Writing for Srajan Ebaen’s online audio high-end magazine 6Moons, Frederic Beudot identifies why enthusiasts have found Slinkylinks the purist’s reference standard. An excerpt:
When describing the Slinkylinks signature sound — or as I am more and more inclined to say, its lack thereof — the focus has to be put on the midrange. To put it plain and simple, it is the most natural I have ever heard. Period. The Zus are great in that register but the Slinkylinks just seem to remove a few veils that were obscuring the music until their arrival. The result on discs with a tremendous vocal presence like Leonard Cohen’s Ten New Songs [Columbia 501202-2] is a feeling of closeness and intimacy with the singer that I had never experienced. In “Here it is” the chorus voices are both clearly delineated while at times blending with Cohen’s own in a fashion reminiscent of what one would expect in a small and intimate concert room. The signature sound of these cables is not what it does to the music but what it does to the listener – a very close encounter with the recording event, a level of detail and lack of distortion that just translate into an admirably true to life listening experience. Leonard Cohen’s deep voice came through unfiltered and each lip parting could be heard very clearly and so was a slight vibrato deep in his chest that I did not know was even there.
Because of this level of micro-detail reproduction, soundstaging also was of the highest quality, with a lot of ambient cues, well positioned and stable (the SQ12 CD player among all its qualities is a soundstaging giant and makes it easy to detect small differences in cables and if anything, the Slinkylinks helped refine and solidify this already outstanding trait).
There’s much more at the link.
One of these days I’m going to have to write about why I went looking for a cable like this…
Meanwhile, I’ll post some reviews. Yes, I’m a Slinkylinks importer/dealer and I use ‘em myself.
In a follow-on opinion to his previous review, John E. Johnson tries out the Slinkylinks speaker cables. This enlightening review includes measurements proving just how non-reactive Slinkylinks really are. It’s this ultra-low reactance that lends these special silver-in-air cables their organic, honest sound. If you demand nothing stand between you and your music, these wires deserve your attention.
“I turned on the hi-fi system one evening after putting in the Slinkylinks speaker cables (that was the only change), put on some classical music, and began some listening while my wife was reading next to me. This was the first time she had heard the system since I put in the Slinkylinks (I do listening tests during the day by myself for the most part). She did not know I had added anything, but immediately pointed out the increased detail and asked what I had changed in the system.
[...]
“Notice that the Slinkylinks have lower capacitance and inductance than the other cables. This is a good thing. The lower the better. The general trend in thinking is that it is better to have low capacitance for interconnects, while for speaker cables, it is better to have lower inductance. The Slinkylinks are low for both factors.
[...]
“Slinkylinks have a more obvious difference that probably just about anyone would be able to hear.
The principle of design minimalism in extreme audio engineering is a familiar one to audiophiles and music lovers. Perhaps nowhere in ultra-fi is this principle more notable than in special silver-in-air audio cables from names like Slinkylinks. With roots in the international DIY ultra-fi circle, the silver monofilament suspended in air delivers measurably ultra-low reactance and the neutral, deeply authentic sound purists crave.
From Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity comes an exciting and illuminating review on Slinkylinks, indicating just how “gone” these special wires really are. John E. Johnson:
“Slinkylinks takes a very simple approach: (1) Use silver as the conductor. Silver is a better (about 7% better) conductor than copper, and although they both oxidize, copper oxide is non-conductive while silver oxide is a very good conductor (e.g., silver oxide batteries); (2) Keep the conductors very thin. This minimizes the skin effect. In the case of the Slinkys, the conductors are only 0.25mm thick (250µ), which is about the size of a human hair.
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“Proper use of physics, and innovative minds, have come up with a real winner in the Slinkylinks cable designs. They sound great and are relatively inexpensive for something that works so well and contains precious metals. Audio Insider has a money back guarantee, so these are well worth trying out in your own system.”
John kept the review cables.
