Shunyata’s founder and chief designer Caelin Gabriel also improved the Kinetic Phase Inversion Process, which, over a four-day period, “conditions the conductors at a molecular level using high-energy pulsed frequencies that heat the conductor mass.” This results in less burn-in time, allowing the wire to reach its performance potential sooner.

Theta power cords feature VTX-Ag (pure silver center) conductors, both with an outer layer of ultra-pure OFE copper. They are constructed with both an inner center conductor made of pure silver and an outer concentric ring conductor made of pure copper. The Theta power cords use the finest fluorocarbon insulation to minimize dielectric absorption and re-radiation, which translates to an improvement in resolution and clarity.

Theta Series cables are terminated with Shunyata’s custom-designed connectors and cold-soldered terminals. The look is unpretentious in a braided Black Flex mesh cover and richly gold-plated interchangeable (banana or spade) OFE-copper terminations. The shield is a tight braid of silver-plated copper. To the eye and touch, construction-quality end-to-end appeared top-notch. Theta is available in speaker, interconnect (XLR or RCA), digital, and power cords. For this review I was supplied with Theta speaker cable, RCA interconnects, and for my second system, XLR interconnects long enough to drive my active ATC loudspeakers, as well as Theta power cords for the ATC on-board amps.

Sonically, Gabriel and the Shunyata team brought their high-resolution A-game to Theta. Transparent across the board, the Thetas had impeccable spectral balance, nimble transients, and smooth warmly lit harmonics. They produced an ineffable muscular midband energy that rippled up from the lower reaches of acoustic bass and seemed to strengthen as it rose through the octaves and sweeten in the upper ranges of violin. Tonal balance was essentially neutral, but if I were pressed, I would say that its signature leaned ever so slightly to the warmer side, but like a chameleon, this was truly hard to pin down.

More significantly, Theta produced an open and uncongested sense of spatiality within my listening rooms. Orchestral section layering of strings, winds, brasses was very, very good. A favorite recording of mine is the theme to the film The Cowboys from John Williams’ At the Movies (with thanks to RH for this tip). This 24-bit/176kHz Reference Recording is brilliant at describing the broad Meyerson soundstage thrown by the Dallas Winds and is overflowing with back-of-the-hall depth cues from the percussion section, and the long reverberant decays sustained throughout the auditorium.

Theta’s performance in the upper mids and treble octaves were among the most liquid and natural that I’ve heard. My conclusion was validated through two distinctively different loudspeaker systems—the Raidho X2.6, a small floorstander equipped with a superb ribbon tweeter (review forthcoming), and the redoubtable stand-mount compact MBL 126 Radialstrahler, a personal all-time fave—a magical omni whose musicality continues to stun every listener who passes through my home. In their own unique ways, these speakers reproduce the top octaves in the most revealing and natural manner of any I’ve heard. For that reason alone, they don’t suffer poor or middling speaker cable. In this instance, Evgeny Kissin’s upper-octave keyboard trills were bell-like and harmonically extended and bore all the hallmarks (openness, expanse, and air) of the live concert hall experience. Alison Krauss’ rendition of “Slumber My Darling” from Appalachian Journey was beautifully expressive, her soaring, almost ethereal vocal a luminous delight to my ears

Transient information was excellent in its naturalistic clarity. The Thetas easily caught the leading-edge snap and “pop” from Stewart Copeland’s high-pitch drum kit in The Police’s 1983’s Synchronicity disc, their final studio album. And not just the pop but the actual tonality that each of these skins produced. Equally superb were dynamics on both micro- and macro-levels, e.g., the thundering tympani and bass drum impacts and suspended decays during Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” But of all my reference recordings, “Autumn Leaves” by the Manhattan Jazz Quintet afforded one of the most vivid illustrations of Theta’s charms as regards dynamic contrast, transient behavior, and piercing pyrotechnics. From the gritty alto sax to the forward, stinging, wall-paper-shredding blasts from Lew Soloff’s trumpet solo, to, perhaps most of all, the deep, thick resonances and sustains of the acoustic bass and piano solos, Theta covered all the bases.

Other properties that most stood out were image focus and stability. Theta tracked and positioned the smallest and lowest-level musical cues with a degree of precision that I can only describe as dogged. This was exemplified during Peter, Paul and Mary’s “All My Trials.” When properly reproduced this simple all-analog track (tape hiss included) reveals the nuance of vocal timbre and texture with the best of them. Paul’s beseeching tenor is panned to the left of the soundstage and Peter’s growly baritone to the right, bracketing Mary’s plaintive vocal in the center stage position. What became ever more clear with Theta in the system were the timbral qualities of their delicate vocals, the harmonizing interplay, and the specific emotional character of each singer.

As for the harder to define sense of overall “musicality,” the liveliness factor, the pace, the jumpy rhythmic cues that get toes tapping and heads nodding, Theta hardly takes a back seat to any contenders. When jazz singer Melody Gardot sings “Who Will Comfort Me,” and her crack band enters with a vamping guitar and finger snap intro, slowly filling in the track with kick drum and toms accents and a bubbling double bass line, until seemingly out of nowhere comes the wail of a Hammond B3, joined by trumpet, sax, and backup voices, well, there was no moving me from the listening sweet spot until the final fade.

Every component in a high-end system has one mission: to allow the component ahead of it to operate to its full potential. In other words, to get the heck out of the way of the musical signal. I’ve heard cables that edge out Theta in minor ways, my own references (pricier to be sure) like Audience frontRow or Matthew Bond Insight (Issue 355) among them. But nothing I’ve heard matches Theta anywhere near this price segment. At least, not yet. Kudos to Caelin Gabriel and Team Shunyata for bringing to market such a top-notch, category-busting wire for the rest of us. My highest recommendation.   

Specs & Pricing

Price: Speaker, $1998/2.5m; interconnect, XLR $1198/2m, RCA $998/1m; power, $998/1.75m

SHUNYATA RESEARCH
26273 Twelve Trees Lane
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 598-9935
shunyata.com

For example, if your system is a little on the bright and analytical side, mellow-sounding interconnects and cables can take the edge off the treble and let you enjoy the music more. If the bass is overpowering and fat, lean- and tight-sounding interconnects and cables can firm up and lean out the bass. A system lacking palpability and presence in the midrange can benefit from a forward-sounding cable.

