'Sonic Art' High
Definition Audio Cable
"Extra Transparency Right Through My Audio
System, Actual Tonal Textures of Different Vocals and Acoustic Musical
Instruments Have Greater Accuracy in their Tonality"
A personal assessment by
Alphonso Soosay
Audio Recording Engineer,
/ Musician
Preamble:
Serious Hi-Fi and Home Theatre
is not just about listening and watching movies. It’s about experiencing
today’s digital picture and sound. Achieving the best possible picture and
sound means using the most advanced highest definition cable. Good cables
actually tells the story of your high quality playback source, and I am sure
anyone will want to hear that real and full story of what they have paid for.
"The value of their audio and playback source".
First Impressions:
First impressions are very
favourable. Sonic Art cables are beautifully built and quality finished, the
company’s attention to detail is obvious from a quick inspection of the
interconnect and speaker cables.
I have always been searching for
that missing ingredient to improve my system and I have tried quite a number of
different speaker cables and interconnect cables over the years ECT. Monster /
Ultra Sonic / QED / Neoteric / TMC / MIT and Nordost. My previous investment
was last year when I purchased the "Straightwire" flat, a copper
cable. Now, after using this new Sonic-Art cable, I find it’s superior to
everything so far I have tried and it truly makes a difference to my audio
system.
Note: This was completely noticed after the 8th day of
burning-in and test. There was more transparency from my audio system; actual tonal
textures of different acoustic musical instruments had greater accuracy in its
tonality.
As an audio recording engineer,
I believe this is because, the arrival point of time at various high
frequencies, mid and low frequencies were as even as possible. "Sonic
Art" has now become part of my high performance Hi-Fi System.
This review is written not to
compare which is a better cable but to highlight its performance and express
its feelings at the time of listening, and at different times of daily review
stage of the six weeks.
Some of you must have read
reviews of Sonic Art cables in i-Audio magazine
Technical Investigation:
Cables look like a very simple
thing, actually it is the important cord to a successful audio system. To
create a really good audio cable a manufacturer has to go through all the
necessary characteristics to begin with. Including the Geometry, choice of
conductors (silver / copper combination), choice of dielectrics, the wire and
shielding configuration and many more, obviously all this reflects at a higher
cost.
I have spent six weeks almost
every evening, listening, writing, re-listening, reflecting and re-writing this
review. While doing this and listening on pure direct mode, I became
increasingly aware of the returning images, with this CD 'A touch of Sonic
Madness', they were almost holographically accurate.
The Difficult Chore:
Reviewing cables is not as much
fun as reviewing Hi-Fi speaker system, Stereo amplifiers or Multi-channel
amplifiers. Cables simply don’t have that meat and bone factor as a system
component, it’s a chore, and only a straightforward simple connection between
outputs to input of components. That’s why testing cables is one of the most
difficult chores and the least liked.
I enjoyed it because it was a
challenge for me, although it took lots of my time but I have gained more knowledge
and understanding of audio information through cables.
This Sonic Art cable analysis
started off with a wide-range burning-in session producing some satisfying
results within 8 days.
The Burning-in Process
Set-up:
What was used as I kicked off
the Burn-in Process and Test:
Burning-in audio cable is one of
the most important tasks reviewers undertake, as only when the cable is
burnt-in, can reviewers render a valid evaluation. Of course, the same applies
to other users, customers and retailers. This burning-in procedure is known to
most people who work in the electronic business as running in period for the
dielectrics to stabilise.
When it comes to audio cables,
the burning-in period varies between 50 hours to about 100 hours of daily use.
Quality cables seem to burn-in quicker. With this new set of Sonic Art cables
it took about 50 hours to burn-in, about 8 days at 7 hours per day of use. On
the 8th day, both of this new Sonic Art cable had completed the
burning-in process. CD playback result was instantly heard with my acoustic
instruments test disc. What fascinated me first was the incredible proximity of
the sound, It was instantaneous and full of life, and literally made me gasp. I
also realised that the tonality was consistently balanced across the frequency
spectrum. Overall, it created lower noise, less distortion, higher and wider
bandwidth and faster transmission speed. Real Time Spectrum Analyser was also
used to monitor every stage of the test. At this stage, Sonic Art cables
reached its full cable performance and in total, it did required 50 hours of
burning-in time with my method. I noted that Sonic Art cables has to run in the
direction of the current flow as indicated on the cable.
