Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Kimber Kable KCAG Cable by Luminator Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys.

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Model:	KCAG
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$440/meter
Description:	pure silver unshielded interconnects
Manufacturer URL:	Kimber Kable

Review by Luminator on December 02, 2009 at 12:47:03 IP Address: 75.25.148.121

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Now that you have seen the product, listened to the music, taken a trip to Hawaii, and joined me in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can learn more about the Kimber KCAG. Please note that, as of this writing, the pricing is $760 per meter, plus termination.

My last review on Audio Asylum was the original MIT Digital Reference. There, I spoke of the goings-on in the Fall 1992 semester. Several of you then asked what happened, when I went back to school in January 1993.

Throughout undergrad (1989-1993), I loved bringing CDs with me to UC Santa Cruz. Before I left home for the Winter 1993 semester, I borrowed from a friend Asia’s Aqua . On this album, Asia sounded like they were incorporating elements of Blue Murder, Dream Theater, Meat Loaf, Queen, Robert Tepper, Rush, and Savatage [guitarist Al Pitrelli would later join the ‘Tage]. As I went down to Santa Cruz, it was raining. You see, an El Nino grabbed moisture from the Pacific, and sent it to central California, thus ending a six-and-a-half year drought. When Asia sang “Who Will Stop The Rain?,” I answered, “Hopefully no one!”

My on-campus apartment was at the top of the hill. My unit was on the third and top floor. From our balcony, we could look down on one apartment building and a parking lot. On the third floor of that other apartment building were four girls. While the rain was typing on our roof, I was watching MTV, and the video of Belly’s “Feed The Tree” was playing. I went onto our balcony, and admired the rain. One of the girls from the apartment building across from ours looked like she could be in an alternative band like Belly. She was standing on her balcony, also perhaps watching the rain. She saw me, smiled, pulled up her red sweater, and flashed her boobs.

My friend Kim and I took the Managerial Economics class. One Saturday, instead of goofing off, we decided to be good students, and went to the McHenry Library to study. After we felt satisfied that we knew the material, we got to the library’s front door, and noticed that it was pouring outside. Kim’s housemate, Pauline, had driven to the library in a new light blue 2-door Acura Integra. I love the rain, but I did not want to trudge in it, all the way back to my apartment. So when Pauline offered to drive me to my apartment, how could I refuse hopping into the Integra? What a ride! If I did not feel on top of the world, at least I felt privileged. Pauline was playing some dance music, and I asked what one particular song was. It was Boy Krazy’s “That’s What Love Can Do.”

Back at my apartment, my stereo consisted of the Sony CDP-520ES II, AudioQuest Topaz, Adcom GTP-400, AQ Lapis, Adcom GFA-535 II, AQ F-14, and some little Pinnacle minimonitors. By audiophile standards, that stereo system was entry-level. But by college kids’ standards, it was high-end. As Valentine’s Day approached, having that stereo system crank out the music certainly made me optimistic about the Valentine prospects. One Sunday evening, as I was reading Stereophile, Casey’s Top 40 was on. And it just seemed odd when Casey Kasem, with his peculiar voice, introduced Expose’s “I’ll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me).”

While I attended UCSC, African American students were as rare as NOS Amperex pinched-waist 6922s. So it was weird, seeing so many Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian kids singing along to Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.” Nevertheless, the diversity excited me, and I wished that audio reviewers would expand their musical palate.

In late February, my friend Margaret, who was attending Cal (i.e., UC Berkeley), took the intercampus jitney, and stayed with me for the weekend. The rains were letting up, when I met her as she got off the jitney. Other than the clothes she was wearing, she only had a fanny pack. When she and I got to my apartment, we (including my two housemates) did not feel like cooking, so we just tossed some lettuce and baked a frozen pizza. While eating pizza, I asked Margaret, “Where’s your stuff?”

Margaret said, “Right here,” as she emptied the contents of her fanny pack onto the table. All she had were lip balm, a hairbrush, panties, glasses, and a toothbrush. She had no shirts, pants, deodorant, makeup, toothpaste, bras, socks, gum, food, etc. You should have seen the ashen looks on my housemates’ faces, when Margaret asked them, “You don’t mind if I walk around the house without much clothes, do you?”

