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Review: Skogrand Air Cables

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I don't usually review cables. Especially expense cables. In fact, the whole cable game is kind of distasteful to me. One of my favorite A/B tests I've witnessed was a shootout between two interconnects, a $2000 pair and a $79 pair. Neither myself nor anyone else who heard this demo could tell the difference. This demo wasn't held by the company of the $79 interconnects, but by a buddy with a $50k plus system. The conclusion of said demo? It wasn't that the $79 wires were masquerading as $2k wire or the expensive silver foil was snake oil.

No, the conclusion was that cables do sound different, you'll just be hard pressed to pick the expensive wire out of the cheap stuff. In some cases, speaker cables the size of T1 lines will kill your system, despite costing (and looking) like a million bucks, while a chopped up extension cord will sound fantastic. It's all system specific.

So why review the new Skogrand SC Air Cables?

First, it's not a true review. No A/B, no "this is the greatest cable in the multiverse" declarations.

Rather, I'm interested in technology. Specifically, advancements in technology. And while these cables run $1900 (for a 2.5 meter pair), wait a few years and you'll find this tech in more budget-minded options. Or not. This is high end audio, after all.

A little cable methodology to start. Air is the best insulator around given that it's has the lowest dielectric of any material that'd be appropriate for cables. PVC, teflon, silk, and other wire wrappers all compete for the lowest dielectric crown, but they leach the good electrons out of their copper or silver innards. Air, however, takes the cake. Convenient, isn't it, that air is everywhere. One option is to run bare wire from your amps to your speakers. The problem is you can't let the positive and negative wires touch. Shorting cables = vaporized beryllium tweeters.

Since we don't like blowing up our speakers, Skogrand's main man Knut Plukkerud Skogrand has figured out how to dress raw wire in pure air pajamas. At least, 99.28% of the time.

Now, for those who aren't, well, hard core cable nuts (even though I hate cable culture, I'm kinda a nerd about electronics), there's two camps in the world of wire: the first school says bigger is better. Bigger size (aka smaller gauge), bigger shielding, bigger everything. Then there's the purists with their distaste for shielding, multi-strand and anything but the raw, raw periodic table of elements.

A brief side note: shielding doesn't apply, at least most of the time, in speaker cables. The ohms being around 8 and lower, you're not going to hear NPR through your speakers. At least, when your cable lengths are manageable. You want shielding if you're running inside walls, through electrical rats' nests, underground and that sort of thing. But if you're in the market for Skogrands, my guess you're more of the dedicated listening room type.

Skogrand champions the purity approach, simple = beautiful. Solid core (not stranded) pure occ 12awg copper. Pure teflon. Pure balsa wood. Wait, what? Yes, balsa wood in the tips of the cables, providing a structural advantage, or so I'm told. And the whole deal is wrapped in rigid poly tubing and PET braided sleeves, neither of which actually touch anything but your fingers.

Also, craftsmanship is top notch, spade terminations are best-of-class and flexibility is similar to a baby elephant's trunk, so be prepared. Cables arrived in a combat-approved locking case and Knut Skogrand could not be nicer and easier to work with.

Overall, The Skogrand SC AIr cables are a glimpse into the future of purist cable methodology. And while some expensive cables are zip cord in fat wrappers, the SC Air's milled teflon/balsa suspension system is surely a bitch to manufacture which, refreshingly, is reflected in the cost. These are truly high-tech designs made with old-world craftsmanship in the mountains of Norway. Henrik Ibsen would be proud.

So here's the obligatory "if you're in the market for cables above $2k, you owe it to yourself to demo the Skogrand SC Air cables." But seriously, while I won't say the SC Airs will sound better or worse than competing cables (after all, maybe your system is too clean and clear to begin with), I will say you're not a true cable aficionado if you don't put Skogrands into your rotation.

What's next for cable technology? If the best insulation is no insulation, then the only thing better than air is, wait for it, no air. Vacuum sealed cables, Knut? I'm game.

Review: B&W C5 Headphones

]]> Ear-audio is in a golden era. Everything from Skullcandy's neon spray paint graffiti buds to those Beats By Dr. Dre (or, more accurately, the George Foreman of the headphone world), earbuds and classic cans are easily the biggest money-maker in all of hi-fi.

