|
Review 5 of 44
Price Paid:
$140.00
from audiowaves Summary:
I have had this Kimber wire on hand in various forms for quite awhile- whether it was biwire, single wire, bare wire, or Bananas. It is priced around the limit of what I would spend on wire, but feel it does indeed surpass lesser priced wires I have tried. If you ever go on Kimbers web site you'll see all of the electrical specifications (cpacitance, resistance and inductance) of every wire they sell, as well as the design and insulation used. I asked one high end wire company these questions and they would not even tell me. It is after all the electrical specifications of a wire that have the main effect on how it will sound in a given system. There is no snake oil about them. The 4TC wire is quick and clear with good placement of the instruments. It is also resistant to RF. I have used it bare wire and with connectors in various systems. Whenever I change out the Kimber I always notice a loss of transient speed, and less clarity. The bass is very tight. It could be a little fuller, but I'd rather have less bass than too much. You can get a smoother fuller and more easy going sound with some other wires that have a higher inductance than 4TC. 4TC is not really a tone control type of wire. It transmits the signal about as honestly as you can expect. I have used other wires and unlike some other posters here, I notice some difference, though I think those differences are due to changes in the inductance, resistance and capacitance of the wire, and the type of insulation used. I like the 4 TC wire, it has qualities no other wire near the price has. Basically you hear a quickness, and detail of each instrument, and the space of the recording venue, and even certain multi tracked parts of studio recordings I had'nt noticed. 4TC does not add warmth to the signal, It will not dumb down what the amp or source is doing. And it conveys the content of the recording. I don't hear 4TC as bright in my system, I do hear a slightly lighter bass, but that may be due to its thinner guage (as compared to 8TC and others), this character may lead to a perception of brightness. Anyway I have used no better wire near the price and find it to be a reasonably good value, though I feel all "high end" wire is overpriced and many represent insanity. Some less expensive DIY wires If you ever go on the audio forums you will learn that tthe Kimber 4 TC wire is commonly recommended as having excellent electrical parameters by people with a knowledge of audio engineering. It does the job of what a speaker cable should do. It is one of the better off the shelf wires and not absurdly priced. 4TC is for those who desire a clear and clean transmission of the signal. It is lively and involving, just like live music. If you want a wire to make things sound pleasant and relaxed, this is not it. Strengths:
Lively, with quick and clear sound. Excellent sounstage and detail. Flexible and resistant to RF. Musically exciting. A good wire. Weaknesses:
Can be a little lacking of bass weight. Similar Products Used:
JPS ultra conductor
Audioquest Midnight
DH labs T14
Nordost Flatline
DIY twisted solid core
| 
Other Ways to Shop
4 of 5
5 of 5
3 of 5
1 of 5
View Comments (1)