Review Process:
Listening to CD’s, had that
little extra silkiness to an extend that the highs, mid & low frequencies
appeared to have a uniform speed and arrival time, what this means is that, it
was producing a much more stable performance over the entire bandwidth,
particularly listening to well recorded recordings. Listening to "Steely
Dan" and "Eagles" the Bass was punchy and surprisingly weighty,
acoustic Snare and kick-Drum thumped with a gusty clean realism. Acoustic
guitars had improved transparent mid-range. Acoustic Piano had timbre accuracy
and vocals were expressive and well projected.
The most excellent burnt-in
audio cable actually acts as a reliable means of access for sonic signals to
travel, with razor sharp speed, from one audio source to another.
On the 10th day,
I noticed the extra silence from the speakers, this was done with my ears up
against my Marble NOrh speakers (Scanspeak Components) with no music playback.
With previous cables used I did notice very low hissing sound, now with this
Sonic Art cables its like the audio system was not switched on at all. This is
great news.
So I decided to listen to
classical music, the instrumental definition and separation came as a greeting
offer. The Sonic Art cables created a sound fairness to classical music.
Last night, 3rd
week I played back some acoustic Piano pieces from "Chesky’s"
SACD. It was a sensational change as I could hear that richness of acoustic
musical instrument. I sat on my sofa (sweet spot) and I could visualise the
Piano in front of me as I could hear that placement of the Piano notes within
the soundstage. For example, the higher notes were just to the right, the
mid-range notes more to the centre and just to the left, the lower octave notes
to the left as they were placed on the Piano. The Piano sounded smooth, very
realistic and natural, especially the lower mid-range down to the lowest Bass
notes. Every note from the lowest octave, to the highest octave were smooth and
in perfect balance.
The following day I was
listening to this new talent from
With Sony SACD player used, I
could hear the difference from CD’s and SACD’s, it was significantly more
obvious, what transpired from Sonic Art cable was the purest full frequency
output. Vocals were extremely expressive and well projected. It also improved
the sense of openness. Bass guitar was effective and surprisingly deep.
Acoustic Piano had timbrel accuracy. The dynamic range had that extra clarity.
In whole it allowed ultra sonic frequencies of new digital formats to be
delivered with accuracy.
With Jazz music, the mid-range
was more balanced as there was a better bite to acoustic guitar and acoustic
drums. The result is a vastly improved listening experience that allowed me to
hear my audio equipment as it was meant to perform.
At the time of this test a
friend was with me, he could not help but be surprised how the switching of a
cable brought new life to my system. This evening, I am looking forward to
listen for more accurate acoustic sounds of music with my audio system at home.
Sonic Art Cable Hook-Up:
Interconnect cables were connected between my Sony DVD /SACD,
and an integrated Denon amplifier AVC-A1 SR, then Sony CD player with Denon
Pre-amp with mono block power amplifiers.
Speaker cables were connected between power amplifiers
and speakers. Three different types of power amplifier were used for the test. "Denon"
170 watts (RMS) power amplifier / "Le Amp" mono block 100 watts (RMS)
power amplifier / and a borrowed "Audio Lab" 8000A 200 watts (RMS)
power amplifier with "N0rh" Marble 9.0 speakers, I also tried the middle
size "N0rh" Ceramic 4.0 speakers for the test. Both the speakers seem
to tell the story.
Smart Combinations:
The cable making industry is
full of smart first impression designs that look better than they should sound,
and for a moment I wondered whether this Sonic Art cable was just another 'look
good' Gimmick. I must say that the results of Sonic Art cables were surprising.
In terms of Technology and Engineering, it is the state of the art cable.
Generally, audio recording engineers, are given a chance to audition new
cables, and while high-quality cable housings do matter, one has to consider
other important key factors. Factors such as the combination of copper/silver
and its formation, the design, quality of dielectric used, type of engineered
conductor that keeps the eddy current to a minimum, balance of resistance and
capacitance, Plating process and others.
