For some, high-end after market interconnects and speaker cables seem to be no more than a simple math equation or nothing more than snake oil. And though cables are built around a scientific foundation, the hours of tweaking, listening, more tweaking, is where the cable goes from being mathematical to musical. But even after all the tweaking is done, and the cable is ready to market, the consumer, only has a cursory idea of how a cable will change the sound their own system. The point of this review is to not only give you a better understand of real world conditions, of how the WyWires cables sound, but I hope, since I think they are very good cables, you’ll take the time to audition a pair for yourself.
Alex Sventitsky, the man behind WyWires, designs his cable to help bring forth the natural sound of music in your system. Alex has spent years in the audio world, both as a listener to live and high-end system, and as a music enthusiast. Alex builds just about any kind of analog or digital audio cable you might need, including power cables. (Not covered in this review.) All the cables are built around the same principles, copper strands that are individually insulated with a special enamel, wrapped in cotton sleeves and twisted into a Litz geometrical pattern with PTFE Teflon tubes to protect and separate the conductor assemblies. Since cotton is mostly air, air is the primary dielectric. All cables are hermetically sealed to prevent corrosion to the copper and contamination of the cotton. All cables use Xhadow connectors, which are more conductive than the typical gold connector.
For the past six months I’ve had two very different systems in my home, and I’ve run the WyWire cables in both. The Zu Omen Def speakers combined with the Melody AN211 integrated amplifier system, created a big, brash, ridiculously liquid, American sound that won the heart of both my wife and I. It seemed that no matter what was playing, Tom Waits to Ratatat, this combination of equipment never lost our interest and left me constantly wanting more. More music, more volume, more fun and more bragging! The second system, Brodmann Festival Series speakers combined with the Mystere ia11 integrated amplifier system, created a sensual European finesse and a level of detail that tilted far too close to the realistic for the price of the speakers. A system that really shined with acoustic, blues, classical, opera recordings. I ran WyWires speaker and interconnect cables in both systems and I used the WyWires digital cable between the Electrocompaniet PC1 CD player and Audio Note DAC One Sig.
Interconnect
To better understand the change in sound the WyWires cables created, I’ll offer a little background on the cables I was using previous to the WyWires, and their sound. I had been using the Granite Audio #470 silver interconnects, or the Supra Sword interconnects, and the Supra Sword speaker cables. All very good cables at about the same price point as the WyWires, but with very different sonic attributes. Before I had the WyWires digital cable I tended to leave digital music on the shelf, or in the computer. I much preferred my flawed but wonderful sounding P3/24 with Cardas tone arm cable rewire, Sumiko Evo III Blue Point Special cartridge and Moon LP3 phono amplifier.
The Granite Audio #470 interconnects I’ve had now for a couple years, and they have been used in many systems. I feel I have a good fundamental understanding of how they will change the sound in any system. Typically I can count on them to widen the soundstage, increase the depth and add punch to the bass. They allow a lot of detail to make it from the source to the amplifier, and are generally a benefit to any system I’ve put them in. But occasionally the mid-range and bass can sound a little confused, or the bass can sound bigger than life. For instance, with the Brodmann FS speakers and Mystere ia11 integrated amplifier system, the Granite Audio #470 interconnects helped to intensify and deepen the bass, but unfortunately they added a bit of confusion to the mid-range. This made the already difficult-to-position Brodmann FS speakers more frustrating to listen to. The sounds stage never seems accurate, which lead hours of positioning and repositioning. When the Granite Audio #470 were used in the Zu Omen Def speakers and Melody AN211 integrated amplifier, bass deepened and the sound stage widened, but the image also suffered and drum reverberations seemed overly intense. For instance, the drum rolls at the end of track 2 on Sufjan Steven’s Illinois album, were exaggerated and fun, but not as they have sounded on many other systems.
The Supra Sword interconnects and speaker cables presented a radically different sound from that of the Granite Audio cables. First off, the top-end had much more sparkle and a slight metallic ring which made brass quite exciting. Secondly, instruments and singing formed with clearer individual distinction. In the Zu/Melody system, the extra sparkle and slight metallic tilt added to the already somewhat hot tweeters of the Omen Defs, had me looking for ways to dampen the tweeter. In both systems the mid-range and low end was too lean for my taste. For me. The gut feeling of the music was missing. So even though some issues were resolved, imaging, separation, even dynamics were better because the confusion was gone, but other issues came up. Unfortunately the Supra cables were returned before a good match was found. I have a feeling they would have been a better combination with the Trinity speakers I had in recently.