Ha ha ha, my poor housemates had no choice! I had known Margaret since high school, and knew that, after showering, she did not like to wear much clothing. My housemates and I were sitting in the living room, reading, and listening to music. I simply cannot forget how the Cranberries’ “Linger” was playing, when Margaret came out of the shower. Save for the towel around her hair, she was naked (and dry). She asked if I had socks, sweats, and t-shirts she could borrow. I thought she was going to put them on, but she had intended them for daytime use. Still with just the towel wrapping her hair, Margaret sat down on the loveseat, then discussed how UCSC and Cal differed. She did not argue which was better than the other; she merely pointed out the differences. After a little while, I could tell that my two housemates had gotten used to and comfortable with a naked Margaret sitting on the couch.

Because Margaret had no hang-ups and liked to try different things, she could make you feel better about yourself, better at not fearing failure, better about your prospects. After she left on the Monday morning jitney back to Cal, I was feeling upbeat. And the very next week, things would get even better for me, as my ex-girlfriend, KJ (who, like Margaret, was a Cal student), said she wanted to take the jitney down to Santa Cruz. In the previous fall quarter, she had already paid me a visit [see my Audio Asylum review of the MIT Digital Reference]. In contrast to my first three years of college, KJ and I were on good terms. With KJ’s pending trip to see me, I was optimistic about getting back together.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a re-formed Duran Duran made a comeback. “Ordinary World” was playing on MTV, and KJ remarked, “Hey, they’re back!”

My housemate Tron walked in, saw KJ, and remarked, “Hey, you’re back!”

KJ and I went outside, where the moon and stars lit up the dark blue night sky. With “Ordinary World” setting the mood, KJ and I were making out on a bench. The proctor walked by, spotted me, turned off his flashlight, and smiled, “Go on!”

The very next weekend, the Stereophile show took place at the San Francisco Marriot. If you have been following my posts on Audio Asylum, you may have read that, for me, the 1993 show was, in many ways, a watershed moment for me. At the end of the first day, I was supposed to meet KJ. I was already high from the show. But now, I had nothing but KJ on my mind. I really thought this was my chance to cement our relationship. Alas, when I got down to 4th Street, KJ was not there. Instead, my parents were waiting for me, and told me that KJ’s dad had gotten ill, so she had to attend to him. [Remember, these were the days before we had cell phones]. Nevertheless, the 1993 Stereophile show was the first time I had actually seen the Kimber KCAG.

For most of my junior and senior years at UCSC, I pretty much stayed there, and did not come home to San Francisco. But because KJ and I were on good terms, I came back to S.F. during the weekends in April 1993. When I got back to Santa Cruz, instead of feeling depressed, I was happy about the weekend(s), and looked forward to the next. When I got back to the apartment, I flipped on the Adcoms, and the music let the good times roll. While Will and I loved the oldies station, we also tuned in to see what was new. And when we heard Chris Isaak’s “San Francisco Days,” I was like, “Aw no, don’t play me like that!”

One weekend in May, Will’s girlfriend, siblings, and friends came over. Since all those people made our apartment rather crowded, I told Will that he could have the room. So I went over to my friend and classmate Jen’s dorm room. If you read my review of the MIT Digital Reference on Cable Asylum, you know about Jen. Since she was on the first floor, her bathroom had, in addition to the three shower stalls, a bathtub. She asked to take a bubble bath together, and I obliged. While the bubbles started dissipating, Jen reminisced how we met freshman year in the dining hall. Sophomore year, we were in the same dorm. Then we ended up as econ majors.

We walked down the hall to Jen’s tiny, single-occupancy dorm room. It was a warm May night, so she kept the windows open. I will never forget how the moonlight shone through the window, and reflected off of the mirror behind her door. Her clock radio was tuned to an adult contemporary station. Jen kicked off her slippers, hung up the towels, tossed the blanket aside, and sat on her bed. From our sophomore year, when we were in the same dorm, I learned that, after her nightly shower, Jen, even on cold nights, went around in t-shirt, panties, and fuzzy slippers. But not on this warm night. Still naked, she motioned for me to sit next to her. She and I were just weeks away from graduation, and we had absolutely no idea what lay ahead or what we were going to do. She said she loved Sanrio, and would love to work for that kind of company. I said I loved high-end audio, but did not know how to work in that field. We were both staring at the ceiling, when Jen heard a song on the radio, and said, “Hey, that’s Phil Collins!”

It turns out that the song on the radio was David Crosby’s “Hero,” on which Phil Collins sings.

That quarter, I was a TA for an accounting class. A couple weeks before finals, my professor called me into his office. It was a blazing spring day. I was watching MTV, and saw the video for Donald Fagen’s “Tomorrow’s Girls.” Rick Moranis plays the hapless male. After hearing this song, I just felt optimistic about the future. I shut off the TV, and headed for the professor’s office. When I got there, he said, “John! Have a seat. I want you to see something.”