Selecting cables and interconnects for their musical compatibility should be viewed as the final touch to your system. A furniture maker who has been using saws, planes, and rasps will finish his work with steel wool or very fine sandpaper. Treat cables and interconnects the same way—as the last tweak to nudge your system in the right direction, not as a Band-Aid for poorly chosen components.

Cables and interconnects won’t correct fundamental musical or electrical incompatibilities. For example, if you have a high-output-impedance power amplifier driving current-hungry loudspeakers, the bass will probably be soft and the dynamics constricted. Speaker cables won’t fix this. You might be able to ameliorate the soft bass with the right cable, but it’s far better to fix the problem at the source—a better amplifier/loudspeaker match.

A typical hi-fi system will need one pair of loudspeaker cables (two pairs for bi-wiring, or connecting the speaker to the amplifier with two pairs of cables rather than one), one pair of long interconnects between the preamplifier and power amplifier, and several pairs of short interconnects for connections between source components (such as a turntable or DAC) and the preamplifier.

Once you’ve got a feel for how your system is—or will be—configured, make a list of the interconnects and cables you’ll need, and their lengths. Keep all lengths as short as possible, but allow some flexibility for moving loudspeakers, putting your preamp in a different space in the rack, or other possible changes. Although we want to keep the cables and interconnects short for the best sound, there’s nothing worse than having interconnects 6″ too short. After you’ve found the minimum length, add half a meter for flexibility.

Interconnects are often made in standard lengths of 1, 1.5, and 2 meters. These are long enough for source-to-preamp connections, but too short for many preamp-to-power-amp runs. These long runs are usually custom-made to a specific length. Similarly, speaker cables are typically supplied in 8* or 10* pairs, but custom lengths are readily available. It’s better to have the cable manufacturer terminate the cables (attach spade lugs or banana plugs to loudspeaker cables, and RCA or XLR plugs on interconnects) rather than to try to do it yourself. In high-quality cables the cable is fastened to the terminations through a welding process for greater electrical conductivity as well as increased reliability.

If your equipment has balanced XLR jacks in addition to unbalanced RCA connections, it’s usually best to choose balanced interconnects. (There are cases where the unbalanced connection will sound better but explaining why is beyond the scope of this short excerpt.) You’ll also need to choose the speaker cable terminations. The most common speaker cable terminations are spade lug and banana plug. Spades are the most versatile and popular, but some amplifiers (particularly those from European manufacturers) require banana plugs and won’t accept spades. A few manufacturers offer cables with removable terminations, allowing you to swap spades for banana plugs, for example, if the need arises.

Concentrate your cable budget on the cables that matter most. The priority should be given to the sources you listen to most often. For example, you may not care as much about the sound of your DAC as you do your turntable. Consequently, you should spend more on interconnects between the turntable and preamplifier than between the DAC and preamp. And because all your sources are connected to the power amplifier through the interconnect between the preamplifier and power amplifier, this link must be given a high priority. But any component—even a mobile device’s analog output—will benefit from good interconnects.

Since I was going to evaluate these cables through multiple speaker systems including an active one, Crystal Cable’s U.S. Distributor Wynn Audio provided two sets of long XLR interconnects as well as single-wire speaker cables and Reference² power cords. The interconnects ran the dCS Bartók streaming DAC (having recently received the factory upgrade to Apex status—more on that in a forthcoming issue) through the Pass Labs XP 12 preamp to the ATC SCM50 active tri-amplified towers. In my other listening room, I used ATC SCM20P passive speaker and Dynaudio Confidence 20 stand-mount compacts (review forthcoming). The sources were the Lumin S1 streaming DAC and my Sota Cosmos Eclipse turntable/SME tonearm. Anchoring the passive system was the Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier, a reference piece and Golden Ear Award recipient. My reference cables were the Audience frontRow speaker cables and interconnects and the considerably more expensive Analysis Plus Micro Golden Oval interconnects for the active towers.

In terms of sonic performance, the Ref2 Diamond steadfastly refused to be typecast. In fact, these slender, svelte cables played happily against type. Thin, brittle, or bleached? Absolutely not. In fact, tonally Ref2 Diamond conveyed a slightly darker, richer, and more romantic sound, a bit forward but with an element of roundedness in the midrange that lent music a weight and substance that to me was an accurate barometer of the live acoustic experience. For example, the concert grand piano during Kissin’s reading of Glinka’s “The Lark” felt slightly heavier, thoroughly grounded in its lower octaves. The fortissimo upper-treble trills, which ring with harmonics, were piercing but smooth. The tone never hardened, as it captured the velocity as well as the authenticity of the keyboard’s felt-wrapped hammers.

Further, the cable was an honest broker across the frequency spectrum. Treble performance was superior without hints of brightness. Bass reproduction was clean, and in most instances, pitch precise and resonant. The Ref2 Diamonds flattered a good recording but also revealed the letdowns of a poor one. Thus, if a record had an edgy or aggressive top end, the Crystal Cable allowed that stridency to play out, come hell or high water. Conversely, an LP recording like Stravinsky’s Pulcinella [St. Martin in the Fields: Argo]—as airy and extended and natural as any in my collection—was able to fully bloom, even in demanding sections like the piccolo trumpet solo or the amusing duet for trombone and bass violin. An interesting side effect of Ref2 Diamond’s strong midrange presence and harmonic density was that John William’s “Olympic Fanfare” and soundtrack to The Cowboys almost sounded as if their acoustic and ambient worlds was pitched ever so slightly downward and the environment the music occupied had expanded in volume.

Imaging was very strong with little sensation of neighboring images being squeezed or smeared. The attack of the snare during the “Olympic Fanfare” just sat pristinely focused and stable within its environment. On random pop recordings, each drum fill sequence maintained its own place across the soundstage, just as the engineer intended. And there were serendipitous discoveries. I have a recording with a particular flavor of snare drum sound that I thought I knew well, but it was not until I listened with the Ref2 Diamond that I noticed the faint high-hat being struck simultaneously with that snare. Of course, it was always there in the mix, but now I was hearing a higher level of individuation. At least some of that credit accrues to the Crystal Cable.

Transients were clean and without overhang. The sibilance range—especially as it relates to vocals—was held nicely in check. Peter, Paul & Mary’s Mary Travers’ wistful performance of “500 Miles” had good body resonance and took on an almost holographic and physical substance in the listening space—as if you could feel the singer’s breath rising from inside her diaphragm and bringing the note to her lips.

