signal cable
Interconnects and speaker cables
as reviewed by Thomas Campbell
TOM CAMPBELL'S SYSTEM
LOUDSPEAKERS
Harbeth Compact 7-ES; Spendor SP-3/1P (secondary system).
ELECTRONICS
Marsh Sound Design A-200S solid state power amplifier; Marsh Sound Design P-2000T tube preamplifier; EAR 834P tube
phono preamplifier; Onix (British version) integrated amplifier (secondary system).
SOURCES
VPI HW-19 Mk III turntable with Audioquest PT6 tonearm; Grado Reference Sonata cartridge; Sony SCD-C333-ES
SACD/CD player; vintage Luxman AM/FM tuner; Pioneer DV-414 DVD player (secondary system).
CABLES
Siltech ST-48 interconnects; Analysis Plus Silver Oval speaker cables; Alpha-Core Goertz MI-2 Veracity speaker cables
(secondary system); Audioquest Viper interconnects (secondary system).
ACCESSORIES
Vibrapods spread liberally through both systems; Audioquest Big Feet under Marsh preamp; QS&D 4-shelf component rack;
Sonex acoustic panels in main room.
I can't believe that there are still those who insist that cables make no difference in an audio
system. These naysayers, who pop up regularly in the Letters section of audio magazines,
tend to be engineering types who insist upon evidence via charts and measurements, and
discount all accounts based on actual listening. Unfortunately, cables are difficult to measure
in any informative way, and specimens that measure identically often sound very different.
In my experience, however weird the science, interconnects and speaker cables make the
largest per-dollar difference of any component or accessory. In the last couple of years, I
have been on something of a cable odyssey. Quality cabling was the last addition to my
system. Like a lot of people, when I was new to this hobby I had a hard time laying out
hundreds of dollars for wire. I still cannot conceive of paying four figures for a pair of cables,
and hope I never will. However, in the last two years, with the rest of my system determined, I
have extensively sampled cables from manufacturers such as Siltech, Analysis Plus, AlphaCore, Kimber, Audioquest, MIT, and others.
Every time I switched cables, I was struck by differences that were often greater,
quantitatively and qualitatively, than the swapping of a preamp or source component. I also
found that I had to spend a certain amount of money to achieve an objective level of
performance. (I use the word "objective" because I believe that there are parameters, like
frequency extension, that are so clearly audible as to be beyond dispute.) I tried many
interconnects and speaker cables in the one- to three-hundred-dollar range, but always found
that the sound was constricted—dynamically, spatially, and in extension at both top and
bottom. The sound of the music hitting a ceiling was unpleasant, as if my amplification was
writing checks my cables couldn't cash. As I spent more, then a bit more, the window onto the
music became wider, but I still wasn't getting the whole picture.
After a good deal of trial and error, I settled on a combination of Siltech ST-48 interconnects
(about $500 a pair), and Analysis Plus Silver Oval speaker cables ($600 for an 8-foot pair).
These products were the best I'd tried to that point. My system sang like never before, with
air, extension, and sweet tonality. For the first time, I felt like I was getting the whole picture. I
was convinced that the amount of money I had spent represented entry level for cables that
delivered a full-bandwidth signal, and first and foremost "did no harm." Now, Signal Cable
has dashed those preconceptions. (I wrote about their power cords in Issue 6, and those
seeking a detailed description of the company should check out that review.) Signal is a
direct-sale company that finally proves the claim—often trumpeted but, until now, not
achieved in my experience—that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get top-quality
cable.
Signal owner Frank Dai offered to send me his top-shelf Analog Two single-ended
interconnects, which sell for $49 for a 2-foot pair, plus $5 for each additional foot (premium
bullet plug terminations are a $25 option), and a pair of Double Run speaker cables ($109 for
6 feet, plus $6 for each additional foot). I tried the interconnects (which had the premium
terminations) first, swapping the Siltechs for the Analog Twos between my amp and preamp
and letting them run in for a couple of days. Unlike many other cables, the Signals did not
need much more than a week to break in. My first impression was that the Analog Twos were
more forward, with a lot more punch. They brought the musical perspective closer on every
disc—if the Siltechs are middle of the hall, the Signals are third row center. As I listened
more, I felt that the new cables had better pace, rhythm, and timing than the Siltechs, and
much better bass. I still slightly preferred the lusher Siltechs on orchestral music, but
preferred the more immediate Analog Twos for most other types of music.
This is quite an achievement. Against the best $500 competitor I'd tried, the $74 (with the
premium connectors) Signal cables were objectively every bit as good, and subjectively
preferable. Richard Thompson's The Old Kit Bag leaped out of my speakers with threedimensional depth and staging. The Penta Tone SACD of Rossini overtures was thrilling, with
the Analog Twos bringing forth the lithe, dancing qualities of Neville Marriner's rhythmically
alert interpretations and brilliant orchestra. Though I have characterized these cables as
forward, they are not bright—the string tone on this SACD was as sweet and silky as I could
ask.
