-1 electronic crossover, Bel Canto
M300 and Ref1000M mono amps feeding the high and low
frequency drivers of my Magnepan MG20s, respectively.
Cabling was the Entreq Apollo and Konstantin series cables. My
listening room is approximately 26’ wide, 20’ deep and with 8’
high ceilings. My floors are concrete covered with Berber
carpeting. Even though Len told me the all cables were precooked on a AudioDharma Cable Cooker, I put the cables into
my secondary system (Opera Audio Consonance A120
integrated amp and Black Moon Audio Fidelity One speakers)
for a week and ran a 24-hour music station from my TV
through them in order to make sure that they were properly
burned in. Now I was ready to start listening.
Rather than try and give you a break down on how each
individual cable worked within my system, I’ll begin by telling
you which cables were used in the system and then describe
the system’s overall sound. Believe me, if I tried to go into
detail about each cable, the length of this article would be
more than anybody could stand to read from a computer
screen. But if you’d like to know more about my experience
with each of these cables just send me an email and I’ll be
happy to give you my impressions on everything I heard.
Let’s start with the power cords. I used a regular High Output
power cord on my Oppo Digital DV980, which I used as a
transport. I used High Output “SE”(Special Edition) cords on
each pair of my Bel Canto mono amps, another on my Pass
Labs XVR-1 and another on my Vitus Audio RD-100
DAC/Linestage. I used another regular High Output cord on my
Pass XP15 phonostage. With the interconnects, I used Gen II
balanced (XLR) cables from the RD-100 DAC/Linestage to the
XVR-1 Electronic Crossover and then two more sets of XLR
cables from the XVR-1 to both pair of Bel Canto amps. I used a
Gen II Single-Ended (RCA) cable from the XP-15 phonostage
to the RD-100. Finally, and though it is not a part of their
current product offering, Len did send me a prototype of his
GEN II HDMI 1.4 digital cable and a Digital 75 Ohm Coaxial
Cable with RCA’s that they recently test produced just to get
my opinion on them. Yes folks, that’s a lot of cables.
When I first started playing music what immediately made an
impression on me was just how quiet the operation of my
system was. I mean it was snowfall quiet. I attributed this to
the use of high quality connectors on all the cables. I’ve used
far more expensive cables with some exotic connectors that
never quite instilled any confidence that I had solid contact
throughout the equipment chain. But the Gen II cables,
particularly the single-end interconnects and the power cords
all fit nice and snug on both ends. This may be a small thing
but it means a lot to me. The first piece of music I played was
“Terra Nova” by guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkle from his CD The
Remedy: Live at the Village Vangard [WOMMUSIC]. I was
taken by the life-sized scale of the solos that were perfectly
performed by pianist Aaron Goldberg and Rosenwinkle. And I
have to say right now that no one channels George Benson like
Rosenwinkle does on this tune. It is worth seeking out. With
the Gen II cables in the system, the level of detail and imaging
was simply amazing.
Next, I listened to Gretchen Parlato: Live in
NYC [Obliqsound]. This is fast becoming a
favorite disc of mine because of its excellent
dynamic range. It demands cables that can
get the most from my system. The first track,
“Butterfly” starts with Parlato doing her
trademark gentle scat with a gentle handclap
to establish a rhythm as her excellent band enters the song.
Her voice is so three-dimensional that it seemed to hover in
my listening room like the head of “The Great and Powerful
Oz!” The Gen II’s did such a great job of lowering the noise
floor that you could get much deeper into the music. This is
especially good on this type of recording because it also allows
you to not just experience the performance, but also allows
you the feeling of being at the venue. Isn’t that what you
really want from your system? Track seven, a cover of the
SWV hit, “Weak,” is another great example of this. Parlato’s
vocal is of course great but so is the performance of one of my
favorite young pianists Taylor Eigsti. This track best
demonstrated how well the Gen II cables could resolve low
volume detail. I did most of my listening late at night.
At this point I can’t overstate the impact of those prototype
digital cables. The 75 Ohm Coaxial digital cable was probably
one of the most significant cables that was sent to me. It was
simply spectacular. It looks like it was made to be sold with
my Vitus DAC. It has an attractive champagne colored sleeve
and uses very high quality RCA connectors. Sonically you
couldn’t ask for more spacious highs, a well-defined midrange
and deep, well-articulated bass. This cable helped render the
Rosenwinkle and Parlato recordings brilliantly.
The HDMI cable was used to connect my Oppo Universal Disc
player and it was an obvious upgrade over the Monster Cable
Gold Advanced HDMI cable I’d been using. I watched one of
my favorite concert films, the Talking Heads’Stop Making
Sense, and was blown away by how much richer the black
back drop was and the sound coming from my Sony Bravia
HDTV was much improved.
I’m not sure of where these cables will
be priced or when they’ll be available,
but I’ll want them for sure. I’m choking
back tears at the thought of sending
these prototypes back.
Finally, I decided to dig up some vinyl.
One of my favorites is a limited edition
180g pressing of Pat Coil’s
Steps [Sheffield Lab]. The first track, “Sierra Highways,” is
everything you could ask for in a piece of music used to
evaluate a system and particularly cables. The same can be
said for track eight, “Show Your Children Love,” a gospel
infused song that also features vocalist Phil Perry. This album
is loaded with excellent music with percussive instruments,
horns, and rhythmic bass. I’ve heard it on so many high-end
systems that I’d know if the cables caused the system to
somehow be lacking. But thankfully that wasn’t the case here.
