Review #38 - Balanced Cable Invictus XLR - Ricable Review

I noticed extreme attention to detail, starting with the box: very carefully crafted, attractively colored, and with foam inside to protect the cables from being knocked around during transport. The cables themselves then turned out to be very eye-catching: generous in cross-section, but not overly stiff, and a beautiful light blue color. Special kudos to the connectors; one immediately senses the great level of finish and precision in the construction that ensure an excellent connection with the electronics.

I expected small improvements, due to the fact that the cables I had before were models at the base of the manufacturer's range. Instead, after the break-in period had passed (although breaking in the electronics, and even more so the cables, has always left me a bit perplexed as to the real benefits), I was simply amazed. The differences were there, and very obvious ones at that. With the Invictus the level of detail is impressive: voices are clear, crystal clear to the point where it sounds like Agnes Obel is sitting in front of me singing. I can give another example by quoting Bruce Springsteen in the song The Ghost of Tom Joad. With the earlier cables it sounded like Bruce truncated the last syllable of almost every word; the Invictus s, on the other hand, manage to get all the information through, increasing the listening pleasure by leaps and bounds. I found another improvement in the low frequencies: more impressive than before, but totally free of slabbiness. Sound reconstruction is also remarkable; you can fully perceive the position of instruments and voices, without any confusion.