2025 Cable and Interconnect Product of the Year: Shunyata Theta

Interconnect RCA, $1318/2m; XLR, $1538/2m; speaker, $1998/2.5m; power, $998/1.75m

No mincing words here: Shunyata Theta cable is one of the, if not the, most consequential cable NG has ever evaluated. And compared with much of the current crop of to-infinity-and-beyond competitors, Theta is a bargain. Shunyata’s Theta series features 16-gauge continuous-cast Ohno copper wire, an ultra-pure conductor known for its singular crystalline structure. They are then extruded with a fluorocarbon dielectric and custom-shielding elements using Shunyata Research’s exclusive PMZ (Precision Matched Impedance) process, normally employed only on its top-tier offerings. Construction and terminations are top notch. And sonically, Shunyata brought its high-resolution A-game. Strong across the board, the Thetas offered impeccable spectral balance, nimble transients, smooth warmly lit harmonics, and treble octaves among the most revealing and natural of any NG has heard. Equally superb were dynamics on both micro and macro levels and an ineffable muscular density that seemed to ripple up from the lowest depths and gather strength as it rose through the octaves. (Reviewed this issue)