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| High End Audio Reviews
Reviewer's Choice - SoundStage Network "Fabulous Cables" Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval Interconnects and Oval 8 Speaker Cables The Solo Crystal Oval cables add another interesting twist -- oxygen-free copper wire that's slowly drawn and annealed so that its grain boundaries are non-existent in normal audio lengths. Analysis Plus calls this Continuous Cast Copper; similar wire is used by Harmonic Technology and Acoustic Zen, albeit without the hollow oval geometry. If you are looking for cables that offer a bracing, high-resolution view of your equipment and music, you've found them in the Solo Crystal Oval cables. These cables impart no threadbare, transparency-above-all-else presentation, and yet they always sound like utterly clear conduits between your components and music. I was able to hear into the recordings in new ways, which elevated these CDs so close to SACDs that telling the difference between the two would be very difficult at best in a blind test. Of all the cables I've heard recently, the ones the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval cables resemble the most sonically are Nordost's Quattro-Fil interconnects and SPM Reference speaker cables. Yet, the Solo Crystal Oval cables, while not sounding as subjectively fast as the Nordost cables, sound just as transparent and impart just as much information. One knock against the Nordost cables is that some listeners find them lean, and this again is not the case with the Analysis Plus cables, which offer notable midrange fullness and bass heft. In fact, down low, the only cables that I've heard that better what the Solo Crystal Oval cables do are the Transparent Reference XLs. The Nordost and Transparent cables are far more expensive than the Analysis Plus cables -- by several thousand dollars. These are fabulous cables that won't act as filters or tone controls for your equipment, putting forth sound that's as direct and vivid as that of any cables I've used. The fact that they aren't priced anywhere near the top of the heap is a blessing for sure, but don't let their mid-level cost fool you. These are cables with which you can call it quits, no matter the pedigree of your audio system or your tastes. Marc Mickelson For the complete review in PDF format, click here. |
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