But my key takeaway, the area that left me almost (but not quite) speechless was the Crystal’s ability to elicit finer and finer gradations of timbral and textural color and contrast. From the opening transient of a bow crossing a violin or cello string or a flat-pick upon the steel strings of a guitar or mandolin, the Ref2 Diamond seemed to capture more character from each note. A good example is Melody Gardot’s “Who Will Comfort Me” with its assortment of very specific intro cues from a nylon string guitar and the tactile nature of finger snaps to a terrific muted trumpet solo and the heat of a backing Hammond organ. Another stellar recording that I constantly refer to is Harry Connick, Jr.’s rendition of “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.” Buried in the ambience of this deceptively transparent track was the palpability of the random finger snaps near the close of the tune plus the occasional slap of the strings on the fingerboard of the standup acoustic bass. Remarkable too was Branford Marsalis’ accompanying tenor sax, which literally harmonizes with Connick’s vocal in the closing measures of this track. What makes it special is the instrument’s presence and sustain right down to the final exhalation of air flowing over the reed.

Along those same lines many readers familiar with my past reviews know that I can wax at length about how the resolving power of a component can be identified by listening to the distinctive and uniquely gifted voices of background singers in a recording—the backing voices in Norah Jones’ “Sinkin’ Soon,” or the sha-la-las during Holly Cole’s “Jersey Girl,” or Ricki Lee Jones’ backing harmony to Lyle Lovett’s lead vocal during “North Dakota.” All these examples have grown in clarity and naturalism in the years that I’ve referenced them. Yes, it’s partially owing to improved playback equipment, particularly digital sources, but it’s also owed to cable like the Refernce2 Diamond that hangs onto to every breath, sibilance, syllable, and sustain.

Switching to the dCS Bartók Apex/Pass Labs/ATC system, I pitted Ref2 Diamond opposite my XLR interconnect reference in this system, Analysis Plus Micro Golden Oval, which as it happens coats its hollow-core copper conductors with gold. In this “gold-vs-gold” matchup, the Ref2 Diamond was impressive overall and only mildly subtractive in the smallest doses. Take, for example the bouncy opening bass vamp from the Holly Cole Trio cover of “I Can See Clearly.” In this track, the acoustic bass lost a little control and tension. Nor was the soundstage relationship between bass and piano quite as complex or discernable. During Vaughn-Williams The Wasps: Overture (Andre Previn conducting the LSO, a personal well-worn favorite), the Crystal gave up some ground as regards the depth and detail of orchestral layering and the spread of images from section to section. With its richer micro-dynamic energy, the Analysis Plus seemed to draw a shade more raw, heart-rending emotion out of Ronstadt’s soaring vocal on “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.” However, in most other aspects like overall tonal balance, transient attack, and midrange verisimilitude, the Crystal was a virtual dead heat with leading contenders like the Audience and Analysis Plus.

Yes, the Crystal Cable Reference² Diamond is slender, lightweight, and easy to handle. But as this evaluation played out, the cable’s look was the least significant aspect of the equation, which is why I often remind myself not to be too quick to judge. And perhaps the true strength of Reference² Diamond is that you can have it both ways—the external beauty as well the inner beast, the sonic brawn and intense, uncolored musicality to bring out the full potential of your system. 

Specs & Pricing

Conductor: Silver-Gold2
Insulation: Kapton Teflon
Shields: Silver-plated copper
Construction: XLR 3 coax; RCA 3 coax (2 coax)
Terminations: XLR or RCA (bananas or spade)
Price: $4890/2.5m speaker; $2000/1m (+$500 per ½ meter) RCA/XLR; Power Cord, $1250/1m

WYNN AUDIO (U.S. Distributor)
20 Wertheim Crt., Unit 31
Richmond Hill, ON, L4B3A8
Canada
(212) 826-1111
crystalcable.com
wynnaudio.com

I listened to ThunderBird interconnects and speaker cables on both an active (interconnect only) and passive loudspeaker system—of which two are based on personally owned ATC loudspeakers. The active speakers are SCM50 tri-amplified towers; the passives are SCM20SL compacts, the latter being ATC’s most recent offering with its latest in-house designed and built tweeter. Also weighing in was the new and formidable Cabasse Murano Alto three-way floorstander (review forthcoming). In passive mode, I ran the 80Wpc Roksan Attessa streaming integrated amp ($3199) with its in-house designed DAC. It turned out to be a real sleeper, incredibly satisfying as well as a great buy. Sources using ThunderBird interconnects included the Lumin S1 and dCS Bartók streaming DACs and as part of my analog front-end consisting of an EAT C-Dur turntable (review forthcoming) and a Pass Labs XP-17 phonostage, with the ThunderBird in the link between the phonostage and preamplifier. For the past few years, my reference cables have been Audience frontRow speaker, with Analysis Plus Micro Gold Oval interconnects performing the honors from my Pass Labs XP-12 preamp to the active ATC towers and a smattering of Wireworld’s equally excellent Silver Eclipse thrown in the mix.

Turning to sonic performance my initial impression was one of rock-steady neutrality across the octaves, potent bass dynamics and pitch extension, and a rich midrange with spirited harmonic liveliness in the upper ranges. There was nothing flimsy or passive or laidback about this Bird’s forthright tonal balance.

While it’s generally accepted that tonal neutrality is a given in today’s top-flight cables, that does not mean that cables necessarily lack a personality. Certainly, that is not the case with ThunderBird. A straight shooter across the octaves, it produced music with a tonal density and weightiness beyond almost every cable I’ve ever tested. Every individual note on piano, for instance, seemed to have audible gravity and impact. Even its upper mids and lower treble were fuller, more expansive and energetic, and more harmonically enriched. I think this is due to the absence of low-level noise and distortion, which open the door to the reproduction of subtle resonances and harmonic decay. As we all know, music and ambience don’t just come to a dead stop. There are low-level effects from the instrument itself and, in the case of a live acoustic recording, the response of the venue. As I listened to wind and brass selections from Dave Wilson’s Winds of War and Peace, ThunderBird Zero seemed to let me hear deeper and for greater duration into the sustain and decay of the music, particularly the rippling energy generated from the bass and kettle drums.