After about two weeks, I decided it was time to get the speaker cables in the system. As their
name suggests, the Double Run cables are single wire, but "double run." Rather than using a
single cable for each speaker with split terminations at the end, these consist of two cables
for each speaker, one for each binding post. While I am sure that there are benefits to
separating the wires in this fashion, having four fairly thick black cables winding their way
across the floor is not a winning aesthetic. However, just as you have learned to love the
looks of ugly components if they captivate you musically, so will you learn to love the Double
Run cables.
If the Signal Cable interconnects are excellent, the speaker cables are fantastic. Despite
costing only a hundred and twenty-one clams, they bested every other speaker cables I've
tried, some costing up to a thousand dollars. They seemed to do everything extremely well.
There was speed and detail, but also the warmest and most natural tonality I've heard at
home, with little or no listener fatigue on LPs or even CDs(!). The location of instruments and
singers was sharply defined, but not the least bit hard or over-etched. Soundstaging was
super-wide and deep, and the music seemed to hold together better at all volumes. Best of
all, every style of music sounded great.
Examples? The sonic textures of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot had me glued to my seat. This
CD combines warm acoustic instruments and mellow song craft with the occasional jagged
white noise, topped off with Jeff Tweedy's melancholy vocals. It sounded so beautiful through
my system that the year-old disc was instantly back in heavy rotation. The Rossini Overtures
SACD was even more stunning, clear, present and palpable with the new speaker cables.
The XRCD version of Franck's Symphony in D Minor with Charles Munch and the Boston
Symphony Orchestra, a recording I had previously regarded as one of the lesser ones in this
series of Living Stereo reissues, suddenly sounded superb. Most significantly, it suddenly
sounded much more like Symphony Hall, which this Bostonian attends on a frequent basis.
This confirmed to me that the Signal cables were helping my components get to the bottom of
things.
The Signal cables refined and enhanced the capabilities of my Harbeth Compact Seven
speakers, and made me marvel anew at everything they do so well. I've had them for three
years, pretty long for a hobbyist, but they are the one component I've never considered
replacing. The Harbeths are uncanny in the beauty and realism with which they present
music. They're small, and only go down to about 45 Hz, but their scale is perfect for my city
apartment. I had always thought their greatest weakness was in the bass department, since
however much I toyed with placement, they were just a little loose in the caboose.
Nevertheless, with a full complement of Signal wire in my system (power cords,
interconnects, and speaker cables) that weakness became yet another strength. Bass was
tight and tuneful, but not exaggerated, and the overall presentation was completely coherent.
This last point can't be overstated. Top-to-bottom coherence is one of the hardest things to
achieve in a loudspeaker, though it is something you may not appreciate until you hear it
done properly. Within their range, the Harbeths excel at this type of balance, and the Signal
wire did a marvelous job of optimizing this strength.
Each time I added a Signal Cable product to my system—first power cords, then
interconnects, then speaker cables—the level of depth, clarity, and spaciousness improved.
To bring this review full circle, I removed the Analog Twos and reinserted the Siltechs. While
the excellence of the Double Run speaker cables remained evident, I missed the sense of
ease the all-Signal system possessed. It was subtle on first listening, but unmistakable over
time. The desirability of using only one brand of wire is questionable. Cable matching
involves impedance issues, and the use of the same manufacturer's products will usually
ensure that all of your wire is speaking the same language." On the other hand, not all
manufacturers are equally good at making all types of cable. In this case, there was no
question that all of the Signal wires synergized beautifully, both with each other and with my
equipment.
The audiophile cable business has a fairly dubious reputation. It is widely regarded as a
sideshow involving voodoo science and obscene profit margins. Nevertheless, there is no
denying the major effect that cable has on a music system. While many suggest that cables
needn't cost a lot to sound great, Signal Cable is the first company in my experience to really
succeed at the task. I have put the Signal interconnects and speaker cables up against much
more expensive competitors, and it has come out on top. Of course, Signal is taking
advantage of direct selling, with no distributor or dealer markup, but Frank Dai has also put
his money where his mouth is. His company was founded on the idea that top-shelf wire does
not have to carry a top-shelf price, and he has priced his wares well below what he could
reasonably ask. His cables are worth checking out while this business model lasts, no matter
how illustrious the name, and price, of your current cables. Tom Campbell
Analog
Two
single-ended
interconnects
Retail: $49 for 2 feet; $5 each additional foot; premium bullet plug connectors are a $25
option
Double
Run
single-wire
Retail: $109 for 6 feet; $6 each additional foot
Signal Cable
TEL: 917. 957. 8508
web address: www.signalcable.com
email address: sales@signalcable.com
speaker
cables