I thought he was going to talk about the class, or maybe a newspaper article, or perhaps even job offers. He pointed out the window, and asked, “What do you see?”

I saw a beautiful day, and several girls in bathing suits lying on the lawn. My professor gave me a nudge, and said, “Don’t tell my wife, but my eyes are bulging out!”

Cal was on the semester system, while the rest of UC, including Santa Cruz, was on the quarter system. KJ’s school year had ended, so she decided to pay me one last visit. While strolling on Pacific Avenue Mall, she and I walked by a record store. On the window was a poster of Winger’s new album, Pull . KJ looked at me and said, “Wow, I didn’t know they [Winger] were still around.”

When KJ and I were in high school, we liked Winger’s debut album. But that was four years ago, an eternity for students. Pull pretty much is a ho-hum album. But it ends with a killer ballad, “Who’s The One.” The recording has exceptional focus, unusual for a heavy metal album. KJ asked to play “Who’s The One” one more time.

We turned off the stereo. Since we were grimy from a day at the beach, we decided to take a late afternoon shower, before going out to dinner. When KJ got out, she opened the bathroom window. She spotted two girls walking by downstairs, and gasped, “Oops, I just flashed them. I wonder if they saw me.”

KJ then went on about how everyone at Cal made a stink about the Naked Guy. In contrast, so many students at UC Santa Cruz go around topless or naked, and no one gives a damn. KJ said that the attitude at Santa Cruz was totally liberating.

The first time I tried the Kimber KCAG, it was equipped with the Ultraplate RCA. It replaced the Kimber PBJ (also with Ultraplate RCA) in my system. The KCAG had better frequency extension. The KCAG had better transparency, so the soundstage opened up. Whereas the PBJ had grain in the upper midrange and lower treble, the KCAG had sparkle. And the KCAG had sharper image outlines. I guess it is like comparing the original 1992 CD of Asia’s Aqua to the 2004 special edition. The former has bulbous, compressed sonics, with too much mids at the expense of bass. The latter features cleaned-up sonics, and three bonus tracks, including the excellent “Obsession.”

In the early 90s, I quite frequently heard or read audiophiles and reviewers blab, “balanced is better.” They never gave any credible reasons. Nevertheless, my gear (Theta, Classe’, and Muse) did have balanced facilities, so I shrugged, “Why not?” I used balanced Kimber PBJ, and was hard-pressed to hear anything consistently better. In fact, with balanced operation’s increased gain, operations became worse . You see, with single-ended operation, volume controls were already near MIN. But with balanced operation’s increased gain, volume controls now were at MIN, and the sound was still way too loud.

The balanced KCAG also used Switchcraft XLRs. When I replaced the balanced PBJ with balanced KCAG, I got just a small improvement in resolution and openness, and a small reduction in haze. I was expecting state-of-the-art sound, but at most, everything sounded like Belly’s “Feed The Tree,” with its distorted “garage sound.” Or, it is kind of like when my roommate Will asked why I was giggling at the girl on the balcony of the apartment across from us. When I told Will that the girl flashed me, he was bummed that he had missed out.

Audiophiles erroneously blamed the silver Vari-strand conductors for the KCAG’s perceived “bright” sound. In the mid-90s, when Kimber took over distribution of Germany’s WBT, the KCAG then became available with, for $60 extra, the WBT-0147 locking RCA. Versus the Ultraplate RCA, the WBT-0147 got rid of a lot of upper-midrange glare. And some of the music’s punch was restored. The KCAG-0147 allows you to hear that Stock Aitken Waterman did an excellent job producing Boy Krazy’s “That’s What Love Can Do,” which sounds “modern,” in a good way. With a decent source, and via the KCAG-0147, “That’s What Love Can Do,” can save me from waiting in the rain for a shuttle bus, and put me back in that awesome Acura Integra.

The KCAG-0147 sounds better-organized, with greater depth (both in soundscape and in the images themselves), than the Silver Streak-0147. With the KCAG-0147, it is as if the rains have washed way the soot and smog. The night sky is blacker, so the lights are not only clearer; they contrast strikingly with the black space. So when I hear Expose’s “I’ll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)” coming to an end, it is as though Casey Kasem’s voice jumps out of the background.

