Slinkylinks Interconnect & Speaker Cables
September, 2006 10 Audio.com
Slinkylinks. Sounds like a child’s toy, doesn’t it? These cables do not sound like toys,
but they do have a “slinky” look and feel: smooth and shiny, and packaged in small metal cans. In fact,
what I received from the New Zealand-based Slinkylinks' owner, David Irvine, was a “Slinkyzone Pack”
containing two cans with a pair of $500 RS1100 interconnects in each, and a box with the $525 S1300
3-meter single-wire speaker cables. The cables are somewhat stiff which kept them pressed against the
insides of the cans as if they were being spun in a centrifuge. Both the packaging and the fit and finish
of the cables are very well done and suggest that the sound may also be of high quality.
Slinkylinks RS1100 interconnect - airy soundThe interconnects use Eichmann Silver Bullet
plugs and are constructed from four strands of 6-nines pure silver wire. The gold-plated banana connectors
on the speaker cables are tubular metal that initially gave the impression of being too lightweight to make
a good connection. However, looks can be deceiving. They always fit firmly into the 5-way binding posts on
my amps and speakers and always made tight and secure connections, even after repeated insertions and removals.
The banana plugs’ large contact area also assures very low resistance connections.
From the Slinkylinks Web site:
- All Slinkylinks conductors are 96% insulated in air
- All Slinkylinks cable uses 99.9999% pure silver conductors
- Metal content is minimized to reduce harmful capacitance distortion
After about 300 hours of break-in, before which the sound can be forward and a bit hard – normal
for silver cables – it was time to listen. The interconnects and speaker cables share a very similar sonic signature,
so I will simply discuss the sound of Slinkylinks without referring to either the speaker cables or the interconnects
individually. After seeing the packaging, handling the cables, and reading the accompanying media release, I was
expecting good sound.
Slinkylinks cable constructionI wasn’t disappointed. After the break-in period (it is great to have a
tuner for this task) I was treated to many hours of enjoyable music. My cables of direct comparison during this review
were copper Placette and PS Audio Resolution Transcendent interconnect cables, and PS Audio and Audience Au24 speaker
cables. The Transcendent interconnect uses two 18 gauge silver conductors, where the Slinkylinks use four 0.25mm
(approximately 30 gauge) conductors. It is fun and interesting to read different manufacturers’ descriptions of their
cables, how they are constructed, and why their cables sound better than everyone else’s cables. On the PS Audio site,
they assert that "thin wire gauges of silver…lose a lot of information in the bottom end. This makes some solid silver
cables sound bright and edgy; but in reality, they are simply missing the lower end of the musical spectrum." Comparing
the Transcendent to Slinkylinks, I found that there was some validity to PS Audio’s assertions, although the degree to
which the RS1100 interconnects may have been suffering from the thinner wires was usually quite minor. Even though the
RS1100 is more immediate and forward than Transcendent, I would not call Slinkylinks cables "bright" or "edgy" in the
least. Those terms are too extreme.
The "Slinkylink sound" can be summarized as nimble, dynamic, and detailed. There was a high level of
musical involvement overall. The cables’ low level resolution, especially in the midrange and treble, often presented
new levels of meaning in familiar music. The subtle nuances of female voices were often revelatory. These cables dig very
deeply into each and every note and unfailingly offer harmonic information that many other cables either suppress or
ignore completely.
Slinkylinks S1300 speaker cablesThe performance in the mid to upper bass was excellent, with very high
resolution and dynamic ability. The very low bass was a bit less powerful in direct comparison to the Transcendent's full
and rich bass, but much more similar to the Placette interconnect. The midrange and upper frequencies have a light, airy
feel with great snap and clarity. As we expect from silver-based cables, there is no grain. The ability to differentiate
the various cymbals in a drum set was amazing because the individual resonant character of each cymbal was readily apparent.
This is a very difficult test of the cable's characteristic distortion which the Slinkylinks cables passed with the highest
honors. I remember that the very expensive Nordost Valhalla interconnects were found to be lacking on this important test.
The Slinkylinks' presentation of sound staging was also excellent, with terrific image placement and stage
depth. Fine detail in the farthest corners of the stage was always present to a remarkable degree. Likewise, the ability to
"see" individual performers near the front of the stage was exceptional. This is also indicative of superior lateral imaging
which precisely defines the boundaries of individual performers.