The Plan:
6 weeks ago I personally
received Interconnects, & Speaker cables from the owner of Sonic Art for me
to test with my audio system. They looked great, impressive, so the following
day I replaced my "Flat-line" with Sonic Art Silver Line
Interconnects & EBONY speaker cables. To my surprise I found the cables
to be a little unkind, I could hear distortion at high levels, within the 10kHz
area. I knew where the problem was, so I started with my burning-in sessions
straightaway.
Within 8 days (50 hours) after
the burning-in session was completed. What a surprise, I noticed no more
noticeable distortion at high frequencies, Bass was warmer and full bodied,
smoother higher bandwidth, and faster transmission.
It was so transparent that
sometimes I begin to hear the limitations of some of the components in my
system. In other words it actually hides nothing. Even when playing various
normal CD’s I could hear the difference so clearly. I am thrilled with the
improvements over what was a much more expensive cable. In actual fact it was a
great deal clearer and cleaner. It improved the sense of forwardness and
without any loss of the crucial mid-range frequencies.
Looks like Sonic Art is the kind
of cable component that other cable manufacturers will dread and 'Hi-Fi' men
will have need of.
Quality Engineering:
After running it through several
tests, (after burn-in periods) I concluded that Sonic Art must be using the
latest technology in cable engineering, this is because it delivers a superior,
balanced frequency sound reproduction quality. It has the capability to create
all of the tonal quantity of the final mix. In other words, this cable closely
reproduces original waveforms, producing a clearer, more natural sound that
captures the musical tones and emotional impact of the source material with
outstanding realism. It portrayed such a neutral, yet detailed sound balanced
presentation that I just sat back and enjoyed the music and all that special
dynamic effects on CD’s, SACD’s and DVD’s.
Music Experience:
While listening to SACD music
and DVD live music concerts, I must declare that it was a musical experience.
It was smooth and sweet sounding which any audiophile will love. While sitting in
my Home Theatre / Music Room I could feel as though I was in the front row of a
Live Concert performance, or sitting in the Multi-Channel Recording studio
control room listening to the final mix. I could feel the lowest low
frequencies and hear the highest high frequencies of various musical
instruments, also, backing singers and lead vocals of female and male sounded
very clean and detailed as if they were right in front of me. Check out
"Steely Dan", "Eagles", "Diana Krall" and
"Bee Gees" on DVD. Aaron Neville, Michael Buble, and many more on CD.
Just for your information. I
must say that, Hi-Fi, Home Theatre, Multi-Channel Recording Studio, TV Studios
and Live Reinforcement music industry have been waiting for this kind of
significantly upgraded cable technology. Technology which not only provides
finer and more faithful sound reproduction at home, but also helps with a more
accurate monitoring situation in Multi-channel Recording studios, & TV
studio’s all over the world.
Home Theatre Experience:
With live music concerts similar
to "Eagles", "Steely Dan", "Bee Gees" and
watching action "DVD Movies". The centre speaker managed to fill the
centre sound space almost flawlessly. It exhilarated with better details of
vocals, dialogue and musical instruments. I could hear that lifelike sparkle
with every shattering glass, It appeared to have that uniformed full-range
frequency, speed of arrival time, It means that, it produces a much more stable
performance over the entire bandwidth and is very clean. The top end was bright
and open with imaging comparable with expensive imported cables at twice the
price.
While watching action-packed DVD
movies, this Sonic Art cable exhibited better audio clarity without that sense
of harshness or brittleness. As the movie progressed I came to appreciate just
how smooth and clean this set of cables were. It was like being in the Cinema.
This thrilled me with excitement of home theatre experience. It was simply
amazing to hear when something as simple as a cable can limit or change how
well a good system can perform. A good contrast between these Sonic Art cables
and others anywhere near their price range is an eye opener for the music
industry.
Approach:
Experienced reviewers approach
all new products with skepticism until tested. That’s because there is too many
brands on the market that claim that their latest cables are the best.
