Ever wonder if cables matter in a music system? I, too, used to be a skeptic on spending money and time on interconnects. The fact that a 3 ft "audiophile" power cable can cost as much as $1000 or more drove me away instantly. Indeed, unless you're a millionaire or someone who can't stand the thought of imperfection, there is really no proper way to justify spending the cost of an entire home theatre system on a power cord. Nonetheless, there are quite a few audiophile-grade cable companies on the market that offer high quality interconnects at a reasonable price.
SignalCable is one company that offers quality cables at various price points. The Analog Two RCA Interconnect is an entry-level model that offers considerable upgrade at a reasonable price. Starting at $50 a pair (2 ft), the Analog Two is a hand-crafted, affordable, and reference quality cable that will crush the popular, but overpriced, Monster Cable in every way.
Specifications:
22 AWG stranded Bare Copper
Insulation - Foam FEP (Teflon)
Shield - 95% bare copper braid
Outer Jacket - Black tint Teflon
Nom. Capacitance - 17.3 pF/ft
Nom. Conductor DC Resistance - 15.0 Ω/1000 ft
Construction (8/10)
The cable is rock solid. The body is made of teflon and is entirely resistant toward tangling. However, one downside is that the cable is rather stiff, making it harder to bend. With such quality in mind, it is best not to use them with small portable devices as the cable will become very difficult to manage. The standard Analog Two is terminated with a very high quality, TRIPLE gold plated RCA plug.
Sound (8/10)
The Analog Two is one of the first few interconnects that enlightened me to the world of cables. The sound coming from the cable was so much more transparent than that of regular RCAs. Not only ccould I hear things that I have not heard in my music before, but the placement of instruments and their separation became much clearer. In a classical piece, I could detect exactly where the drums and strings are located. The sound signature is leaning a bit towards the warm side, perfect for matching a colder sounding system.
Conclusion ( 8 /10)
While this is a great cable at a very reasonable price, make no assumption that a good cable will somehow make your entire system from sounding crappy to heavenly. Interconnect does what interconnect does - carrying signal from one device to another, hopefully with the least signal loss. A good analog cable will connect your devices, transferring a clean and uninterrupted signal while adding a bit of its "flavour" in the meantime. The Analog Two is not the greatest sounding cable I've come across, but at its price, it's definitely a one-of-a-kind bargain.
