Price Paid:  $340.00 from Local Store

Summary:
“To Cable or not to Cable?”

I am positive here: cables make a difference!

But is this a good or a bad thing? In most cases it is not very good…most companies nowdays seem to be able to predict the acoustic effect of a cable (possibly using computers) and they manipulate the signal so that it sounds as desired…

This behavior does not fit my goal: I want to hear the real thing (as close as I can get to it anyway) and NOT your cables guys, I’ m sorry!

Rumor had it that Kimber were “sharp” cables. Did I mention I can’ t stand “sharp”??? Well I hate it. But I love analysis. The beauty of seeing the instruments floating independently in space…this is a blessing.
So having in mind Kimber=sharp, I never tried Kimbers…

Not until a pair of Hero interconnects were sighted used at a low price…at the time I was looking for a replacement for VDH 102mkIII on a secondary source (FM radio). Well, the Hero cable was too good for the money, except a minor metallic timber in the vocals (maybe not a fault of the cable itself). So the door for Kimber stayed open…

Lately I realized that the “air” of the high frequencies was thick and dense in my system…I could not blame any component for this (they have been selected with so much care and pain) except for the speaker cables or the speakers themselves.
Thank God I chose to start with the most inexpensive part to replace…

It has been a week now that a single run of Kimber 8TC (8ft) carry the burden to feed them Spendors with signal.
Not fully broken in, I love what this cable does for me…

1. Balance: no particular emphasis anywhere in the spectrum, results in a very detailed but at the same time relaxed presentation. Bass is not as strong as my previous cable, but this is good as it unveils information at the lower end that used to be covered.
2. Analysis: tons of masked info came to light. Breathing, smacking lips, pops and cracks on wooden floors, piano pedals, you name it…
3. Lively: music seems to be…well…more musical! Instruments are more lifelike, same with voices, no colorations, just the real timbre.
4. Transparent: no more instruments glued together. Each one has its own well defined space, especially high frequency percussion is alive and vivid (and it does sound as percussion).
5. Expanded: music occupies more space. Instruments come from all-over the place. Behind, left and right of the speakers. Live performances are so much more realistic…
These are just first impressions. The cables have been in use for less than 30 hours, I expect further improvements in time.
Summary: this is a top-sounding-cable regardless of price. It does so many things right that you just can’t focus on anything negative. I am so impressed that I think I will replace all cabling in my system with Kimber. This is my top recommendation for a speaker cable. If you intend to spend more, keep the money and enjoy other things too…
If I changed the speakers and got the same effect, I would say I made a very good choice, now I just can’t say enough!

System info:

Spendor S8e, 2way floorstanders
TACT (Lyngdorf) SDA2175, semi-digital power amplifier
Pass X2 line preamplifier
Marantz SA17S1 SACD/ CD player
Interconnects: VDH Integration (XLR), Kimber Hero (RCA), Ultralink, Monster, others.

Strengths:
Detailed and "airy" without sharp edges at high frequencies. Balanced presentation without emphasis on specific spectral areas. Extreme value!

Weaknesses:
None at this price point, personally I would not go any further than this.

Similar Products Used:
Audioquest midnight plus, Audioquest Type 4, Ultralink bi-wire

rbsnoddy

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $280.00 from Stereotypes

Summary:
Originally I was using Tara Labs RSC Prime Bi-Wire cables in my system. After recently moving, I hooked the Tara Labs cables up and my system sounded 'muddled'. I tried numerous tweaks and adjustments to determine what the cause could be.....My last attempt was to replace speaker cables (as I thought the Tara Labs could not be causing my system to sound this way) with Kimber Kables. Once I hooked up these cables, I was amazed at how my system came alive - the highs and mid-range was clear, and the definition I was able to hear was eye-opening. Highly recommend trying these cables out....

Strengths:
Very transparent. Makes good-quality component systems come alive....

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Tara Labs
Audioquest

Price Paid:  $200.00 from friend

Summary:
I trialled these cables with by Naim/Spendor set up. I had been told that the Kimber could be 'risky' when used with Naim.I t was quite the opposite. The timing was excellent and it brought out detail I hadn't previously heard. It gave music a fluid and organic feel.It is a subtle cable that does most things right. It doesn't get in the way. There's no excessive bass and no 'pulling about' of the sound.
When I compared it to the Naim cable, it won hands down. The Naim seemed to choke the music and gave a 'bathroom acoustic' feel to the Dab radio. No reall synergy and quite disappointing.
I bought it for £200 for two good lengths and termination.A fantastic bargain.

Strengths:
Detail and flow
Natural organic sound that avoids 'spotlighting '

Weaknesses:
Price when new. I think it's an excellent cable but over priced

James howard

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from dealer

Summary:
Excellent cable..it makes such a big difference to my set. Unbelievable. The bass feels palpable it is so good. The instruments are very clear and sort of jump out at you, out of the speakers. Other more expensive cables like, Nordost, were warmer, but they were less ALIVE. I prefer the kimber 8 tc I use them terminated with WBT plugs on the amplifier side , and great spades WBT 0660 on the speaker side, bi-wire. I would highly recommend this, as the WBT plugs help you get the most out of your kimber cables. Expensive...but still considered a best buy (see hifichoice !)because the sound you get out of them is phenomenal.

Strengths:
Live sound, clear, the music is in the room with you. Great Bass

Weaknesses:
none that I know of

Similar Products Used:
Nordost red dawn, QED silver anniversary, cheapo IXOS cable, powervocal.

cteffner

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 8.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from audio advisor

Summary:
Very nice cable. Timing is just right, tonal balance cannot be beat for the dough. I have 2 pairs for my bi-wired system. I consider them a "reference cable".

Strengths:
After a good 60 hours of break-in these things smooth out and come to life, very natural. Can't say enough good things.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Too many.