The Slinkylinks cables, both interconnect and speaker cable, are fine performers. In my system, I preferred the
relatively warmer sounding PS Audio cable, but the Slinkylink cables performed at a similar level of quality overall. If you are
looking for a high performance cable that combines complete freedom from grain and high resolution with notable clarity and minimal
distortion, the Slinkylinks cables are definitely recommended.
Overall Rating: 9 LPs
Slinkylinks interconnects and speaker cables
By Craig Fenemor
April 2006 AudioEnz
Slinkylinks cables, as reviewed: RS175 interconnect, $700. SSP1300 3 metre single wire speaker cable, $790.
IBW1200 2 metre bi-wire speaker cable, $1095
Testing cables can be a right pain in butt so why did I put my hand up to try the new
Slinkylinks range? Well, I’ve been a Slinkylinks user for a few years now and I rate the cable highly,
so when I heard there were improvements to be had I was interested.
Take the time to know me
The original Slinkylinks sounded great (see
our earlier review for a backgrounder) so what’s changed? In short it’s the connections. The standard range of
interconnects has the original Eichmann Bullet Plug which has gold-plated tellurium copper pins. On the new
RS range the bullet plugs, also by Eichmann, have 99.99% silver pins, which are pre-treated with Caig
Preservit. With the speaker cables it’s a similar story with SL’s having gone from gold plated copper
banana pins to a proprietary silver pin which due to its size and shape will end up being attached via
the bare-wire connection on your binding posts.
Just a note here about silver. There’s a rumour going around that silver cables sound bright.
Just like most rumours this one is untrue. I’m sure that some systems that have silver cables do sound bright,
just as there are systems with copper cabling that sound bright but you can’t lay it all at the feet of the cable.
As in most things in hi-fi it’s not the technology that can be the problem but the implementation. Slinklylinks
do not have an implementation problem.
Don’t mess up my happy home
The courier delivered a box to my house which meant that it was all on, cables everywhere. I’m
not a fan of repeated transitory A/B testing with hi-fi so I installed the new interconnect and bi-wire speaker cables
and then spent time getting used to the sound. The main thing that I noticed initially was an increase in purpose to
the music, as if the notes were happening more for a reason. Anyhow, I left it like that for a good six weeks or so
and then came the time to put the original cables back in the system.
To be honest I was dreading changing back and then trying to hear (imagine?) some differences but this
wasn’t a close run thing in the context of my system (Meridian G08, Krell KAV400xi, Magneplaner 1.6QR). The new cables
brought more clarity, an airier top end, greater textural detail at the bottom end, increased separation, slightly
expanded soundstage, while maintaining musicality. The real surprise for me was that when I removed the bi-wire
speaker cables and replaced them with the single wire options the sound improved again. Slight changes it must be said,
but I heard an increase in pace, dynamics and soundstage. (Hint - try both bi and single wiring to see what suits your
system best.)
I never asked for a heavenly promise
I don’t ascribe magical powers to cables and I don’t think that a good cable adds bass, or treble or whatever –
they just let more through. A lot of people spend too much time trying to “fix” component or room problems by repeatedly changing
the dangly stuff. Alas I don’t think that Slinkylinks will help anybody with those problems, as they don’t really have much of a
sonic signature that I can detect. SlinkylinksThe more Slinkylinks cabling I use (interconnects, speaker cable and now internal
wiring of my crossover) the more transparent my system sounds so the more I hear of my gear. This means that good recordings
sound great, great recordings sound stunning, but you’ll know when a bad one comes your way. The music will still flow but
don’t expect Slinkylinks to cover up hardware or software problems.
This fools advice
What does all this mean in the long run? When I initially went from some considerably more expensive copper
cabling to the original Slinkylinks I was happiness filled and I haven’t worried about cables since. The small refinements in the
Slinkylinks range has indeed brought more performance for a price that is considerably less than you can pay for cutting edge
cabling. If I were starting out with Slinkylinks I’d have no hesitation in going for the new range. As for upgrading, the new
cables just bring more of what you already like with your current Slinklylinks so try them and see, you too may well be impressed.
To my ears these are high performing cables at a good price. Buy local and enjoy.
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