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Articles and Reviews
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Signal
Cable Of all the components and accessories available in the world of high-end audio, cables are the lightning rod hit most often for comments negative and positive by subjective listeners versus objective engineers. Not to say that the two cannot agree, but at times, both sides take positions completely 180 degrees polar to the other. There are those that take the position that a cable engineered and measured to certain safety standards imposed by the ASA (American Standards Association) or the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) is all that any audiophile should ever need. Anything more is the domain of snake oil salespeople trying to sucker a person out of potentially significant amounts of money for cable that may only cost pennies per foot to manufacture. At times the objective engineers have a point; an audiophile can spend thousands on exotic power cables to power their components, but behind the wall plug, within the skeletal foundations of the house, are utility grade cables laid out for the electrical wiring. It seems rather odd that electricity running through cheap utility grade cable should somehow be improved upon because a short run of exotic power cable carries it from the wall to the audio component. Never mind all the resistance/impedance and amplification the electricity has gone through when it originated from the dam, nuclear power plant, or coal burning plant, to the high-power lines running through the wilderness, to the city power station, to substations, and ultimately to your home. But then electrons are electrons aren’t they? Then there are those that listen to cables and discover that indeed they do make a worthwhile difference and thus the high cost is worthwhile. The end justifies the means. Perhaps what gets everyone worked up is the cost factor for some cables being sold on the market. If we’re talking about a few bucks per foot for some decently sized speaker cable then probably no one would care much about cables, but so many cables are not sold for a few bucks per foot, but for a hundred per foot, or even thousands per foot. We won’t even get into discussing some of the truly bizarre cables that have come to market with light emitting diodes, water insulation, and requirement to be plugged in and juiced themselves. This is where the laughter and mockery sets in by the objective crowd towards the subjective crowd for becoming so carried away that a high-end cable installation can cost as much as a good luxury sedan that actually does have proven engineering prowess behind the product. But what about for those of us that do believe that cables can make a difference in sound quality, yet do not have the kind of money that companies such as Audioquest, MIT, Nordost, Furutech, Transparent, Kimber, et al., want for their best cables? Can I offer you an objective analysis of what cables can do? No, I’m just an end-user and all I can do is tell you that this is what I used to connect my components together and this is the result compared to what I had used before. In previous tests of cables I had purchased, I heard differences and generally, the more expensive the cable, the better the sound in terms of bass reach and definition, soundstage width, cleaner high frequency response, and smoother mid-range. No surprise there that more expensive cables sound better, but the issue is how much do you have to spend to obtain a personally meaningful improvement in sound? While the differences can be described as sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic, I can only offer my opinion, it’s up to you to decide whether or not my description of the improvements warrant the cost of the cables. Case in point, I felt that the Zu Mobius upgrade cable for Sennheiser headphones was ultimately worthwhile to buy despite its rather hefty US $225 cost for a two-meter length. However, another person who listened to my HD650/Mobius combo and compared it to his stock HD650, did not feel that the difference was worth the cost and he is not one at odds with buying good and expensive cables to connect his hi-fi. I also came across an obscure audio forum posting of my review of the Sennheiser HD650 and the person that asked the original question about the cans mocked my review and stated that I lost him after I went on about how the HD650’s were improved by the Zu Mobius. Of course this person “just” knew I was loony despite him not even having heard the HD650s, let alone with the Mobius cable. This is what it ultimately comes down to, you have to listen to something and then decide whether or not the difference (if heard) justifies the cost asked for. I suspect that a lot of the objective measurement critics have not listened to anything and let’s not get into blind and double blind testing that even some engineers admit will not provide a meaningful test of the quality offered by an audio component. Most reviewers take their time in evaluating equipment because it takes time to hear how the component works in the system and to provide enough time for the component to break-in and sound its best. Anyway, I “know” that cables can make a difference, but can I afford anything good and worthwhile? If we’re talking about the mainstream audiophile brands, not on your life. For a time I was set on buying Zu cables to harness my system, because Zu sells a number of decent cables via eBay auction. Buying on eBay means a good savings over buying direct at full retail, but even so, it still meant a good chunk of coin and for some longer lengths I needed, I’d still have to buy direct at full cost. I figured I’d still be spending at least a grand to get a full compliment of good Zu cables (I already have five cables from RCA, to mini, to headphone, for the hi-fi, as well as for portable components). Another potential source is from Chris VenHaus for some very well regarded power cables. I’ve seen his Flavor 4 power cable and it’s a monster, like a garden hose slithering on your floor. These VH cables are sold direct and offer much better value than buying from the big boys. I was pricing out what a full set of VH cables would be and they came in lower than what some mainstream brands would sell just a single run of their best power cable for. However, a full set of VH cables still meant a fairly significant amount of coin for a cheapskate like me.
