Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Unity Audio Link Cable by Kamigo

Model:	Link
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$99
Description:	11 AWG OFC cooper speaker cables, 8 ft pair
Manufacturer URL:	Unity Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by Kamigo ( A ) on May 28, 2005 at 13:07:35
IP Address: 209.90.145.5

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I'll start by stating that going into this review of the Unity speaker cables, I had a firm bias in favour of the incumbent speaker cables in my system, the PS Audio XstreamPlus. The 11 awg Unity cables, I thought, would be no match for the 5 times more expensive floor snakes that are the PS cables.

I came into the Unity cables when I bought a turntable cart from OZ Enterprises, which makes and markets the Unity brand of cables and speakers. Omer, the proprietor, offered to loan a set a Link cables when he learned that I used the PS Audio cables. As a former PS dealer, he was keen to have me compare his cables to the major brand.

The music I selected for this review offers what I think are challenges to speaker cables. Here's what I used (all CD):

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (2001 release)

Holst: The Planets, Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Mars)

Jazz at the Pawnshop, (Lady be Good)

U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Vertigo)

There are things I listen for in each of these selections that are markers, or maybe signposts. The degree to which I can hear these things, and the quality of their reproduction, make up a big part of what makes these pieces enjoyable to me.

Kind of Blue is easily my favourite recording of all time. I still can't believe that the recording is almost 50 years old. Despite the constant tape hiss of this recording, I think it's still very detailed and has a lot of subtleties. Some speaker cables really mess up the opening bass part when a number of notes are played in rapid succession just before the trumpet begins. On a lesser cable, this part sounds hopelessly jumbled, with the resonances of the lower notes masking the higher notes. The PS cable handles this part well but, to my amazement, the Unity Link reproduced the passage more clearly than I've ever heard it. Where the PS Xstreamplus was a little boomy, the Unity Link was tight.

Of course I don't just listen to the bass at the start of the track. Bill Evans' piano emerged from the background and held its own in the left speaker. Piano, I think, is very tough for CDs to do well, but on the Unity cable it sounded quite nice - not tinny, no sibilance and with a nice degree of detail. The air around each instrument was readily apparent - more so than with the PS cables - but the ride cymbal came across as a bit flat, but also had less ring than with the PS cable. Miles Davis' muted trumpet sounded a little less crisp on the Unity cables than on the PS.

In the mids and upper bass the Unity cable has the PS cable beat. Sax sounds superb, upper bass notes are clear and articulate without any hint of boominess or excess bloom. It's probably this mids friendliness that makes the Unity cable sound very balanced overall, with no part of the frequency scale getting more attention than it deserves.

The Montreal Symphony's Holst recording is done at a much lower level than normal. I'm not sure why this is, but it does sound fantastic. I should note hear that all music was listened to at the same volume level, irrespective of the recording level.

Mars opens with a mass of violins being quickly strummed (if that's the correct word) with the bows bouncing off the strings ever so slightly to give the violins a percussive effect. As the piece continues a mass of brass instruments sweeps in, combined with a massive organ and timpani. The "tap tap tap" of the violins sounded amazing with the Unity cables and gave the piece more immediacy than I'd heard previously. The brass was raspier than I've heard and, combined with the strong low bass and violins, offered up the effect that Holst intended with Mars. It was written as an anti-war piece and was said to have deeply affected veterans who heard it. For the first time I GET IT. Mars has never sounded more powerful than on these inexpensive Unity cables. Everything about the piece was rendered in a tight and crisp fashion - it was militaristic and artistic at the same time. Also, for the first time, I found my foot tapping to the beat.

Jazz at the Pawnshop either sounds great or terrible. It's a technically fantastic recording that captures the music, AND the bar where it's being played, in exquisite detail. My two previous cables, Kimber 4PR and the PS Audio XstreamPlus, did well with most of the recording but on the vibraphone they lost it. The ringing I could hear off that thing made the CD one that was only ever played at low level, usually as background music. Low and behold, on the Unity cable there's no ring! This CD set is going back in the rotation.

Another very neat quality that the Unity cable brought forth was the height of the cymbals. Ride cymbals in particular seemed to float like a shimmering cloud over the rest of the music. What a cool effect. I don't know how they pulled that off recording with only 2 microphones.

The final test involved a fast paced hard rocking number. Vertigo is a great piece, and I would suspect it'll be one of this summer's favourite driving tunes. The song doesn't start so much as it EXPLODES, which I found left the PS cable a little behind. The Unity handled the surge of power without missing a beat, and did a great job on the Edge's muted strums during the verses -kwack a kwacka kwacka kwack - very crisp. The bass guitar was lost in the background with the PS cables where with the Unity it was discernable.

Comparing and contrasting the Unity Link and the PS Audio XstreamPlus, I'd have to say that the Unity cable is crisp (there's that word again, but it's true), detailed, fast and holds its own in the bass department (despite the PS cable's 8 awg size). It's also very neutral. The PS cable is powerful, has tons of bass and is friendlier to the upper treble range.

Price wise, the Unity cable absolutely smokes the PS cable, at $99 and $499 respectively. Of course the PS cable has a higher level of finish, including twist-on spades and bananas, rubber cable clamps (for want of a better term) which I presume are for looks and microphonics, and a pretty velvet bag. The Unity cables are attractive if utilitarian: they're speaker cables, not jewelry. My samples came with what I believe are crimped Vampire spades at both ends. The cables are sheathed in an unusual and attractive silver and black mesh.

You can probably guess that I'm very impressed with the Unity cables. If these cables arenâ€™t the bargain of 2005, I donâ€™t know what is.

Product Weakness: Comes up a little short in the uppermost treble. These would be a great match for overperforming tweeters, such as the ones in my AN speakers, or systems that employ a lot of silver in the signal path.
Product Strengths: Balanced sound, very nice mids, surprisingly good bass for a smallish gauge cable, excellent price

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Audio Note Kit 2 KT88 x 2 SET
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Integrated
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Heavily tweaked NAD C521i / Audio Note Kits DAC 1.1 (tweaked)
Speakers:	Audio Note Speaker Kit 2 (aka AN-E/L)
Cables/Interconnects:	DH Labs D-75 digital cable CDP to DAC, Audio AN-V silver DAC to amp
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz / Classical / Rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 x 12 x 9
Room Comments/Treatments:	None - mostly hard wood and area rugs
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week of heavy listening
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Risch design DIY filter on DAC and CDP
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

Product Weakness:	Comes up a little short in the uppermost treble. These would be a great match for overperforming tweeters, such as the ones in my AN speakers, or systems that employ a lot of silver in the signal path.
Product Strengths:	Balanced sound, very nice mids, surprisingly good bass for a smallish gauge cable, excellent price