Mark L.
Sources: Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport; Aune X5S digital audio player; NVIDIA Shield TV
Amplifier: Lector ZAX-70
Acoustic Speakers: Indiana Line Tesi 561
Other: Aune S6 Pro DAC; Sony Bravia Full HD television.
The following review of the Ultimate HDMI cable is the result of the "Ricable Review" initiative. Ricable Review is the program designed by Ricable, created to collect feedback from audiophiles, in order to lead to continuous improvement of the products in the catalog. Last but not least, those who join the program receive a certificate at home, with the purpose of certifying how the customer has become to all intents and purposes part of the " Ricable" family.
The following Feedback was created on the basis of a predefined questionnaire to which the user returned their impressions, in a completely free. We thank Marco for his time.
Reviewing an HDMI cable used only to carry the video signal might seem reductive and uninteresting for a community gathering Hi-Fi enthusiasts, and indeed... even I for years neglected its importance, using a cheap cable of unknown brand and price around ten euros. For goodness sake, the appearance was good: nice aesthetics, gold-plated to perfection, heavy to the point. Perhaps too heavy, as it would disconnect from the TV dragged by its own weight or by any slightest movement of the TV. Another problem was the occasional missing INTERCONNECT video when the devices were turned on. Knowing Ricable for Hi-Fi cables (of which I own some especially Primus series), I thus decided to invest a more than reasonable amount anyway for the first price of HDMI from them, sure to be on the safe side 🙂
and aesthetics of the product?
The construction of the cable is as always impeccable: solid, rigid but not too rigid, and above all with absolutely stable connections. Aesthetically it is elegant but not too flashy, the ideal in short. Like all good quality cables, it may be a bit bulky if back space is limited. Ideally, do not overdo the square footage if you do not need it.
Since this is not a test in Hi-Fi audio but video, since I only use the cable to convey signal from the Android box to the TV, I can only make comparisons with the previous sub-brand cable used with the same devices. The test was carried out by watching some HD movies (recent and dated) available on the Amazon Prime and Google Play Film platforms, as well as watching TV documentaries on the Rai Play platform (Ulysses, Superquark).
listening impressions?
As mentioned above, listening impressions I have none since I use the cable only for the video signal. I can report (I do not know how this can be explained scientifically, since it is INTERCONNECT digital) a noticeable improvement in video quality. As proof even my wife (unaware of yet another cable change and not asked about it), spontaneously noticed a jump in quality in video output. Totally absent, of course, is any noise or interruption of the signal while viewing. Therefore, while remaining convinced of the idea that it is not convenient to spend astronomical sums on digital cables, I feel that a jump in quality is absolutely perceptible.
Your conclusions.
As always, kudos to the quality and commitment of Ricable in the manufacture of products and pre and after sales support. The reliability of even entry level products should be noted. Although form should never trump substance, it should be highlighted that original packaging and shipping are also always impeccable.
What did you enjoy?
- Product yield
- Excellent value for money
- Guarantees offered by the manufacturer
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What would you improve?
- Nothing to report
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