After reading some reviews of Signal Cable, it became a no-brainer to order up a full set of Signal power cables and say goodbye to my weakest link in my hi-fi, all the stock power cords that came with my various pieces of gear, in use for the past decade or longer. I should mention that I do actually have one power cord of good pedigree. I often forget that I bought a MIT Z-Power Cord II shortly after I bought my Classe CA200 power amp back in the mid 1990s. Back then the MIT was a CAN $400 cord and while it has a mainstream brand name, it actually isn’t all that impressive for size or build quality. It’s only distinguishing feature are the rectangular boxes at either end that hold some resisters, or other filters that MIT keeps secret like Colonel Sanders finger lickin’ good mix of 11 herbs and spices. After buying the MIT cord, I used it with the Classe amp and moved the stock Classe cord to the Sonic Frontiers pre amp and then the moved the stock pre amp cord to the CD player, as each successive upgrade replaced a scrawnier stock cable. The thought of buying more MIT power cords did cross my mind back then, but at $400 a pop, it was not a priority. Now in one fell swoop, I could buy five cables that reveal the MIT as a girly-man cable, for a bit more money than that one MIT cable. After perusing through more of Signal’s website, I found that Signal also offered very high-quality five-nines (99.999 percent pure) silver cables for a lot less than I would have expected silver cables to sell for. The name brand cable company that comes immediately to my mind that sells silver cables is Kimber, and their very well-regarded KCAG, a three-conductor interconnect, sells for US $460 per meter, or US $820 for two-meters. A set of Signal Silver Resolution Reference starts at US $189 for two-feet and then $20 per foot afterwards, so a one-meter equivalent which is more or less three-feet is US $209 and a six-foot run is US $269. That’s a huge difference in price no matter the length you order. But wait, as of this writing, Signal is offering a special price so that the two-foot run actually starts at US $139 meaning that the three-foot run is only US $159, and the six-foot run is only US $219. The Silver Resolution Reference speaker cables are normally US $319 for a six-foot pair plus $40 for termination with banana plugs or spades. Each additional foot costs $30 more. But just as with the interconnect cables, Signal is offering a special and the price actually starts at US $219 for a six-foot pair. My Zu Mobius cable is relatively thin, two-meters, and costs US $225 and here we have 24-feet worth of pure silver speaker cable coming in for less money without the terminations. Good grief! (Take a six-foot run of cable for one positive or negative connection, double it up to 12-feet for one channel, and doubled up again to 24-feet for both channels). Signal also has a Silver Resolution Reference power cable, but it starts at a much higher cost than his regular Magic power cables. A three-foot run costs $329 (special introductory price of $249 though, as of this writing) and each additional foot costs $20 more. That’s a big jump up from the Magic analog cable starting at $59 for a 3-foot run and is getting into the same kind of money as other mainstream brand power cables. I discovered that I could actually afford some of Signal Cable’s best silver RCA interconnect and speaker cables (but, alas, not his best power cable). Since some of my RCA cables are a mish-mash of questionable quality, here was my opportunity to finally indulge in a cost effective manner and upgrade almost all the cables in my system in one fell swoop. As much as I would have liked to have just ordered everything I wanted at once, budget considerations still forced me to maintain some sanity for the first order and leave out a few more RCA interconnect and digital cables for a future order. For about the same cost as what five VH power cables would cost me, I got five Signal power cables AND a six-foot run of Silver Resolution Reference interconnect AND a six-foot run of Silver Resolution Reference speaker cables with spade termination. And keep in mind that with some name brand cable companies, I wouldn’t even be able to afford a single one-meter length of their reference digital cable. Cost effectiveness is one thing, but the cables have to deliver the goods too and offer an improvement to the system to warrant their purchase and possible recommendation. About Signal Cable Signal
Cable, out of
About My Signal Cables Specifically, I ordered three Magic Analog power cables and two Magic Digital Reference cables along with a six-foot run of RCA Silver Resolution Reference, and six-foot pair of Silver Resolution Reference speaker cables.