Audiophiles always laugh at rap music. Yet, whenever you ask an audiophile to rap, he does not get very far, does he? Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray” is sneaky. Everyone can join the arm-waving chorus. But have you tried singing/rapping the verses? It is harder than you think. So along come cable burn-in devices such as the Audio Dharma Cable Cooker. The Cable Cooker changes everything. The KCAG really only needs two days of Cook time. But once Cooked, the KCAG’s shortcomings are mitigated. A good chunk of that white haze dissipates. No, the Cable Cooker cannot change the KCAG’s fundamental character. But a Cooked KCAG is light years ahead of a non-treated one, even one which has been used for 15 years. The Cooked KCAG is equivalent to enabling you, regardless of your age, ethnicity, talent, or gender, to rap effortlessly the entire “Hip Hop Hooray” and “O.P.P.”

After all of my single-ended KCAGs had the WBT-0147, Kimber then made their interconnects available with the larger and more expensive WBT-0108. Damn. When I compared the KCAG-0147 to the KCAG-0108, the latter had a more open, atmospheric presentation. The music skated more smoothly, but lost some punch.

The Cranberries’ “Linger” always reminds me of Margaret. Over the years, I have seen her in various states of undress on multiple occasions and places: her apartment in Berkeley, locker rooms, overnight bowling trips, skinny dipping, nude beaches, her own condo, Jacuzzis, trips to Vegas and Reno, spas, modeling lingerie [she once worked at Victoria’s Secret]... The WBT-0108 gives the KCAG a slicker, glossier sound. So when it passes the Cranberries’ “Linger,” it reminds me of Margaret spending the weekend in late February 1993 at my college apartment. Perhaps it was the humidity (coupled with mild temperatures), from the recently ended rains, but Margaret’s skin, despite not putting anything on it, was a little moister, a little juicier, than usual.

Today, the KCAG is now also available with the WBT-0102cu ($160 above the Ultraplate) and WBT-0102ag ($284 above the Ultraplate). I have heard these RCAs on other interconnects, but not the KCAG. I have Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” on compilation CDs, but not the original eponymous album. I have no way to tell how “Ordinary World” on the compilation CDs compares to that on the original album. Likewise, I have no idea how the KCAG with WBT-0102cu and WBT-0102ag measure up to each other.

My Kimber KS-1030 originally came with the WBT-0108 RCAs. My friend has current-production KS-1030, which comes with the WBT-0110ag RCA. For this particular cable, the WBT-0110ag yields an even quieter and less grainy sound. It is very much like a skater who is so smooth and effortless, she does not make a sound. Yet, as you strap on your skates and feverishly move your feet, you cannot seem to catch up to her.

Chris Isaak’s “San Francisco Days” presents some interesting differences between the KS-1030 (either termination) and KCAG-0147. Assuming a high-quality source, the KS-1030 definitely has the quieter backgrounds. The images are firmly and easily placed within the stage. The notes gracefully flow from one to the next. Via the KCAG-0147, the overall sound is fizzier, with more haze obscuring your view of the studio. Yet, there is more breath surrounding each instrument, and greater “pop,” not only to the images against the background, but in the attack of the instruments themselves. In some strange emotional way, the sound via the KCAG-0147 makes me long for San Francisco more.

Speaking of San Francisco, when I hung out at S.F.’s Ultimate Sound, many customers hemmed and hawed between the Kimber KCAG and original XLO Signature interconnects. Now that I have the Cable Cooker, the differences between these two interconnects are clear, but the decision is anything but. David Crosby’s “Hero” provides a measuring stick. Both interconnects have equal frequency extension, and both do not sound fat or slow. The XLO Signature is definitely cleaner, less grainy. Image outlines are unambiguous. The KCAG has better mid-treble body, more “pop,” and slightly better image fill. For all the uber-tight bass and ultra background silence, the XLO Signature comes across as somewhat sleek, as if some texture got airbrushed out. It reminds me of sitting in the tub with Jen. There was no room to maneuver, so I was bound to rub, knee, or bump into her. The soapy bubble bath softened the hair on her legs, completely removing the prickly feeling. So when our legs brushed past each other, hers felt really slick, as if her hair had been removed. The KCAG comes across as drier, with the music somewhat spotlit. It is like that clear, warm, private night, where Jen felt no need for clothes. It is the equivalent of the moonlight shining through the window, causing some parts of Jen’s pale skin to glow brightly, and casting rippled shadows on other parts. Yet, the night was not so hot, that we broke out in sweat or perspiration. Either interconnect makes you grovel, “Why can’t radio stations play Hero more often?”