Makes sense, more people with iPhones than dedicated listening rooms.

Of course, the classic a'phile isn't new to any of this. Sennheiser, Beyerdynamics, Shure, Grado and the crazies like Stax have been around for ages so it shouldn't come as a surprise that venerable brand B&W is jumping into the portable music game. After their tremendous success of the Zeppelin sound system -- and the subsequent spawn of hi-fi iPod docks -- B&W is using their luxe hi-fi credentials to beef up their consumer gadgets. Worked for Bang and Olufsen, should work here.

And it does. Enter the Bowers and Wilkins C5.

STYLE

First, the most important part of any audio review: looks. We've traveled a long way from the black Sony and white Apple buds of yore. Head-audio has gone main stream. That said, most of us wouldn't be caught dead in the aforementioned Skullcandy and hundreds of neon knockoffs.

The B&W C5 goes in a classy direction. A little silver, a little black, and one mighty unique cord-ear interface. I find the Bowers/Wilkins C5 to be a more pleasing and better designed product than the Bang/Olufsen A8 buds. My only gripe is the cord color should be black rather than transparent, it's just one too many design elements, adding a more industrial pro-user look to what is, overall, probably one of the better-looking "in-ear sound tubes" (as B&W calls them) out there.

Overall, the B&W C5s enhance my steeze, whether at the gym or trying to look cool at Starbucks. I once rocked a pair of full size Sony mastering headphones in public. Bad idea.

SOUND

Now that we have the important part out of the way, what do the B&Ws sound like? A little surprisingly, much like B&W speakers. I was half expecting them to have that generic grown-up iPod sound. But they lean closer to their Kevlar-clad siblings. You're not going to hear diamond tweets or Nautilus sound here, but they were clearly designed to fit into the B&W sonic family.

For comparison, I find them more mellow than Sony buds (which I'm a fan of) and, to my ears, better tuned than most Sennheisers. The C5s seem to fall more in the middle.

B&W claims to have a "Micro Porous Filter" which "...acts as a diffuser, enabling C5 to deliver pristine, natural audio, while also providing a more spacious performance than previously possible from in-ear headphones." And then "Hundreds of microscopic steel balls act as a sonic diffuser, opening up the sound and making music feel remarkably rich and expansive."

I have no idea if this is true or not, and it feels a little heavy-handed on the marketing lingo. Headphones come in sealed and open variety, so is B&W claiming the first open-back free-air earbud? Not exactly, since this is of the noise-isolating variety, sealing your ear with the traditional rubbery mushroom.

Now, specs are said to be 10hz-20khz. No rating of +/-3db so it could very well be -40db at 10hz. Buds can play the deep bass and you can actually hear it (through the neat trick of pressurizing your inner ear), but there's no way to hear/feel inaudible 10Hz-19Hz frequencies without serious subwoofers. I have an 18" sub EQed flat to 10Hz and the C5 just doesn't compete. You can't hear 10hz, you can only feel it, and the C5 is limited by the same limitations as all earbuds: maths and sciences.

That said, 10hz really doesn't matter. The only important quality here is the sound, and the B&W team did a solid job making this guy sound good in the range that really matters 50hz-10khz.

COMFORT

The C5's Secure Loop feature is one of the smarter design touches to hit the ear-bud world in years. Someone deserves a pint, because this thing rocks. Where most buds require their fat little rubber nubs to be jammed into your ears to keep them secure, the Bowers and Wilkins gives you a second securing mechanism in the form of the standard wire snuggling the inside of your ear. Why did it take so long for someone to figure this out? This Secure Loop design takes the pressure off of your inner ear, providing a more pleasurable listening experience. And it's easy to futz into place. Brilliant.

OVERALL

Wrapping up this little adventure, the B&Ws are respectable buds and sonic comrades to their big brother speakers. If you're looking for an easy no-questions purchase that sounds good, fits well and doesn't make you look like a anime character, the B&W C5 is it.

RMAF: Korg MR-2000

Korg's MR-2000 DSD recorder in use by Todd Garfinkel, seen and heard at RMAF. Rumor has it that many more companies are working on DSD capable USB DACs, first pioneered by Andreas Koch and Jonathan Tinn of Playback Designs. Stay tuned for a forthcoming review of this killer recorder right here at SonicFlare. DSD rocks!

