Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Triangle TC2250 Cable by Tubeham

Model:	TC2250
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$40
Description:	two conductor speaker cable
Manufacturer URL:	Triangle
Model Picture:	View

Review by Tubeham on July 13, 2009 at 07:57:23
IP Address: 24.107.204.131 Add Your Review
for the TC2250

I have been a negligent inmate for some time. I have belonged to the Asylum for at least seven years, under different monikers, and have rarely contributed. This review is a partial correction of that situation.

Three years ago I went on a cable buying frenzy to attempt to find a great, reasonably priced, speaker cable. I was in the process of successfully upgrading my system component by component. First, I bought reputable big name cables via Audiogon and ebay. I also, in two cases, bought new cables and then returned them via the 30 day trial offer. I would normally hesitate to do this but, given the huge markup in cables, felt no guilt in doing so.

Here are the results of my survey:

* Kimber 8TC - a great cable, would be a keeper except for a noticeable degree of hardness in the midrange and bass
* Reynaud HP216 - a major disappointment with harsh and edgy treble
* Rega SC42 - really bland and lifeless, I'm shocked they sell it. Kudos to the dealer who managed to cram this thick cable into WBT connectors.
* Van Den Hul CS122 - good but unbalanced, with a recessed midrange
* Harmonic Tech Pro 11 - smeary and over rich, too much of a good thing
* Goertz MI 1 - the worst, compressed with late, slow bass
* Naim Naca 5 - great cable, but a little bass heavy, ugly and inflexible

At this point my frustration was building and I was tired of reselling the rejected cables on Audiogon. I was ready to go the Home Depot cable route. Enter Triangle. I used to own a pair of Triangle Zephyr speakers which I adored. I sold the Zephyrs only because of the slightly shrill aluminum dome tweeter. I had also developed a rather silly pet theory that speakers manufacturers wouldn't sell bad cable (see Reynaud and Rega above). I noticed the Triangle cable on their website and asked a Triangle dealer the price, discovering it was $4 a meter, and ordered ten meters.

The TC2250 is a simple ofc cable in a transparent blue jacket. This is fairly thick cable. The website says 2.5mm but doesn't specify whether that is area or diameter. I believe they mean diameter which makes it around 11 gauge. The cable is stranded and has an unusual geometry that I would call "roped rectangle". It's a flat cable but isn't as flat as a ribbon. The cable is extremely easy to strip and terminate. The Triangle is very flexible and quite attractive. The Triangle website also doesn't specify the insulation used on the cable but I suspect it is polyethylene.

I put the cable in my system and was surprised early on. This cable is very even handed. It presents the music easily and accurately across the spectrum. The cable is extremely neutral. You hardly know the cable is there and it is not a tone control.

I have a set of a dozen test CDs I use to evaluate equipment. This is music I thoroughly enjoy also. This cable passed every test I threw at it and I had fun testing it. This cable did a marvelous job of handling the dynamics of the first track of the movie soundtrack of Gladiator. The Triangle excelled at my tests for accuracy, tonal quality, and rhythmic grace. This cable can accurately reproduce a French horn.

At the time of this test, I was churning amps and owned four: Exposure 2010s, Alamarro 205 SEP, Harmon Kardon A300, Voice of Music 1448. Unlike most of the other cables, the Triangle was consistent between ss and tubes, tube SET (well it's a SEP) and push pull. The Triangle is a tad warm, but didn't become overly warm with the tube amplifiers. The detail and immediacy with the Almarro amp was stunning. I also borrowed a Naim 5i for a short period and the cable was able to generate the famous Naim PRAT very well.

After enjoying the cable for a few months, I decided to share my discovery with the ultimate skeptic: my 76 year old father. My father is a lifelong audiophile who used Rogers/Quad equipment for years. He is also cranky, difficult, and doesn't particularly like anything French (food, politicians, speakers). I bought my father the bi-wire version of the Triangle cable, TC4250, and set up a shotgun configuration for my father's current Linn/Naim/Proac system. My father called me a month later and said "you've been wrong about most things in your life but this is absolutely great cable". Since that time, I have shared the cable with five fellow audio addicts and all five have purchased it.

So - is this cable a giant killer? I believe so. Whether by accident or design, this is terrific cable to my ears. I have never heard Audience or Analysis Plus and would be curious if an owner of either could do a shoot off between them. I did have some Audio Note Lexus copper in the house six months ago and found that I still preferred the Triangle. The Lexus, by the way, is an excellent cable. After three years, I have no urge or temptation regarding speaker cable other than purchasing extra Triangle.

Note: The price three years ago for the Triangle was $4 per meter, $8 per meter for the biwire. I heard it has gone up at least 50% since then. The cable I own is blue and they also now make it in white. Also - this cable is easy to separate. You can buy the biwire and pull it apart for dual conductor. Pretty neat.

Product Weakness:	May be hard to find, dealer can't make much selling it
Product Strengths:	Neutrality, Accuracy, Ease of Termination, Flexibility, Price

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Exposure 2010s, Almarro 205, Harmon Kardon A300, Voice of Music 1448
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Rega Apollo, Project 1X
Speakers: Reynaud Twins, Shahinian Starters
Cables/Interconnects: Rega Couple, Van Den Hul Bay C5
Music Used (Genre/Selections): All
Room Size (LxWxH): 16 x 12 x 11
Room Comments/Treatments: Heavy carpet and drapes
Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Quiet line
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition): TV system is NAD 320BEE and B&W 602 S2

Amplifier:	Exposure 2010s, Almarro 205, Harmon Kardon A300, Voice of Music 1448
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Rega Apollo, Project 1X
Speakers:	Reynaud Twins, Shahinian Starters
Cables/Interconnects:	Rega Couple, Van Den Hul Bay C5
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	All
Room Size (LxWxH):	16 x 12 x 11
Room Comments/Treatments:	Heavy carpet and drapes
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Quiet line
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	TV system is NAD 320BEE and B&W 602 S2