At this point I was looking for a set of cables that would retain the benefits of a clear, detailed, and article sound without compromising in other aspects. The WyWires arrived and I first installed them into the Brodmann/Mystere system. Alex pre-burns the cables for 50-hours so they are good to go right out of the box. Quickly I realized, that the WyWires in the Brodmann/Mystere system allowed instruments and vocals to be more independent of each other and all had better articulation. 3 dimensional imaging was better now that sounds could be more easily pinpointed. To tell you the truth, the WyWires helped the Brodmann FS speakers go from overpriced Euro speakers to something I no longer wanted to part with. I finally knew why Constantine had high praise for Brodmann speakers. Compared to the Supra Sword cables, in the same system, the WyWires provided much better bass and the sound held together as the volume was turned up.
In the Melody/Zu system the WyWires interconnects helped tamp down a bit of the aggressiveness coming from the super tweeter, but just slightly. They also increased the individual instruments and vocal articulation. The overall affect of the WyWires was to bring a more natural and effortless sound, rather than help rectify issues.
Speaker cables
A two-meter pair of WyWires speaker cables arrived with the interconnects and after the positive performance from those, my hand was hardly forced to try the speaker cables. The speaker cables are as meticulously and well built as the interconnects and their shinning black cover looked great going from amplifier to speakers. The speaker cables also use the same technology as the interconnects, copper wire in cotton in a Litz geometry. They have what appears to be magnets at each end, but those bulges are purely for aesthetics.
When the WyWires speaker cables arrived I also had in the Supra Sword speaker cables and the Zu Mission speaker cables. The Supra Sword cables are about the same price as the WyWires, and the Zu Mission cables came in just under half the price.
Between the three cables, the WyWires and Supra offer a very exacting soundstage, both allowed more detail to make it from the amplifier to the speaker, and both cables offered very good articulation and dynamics. While the Zu Mission cables are fair step above speaker cables from Monoprice, when compared to the WyWires and Supra cables, they just didn’t seem to keep up.
Between the WyWires and Supra Sword cables there was less a difference in sonic attributes and more a difference in sonic character. The WyWires cables offered a more natural sound and three-dimensional imaging. The Supra Sword speaker cables had a more astringent, cleaner, and aggressive flavoring. Similar to the difference in a Belgian ale versus a California hopped IPA. While both are very good, and no matter how many Belgium ales I drink, a standard IPA will always be more of a comfort, more natural, beer. And that is how the WyWires sound to my ears. They just offer a whole hearted more natural sound that allows for all the frequencies to come through without over emphasizing or distorting.
Digital cable
Usually I see 16-bit digital audio as a necessary evil. For better or worse I tend to prefer vinyl. Even at the sub-$5,000 price point, I’d rather have a $5,000 analog turnable (AN-T2 anybody?), cartridge, phono amp combo, than a $20,000 CD Player. No I’m not insane, nor do I need my ears examined. It is just what I prefer to listen to. But I’ve not been spinning that much vinyl since Alex was nice enough to let me use his new digital cable. I’ll be honest. At first I was hesitant. But the WyWires digital cable, for me, has actually been the best thing I’ve heard (at a reasonable price point) in digital audio, in a long time. Sure the DaVinciAudio DAC, at standard 16-bit, is outstanding. But it is also thirty-two thousand dollars, or something outrageous like that. The PS Audio Transport and DAC, at 24-bit, sounds great, but at $10k, I’d rather spend that on a full blown analog only system. So with sever reservation and not much expectation, I put in the Audio Note DAC One Sig, connected in the Granite Audio interconnects, the last interconnects I used the DAC with, queued up a track, and was floored. Now I can’t let go. The harsh in-your-face sound, the flat Hollywood character sound, is gone. Replaced by formed three-dimensional, distinctly articulated, and granular level detail, music. Now please don’t get me wrong, the cable can’t possibly turn swine into pearls. But if you are looking to add liveliness and the ever ethereal “musicality” to your digital system, the WyWires digital cable comes highly recommended.
Conclusion
The WyWires cables I’ve had in for review have done everything I’d want cables to do. They helped maintain the focus and detail of the system, they helped pass the detail and articulation of the equipment they are connecting, and the digital cable above the rest, has really made helped me to see past the medium divide.
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