When approaching a cable review my habit is to listen first for its top-end character. The reason? That’s where our hearing tends to be at its most sensitive, and if there are timing and phase distortions, colorations, and frequency non-linearities you’re going to sense them. This is also the spectrum where sub-standard cables go to die. ThunderBird’s top end was one of the most expressive and continuous I’ve yet experienced. As I listened to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella [Argo]—an LP that gushes transparency—the characteristic that was most apparent was the lack of tension in the upper octaves, particularly in the strings and winds. There was an uncongested flow of air and harmonic energy that spelled pure naturalism. Mind you, I didn’t say the treble was “sweet,” which implies a constant “one-notey” character. By expressive, I mean that ThunderBird Zero had a wide-ranging ability to communicate contrast from, yes, the sweet to the acerbic, from the sharper edges to the more rounded ones.

As I listened to The Wasps Overture [Vaughn-Williams, LSO, Previn, RCA], it was instantly apparent that there was a minimum of congestion across the orchestral soundstage. The ThunderBird Zero seemed to widen contrasts and elucidate heretofore buried details. I noted an airier openness between images, including the low-level string transients and sustain of the concert harp. ThunderBird’s openness and air acted almost like a balm over the upper mids. Section layering within the orchestra was very good, indeed, highlighted by three-dimensional width and depth and a distinct clarity from downstage strings to winds to brass to bass viols to the furthest upstage percussion cues. 

Reflecting the resolution with which ThunderBird reproduced ambience and soundstage was the recent BMG LP release Paco de Lucía: The Montreux Years. These live performances were recorded from 1984 to 2012. The sonic differences in acoustics and recording technique, as the venues shifted over the years, was completely revealed. One venue seemed more open and spacious, while another hall at an earlier point in time seemed narrower, less lively, and more closed in.

Another area that receives the full benefit of ThunderBird’s ministrations was instrumental textures. The tactile elements from smooth to coarse that help define a specific instrument—the fingernail tips on a guitar string versus the more aggressive clatter of a flatpick on a steel string, or the octave strings singing from a 12-string acoustic, or the air moving over a saxophone reed, or the spring and rebound of the drum skin of a tympani, even the skittering sound of sheet music turning—were clearly reproduced. During Melody Gardot’s “Who Will Comfort Me,” transients had the electric snap that I’ve come to expect, quick but not edgy. ThunderBird’s unbridled, wideband dynamics have the power to startle. For example, during the Manhattan Jazz Quintet’s cover of “Autumn Leaves,” nothing else makes me jump from my seat like the sudden blast from Lew Soloff’s trumpet as it rockets into the recording space.

ThunderBird Zero also delineated small and larger collections of voices with ease. Individuation of singers was quite good, whether it was two- or three-part background harmony or a large chorale. In fact, on this subject of transparency and inner detail, years ago I recall listening with HP in his Sea Cliff home, most likely to the Infinity IRS V speakers. If I recall correctly, it was the Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall, and we both noted that during this live concert recording, the rise and fall of the audience’s rousing response wasn’t just a sweaty-palmed smear of applause; rather, the handclaps were crisp, particularized, and specific, adding to the dimension and scope of the appreciative crowd. It got to the point that you could nearly point out each pair of hands in a specific row. If everything else in your rig is up to snuff, ThunderBird Zero brings forth this level of resolution and transparency.

More difficult to explain was what I didn’t see coming—a response to familiar music that bordered on the emotional. This was based on my hearing more of the musical performance than before, while simultaneously hearing less and less of my actual loudspeaker and system. Some cables, lesser ones, tended to squeeze a little of the life and expression from wide-range speakers like the ATCs, perhaps suppressing micro-dynamic energy or clouding or rolling the top ever so slightly, sucking some of the airiness from the treble. But ThunderBird seemed to saturate the stage with greater musical color, from darker resonances to brighter, sunlit harmonics. My enthusiasm for listening to music was raised to new heights.

As I’ve written countless times in cable reviews, cables don’t fix systems gone awry. Ideally, they are fine-polishing tools, detailing and bringing out the luster of a system. They provide a transparent window that exposes the pristine surface beneath. The reason we love great cables is because they draw an audio rig ever closer to the dream of realizing the live musical experience in the home. To that end, ThunderBird Zero joins a very small cadre of cables that, in my opinion, demonstrate exemplary transparent sonic behavior and convey superb musicality all along the system chain. Without question, this is one high-flying bird.

Read our 2023 Editor’s Choice for our top loudspeaker cable picks in the $2000-$5000 range.

Specs & Pricing

Price: Interconnect: $2900/1m (RCA); $3900/1m (XLR); speaker, $5700/8′, $6600/10′

AUDIOQUEST
2621 White Road
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 790-6000
audioquest.com

The soothing character of the Siltech was all to the good on “hotter” recordings such as Count Basie’s classic Chairman of the Board, released in 1959. This kick-ass recording was one of the late David Wilson’s favorites–a showstopper, loaded with nifty numbers such as “H.R.H.” and “Segue in C” that are guaranteed to highlight the impressive qualities of a good full-range stereo. One of the fun things about this recording is that the songs often begin with Count Basie plunking away, quietly accompanied by a bass, then the rest of the orchestra joins in, one by one, until the joint truly is jumping. Such is the case on “Segue in C”; the Siltech cables easily handled the tremendous dynamic surge on this number. Also impressive was the panache with which the cables locked down the various sections of the orchestra, ranging from the muted trumpets on the far right to trombones on the left. All nuances and details were fully apparent, including those in the bass line. Indeed, I would be remiss if I didn’t single out the bass performance of the Siltech cables for special commendation.

Put bluntly, they laid down the law right from the moment I inserted them. John Giolas of DAC manufacturer dCS in Great Britain recently visited me to listen to the new Vivaldi Apex CD/SACD gear in my system and introduced me to James Blake’s album Friends That Break Your Heart. Giolas and the album did not. Nor did the playback on “Famous Last Words.” Right from the outset, the Siltech cables almost seemed to plunge into the sonic depths, delivering a kind of deep propulsive character to the synthesized bass. Immediately apparent, as well, was the creamy sound of the treble. Blake’s falsetto sounded ethereal, and female vocals were just a hint more detailed than I am accustomed to via the WAMM.

Adding in the Siltech power cable only intensified these attributes. On the Proprius recording Cantate Domino, I was taken by the deep bass these cables helped to produce on the song “O Helga natt.” The sound became even warmer and more fulsome. The sense of refinement and palpability also went up another notch. They also go deep into the hall—on “Silent Night” on the Proprius recording, the cavernous sound of the church was overwhelming. If I had to describe the cables in plain stereo equipment terms, it would be as a single-ended-triode sound.