RMAF: Soulution

Soulution of Swiss fame and fortune (that's referring to the fortune you'll need to buy their products…) was on display with JMLab Grande Utopia's, showing off their capabilities in full force. Large scale dynamic rock or symphonic sounds presented no problem whatsoever for this combo, then again, at the price point, it shouldn't! The electronics alone, ie. amps, pre-, and disc player came in at a cool $200k...

RMAF: Ortofon A90

Ortofon's A90 (sadly, no longer in production), perhaps the super cartridge of recent times, is truly a state-of-the-art rethinking of how freshly minted design ideas can positively impact age old technology. Sublimely superb sound (coming off the Wave Kinetics NVS 'table), I haven't heard anything better - no doubt, don't bother unless you have a top flight deck… Amazing! PS: this picture (as where all at the show) was taken with my iPhone 4; not bad, eh?

RMAF: Wave Kinetics NVS Reference

Wave Kinetics' NVS Reference is quickly gaining recognition and momentum as the new 'table on the market (to have). Headed up by none other than Jonathan Tinn (of Playback Designs & Evolution Acoustics), this latest venture is built as a "ground-up" redesign of whats possible in a modern day record player interpretation. Direct Drive, ridiculously crazy vibration absorption and control all make for a true SOTA experience. I know of a person who sold 3 top flight $60+k 'tables to get this one. 'Nuff said!

RMAF: Thöress

No, this is not Hydra's latest ray gun, it is Thöress' F2A11 integrated amp. Labeling themselves as the "Puristic Audio Apparatus", it sure looks the part.

RMAF: Allnic

I recently re-discovered Allnic through a mutual friend and am sure glad I did! Allnic has the finest case work this side of Boulder, with electronics and design quality that is quite simply fantastic. Their H-3000 pre-amp was rocking' the room, though rumor has it their series 1500 integrated 300B amp will find its way to casa "K" soon enough… stay tuned, this could be the killer 300B.

RMAF: Luxman SQ-38

Another winning integrated from the house of Luxman is their SQ-38 tube amp, complete with a great sounding built-in headphone amp. Beautiful old world charm and craftsmanship (I sound like the guy from the HGTV channel!), this amp will be at home in a great variety of systems… Sweetness!

RMAF: Olive Music

Since the music server revolution began a few years ago, Olive has worked hard at producing great quality lifestyle oriented music servers, the 04HD being their latest offering. Great quality, simple to use interface and a genuine high-end DAC all make for great sound!

RMAF: Luxman PD-171

Luxman's vintage decks, the PD-441 & 444, the mighty PD-555, all have long since left production lines, much to the dismay of long time fans and customers alike. In line with the recent vinyl resurgence, Luxman began working on a new model some ten years ago, incorporating all the manufacturing advances they accumulated over the years. The end result is the Luxman PD-171, a hefty beast, weighing in at around 50lbs, complete with Jelco arm that will sell for $6500. Sonics are superb and it sure looks like they will sell quite a few of these… well done!

RMAF: Evolution Acoustics, Playback Designs & Wave Kinetics

Jonathan Tinn and Andreas Koch, the dynamite duo behind a few venture projects including Playback Designs, where at it again… Pioneering DSD over USB is a true technical feat that Andreas worked tirelessly to turn into reality. The reasons behind it are quite simple: DSD is the future of hi-res and many people I spoke to at the show are working hard at offering DSD files for download. Stay tuned for more DSD news; meanwhile, knock on your dealers' door… this setup ROCKED.]]>

RMAF: Zu Audio

As is typical with any show they attend, Zu Audio managed to upset the norm once again by having the "coolest" and "hippest" room. Sean and company are no strangers to audiofilia, hence one always expects them to rock the house. And rock it they did! On display, fresh off the factory floor, was their new Definition Mk IV. A definitive upgrade over the now discontinued Definition Mk II, the sound was at once recognizable as it was dramatically improved. Better definition, superior bass integration and treble that was no doubt touched by the hand that is the new tweeter assembly, music simply sounded amazing. At $12.5k not inexpensive, but considering the others at multiples of that, a real Hi-Fi bargain. More to come from Zu.

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Godspeed Steve. The world is less magical today.