FOCUS/CABLING


Sun is shining
Nordost Solar Wind Speaker/Interconnect cables

VERDICT I Always liked silver and now I remember why. Superb cables no matter how you look at them. 

Speaker Cable
PRICE R3000.00 per 3m pair

Interconnect
PRICE R850 per 0.6 m pair

SUPPLIED BY Extraordinary AV (021) 704-2885

Some critics claim that up to 10% of the performance of a high-end hi-fi system is in its cabling. Whilst I would be loathe to refute or to endorse this claim (from the enlightened perspective of the hardened review critic, I can easily entertain the notion that there are sufficient numbers on either to side of the argument to warrant a severe pummelling from each should I choose to hop off the comfortable sofa and actually make a judgement call) I will say that I think that in a high end system the choice of cable certainly has more of an impact than in say, an all-in-one mini hi-fi boom box. 

This is because high-end systems replicate lower noise floors, more detail in the music and a greater sense of accuracy to the original sound as it was intended to be. Hence vocals, 'natural' instruments and things found in classical orchestras for instance, might be a good starting point on which to gauge the level of accuracy of a particular system in its quest for perfect sonic reproduction of music not actually generated by the original source. 

This is not to say of course, that great cables will not improve even the smallest and nastiest of systems. They may well do that, or simply enhance the nastiness factor, but the point of the matter should be that they categorically do make a difference. It has been put that this may just be a perception in the listener's mind, but in this game that is all about perceptions, this may well be enough on its own.

So much the better then that the Solar Winds do both. A little perception, a lot of performance and a gut wrenching ache in taking them out of the system and giving them back. Dammit, if only these people would understand what it is to bond with a cable and then have to rip it out and hand it back. Because with the Solar Wind, trust me, you will bond!

Fortunately it is only a small part of the experience that will come from your bank balance. Look, they are not exactly cheap but they really are not expensive for the performance either. Let's take a closer look shall we?

The cable is a flat cable that makes it awkward to run as it turns and curls and does anything else but lie flat! This is the most annoying thing about them but who cares? The speaker cable is constructed from 54 solid silver-plated OFC strands. The conductors are divided into two groups of 9 and 18 per side that allows for easy bi-wiring (the 9s for treble and 18s for bass). Teflon is extruded around each conductor precisely to 5 mils, with termination in the 4 mm Z plug, the thing that expands or shrinks for a snug fit into a speaker binding post. 

The interconnect cable sports a similar construction with twelve conductors, six for signal and six for return. They are terminated in gold plated RCA plugs. All the plating is 40 microns thick using 5 nines pure silver (that's 99.99999% pure stuff). The conductors are round, not square.

Further to that, propagation delays are claimed to be 92% that of light speed and based on my extensive testing I would say that the figure is close enough for accuracy's sake. The principle of plating is a simple one - a conductor tends to move its electrons more easily along the surface when it comes to speed (which is what is important in musical cables). Of course, there aren't thousands of amps with high voltages that require thick conductors to prevent burn out due to the heat generation, so speed is the important issue here. 

And having heard what these cables can do to a system, even a modest one, it is without doubt that cabling makes a difference. The Solar Winds pack a punch to the bass and extract a level of sweetness from the treble that just wasn't present before. Clarity is greatly improved and because there is so much more sparkle to the system the music seems more alive, more natural and rounded. 

The Solar Winds give the impression that they will show you what it is that your amplifier may think it is doing long before the amplifier gets around to doing it. It is almost as if they suck the music out of the system in their hurry to present it to you, making sure you know that this is a fast cable. It's better than that though: it's a phenomenal cable. 

William Kelly