The composure and tranquility of the Double Crown cables probably won’t appeal to listeners looking for more razzle-dazzle or sizzle. These cables are in another realm altogether. There is something more than a little spooky about the level of detail coupled to the refinement they offer. On Murray Perahia’s imaginative recording of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for Deutsche Grammophon, for example, the cables supplied a kind of rhythmic stability that made it even easier to follow his use of the piano pedal. Ditto for a Rolf Smedvig recording for Telarc with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra of Torelli’s Trumpet Concerto. Once again, I heard the uncanny rhythmic solidity of trumpet and orchestra with unprecedented accuracy. There was no sense of slippage. The notes popped out of the piccolo trumpet. The transient attacks, in other words, were dead on. On the Berlin Academy for Ancient Music’s recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos for Harmonia Mundi, the precision of the rhythm rendered the accents of the string instruments instantly comprehensible, again to a degree that I’m not sure I’ve hitherto experienced. It gave the much-beloved third concerto, for instance, an urgent character that swept along everything in its path with total musical conviction.

The absence of grain along with the superior bass control and image solidity of the Royal Double Crown ensure that it ranks among the aristocrats of high-end cables. It may not have the same supersonic speed as the Nordost Odin 2 or the heft of the Transparent Magnum Opus, but it brings its own set of virtues to the table. Nothing is brummagem about the performance of the Double Crown. Quite the contrary. These cables deserve every accolade that gets showered upon them. Anyone looking for performance fit for a king would do well to consider them.

Specs & Pricing

Royal Double Crown interconnect: $18,100/1 meter
Royal Double Crown loudspeaker cable: $37,500/2 meter
Royal Double Crown power cord: $15,300/2 meter

MONARCH SYSTEMS LTD. (U.S. Distributor)
16 Inverness Place E, Building B
Englewood, CO 80122
(720) 399-0072
monarch-systems.com

The only item in the SRX lineup that superficially resembles products from other manufacturers’ cable lines is the power cord, though even here looks are deceiving. Though it does not make use of “air strings,” each cord comprises a nine-gauge composite of silver conductors for hot and neutral runs, including a long, flat, silver-ribbon EM (electromagnetic) cell and two folded EM cells for what SR claims amounts to a “pure-silver line conditioner in an AC cable format.” Like the cable and interconnect, the power cords can be voiced via Synergistic’s tuning “bullets,” and like the interconnect it can be connected to an SX Ground Block for lower noise and better shielding.

A few months ago, I reviewed Crystal Cable’s very pricey, top-of-the-line Art Series Da Vinci cable, interconnect, and power cords, which for me set new standards of fidelity. Since then, I’ve been able to audition a complete loom of SRX in my upstairs MBL reference system, and while the Crystal and the Synergistic aren’t sonically identical, they do sound an awful lot alike, clearly sharing a property that is key to their excellence. To wit, they are both extremely low in noise (and high in resolution).

As Robert and I have said in print (and Alan Taffel talks about in his Metronome DSC review in this issue), the lowering of noise is, across the board, the chief improvement in today’s high-end offerings. For examples, the elimination of RF in DS Audio’s optical cartridges, the lowering of jitter, phase, and quantization errors in DACs from Wadax, MSB, Soulution, Berkeley Audio, etc., the reduction of EMI, IM, TIM, and THD in high-bandwidth solid-state electronics from Soulution, CH Precision, darTZeel, etc., the use of aluminum, carbon-fiber, stone, acrylics, and other non-resonant materials in speaker cabinets from companies like Magico, Stenheim, Estelon, Rockport, YG, etc., and the application of carbon fiber, synthetic diamond, ceramic, and other low-resonance/high-stiffness substances in dynamic-driver diaphragms have, independently and together, reduced distortions and colorations that we simply took for granted in the old days, elevating what I’ve called “completeness” and “neutrality” to new heights.

This does not mean that pieces of high-end gear are without sonic “characters” of their own—i.e., that all of today’s components sound alike. What it does mean is that the differences in sonics among the best high-end products are, for the most part, less marked than they once were and that rather than reflecting unique distortion profiles they are the results of deliberate decisions about parts, materials, layout, manufacture, and voicing. As similar in sound as they are in many ways, the presentations of amps from Soulution, CH Precision, and Constellation are still easily distinguishable from each other, but that is not because one or the other of the trio has more (or less) THD.

This same paradigm holds true for Da Vinci and SRX cabling. Where Crystal’s top-of-the-line achieved its astonishing vanishing act primarily through metallurgical advances, Synergistic SRX earns its laurels primarily through the unique geometries I’ve discussed above. This is not to say that either cable shortchanges the other’s areas of strengths, just that their designers’ foci are slightly different, including their respective ideas about what best constitutes a replica of the absolute sound. Crystal’s Edwin Rynveld has what I would call a “fidelity to sources” (or accuracy-first) mindset. For him, the object is to lower noises that alter and obscure the original signal, and measurable differences are his primary standards of comparison. Synergistic’s Ted Denney has more of an “as you like it” (or “musicality-first”) slant. As his provisions for markedly different voicings show, his intent is to provide the listener with a sound that can accommodate individual tastes, rooms, and ancillary gear. Ironically, perhaps, both approaches end up in the same sonic ballpark, which, to reiterate, means that Da Vinci and SRX sound more alike than different—especially on an initial audition. Over time, however, each reveals its own character. Which of them you’ll prefer may be more a matter of taste (and pocketbook) than across-the-board sonic superiority.

For example, Da Vinci has a density of tone, particularly through the low end, midbass, and power range, that I simply   haven’t heard to the same lifelike extent from any other wire. Like Soulution amplification, there is a timbral richness and three-dimensional solidity to its bottom octaves that is quite natural and appealing. I should note, however, that (as with Soulution electronics) this exceptional low-end color and weight tend to give Da Vinci a slightly “bottom-up” tonal balance, a bit of a “darker” overall character (though, as you will see, nothing is scanted in the midband or on top).

Though voicing with gold bullets can bring the SRX quite a bit closer to Crystal’s darker, more granitic presentation, the Synergistic wire is fundamentally less bottom-up in character than the Crystal Cable offering. This is not to say that SRX is anything like “thin” sounding; it is not. Indeed, its bass and power-range timbre are downright gorgeous; its focus and grip in the bottom octaves may even be very slightly higher than that of the Crystal Cable. As a result, details about Fender guitar performance-technique—picking, fingering, plucking, and slapping—are (sometimes) a bit clearer.