Experienced readers are aware
that products don’t always perform as well as the marketing agency’s
advertising-writers would have us believe.
Less experienced individuals may
accept advertising-writers review, this is because they are less experience,
and have no idea what to look for. But that’s the chance they take. Do they
have a choice? Yes, they can check out reviews with Hi-Fi & Home Theatre
magazine’s also they could review and see for themselves the cables at their
local Hi-Fi and Home Theatre suppliers.
Analyse Sonic Art:
From day one, I used my Real
Time Spectrum Analyser to conduct various frequency analyses through filters of
single octave and level checks in dB. This was helpful.
I also made use of my two God
given responsive device, which are everlastingly attached to the sides of my
head, to see if this new Sonic Art cable lives up to my expectations. This
process is called observation and it is the cornerstone of science. Information
gathered by assessment is known as practical evidence.
The opinions expressed about
sound quality are mine alone and may be useful as a listening guide, but you
should listen for yourself and make up your own minds about the accuracy of
this new design cables and its quality of this type in the audio market.
Test:
I linked the Sonic Art Silver
analogue interconnect cable through my audio system, this was between my
"Sony" DVD / SACD player / Sony CD player and "Denon"
AVC-A1 SR. The following day I only used the pre-amp of the "Denon"
AVC-A1 SR and then, all the way through my "Le Amp" mono-block power
amplifier, using the "Sonic Art" Ebony 8 core speaker cables connected
to my "N0rh" marble 9.0 speakers. (Scanspeak Components)
On the 4th week
of everyday meting out my audio system using different formats (CD, SACD, DVD,
DAT, VHS and Cassette) as playback sources, I noticed that the imaging was
outstanding, which suggest excellent phase response. The images were life-size
and not volume dependent. These Sonic Art cables have a very good focus and
great depth of field. The speed, bass impact and dynamics exceeded what I
thought my system was capable of.
There are other ways to hear
what the Sonic Art cables did. Firstly I chose a full range male voice of John
Farnham and Michael Buble and listened while switching the two interconnects in
and out. With Sonic Art the voices were always firmer, better defined
harmonically and spatially, and easier to distinguish musically. Secondly to
appreciate the Sonic Art cable was to listen to music of great size and
complexity, such as Richard Strauss "Don Quixote" OP 35. Much
improved details were heard, hearing more of what was going on within the
orchestra. I was stirred by this listening session; I also noticed that the
audible improvements were proportional in receiving frequencies.
Switching to the Sonic Art
cables was like switching from a decent 100watt amp to a 200watt noticeably
brighter with a punch. In terms of dynamics and presentation, everything just
opened up and came alive.
On the 6th week,
my predictable analysis says, Sonic Art cables created performance better than
some of the more expensive cables in which I have tested in previous years.
Music Listening Session:
It took time to set-up a cable
comparison system, with all that shifting, fiddle, connecting, shifting and
reconnecting, to me it was really worth all that time taken. The results of my
lengthy cable auditions were, cleaner and more forward presentation, sounded
like levels were about 2 dB higher, crisper highs, Bass was tight and fast and
also a more close proximity wider mid-range. I was taken back as I played back
track after track, trying to pinpoint my preference with various popular
Singers and Jazz Artists. On the other hand, playing recordings that were on
the warm side of neutral gave a more listeners experience. Then the following
day, playing back the "Beatles" recordings really captured the early
60’s sound quality of recordings. The CD’s had a serious vocal presence when
played through the Marble N0rh Speakers, but the "Sonic Art" cables
lifted the entire experience to a more enjoyable level. Early singers like
Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Shirley Bassey’s, Tom Jones, and
even John Farnham’s voice had that much more breath. This was definitely a
point for "Sonic Art" cables, playing through the Sony DVD/CD/ SACD
player.
I also tested the borrowed
Pioneer DVD SACD at the equivalence, the idea was to see if there was any
difference in sound qualities, and to my surprise the Pioneer sounded
comparable to the Sony when playing back CD’s & SACD’s. The explanation of
this is, the Pioneer DVD player uses the same Sony chip set to decode DSD material.