The power cables were in assorted lengths to match what I needed for each specific component, ranging from three-feet to seven-feet. Ideally, I would have liked to have ordered them all in a standard five-foot lengths except for the one extra long one needed for the power amp, but I was trying to keep my costs down. I also had in mind that because some of the power cables would be thick and stiff, that having more length than needed could be challenging in my limited space.
The Magic Analog cables are exactly as I thought they would be: thick, black, hose-like cables that are the biggest I’ve ever handled for consumer products. At 10 AWG, they’re not quite as thick as the VH Flavor 4 cable I saw that weighs in at 9 AWG. The Magic Analog cables also have the same hospital grade connectors as the Magic Digital Reference cables. Thankfully, they are not as stiff as the Magic Digital cables, but the sheer size may present some problems if your rack is too tight against a wall. The size and weight of the cable and connectors may also cause them to droop somewhat from the component’s IEC socket. I use some risers made from whatever was on hand (hockey pucks and old unused cassette tape cases) to support the plug and eliminate the droop behind my CD player and Sonic Frontier SFL-1 pre amp. The wall outlet connectors for both types of power cables seemed to get a nice hold though, which is good given their size, weight, and stiffness factor.
The Silver Resolution Reference RCA cable is quite modest in size and less thick than the Zu Cables’ Gede interconnect that I also have, but still more than what you’d get with Kimber KCAG, which is no more than three thin cables woven together with no additional shielding or insulation. However, as Kimber has proven, it’s not the size that matters, but the quality achieved by the cable in your system. The cables have a white mesh cover that adds a distinctive touch to their look over the ubiquitous black color.
Any misgivings I had were quickly dispelled once I realized how well the Eichmann’s connect to the RCA jacks of my pre and power amps. I had to push back against the front of my pre-amp, such was the force required to push the connectors onto the jacks at the back. Apparently, Eichmann RCA plugs are being used in some very expensive cables, so they are quite appropriate for use with the Silver Resolution Reference cable. Unlike Monster Cable plugs with their too tight Turbo Winding (or whatever they call it), I don’t worry about the Eichmann plugs damaging my components’ RCA jacks.
The speaker cables also have a white mesh cover and underneath you can see and feel the individual positive and negative conductors. These conductors seem to be about the same size as an individual Silver Resolution RCA cable. I had my cables terminated with spades because that’s what my Classe amp require due to its custom binding posts that can be torque down with a supplied nut driver.
System setup has all the components (except the power amp and X-PSU unit) powered by the new Signal cables plugged into my Brick Wall surge protector before being plugged into the wall outlet. The power amp is plugged directly into the wall outlet and I don’t anticipate changing this setup even if I were to upgrade the Brick Wall for a PS Audio UPC200 filter (hoped for future upgrade). The normal system has the CD player, as transport, connected to the DAC-1 via a British-sourced Navigator digital RCA cable. The DAC-1 connects to the Musical Fidelity X-10 tube buffer via a Zu Gede RCA, then from the X-10 to the pre-amp via another Zu Gede. The pre to power connection is via the six-foot Signal Silver Resolution Reference and the amp to speakers also with a six-foot pair of Signal Silver Resolution Reference. Only the connection from the X-10 to the X-Can headphone amp still uses one of my old cables.
Once summer was over and I got back into the audio swing of things again, I put the old cables back into the system for a listening session. Then I replaced the old power cables for the Signal ones – I did it as a whole rather than one by one because I’m a believer in doings from a “system” perspective and I treated all the power cables as if they were a traditional component to be swapped in and out. After getting a handle on what the power cables did, I swapped out the old interconnect and speaker cable for the Signal ones. Sound Quality Early Going Even though critical listening was not done until an appropriate amount of burn-in was completed, I, of course, still had to take some quick listens to the system fully lashed with new cables during the burn-in period.
