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REVIEW: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference IC Cable

87.203.160.27


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Model: Silver Reference IC
Category: Cable
Suggested Retail Price: $898/m
Description: silver conductor reference interconnect
Manufacturer URL: Acoustic Zen

Review by audmanic@yahoo.co.uk on November 17, 2007 at 00:38:17
IP Address: 87.203.160.27
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This interconnect RCA cable fresh out of the box connect my Jadis integrated amplifier with my Musical Fidelity kW Dac. Speaker's cable was Acoustic Zen Satori Mk2(woofer, a perfect cable for delivering very quick, big, taut, delicate and detailed bass) and Cardas new addition Golden Presence for high-freq. spectrum that is open, airy, detailed as few cooper cables and refined without been mellow.

After installing AZ Silver Reference Mk2 the system became different in a degree that I thought this cable made exclusively for pairing with Jadis amplifiers. Replacing the Cardas Golden Reference the difference was huge. Cardas Golden Reference has almost the same degree of liquidity and openness in the midrange but unlike other cardas cables the trasperancy that it brings to the system was coming with a 30% more 'dirt & harsh' in the mid-high frequencies compared with AZ S.R. This is not to be misunderstood, Cardas was smooth enough but Acoustic Zen removed a great film of dirt and harsh that you cannot feel it until it removes (like f.e. when you put out of the chain your pre-amp and switch to a pathetic design like Placette or Magnet.First or any other good passive preamp). Silver Reference removed the fine film of harsh and elevates the signal to a new level of refinement. While Cardas cooper G.R. sound is rich, overly detailed, extended, macrodynamically right and 'slightly euphonic' and rich in midbass area the Silver Reference Mk2 (totally other 'school' of cable sound delivery) was even,even more refined, not so extended in bass area with no mid-bass & euphonia issues , so much that violins higher strings sounded so pure and refined like no other cable can deliver. Same with electric guitars and voices , always without sacrificing the least amount of detail or transperancy or openness. The soundstage is by far the best I heared , keeping almost the Cardas height of sonic picture but expanding further,further,further back the soundstage and clear as glass without any fatigue at all. Thats state-of-the-art performance that surpasses every other RCA interconnect at this price point. The soundstage gets an A+, same as the midrange A+ and high-frequencies A+ for such refinement. Focus is also a strong point as pin-point imaging that Cardas couldn't match at all. Cardas G.R. was bolder but the Silver Reference took the texture density to the 'absolute right' combined with Jadis amps. The feel, ambience, refinement, focus and soundstage of Mozart's Requiem under Nicolaous Harnoncourt (telarc If I remember) sounds as real as never before and now you can count each singer on every row and feel the real distance of you and the rows like auditioning from D row. Cardas had the same feeling but without such presicion of focus and without even the 1/3 of the depth of Silver Reference (unlike Neutral Reference that has depth without the given height of the soundstage of Golden and without the transperancy).
In every aspect Silver Reference Mk2 sounds better than any other cooper cable at this price point and also it sounds refined, luxury, totally grain-free and harsh free, huge in soundstage, velvet and light in the bass and has the prettiest, smoother higher freqs. without decreasing detail or transperancy. Instead, it was the finest detailed interconnect I heared in my system, letting tremendous amount of information coming in dropping all fatigue and harsh out. Its slightly mellow and very very slightly warm compared to other silver cables but the correct tone,dynamics,refinement,pin-point image focus and huge soundstage make me want to listen every CD I own again. Piano sounds so real, so liquid like been next to a Stainway. Guitars sounds as you are in the studio without any addition of richness but rich enough to believe the guitarist is in front of you. It does not applies the rich and detailed bottom of Cardas Golden Reference but its more locked to 'truth' and images are rock-solid in front of you with countless of texture information , colorless and neutral (1-5% warmer,mellower than other designs) as the bests. Compared with Nirvana's S-L it has better bass, even more refined highs, same degree of naturality and about the same expanded soundstage presentation . Nirvana's sitting row was even further and the soundstage was darker, detail retrival was awesome like Golden reference ,but not to the point of taking the award from Silver Reference for the most delicate, detailed, focused,big soundstage. It also excels in areas such liquidity, musical flow, naturalness.

I hope you get a clue with this review, amps from Jadis and Conrad-Johnson via Proac Speakers. All AC cables were Cardas Golden Reference connected to Hydra conditioner.


Product Weakness: Not the best choice with Pathos equipment and generally with amplifiers that sounds 'lean'. A real king with tube power-pre or integrated amplifiers of 'A' quality.
Product Strengths: The best cable at this price point. I wonder how better is the new Acoustic Zen's interconnect absolute. Silver reference is the best interconnect I own.


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Jadis, Conrad-Johnson
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Jadis, Placette
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Musical Fidelity
Speakers: Proac
Cables/Interconnects: Acoustic Zen, Cardas, Nirvana
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classic, Rock.
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1 month
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Shunyata Hydra
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference IC Cable - audmanic@yahoo.co.uk 00:38:17 11/17/07 ( 3)