Among audiophiles, Donald Fagen’s Kamakiriad is relatively popular. It is a good recording. Because audiophiles’ systems are skewed one way or another, Kamakiriad never sounds quite right, and is always in need of sonic tweaking. Not so with the Nordost Odin, which sets a standard for sonic invisibility. It has so little sound of its own, you hear recordings for what they truly are. In the case of “Tomorrow’s Girls,” it is as though I could go back in time, walk on the lawn in front of my accounting professor’s office, and mingle easily with the bikini-clad girls. Compared to the Odin, the KCAG is like my glasses skidding on the sidewalk, and getting all scratched up. I can still see the girls, but with all the scratches on the lenses, I am squinting in vain. And that, in turn, lessens my self-confidence. But hey, at least the girls are still there (the imaging is sufficient), and they have not aged a bit (good detail, with no bloat or excess warmth)!

Another favorite interconnect of mine is the Wireworld Platinum Eclipse. When you play Winger’s “Who’s The One,” everything is in place, and in the proper scale. As a listener, you relax and just get swept up in the music. The Platinum Eclipse makes it very easy to lose track of time. With the KCAG, the emphases are on (a) the guitar, which is the focal point of the song; and (b) Kip Winger’s lion-sized voice. It is not difficult to picture Kip Winger and Reb Beach sitting on stools, just a few feet away from you. Instead of losing track of time, the KCAG puts you in the moment. For me, it is more specific, pointing to the time KJ and I listened to this song in my college apartment. The way the KCAG spotlights the guitar and vocals makes me recall that the trees were not in position to block the sun, which beamed through the open bathroom window, and illuminated KJ’s chin, shoulders, and breasts.

I recently played ice hockey with Margaret. Everyone else got dressed and left, while Margaret and I were still in the shower. After we stopped talking about hockey, there was brief pause. She glanced at me, and without a hiccup, just like the old days, started scrubbing my back. She reminisced, “Remember in college, how easy it was to walk around naked, no cares in the world? Once we left, with work and all, the opportunities just aren’t there. And if we want to go to the spa, we gotta pay.”

When I soaped her backside, I had a flashback. Way back in high school, a bunch of us were playing football. I had taken a spill on the infield dirt, the awful gravelly dirt scraping through my pants and underwear. Margaret accompanied me to the boys’ locker room, where she patiently removed my pants, and carefully peeled away my underwear from the scratches. I have played organized sports my whole life, so I am used to and comfortable with being around guys. But Margaret was the one who made me less squeamish about being in the presence of the girls. While cleaning my wounds she smiled, paused, good-naturedly said, “But I’m bleeding too,” and proceeded to change her pad.

But back to the ice rink’s locker room. As Margaret and I stood there under the running water, we realized that we had known each other for over half our lives. We did get together occasionally in the mid-90s, but drifted apart after that. She moved down the S.F. peninsula, changed profession, and got married. I got married, and moved to the East Bay.

Margaret pinched the folds of skin above her waist, and said, “Both of us have put on weight. But I’m jealous. Most of yours is muscle. Mine is all these mommy folds. And of all my new fat, how come none went to my boobs?”

Margaret’s observations put the KCAG into perspective. It is amazing that it has been in production since at least the early 90s. When I compare samples from the mid-90s to the ones from today, I hear no difference. So, Kimber deserve praise for being consistent with their suppliers, production, and QC. Over the years, hundreds of interconnects have come and gone. But the KCAG remains in Kimber’s product catalog. You might find the KCAG competitive with today’s interconnects. You might like the fact that the KCAG is now available with a variety of connectors. You might find that the KCAG matches your current system better than your old one(s). You might find that the KCAG was “the one” all along. Like Margaret’s hair clogging the drain, you might not like how the KCAG twists, and gets tangled. But above all else, its price is double what it was in the mid-90s. Are you bummed that you no longer have as many opportunities to go nude with friends? Do you just give up, knowing that it will never happen again? Or, do you make the effort, hold your nose, pony up, and find the right opportunities?

Margaret looked at my left hip and said, “Hey, you still have that scar!”

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Product Weakness:	price has doubled; tangles easily; locking-barrel RCAs are difficult to install in tight quarters
Product Strengths:	looks like jewelry; available in a variety of terminations; custom lengths available

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Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier:	numerous
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	numerous
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	numerous
Speakers:	numerous
Cables/Interconnects:	numerous
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	rock, pop, metal, R&B, Hawaiian
Time Period/Length of Audition:	15 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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