This Sonic Art cable was indeed
very obvious in my listening tests. High, Mid and Bass control was remarkable
as the cable took complete command of the speakers.
Listening to Christopher Rouse,
"Percussion Ensemble" a feast of drums, each of the musical
instruments possessing its own unique signature, the speed with which they
present their attack and just as important the way the sounds decay back to
silence. Purely stunning to listen to.
On my listening review, I used
the direct-mode, Stereo and Multi-channel music recordings to evaluate the
sound of the cables. I also listened to, and watched a variety of Movies and
Live Concerts with this Sonic Art cable as the supply link from DVD player to
my Denon AVC-A1 SR amplifier and then to my marble N0rh speakers (Scanspeak
drivers). It performed brilliantly in every situation.
There was a sense of clarity and
ease to the natural sounds that other cables could not quite match. The sound
was smooth and musical up to the very highest levels whether listening to music
CD, watching action Movies or Live Concerts with DVD.
On my 30th day of
listening, Sonic Art cables created the truth of timbre with Acoustic Drums.
The world's best drummer will sound dreadful, if your audio system is not up to
a standard, which enables you to hear each strike on the drum skins. Being an
ex-drummer, I could hear the way the sound of different drums decay within the
drum-shell, and also having the sense of hearing the poles apart timbres of the
various drums. There was a great deal of dynamic power contained within this
wide bandwidth. It allowed ultra sonic frequencies of new Digital format such
as SACD and DVD-A to be delivered with precision.
Value:
When using other popular cables
in this price range it fashioned good quality sound for the money. But Sonic
Art provided that little more of everything for a little less money spent. The
overall music difference was, improved sense of openness, I could hear certain
low-level of musical instruments in the mix (more detail) that was missing on
previous cable tests. I also noticed it allowed my Denon audio system, to
breathe life into my N0rh marble speakers better.
Good cables make a great
difference, don’t let anyone fool you. The trick is finding a cable that fits
your system without costing twice your front end. I listen frequently to Jazz,
Pop, Country Rock, Acoustic Fusion, some Acid Jazz, Rock and Classical at
times, so acoustic presentation, truth of timbre, and clarity is vital. Vocals
were also surprisingly accurate. I get to hear all of this with the help of
using Sonic Art. Interconnect and speaker cables, it has really helped me to
show off my high quality audio system.
One thing is for sure, anyone
who claims that cables are just cables should seriously listen to Sonic Art.
The differences can be quite startling. These cables produced a clean, strong
deep Bass with nice airy highs. These are reasonably priced, and the type of
cables I would use, Sonic Art is highly recommended to anyone who loves their
CD music, DVD live concerts and DVD movies. This cable was amazing, the low-end
frequency was sure deeper, richer with tighter tonal clarity. The mid-range was
outstanding. I could hear more detail, never heard before on my audio system.
The high-end frequencies extended more than ever before and what pure, nice
airy highs. My main speakers have never sounded so superb before. Certainly my
audio system is a modest one by most audio standards, but the performance was
improved further by using high quality interconnect and audio speaker cables.
Centre Channel:
The centre channel speaker is to
provide good imaging and accurate sound localisation. It is also the most
important loudspeaker in anyone’s home theatre system. It must reproduce
vocals, dialogue and other complex music information accurately. The Sonic Art
cables presented it superbly with improved presence, dialogue strides through
smoother and accurately locked to my big screen. It also improved the sense of
openness. The other thing that impressed me most was the dynamics. Transients
came across with speed and punch whenever the music demanded.
The centre channel speaker
should be of a higher sonic quality or at least as good as your front speakers.
Sonic Art delivered that cinematic sound in a creditable way, even on certain
mixes when it got complex, the Sonic Art managed to stay composed and in
control. My centre speaker managed to fill the centre sound space almost
flawlessly. Details like the sound of air-bubbles from the sinking vessel
"Titanic" were expertly resolves with warmness and plenty of punch.
Dialogue was projected in such a
way that individual words were clearer in their direction and that the right
emphasis was placed on dialogue where voices on DVD were modulated. Again it
did a superb job of locking the dialogue to the act on my big screen.