After the break-in period had passed, I continued to listen without changing the cables back and subjectively felt that the new Signal cables were providing greater details and overall superior sound. But, of course, I wouldn’t know how much superior until a formal comparison was made. For the formal comparison session, I kept things simple and used two CDs, the Academy of Ancient Music’s Johann Sebastian Bach – Solo & Double Violin Concertos, specifically, Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins (Harmonia Mundi). And Music from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, specifically the Suite from the Lord of the Rings, Concerning Hobbits, and Evenstar (Silva). These were chosen not least of which because I enjoy the music, but also because the Lord of the Rings Suite has everything for good testing, with good sized orchestra for dynamics, bass wallop from the timpani, and high frequency extension with the violins and brass. I also took the Musical Fidelity X-10 out of the loop to, again, keep things simple and keep the comparisons to just about the cables, old and new. After swapping in the old cables, I definitely knew that the sound had changed for the mellower. It was a very smooth, gentle, and recessed sound, the kind that you could listen to for hours, but also one that could put you to sleep, or let your mind wander a bit. It’s not lacking in details, as they’re present, it’s just not exciting, but it’s comfortable. It’s your old terry cloth bathrobe that you wear on Sunday mornings into the afternoons to read the paper. However, once the old power cables were swapped out for the Signal power cables, it gave the system a swift kick in the rear and kicked up the dynamics and expressiveness of the sound. While the volume control was never touched throughout the comparison session, the music seemed louder with more power behind it. Everything was better from bass reach and definition to more air around instruments and vocals, but it could also be heard as being less sweet, as in you won’t have to fear about dozing off anymore. In keeping with treating all the power cables as one component, the improvements wrought were definitely like bringing in a new piece of electronics to upgrade the system. So far, definitely, so good!
With the dramatic improvements from the power cables I wondered just much of a difference the interconnect and speaker cables would bring in? I still had to leave one of the old interconnect cables in the system, from DAC to pre amp, but the Signal cables again kicked things up a notch. Everything described about how the Signal power cables improved the system can also be used to describe the Signal Silver Resolution cables. Again, the music had more power and presence, more flesh, and bass seemed to plumb just a bit deeper with a bit more definition. The sound was certainly more alive, but I wouldn’t have described it as being more forward. More aptly, the audio window got the Windex treatment and I could hear more clearly what was in the signal. Since this is primarily a photography website, let me use a photographic analogy. If the system with the old cables is like the consumer-quality Nikon 80-200mm f4.5-5.6 lens, switching power cables is like upgrading to the venerable 80-200mm f2.8 ED-IF lens for an immediate and obvious improvement in quality, but switching the interconnect and speaker cables is like moving on to the 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S VR lens, the best of the bunch by a fairly wide margin. I was quite surprised to hear the two Silver Resolution cables offer a similar level of improvement as the power cables offered over the stock cables. Surprised but very, very happy J Enter the Musical Fidelity X-10 Tube Buffer
I already had a single tube in the Sonic Frontiers pre amp that the signal was being pumped through and didn’t notice any obvious “tube” sound; however, the X-10 did offer certain tube qualities. Nothing major, just enough to take the leading edge of attack off of the music; however, the sound wasn’t recessed and didn’t lose any detail. The sound did receive a little more body and space around vocals and instruments, which is the best thing about tubes and why I wanted to add them to the system. Tubes are about musical beauty and using another photographic analogy, it would be like comparing a classic Nikkor lens using a six-blade aperture diaphragm, to a new generation Nikkor using a nine-blade aperture for superior bokeh. If Nikon had used an old aperture design for the 70-200 f2.8G AF-S VR lens, the lens would still have been super sharp, but the images produced by it would not have been as beautiful in the out of focus regions. As nice as the X-10 is, for its similar cost to the whole kit of Signal Cables, it doesn’t offer as immediate and dramatic an upgrade in my system. The Signal Cables offer more bang for the buck than this well-regarded accessory, and yes, that’s including the X-PSU power supply for the X-10. Frankly speaking, the Signal Cables, on a whole, offered the kind of improvement that I had expected from the Benchmark DAC-1, but did not quite receive from this overrated component. And for less money! Conclusion So there you have it, the Signal