Tyxxon

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $350.00 from eBay

Summary:
I bought subj on eBay a year ago in 7m long pair. Was trim and reterminated with Homegrown Audio rhodium RCAs in a few 1-1.5m pairs for mine and my friend's needs. Fast, clear and amazing air sound. Sibillants are clear without mess, midrange and bass are very precisiosly. Highly recommended

Strengths:
Fast and exact

Weaknesses:
IMHO Small lost in deepth of the musical scene

Price Paid:  $175.00 from Alex on Audiogon

Summary:
I have to recant a good portion of what I wrote previously, because I replaced my Monarchy 22B DAC with a Monarchy 33 Pre-amp/DAC, thereby removing a cable. I was able to have an all XLO listening circuit and the results were much different. The overall sound was much fuller and the details incredible. The shift in the upper midrange became much less noticeable. The overall effect was a listening delight.

I never thought that cables could interact so much!! However, all the other cables I own showed dramatic improvement also. The KCAGs were now astonishing, but the XLO was a lot closer than my previous listening experience.
They are showing their age, however, since there are many cables capable of a great musical experience.

Strengths:
Incredible detail and tonal quality; very good imagine

Weaknesses:
Slightly accentuated upper midrange.

Similar Products Used:
Kimber KCAG, ZuCable OxyFuel

Used XLO digital cable as the DAC/Pre-amp interface cable

Price Paid:  $175.00 from Alex on Audiogon

Summary:
In it's day, this cable was a pacesetter. Alas, now it's an also ran. There is just too much competition out there for it to remain so pricey.

Sound: Just read the review that talks about the lack of balance (my system has no tone controls) and you have it. The bass is a little heavy. The imaging isn't up to current standards, either. It's fairly wide, but not all that deep.

Their white papers go into great detail about dielectric constants and energy disappation, but I doubt it matters all that much when most other manufacturers shield at the first layer with Teflon or Teflon foam also. ( They really knock cables with PVC covers in these papers and I've used a few that sound better than these for far less. )

I have to say that after all of their chest pounding, they haven't come up with a great sounding cable.

Strengths:
Excellent bass, a lot of detail

Weaknesses:
Imaging two dimensional; not a neutral cable; funky cable geometry; very taut

Similar Products Used:
All Kimber; ZuCable OxyFuel; All DHLabs; Wire World Atlantis

Price Paid:  $275.00 from Rosine Audio (now defunct)

Summary:
Purchased in 1992 for and audio system I recently integrated into my home theater (read: I've only got room for one system). It was after I removed another good cable and inserted the XLO that I remembered what I liked most about this cable. It simply worked BETTER than another other cable I tried (with my Sonographe CD player and Bedini amplifier). YES. There, I admit it: I AM using a cable as a tone control. But let's face it, folks, when you can't afford the best you make do the best you can.

Strengths:
Bass, treble, imaging

Weaknesses:
Not the most neutral of cables

Similar Products Used:
DH Labs BL-1

Summary:
For this review, I am talking about the Reference Series 2 single-ended interconnect.

I may seem stingy for giving this product "only" three stars, but the Ref 1A does fall quite a bit short of the best. So three stars it is.

Nevertheless, this is the bargain of mid-priced cables. For years, the best in this rice range was Kimber's KCAG. That cable will work wonders for 75% of you. But what if you need a cable that has a more powerful bass?

Enter the XLO Ref 1A. If you set the volume so that the mids are just right, you will have too much bass. If you optimize the volume so that the bass is just right, then you'll hear a lean midrange and treble. So, if you are the 25% who are lacking bass power, go with the Ref 1A over Kimber's KCAG.

The Ref 1A has razor sharp image outlines, but those images don't have any depth. Think of cardboard cut-outs or Hollywood facades. But on the other hand, the Ref 1A does not smear transients, and those images remain tightly focused, never wandering around.

In this price range, all other cables sound vague, murky, distorted, and/or slow. While the Ref 1A isn't a match for the super duper high-end cables, it is affordable ($330 for a one-meter pair). If you find Kimber's KCAG a bit too much over the top, XLO's Ref 1A is your alternative. And if you don't like the KCAG and the Ref 1A, then you better be prepared to spend a whole lot more!

Strengths:
Reference 2 series uses better RCAs

Weaknesses:
1) Does not have a neutral tonal balance. 2) No image depth. 3) Extremely long burn-in required [approx. six weeks] 4) Do not bend the cable!

Similar Products Used:
AQ everything; Kimber everything; Tara Labs ISM-3, The 2, and The One; XLO Signature 1.1