There is an irony to this, actually, because up until Denney’s last generation of Galileo from several years back, Synergistic cable, too, had a “bottom-up” tonal balance, a slightly “dark” overall character. Not anymore. Indeed, “unvoiced” (without bullets) it is the most neutral wire that Denney has yet produced—and certainly, as noted, the lowest in noise and coloration and highest in resolution. I’m not going to claim that it outdoes Da Vinci in this last regard, but it is, as I’ve said, a bit more tightly focused, which (minus the somewhat fuller power-range/bass weight of Da Vinci) tends to clarify transient detail.

In the midband there is little to choose between these two remarkable wires. They are both exceedingly realistic sounding, capable (with the best sources) of fooling you into thinking you are in the presence of actual musicians. Not only do they reproduce timbre with lifelike density; they also reproduce the dynamic/harmonic envelope (from starting transient through steady-state tone to decay) with lifelike duration, without adding, for instance, “zip” or ringing to hard transients, sibilance to frictatives of higher pitch or amplitude, or smearing to decays. This is the very essence of “completeness”—and the reason why you can not just readily visualize singers like Sinatra on Sinatra at the Sands through both wires; you can also tell the way he is using his mic (like that geisha fan he compared it to) to shape, punctuate, and convey the emotional power of his delivery.

On top, the Synergistic and the Crystal Cable are, once again, very similar. With the best sources, both are extremely finely nuanced. When two things come this close to identity, it’s hard to distinguish one from the other. Having said this, I would guess that Da Vinci (or Crystal’s also superior Ultimate Dream) is just a smidgeon softer and sweeter at the very top, and that Synergistic’s SRX is just a bit airier and more extended.

Both are superb imagers and soundstagers; both reproduce the dynamic range of recordings with high accuracy; both are astonishingly realistic sounding with great tapes, LPs, and streams; and both lower noises and colorations to unprecedented levels.

So…where does that leave you?

Well, to begin with you’ve got to be rich to afford either one of these extraordinary looms of wire. However, for what it is worth, SRX is a good deal less expensive than Da Vinci (e.g., an eight-foot pair of SRX speaker cable costs $29,995; a two-meter pair of Da Vinci speaker cable is a staggering $46,500). If a $16.5k difference means anything to you (and if it doesn’t, my congratulations), then I’d certainly opt for the SRX. If, on the other hand, you’re rolling in dough and have a near-psychotic lack of self-control when it comes to spending it, well…Da Vinci is a hair richer in the bass and power range.

One difference that isn’t a matter of taste or guesswork is convenience. Because of its simpler geometry and lighter weight, Da Vinci is easier to set up and use (and less space-consuming) than SRX. There are no voicing bullets on Da Vinci, no grounding plugs, no multiple strands, no perforated carbon-fiber discs. It is what it is, with no provisions to adjust its sound.

Which brings us to a crux. As I’ve already noted, Edwin Rynveld perfects his products by measurement. The lower the calculable noise floor, the more he feels he’s succeeded. Though he also tests his creations extensively (see the interview to the left), Ted Denney makes his products for real-world users, whose varied systems and musical tastes he attempts to accommodate with voicing options. It’s kind of like the difference between a Soulution amplifier and an amplifier from CH Precision. The former comes with no provision for changing its sound; the latter can be “tuned” to taste via adjustments in feedback, gain, and other variables. Depending on your room, gear, and musical preferences, SRX’s tuneability (which, ideally, requires the assistance of a knowledgeable dealer for setup) may be a real plus.

Assuming you’ve got the moolah (and a spouse without a power of attorney), I can’t tell you which of these sonically similar but physically and functionally different cables to buy. Both Synergistic Research SRX and Crystal Cable Da Vinci are honest-to-God great—along with Crystal’s Ultimate Dream (which the Da Vincis replaced), the best wires I’ve heard. What I can say is this: Denney has long claimed to be able to build cables, interconnects, and power cords that will equal or exceed those of the competition for half the money. In this instance, he has proven his point. Co-winner of TAS’ Cable of the Year Award in 2022, Synergistic Research’s SRX is one of my references—and a worthy successor to Denney’s original, standard-setting Galileo.

Specs & Pricing

Synergistic SRX
Speaker Cable: $29,995 per 8′ pair
Interconnect: $12,995 per meter pair
Power cable: $10,000 per 6′

SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH
synergisticresearch.com

JV’s Reference System
Loudspeakers: MBL 101 X-treme, Stenheim Alumine Five SE, Estelon X Diamond Mk II, Magico M3, Voxativ 9.87, Avantgarde Zero 1, Magnepan LRS+, MG 1.7, and MG 30.7
Subwoofers: JL Audio Gotham (pair)
Linestage preamps: Soulution 725, MBL 6010 D, Siltech SAGA System C1, Air Tight ATE-2001 Reference
Phonostage preamps: Soulution 755, Constellation Audio Perseus, DS Audio Grand Master
Power amplifiers: Soulution 711, MBL 9008 A, Aavik P-580, Air Tight 3211, Air Tight ATM-2001, Zanden Audio Systems Model 9600, Siltech SAGA System V1/P1, Odyssey Audio Stratos, Voxativ Integrated 805
Analog source: Clearaudio Master Innovation, Acoustic Signature Invictus Jr./T-9000, Walker Audio Proscenium Black Diamond Mk V, TW Acustic Black Knight/TW Raven 10.5, AMG Viella 12
Tape deck: Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX, United Home Audio Ultimate 4 OPS
Phono cartridges: DS Audio Grandmaster, DS Audio Master1, DS Audio DS-003 Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement, Air Tight Opus 1, Ortofon MC Anna, Ortofon MC A90
Digital source: MSB Reference DAC, Soulution 760, Berkeley Alpha DAC 2
Cable and interconnect: CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci, Crystal Cable Ultimate Dream, Synergistic Research SRX, Ansuz Acoustics Diamond
Power cords: CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci, Crystal Cable Ultimate Dream, Synergistic Research SRX, Ansuz Acoustics Diamond
Power conditioner: AudioQuest Niagara 5000 (two), Synergistic Research Galileo UEF, Ansuz Acoustics DTC, Technical Brain
Support systems: Critical Mass Systems MAXXUM and QXK equipment racks and amp stands and CenterStage2M footers
Room treatments: Stein Music H2 Harmonizer system, Synergistic Research UEF Acoustic Panels/Atmosphere XL4/UEF Acoustic Dot system, Synergistic Research ART system, Shakti Hallographs (6), Zanden Acoustic panels, A/V Room Services Metu acoustic panels and traps, ASC Tube Traps
Accessories: DS Audio ION-001, SteinMusic Pi Carbon Signature record mat, Symposium Isis and Ultra equipment platforms, Symposium Rollerblocks and Fat Padz, Walker Prologue Reference equipment and amp stands, Walker Valid Points and Resonance Control discs, Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional Sonic record cleaner, Synergistic Research RED Quantum fuses, HiFi-Tuning silver/gold fuses

A Short Interview with Synergistic Research’s Ted Denney

JV: Your use of different metals in “air strings” is a Galileo trademark. You’ve done a good deal of experimentation with metallurgy, have you not?

