Soundstage.com Review

First off, we want to thank Mack Khan over at Soundstage.com for doing such a thorough review of our cables. Of course we think the world of our stuff, but it is nice to have someone who is obviously so experienced with the subject of high-end audio put in his $.02. Here is a small expert of the review:

Sound
The first area where the Cobalt cables made a profound impression on me was their delivery of some "feel it in your gut" bass. I have always felt that my vinyl setup was lacking the punch that my digital playback delivers, but with the Cobalt cables in place, bass frequencies from LPs had startling weight.

Thus, it was immediately apparent that excellent cables can help bridge the gap between the analog and digital mediums. I spun Leonard CohenÂ’s Ten New Songs LP [Columbia Records 85953]. "By the River's Dark" is a hauntingly beautiful track, and it sounded stunning via the Cobalt cables, which delivered a rich, juicy sound. There was great silkiness to Leonard CohenÂ’s deep baritone as it hung suspended between and to the sides of my speakers. Not only was the sound holographic, but it was as plush as velvet. Still, voices were clearly understandable and had abundant detail. "The Tea Break," from the Sinatra at The Sands CD [Reprise 9 46947-2], is a monologue halfway through the performance. Amidst occasional lip smacking and tea sipping, Sinatra entertained the audience that evening in 1966, and it was all revealed with a fertile transparency. This sort of retrieval of delicate and subtle nuances makes a live recording especially involving.

The soundstage the Cobalt Ultimate cables cast was deep and wide, situating me mid-section of the auditorium. I did, however, detect a slight reduction in the upper midrange on a handful of recordings, but without any chestiness that can usually accompany it. This stole a bit of sparkle from bright recordings, such as the Dixie Chicks' Home LP [Columbia C 86852], making the performance sound a bit veiled on the whole. I would have preferred a slightly livelier presentation, especially on the string section, and with a little more bloom, but I am splitting hairs here. In general, the Ultimate cables' high frequencies were all there -- smooth, detailed, and without any harshness.

As mentioned, the bass was all there too. It was deep, clean and devoid of bloat. The kick drum in the opening segment of the EagleÂ’s Hotel California CD [Geffen GEFD-24725] came across with immense authority and impact, making the wood floors of my listening room rattle. Higher up, on "Shoo Fly DonÂ’t Bother Me" from the Bluesiana Triangle CD [Windham Hill, WD-0125], the drum sticks brushing the cymbals sounded absolutely sublime through the Ultimates. I detected no exaggeration or sibilance in the higher frequencies whatsoever. Had there been any, my Infinity speakers would have shamelessly revealed it.

As I began taxing my Odyssey power amp to insane volumes, there seemed very little deterioration in sound quality, albeit without any significant increase in loudness either, with the Ultimate interconnects and speaker cables in my system. As I passed the noon hour on the preampÂ’s potentiometer, compression did begin setting in, but the sound remained rich and coherent for the most part. It was as if the Ultimate speaker cables were preventing a catastrophe in the making. I have been known to feed enough distortion in the past to watch voice coils in speakers melt in front of me. Also, my Infinity speakers are not an easy load for amplifiers, even high-current ones, with steep variances in their impedance. Cobalt Cable touts their speaker wire as having the ability to prevent excessive movements of drivers at high volumes, and this proved to be no idle boast. My audiophile brethren with speakers of higher efficiency and uniform impedance should experience even better results.

Another area of excellence with the Cobalt cable was their ability to throw a very deep, believable soundstage. Live recordings sounded live, with a "you are there" quality to them. A great recording for this purpose is an Etta JamesÂ’s Live From San Francisco [On The Spot 01005-82125-2]. It is a close-miked recording of various remakes of famous blues, with healthy audience participation throughout the performance. It was uncanny the way the Ultimate cables captured James -- with thrilling three-dimensionality and precision. It was easy to follow her as she moved around on stage. On the Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall LP [Columbia C2S 826], the piano had powerful heft between each key strike with excellent rise and decay between notes. Everything hung suspended in my listening room.

The scale of the presentation was also impressive through the Cobalt cables. "Riverdance," from the Celtic Pride CD [Retro Music RIV00902], featuring the Irish Ceili Band, is a robust recording of the worldwide phenomenon with the same name, and it came through with tremendous impact, as did the crash of the crescendos on the opening segment of the "Mongolian Traditional song" from Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Journey CD [Sony Classical SK 89782]. I found myself listening to both of these albums in their entirety, relishing the ambience of their recording venues and the performance of the orchestras. That speaks volumes for Cobalt cables, as over the years I have amassed a fair number of CDs bought on a whim, only rarely to listen to them with much interest aftwards.

For the full review, please visit Soundstage.com.