Cable Asylum: REVIEW: CATcables Concertcats Interconnects Cable by wsatte3277@aol.com

Model:	Concertcats Interconnects
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$99.99/ .5m
Description:	Pure Silver Braided Interconnects
Manufacturer URL:	CATcables
Manufacturer URL:	CATcables

Review by wsatte3277@aol.com ( A ) on May 12, 2003 at 00:07:57
IP Address: 152.163.189.131

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for the Concertcats Interconnects

I auditioned these cables along with Audioquest Corals, Outlaw's copper cables, Bettercables "Blue Truth", and Silver Bullets 4.0 (borrowed from a friend). After only a week of listening to the Concertcats, I ordered three more of them to complete cabling for my SACD Mulitichannel inputs. They are a triple braided 22 agw silver wire, terminated with Cardas SRCA RCA connectors (which are gold plated, with rhodium coated silver inner connectors). I was looking to find an inexpensive, well made cable to upgrade from the Outlaw cables I was using for about two years. The Audioquest Corals were a bit thin, and had a somewhat veiled sound, but were way better than the Outlaw's. I gave them about 20 hours, and did notice some improvement in detail, and expect they need more break in for a
fair review. I then tried some of the silver cables; the Silver Bullets were already broken in and outperformed the Corals by a longshot. Very revealing without harshness, good bass punch, and beautiful vocals and imaging. This sold me on silver, so I tried the Better Cables Blue Truth's, but they just didn't quite sound as crisp and revealing as the Bullets. When I saw some reviews of the Catcables, I ordered a pair of the Concertcats and was floored by the improvement in imaging, detail, 3D effect, bass, and a midrange with these inexpensive cables. They come "pre burned in", and appear to be meticulously hand made. The Cardas connectors are high quality, nicely finished to the triple braided silver wire and protective covering. What struck me imediately with these cables was the "holgraphic" or "3D" effect on several CD's. I basically played three CD's during comparisons; Sade's "Best of Sade", Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature", and Philips new multichannel SACD "Sheherazade". The backup vocals and intrumentation in the Steely Dan and Sade CD's actually sounded like the music floated out into my room and enveloped the left and right of my listening position, while maintaining a pinpoint image of the lead vocals in the center. The Sheherazade sounded so close to an actual concerthall, you could close your eyes and pinpoint the loaction of the individual instruments. I was a bit leary of silver wires due to their reputation for harshness,, but these cables sure changed my viewpoint in that regard. Very happy with these cables.

Product Weakness: Not a weakness, but be sure to grip the connector, not the cable when disconnecting.
Product Strengths: Detail, bass, midrange openness.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Denon AVR5803
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Sony XA777ES
Speakers:	Legacy Focus
Cables/Interconnects:	LAT International Speaker wires
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical, Jazz, Pop
Room Size (LxWxH):	22' x 20' x 9'
Room Comments/Treatments:	Hardwood floors, overstuffed furniture
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	PS Audio P500 Power Generator
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Not a weakness, but be sure to grip the connector, not the cable when disconnecting.
Product Strengths:	Detail, bass, midrange openness.