The Gen II cables allowed the system to render the music
flawlessly. Now please bear in mind that the word “flawless” is
one of those “matter-of-perspective” words. I tend to think
that music should sound a bit bright or brassy when played
loud, especially if it’s a live recording. And when it is played at
low volumes it shouldn’t sacrifice detail. So some people may
feel the sound to be a bit aggressive while others will praise
them for their ability to simply relay the truth in your
recordings. I tend to go with the latter.
The Gen II’s are certainly not cables without fault (pretty
damn close though). If I had to identify what I believed to be a
fault in the Gen II cables it would only be that compared to
cables like the Entreq Apollo cables, the bass gets just a bit
muddy when I push the volume levels up. But again, this is
only a matter of perspective. In fact, one of my audiophile
buddies thinks this characteristic makes the Gen II “SE”
speaker cables perfect for his Watt-Puppy 7’s, which he feels
are a bit lean in the bass. He’s been trying to talk me into
giving him mine for about two months. It ain’t happening bro.
Conclusion
Not to knock any other cables I’ve used or are still using to
this day, but for everyday audiophiles, those of us who are not
wealthy enough to wire our systems with cables that could
stabilize the national debt, there is a law of diminishing
returns. But like the wealthy we still want to invest in high
quality products that will allow us to get the most from our
home systems without feeling like we’ve had to make
sacrifices in sound quality or quality of design and build. For
us, the Soundstring cable products are a blessing. They are
highly recommended and without a doubt, a “Most Wanted
Component.”
Current Retail Pricing on Popular Standard Catalog Lengths:
GEN II 30 AMP HIGH OUT-PUT POWER CORDS
Catalog Number
SS-GEN II-PC30-FMF-3-US
SS-GEN II-PC30-FMF-6-US
SS-GEN II-PC30-FMF-8-US
SS-GEN II-PC30-FMF-10-US
Length
3 Feet
6 Feet
8 Feet
10 Feet
GEN II 10 AMP LOW OUT-PUT DIGITAL POWER CORDS
Catalog Number
Length
SS-GEN II-PCLOD10-FMF-3-US
3 Feet
SS-GEN II-PCLOD10-FMF-4-US
4 Feet
SS-GEN II-PCLOD10-FMF-6-US
6 Feet
SS-GEN II-PCLOD10-FMF-8-US
8 Feet
Retail Price Ea.
$ 600.00
$ 640.00
$ 680.00
$ 720.00
Retail Price Ea.
$ 510.00
$ 520.00
$ 540.00
$ 580.00
GEN II NON-SHIELDED AND SINGLE ENDED INTERCONNECT CABLES
Catalog Number
Length
Retail Price Pr.
SS-GEN II-ICNS- 3-RCA
3 Feet
$ 510.00
SS-GEN II-ICNS- 6-RCA
4 Feet
$ 570.00
SS-GEN II-ICNS-10-RCA
10 Feet
$ 690.00
GEN II SHIELDED AND SINGLE ENDED INTERCONNECT CABLES
Catalog Number
Length
SS-GEN II-IC95- 3-RCA
3 Feet
SS-GEN II-IC95- 6-RCA
4 Feet
SS-GEN II-IC95-10-RCA
10 Feet
Retail Price Pr.
$ 540.00
$ 600.00
$ 740.00
GEN II SHIELDED AND BALANCED INTERCONNECT CABLES
Catalog Number
Length
SS-GEN II-IC95- 3-XLR
3 Feet
SS-GEN II-IC95- 6-XLR
4 Feet
SS-GEN II-IC95-10-XLR
10 Feet
Retail Price Pr.
$ 440.00
$ 500.00
$ 640.00
GEN II STANDARD SPEAKER CABLES
Catalog Number
SS-GEN II-SC- 6
SS-GEN II-SC- 8
SS-GEN II-SC-12
SS-GEN II-SC-15
GEN II BI-WIRE SPEAKER CABLES
Catalog Number
SS-GEN II-BWSC- 6
SS-GEN II-BWSC- 8
SS-GEN II-BWSC-12
SS-GEN II-BWSC-15
Length
6 Feet
8 Feet
12 Feet
15 Feet
Length
6 Feet
8 Feet
12 Feet
15 Feet
Retail Price Pr.
$
840.00
$
920.00
$
990.00
$ 1,040.00
GEN II “SE” (SPECIAL EDITION) 30 AMP HIGH OUT-PUT POWER CORDS
Catalog Number
Length
Retail Price Ea.
SS-GEN II-SE-PC30-FMF- 3-US
3 Feet
$ 1,135.00
SS-GEN II-SE-PC30-FMF- 6-US
6 Feet
$ 1,345.00
SS-GEN II-SE-PC30-FMF- 8-US
8 Feet
$ 1,490.00
SS-GEN II-SE-PC30-FMF-10-US
10 Feet
$ 1,640.00
GEN II “SE” (SPECIAL EDITION) SPEAKER CABLES
Catalog Number
Length
Retail Price Pr.
SS-GEN II-SE-SC- 6
6 Feet
$ 810.00
SS-GEN II-SE-SC- 8
8 Feet
$ 960.00
SS-GEN II-SE-SC-12
12 Feet
$ 1,240.00
SS-GEN II-SE-SC-15
15 Feet
$ 1,450.00
Soundstring Cable Technologies, LLC
Retail Price Pr.
$ 660.00
$ 770.00
$ 820.00
$ 860.00
149 Woodward Ave.
South Norwalk, CT 06854
U.S.A.
Phone:(203) 853-9300
Fax:(203) 853-9304
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.soundstringcable.com