Cables

Edwin Rynveld, Siltech’s CEO, has been driving the innovation behind this 43-year-old brand since 1992. His willingness to break with convention has informed the design of both Siltech’s amplifiers [HFN Jun ’13] and, more recently, its loudspeakers [HFN Dec ’25] but that same fresh approach has always been visible – and audible – in its cables. Now divided into three key series – the Explorer, Classic and Crown – it’s that middle range, and the Legend in particular, that marks the transition from ‘monocrystal copper’ to a proprietary silver/gold alloy, now in its ninth generation (G9). And silver is where Siltech (SILver TECHnologies) likes to hang its metallurgical hat.

If you’ll pardon the pun, there’s been a redrawing of the map at Atlas with the Scottish cable company now clearly dividing its wares into three distinct ranges dubbed 'Upgrade', 'Aspire' and 'High End'. The Ailsa Duo OCC interconnect featured here is joined by the established Hyper cable in the brand’s mid-ranked Aspire range, both these cables now bearing the ‘Duo’ moniker.

From selecting its own copper ore, drawing and refining its strands at a partnering mill and meticulously hand-fashioning its premium products, Germany’s In-akustik has been approaching cable construction with a passion since 1977. The pursuit of an air dielectric, preferable but less practical than PTFE, HDPE, PP or PVC, is a particular mission for this brand and one taken to its next level in the Referenz LS-4005 AIR.

Filters, particularly AC mains filters and regenerators, have long been an audiophile staple but the genre has expanded in recent years to accommodate our embrace of digital and streaming audio in particular. With 'high speed' digital transmission comes the prospect of a sea of extraneous noise and interference, from both outside and inside the 'system loop', that washes though our equipment. Jitter in the digital domain and RF-related IM and other distortions are the least of what we understand as the audible consequences of this entirely unwanted hash.

Was it really 25 years ago that QED celebrated its Silver Anniversary with a special edition XT speaker cable? Or a full half century since the brand burst into our audiophile consciousness with, three years later, what must surely be the most famous cable of all time – QED 79-strand? Monster Cable would surely argue the toss, but for hi-fi fans building their first system on a budget, the classic figure-of-eight 79-strand (still only £1.99/m) has long been the go-to choice.

While audiophiles might ordinarily associate the 'home of the brave' with Linn Products, Scotland is also home to the hand-made Atlas Cables. Its new Arran interconnects and speaker cables are a clear evolution, taking inspiration from its solid silver Asimi range [HFN Dec '18], utilising the same geometry but with OCC (Ohno Continuous Casting) copper.

For over 40 years AudioQuest's founder and guiding light, William 'Bill' Low, has been on a journey of discovery, exploring the properties of different conductors, dielectrics and geometries to not only offer as transparent an 'analogue link' as possible but also isolate that link from an increasingly hostile RF/EMI-strewn environment. Bill also has a flair for the dramatic, invoking the spirit of the 'ThunderBird' in this entry-level Mythical Creature interconnect.