With music, "Blues
Company" had some terrific harmonies, interesting to hear the way my
system resolves that massed voices. I could actually distinguish from one voice
to another.
You don’t have to look at
expensive imported cables for that right answer. There is no shortage of
Australian made cables of world class.
Sonic Art seem to sound great
with Classical music, proving it’s capability of presenting complicated works
by massed orchestras, with presence and clean dynamics. I personally feel it is
really important to sense that realistic musicality.
Verdict:
Improvement in the sound field
was noticed with the 'switching of cables' test. Sonic Art had that great
overall feel of a logical sound field.
For most individuals, buying
their initial Sonic Art cables can be a life changing experience. As they will
get pleasure from knowing that their complete audio system has been engineered
to achieve best possible performance, free from compatibility problems.
Looking at Sonic Art’s web-page
you will also discover pleasure from knowing that Sonic Art is a company of
individuals who care about both the design and construction of their products,
while sharing their love of music with the world. It looks like the history of
Sonic Art is of technical achievement in the field of audio cable reproduction,
it has transmitted benefits of many years of knowledge and experience in
professional audio and industrial products, to the business of making the most
accurate interconnect and speaker audio cables. Give them a try and you won’t
regret it.
After the burning-in process, I
have no criticism to this Sonic Art audible performance. It is relatively
simple to set up and use, and once configured (in the direction of current
flow), the silver-line inter-connects should be left permanently in any pre-amp
and power-amp link, also the Ebony speaker cables locked to the speakers in
use.
It was interesting to hear the
change in sounds week after week's review. Now, its time to end this review, as
I believe that this Sonic Art cable has reached its entire performance.
My Analysis for Sonic Art
Cable designer:
After all that burn-in, test and
listening sessions for the past six weeks, I must say that your cables were
just smoother, and more wide-ranging in the overall frequencies while at the
same time having more punch, (deepness and solidness) in the low-mids and Bass.
Also, it was easier to listen to your cables at very high volumes (90 to 95 dB)
and for longer periods without feeling fatigue. This was when listening to Dave
Matthews band "Crash". As the sixth week came, I noticed that my
audio system was even warmer, relaxed when needed with DVD live concerts and
clean, forcefulness when needed with DVD ‘DTS’ action pack movies. I was also
able to playback all kinds of CD music from Jazz, Pop, Acid Jazz Rock, Country
& Western, Classical’s and even Heavy-metal Rock. One thing was very
noticeable. It made whichever component it was connected to sound more
accurate, lively, involving and more positive of itself. In actual fact, now Sonic
Art sounds to me like a Hybrid cable design that gives all the benefits of
silver (dynamic high frequencies) and all of the benefits of copper (deep,
tight Bass response). Your audio cables seem to allow SACD music through with
deep, sparkling dynamics; I am also impressed with the accurate Bass frequency
reproduction.
The dynamic range and extra
clarity generated by Sonic-Art Silver-analogue interconnect and Ebony
8-core speaker cables was a remarkable achievement. It’s a state-of-the-art
cable for any person who wants the best in audio, they will experience a level
that not a lot of cables can offer and made in
Set-up:
Audio cables tested in this
review were:
1) Sonic Art Silver
Analogue Interconnect.
2) Sonic Art Ebony 8-core
speaker cables.
For enquires go online, www.sonicartaudio.com
Associated audio equipment
used:
1) "Denon" AVC-A1 SR,
170 watts (RMS) per channel.
2) "Le Amp" Mono block
100 watts (RMS) power amp.
3) "Audio Lab" 8000A,
200 watts (RMS) per channel power amp.
4) "Sony" DVD/SACD
player.
5) "Pioneer" DVD/SACD
player.
6) "Sony" CD player.
7) "Sony" DAT player.
8) "Sony" Cassette
player.
9) "Panasonic" Hi-Fi,
S-Vhs recorder.
10) "N0rh" Marble 9.0
speakers. (Scanspeak Components).
11) "N0rh" Ceramic 4.0
speakers (Vifa Components).
Alphonso Soosay
Audio Recording Engineer /
Musician.