Home
AudioAsylum Trader
Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Ridge Street Audio Designs RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable Cable by SJR842

Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys.

For Sale Ads

FAQ / News / Events

 

REVIEW: Ridge Street Audio Designs RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable Cable

12.87.95.170


[ Follow Ups ] Thread:  [ Display   All   Email ] [ Cable Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Model: RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable
Category: Cable
Suggested Retail Price: $300.00
Description: Tri
Manufacturer URL: Ridge Street Audio Designs
Model Picture: View

Review by SJR842 ( A ) on August 16, 2002 at 13:12:02
IP Address: 12.87.95.170
Add Your Review
for the RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable


I tried the Ridge Street Audio Designs RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable after having complete familiarity with the other cables I list here in Associated Equipment. The cables come from RSA (Ridge Street Audio) fully broken in and I did not hear a change in sound characteristics over the last four months. These were obtained from the designer, Robert Schult, after bumping into him on another web site chat room (- I honestly can't remember which one. Just TRY to track all these groups!)

First impressions upon seeing the cables were positive. Good construction with proper strain relief. This is better construction than the Kimber KCAG cables, which do not instill confidence regarding long-term use. Construction is about on a par with the old Straight Wire Maestro interconnects I own, which is to say pretty good.

Upon hearing the RSA Reference I was reminded of the clarity and transparency of the Kimber interconnects. The Kimber is tough to beat on the midrange purity and overall see-through quality. I really enjoy the Kimber's ability to reveal the whole soundstage, depth as well as height. The Ridge Streets have the same ability to allow you to "see" into the recording site and focus on the midrange. Detail seems on the same par as the KCAG with the exception of the frequency extremes, where the RSA seems slightly less powerful in the lower octave (as much as can be heard on my two-way speakers). However, the detail is noticeably better in the bass range over the RSA. I prefer the RSA for it's seemingly better accuracy in my system in the bass range. The highs are comparable between them except over a long time I felt that what at first seemed to be added detail in the RSA turned out to be a lack of detail in the Kimber. Through many different recordings I kept returning to the RSA as my preference in the high frequencies. I did not feel the highs to be artificial or etched through the Ridge Streets.

If I had to give a brief impression of the overall sound of the RSA Reference MkII I would say coherent, organic, lively, focused, and neutral. I'm certainly impressed with the value of these since they seem to compare favorably with some pretty expensive interconnects.

If I had to complain about something, I would say they forced me to try different components to address weaknesses in my system. For example, I at first thought the cables were the cause for a syrupy, too-smooth sound across the board. I later found out my phono preamp (a highly modified Phoenix P-100 solid state design) was the offender after switching it out and substituting instead a borrowed solid state DIY design based on the Creek OBH-8. I could hardly believe the differences I was hearing. I am sure the Ridge Street cables allowed me to hear the change easily, because I verified what I was hearing by putting the Straight Wire cables in the system. I also tried the Kimber KCAG again. Through several iterations of phono preamps and interconnects, I came to really appreciate the quality of sound I heard from the RSA's.

The comparison to the Straight Wire Maestro was fairly easy. The Maestro is very easy to listen to, with a neutral character and nice high frequency detail. I enjoy the KCAG better than the Maestro due to a livelier quality to the KCAG. The Maestro just seems slightly duller in energy and life. The Ridge Street cable is more enjoyable over the long term than either, with a lively quality shared with the Kimber but the neutral character of the Straight Wire. The RSA is more transparent and with better-defined frequency extremes than either.

To summarize I would caution those with systems needing "upgrade attention" (you know who you are) because these cables will tell it like it is. To everyone else (which probably won't leave many, right?) I say give them a try against the heavy-hitter cables and report back here!

Steve


Product Weakness: Demands attention to system. Honest portrayal of the signal makes demands on upstream components.
Product Strengths: Vivid Transparency, very neutral, excellent at freq. extremes.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Aragon 4004 Mk.II
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Melos MA 110B
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Well Tempered Arm Sig./Blue Pt. Special/Modified Thorens TD-160
Speakers: DIY/North Creek Music Borealis (modified)/real granite cabinets
Cables/Interconnects: Staight Wire Maestro, Kimber KCAG
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Wide ranging - Diana Krall, trumpet and bugle corp, Handel, folk, popular
Room Size (LxWxH): 21 x 13 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments: Basement/stuffed furniture/minimal wall treatment/fully carpeted
Time Period/Length of Audition: 4 months
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Amplified Parts  



Topic - REVIEW: Ridge Street Audio Designs RSA Reference MkII Interconnecting Cable Cable - SJR842 13:12:02 08/16/02 ( 9)