Ted Denney: To my knowledge no other manufacturer has experimented more with different material options than Synergistic Research. Gold, platinum, aluminum, silver, copper, and alloys have all been tested exhaustively and are currently in use in our other offerings. We even discovered tungsten in our last active-shielded loom of 2010, The Element Series, where it was found to exhibit unique soundstaging characteristics when paired with parallel runs of silver or copper for greater conductivity. We did not, however, use tungsten in SRX because of advancements in our patented UEF (Uniform Energy Field) technology that allow for even greater soundstaging when UEF is used in conjunction with 99.9999% pure mono-crystal silver conductors in an air dielectric. SRX’s greater transparency, speed, dynamics, and soundstaging are owed to UEF technology and the most sophisticated geometry in the industry.

Your use of tuning bullets is very nearly unique.

And they aren’t even in the signal path! Instead, they work on the fields “around” the conductors, so there is no loss of transmission speed or information. In your system, for example, the tuning bullets made the highs sweeter, more extended, and as true to the source as possible, without any losses of detail or extension or any darkening of the tonal balance. In the past, I intentionally dialed back high-frequencies through the selection of darker, softer-sounding (but similarly measuring) materials, because to do otherwise would result in cables that would sound too bright for many systems. It was not until the now-decade-long refinement of my patented UEF technology, which works, as I’ve noted, outside the signal path, that I have been able to achieve the non-destructive voicing adjustability and fundamental neutrality that you have remarked on. We offer a bespoke cable loom custom-voiced to the user’s system and personal taste—something no other cable manufacturer in the world can do.

Though considerably less expensive than Crystal’s Da Vinci, SRX is still mighty pricey. Who buys these cables?

The customers for SRX are CEOs, surgeons, lawyers, business owners, “A-list” celebrities, and professional athletes. They are Grammy Award-winning producers and recording artists including Michael Beinhorn, Rick Rubin, Bernie Becker, Craig White, Chas Sandford, and Seay. Recording studios, including Curb Records (RCA Victor/Sony) Sonic Ranch—the largest single-point studio in the world—make extensive use for our various technologies when making their recordings or optimizing their personal stereos. These men buy performance first, second, and third. That SRX costs less is merely a plus.

As with the Mythical Creatures, the RCA version of Pegasus uses a single 72v DBS pack, and, to maintain the integrity of the ZERO-Tech system, a Dual-DBS pack (2x 72v in a single case) is used with the XLR version.

AudioQuest founder, William E. Low says: “I wanted to bring Mythical Creature goodness to a much bigger audience. The Mythical Horses are proof that I got my wish.”

AudioQuest ZERO-Tech Interconnects

Materials & Design

• ZERO-Tech (No Characteristic Impedance) optimizes Noise-Dissipation and prevents distortion caused by source-to-cable and cable-to-load (input) impedance mismatches
• Dedicated Constructions: Double-Balanced RCA and Triple-Balanced XLR. The shield is never used as an inferior ground reference.
• Perfect-Surface Conductors (Direction-Controlled Solid PSC+ Copper or PSS Silver) prevent inter-strand distortion, minimize distortion caused by grain boundaries, and maximize RF Noise-Dissipation.
• Carbon+Graphene Mesh-Network reduces RF noise-masking effects to unprecedented degree.
• Hanging-Silver over Red Copper Electrical Contacts ensure uncompromised signal transfer.
• Copper or Silver-Plated Plug Casings maximize RF draining, minimizing RF coupling to the conductors

For more technical information on the design of these cables, with a focus on ZERO-Tech and the ways AudioQuest implements it in interconnects, click here.

Listening

AudioQuest initially sent me a single one-meter run of balanced Dragon that I installed between the CH Precision P1 phonostage (with X1 power supply) and the CH Precision L10 four-chassis linestage. After replacing my existing cable with Dragon and listening to the first record, I was beyond surprised, not only at the magnitude of the improvement but also at the ways in which the sound was better. I had simply never heard this kind of wholesale effect from any cable. Dragon wasn’t just different; it was better in every possible way. Comparing cables is often a matter of trading one set of virtues and drawbacks for a different set of virtues and drawbacks. You pick the cable that happens to have the tradeoffs that best suit your system and tastes. Dragon wasn’t like that. Rather, it elevated the musical experience to an entirely new level of involvement and expression.

Some months later, I was able to replace the entire line-level signal path with Dragon, including the 37′ run from the linestage behind the listening couch to the front of the room where the CH Precision M10 amplifiers are located. This run made the most significant difference in my system, and the improvements it rendered combined with the advances heard with Dragon in the phono path and from the Wadax Reference DAC to the CH Precision L10 linestage.

Although Dragon does everything you’d expect from a top-level interconnect at this price, it goes above and beyond the cliches of greater transparency, smoother textures, and a bigger soundstage. Judged simply by the traditional criteria for evaluating cables, Dragon excelled in all the audiophile parameters. But this interconnect did things I’ve never heard from a cable—or more precisely, Dragon allowed my system to reveal previously hidden qualities. For example, the midrange was simply luscious, liquid, and stunningly present and vivid. Vocals were completely untethered to the speakers and projected against an absolutely silent background. This had the effect of increasing the sense of presence and fostering the startling impression of the vocalist being in the room. Dragon made the midrange sound eerily like that of a full-range planar speaker, with the unmistakable palpability and realism that comes so easily to full-range electrostatics and ribbons. I’m not saying that Dragon will make any box speaker sounds like a Magnepan MG30.7 or a MartinLogan CLX, only that Dragon moves the system in a sonic and musical direction that is reminiscent of the best full-range dipoles. Listen, for example, to Melody Gardot’s beautiful singing on her new album Sunset in the Blue (Qobuz 96/24). Switching to Dragon (from an already reference-level interconnect, AudioQuest’s WEL Signature) heightened the sensation of her singing directly to me. Incidentally, I heard this album on Magnepan MG30.7s the same week I installed Dragon in my system. Dragon has a vividness that is startling, but in an entirely musical rather than a hi-fi-hype way.