Cables are excellent. Without even discussing the bang for the buck factor, the cables improved my system in the same manner as I would expect from putting in a better amp. Once I consider the value for the money then I have to commend Frank Dai for offering the audio world such great cables for so little money. You can spend astronomically more for cables, but for those of us living in the real world without benefit of audio companies showering us with all of their latest equipment in hopes of receiving favor from on high (as in Sea Cliff), you have to seriously consider the Signal Cables if in need of a cable upgrade. I know that this will be read with a raised eyebrow, as I’m recommending a product that can only be bought direct from the manufacturer without a listening session prior to purchase, but all I can say is that these cables are the real deal. The power cables are a no brainer because they’re so cost effective that there’s just no reason for concern. The interconnect and speaker cables are even better, but system matching may be more of a concern for these products. However, silver cables have long been considered the ultimate for signal purity and refinement of sound and again, the Signal Cables are so affordable that I just don’t see the purchase going wrong. Highly recommended! Link to Signal Cable |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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Then
I was led onto Signal Cable, another direct seller of cables with
a full range on offer. A peruse through the website and a tally
of what a full set of Signal Magic power cables would cost came
in at less than half the cost of the VH cables. This is impressive
and while the Signal cables might not be as thick as some of the
biggest VH offerings, they are still hose-like cables that will
shame my stock power cords.
The
Magic Digital Reference is 12 AWG in thickness and once in hand,
they look the same size as the larger generic power cables I have
available. However, the hospital grade connectors at the ends
are far more substantial than anything I’ve every used in the
past and these are also the stiffest cables I’ve ever used, power
or signal. I had to do a bit of mild bending to ensure correct
orientation into the components and the Brickwall power filter.
The hard, mesh cover is burgundy in color and adds a nice touch
of refinement to the cables. These two will power my aging CD
player, as well as the Benchmark DAC-1.
The
RCA connectors are Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs. These mostly
plastic plugs do not exude the kind of quality the metal Zu Gede
have, which I find are excellent in the way that you can lockdown
the connection tightly for a secure fit. However, the Eichmann
connectors are actually very good and actually quite expensive.
A set of four Silver Bullet Plugs costs CAN $140 without the cable
(available at 
Just
as the Silver Resolution Reference RCA cables are modest in size,
so too are the Silver Resolution Reference speaker cables. They
are smaller than my old Monster M.75 speaker cables, but then
the M.75 are bi-wire cables with more insulation. In the world
of python-sized speaker cables, these Signal cables are garter
snakes, but Signal is inviting comparisons to the best speaker
cables on the market, so again, size is not everything.
The
spades are similarly modest in size as the cable, but fit perfectly
around the Classe’s posts. They were a bit too narrow for the
Dynaudio speakers and not wanting to splay them unnaturally, I
decided to press some JA Michell adapters into service. These
are very well made, gold-plated banana jack adapters that accept
bare wire, spades, or banana jacks at the rear and have an internal
pin that splays the banana jack wider inside the speaker jack,
as you tighten down the connection at the back of the adapter.
Very solid connection and reasonably priced at CAN $30 from 
The
system lashed with the new cables was burned in for far more than
100 hours before serious listening sessions were undertaken. Once
the burn-in period was complete, I listened to the system for
a time to get a handle on the sound; however, a heat wave shortly
after I bought the Signal cables pushed back the formal review
until after summer was over, as I shut down the system for self-preservation
in my south-facing room.
I
won’t suggest that the difference was tremendous in the early
going, but I did get a sense of music emerging from a quieter
background, the so-called music emerging from blackness. Details
seemed crisper and there was an overall sense of the music being
more dynamic and less restrained. There was also a touch of upper
mid-range glare, but I had expected as much from new cables, especially
the silver based ones (the Zu Gede, seen at right with one of
my old interconnects, are also silver-based). 
As
I wrapped up the formal evaluation of the new cables, I was cleaning
things up and rolling up all the old cables and proceeded to bring
the X-10 back into the system. Once I fired it all up and the
system was back as it was before, I took a listen to determine
just what kind of difference the X-10 had to offer on its own
(actually, in tandem with two sets of Zu Gede interconnect cables).