Another aspect of Dragon that is unique is that it conveys more richly saturated tone color. From the lowest bass to the top treble, the sound simply had denser timbre, greater body, and better tonal weight. Timbres not only had more color; they also had a greater sense that there was energy and substance behind them. I don’t mean dynamically (although Dragon is superb in this regard), but rather in the impression of solidity and tangibility of instrumental textures. Consequently, images took a step toward the way we hear instruments in life, rich in vivid color and body and less like an ethereal simulacrum. It was as though Dragon stripped away a very slight grey patina overlaying timbres, allowing their full color to bloom. This was true no matter the instrument or the register in which it was playing. From the most delicately played passages on solo violin (Hilary Hahn’s Retrospective, direct-to-disc on Deutsche Grammophon) to the fff brass tuttis on John Williams at the Movies (Reference Recordings, 176/24 download), Dragon allowed the system to express the palpable physicality of instrumental timbres more realistically. Dragon was the antithesis of threadbare and lightweight. It made other interconnects, even great ones, sound a bit thin and bleached by comparison, like a slightly underexposed photograph. I was struck by the unique quality of this improvement, the magnitude of the difference, and the profound effect it had on musical realism and my immersion in the experience.

Dragon’s density of texture was also apparent in the bass—warm, rich, and full without being plummy or thick. Textural resolution in the bottom end was superb; there was simply more detail resolved in the timbres of acoustic and electric bass, left-hand piano lines, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, and low brass, for examples. I love the sound of bass clarinet, with its dark and rich color. Dragon allowed my system to portray that instrument with greater realism—try Bob Mintzer’s fabulous and extended bass clarinet solo on the 13-minute piece “El Faqir” from guitarist Steve Khan’s Borrowed Time. 

This quality extended beyond timbre to the way Dragon allowed the system to portray dynamics, both in the startling suddenness of transient impact, but also in the way an instrument’s dynamic envelope expands into the air around it. The bloom around an instrumental outline, static during held notes, modulates with the instrument’s dynamics, a quality Jonathan Valin has called “action.” It’s the bloom around an instrumental outline expanding outward with the dynamic envelope of the note. With Dragon, this “action” seemed to have more force and power behind it, and more tangibility, further adding to the lifelike rendering. Dragon also better revealed the space between instruments in an ensemble. A vivid example is The Zappa Album, a performance of Zappa compositions performed by the Finnish new-music group Ensemble Ambrosius on Baroque instruments. I know it sounds weird, but it works, presenting these brilliant compositions in an entirely new light. Dragon more realistically conveyed the unique timbres of the period instruments as well as the space in which they were played. Indeed, Dragon opened new vistas in soundstage depth and transparency. The presentation was more three-dimensional, with superb resolution of the size and character of the acoustic surrounding the images, further adding to the overall organic and lifelike sound.

Last, and certainly not least, Dragon’s treble was simply stunning in its combination of openness and resolution on one hand, and smoothness and refinement on the other. One of my “go-to” evaluation tracks is “Ain’t Misbehavin’” performed by Bob James on the trio album Espresso (one of the best-sounding piano trio recordings I know of). On the intricate and subtle ride-cymbal work at the beginning of the bass solo, I heard a newfound delicacy, richness of detail, and treble purity. The treble was exquisitely detailed and finely filigreed, with no hint of hardness. The combination of high resolution and textural smoothness was extremely compelling, and greatly contributed to the musical involvement and overall ease of the presentation. If you audition Dragon, listen to how sibilance is less intrusive on an album like Diana Krall’s Turn Up the Quiet. The sibilance is still there, but it doesn’t have objectionable “ssss” component. This very fine resolution of treble detail was also apparent on “Beckus the Dandipratt” from The Arnold Overtures (Reference Recordings 176/24), particularly during a passage in which an unaccompanied snare drum is played at a barely perceptible volume. After installing Dragon, I could more clearly hear the inner detail and texture of the drum despite the vanishingly low signal level.

Conclusion

AudioQuest’s new Dragon is not only the most transparent and revealing interconnect I’ve heard, it’s also the most musically rewarding. The things that it does so well are all aligned toward fostering a powerful feeling of connection to the music and the expression of the musicians rather than just filling in boxes on an audiophile checklist.

It’s important to note that the qualities I’ve described here are not intrinsic to Dragon. Rather, they are qualities of my system that Dragon is simply revealing better than any other interconnect I’ve heard. There must be some distortion mechanism in other cables that Dragon somehow avoids, allowing the true quality of the rest of my system to be revealed.

Dragon is expensive, but in the context of a reference-quality system, it is indispensable.

Specs & Pricing

Terminations: RCA or XLR
Price: $9500 1m RCA; $11,900 1m XLR

AUDIOQUEST
2621 White Road
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 790-6000
audioquest.com

Associated Equipment
Analog source: Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence turntable with SuperArm 12.5 tonearm; Air Tight Opus cartridge; CH Precision P1 phonostage with X1 power supply; DS Audio ST-50 stylus cleaner, Levin record brush, Degritter ultrasonic LP cleaner
Digital source: Wadax Reference DAC, Wadax Reference Server, Wadax Akasa optical interface, UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet switch
Amplification: CH Precision L10 Dual Monaural linestage; CH Precision M10 Dual Monaural power amplifiers
AC Power: Shunyata Everest 8000 conditioner, Omega and Sigma NR V2 power cords; Shunyata AC outlets, five dedicated 20A lines wired with identical length 10AWG
Support: Critical Mass Systems Olympus equipment racks and Olympus amplifier stands; CenterStage2 isolation, Ayra Audio RevOpods isolation
Cables: AudioQuest Dragon Zero and Dragon Bass loudspeaker cables
Accessories: The Chord Company GroundArray noise reduction
Acoustics: Acoustic Geometry Pro Room Pack 12, ASC 16″ Round Tube Traps
Room: Purpose-built; Acoustic Sciences Corporation Iso-Wall System