Review #41 - Cable Dedalus XLR - Ricable Review
David S.
Sources: Primare CD31 CD player
Amplifier: Primare I30
Acoustic Speakers: Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Concert Grand
Other: Marantz HD-DAC1 DAC; Sennheiser HD598 headphones
The following review of the Dedalus XLR 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 Davide for his time.
I learned about Ricable and the cables it produces a little over a year ago; I was looking for a good coaxial cable for the digital output of my Marantz HD-DAC1 headphone amp/DAC. The cables I had tried (the one that came with the Marantz and an AudioQuest given to me by a friend) didn't satisfy me at all, so I set out on an Amazon search for a reasonably priced coaxial cable that might convince me. By pure chance my eye fell on a blue cable that struck me because of its Italian provenance and excellent aesthetic realization, it was the Ricable DU5 Ultimate Coaxial; I was immediately intrigued and after a search of the various opinions, Hi-Fi sites and on the official site Ricable I was convinced to buy it, given also the not excessive cost it was worth a try.
After an initial break-in, I fell in love with the performance of the cable and the open, clean sound coming out of my headphones. After months of use, I was so comfortable with it that I upgraded to the top-of-the-line Invictus Coaxial, which after the usual break-in is already giving me tremendous satisfaction.
and aesthetics of the product?
As usual for cables Ricable, the aesthetic impact was positive, the beauty of the finish and the quality of the materials are obvious even to a neophyte, and in comparison, my Mogami 2534 XLR started out already beaten. After the aesthetic side, what struck me was the weight: certainly the Dedalus weighed more than the Mogami, as well as to the touch the cable cover gave a feeling of sturdiness and care greater than the simple rubber wrapping of the Mogami.
Let me make a premise: I have been listening for ten years now almost exclusively to jazz covering the period from the 1930s to the early 1970s (with exceptions like Brad Mehldau and Fred Hersch); my own personal fixation, but one that has allowed me to mature a very precise idea of the sound I am looking for and the characteristics of the musical reproduction that my system should give me back. In this area, my listening ranges from the more classical piano trio (Bill Evans, Sonny Clark, Brad Mehldau, and Fred Hersch) to quartets/quintets (Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Art Pepper) to the big bands of Basie and Ellington.
Another thing: I hate rehearsals done in a methodical form making use of certain CDs, nothing against those who do, but I prefer to listen to and evaluate a component based on the music I want to hear at that moment and in that context evaluate the performance of the component on the "gridiron."
listening impressions?
At first I was not impressed at all! By changing the balanced cable that connects amp to source (which in a "natively" balanced system like Primare's is crucial) I expected a marked improvement, instead nothing! In fact, it seemed to me that my system sounded better with the dear old Mogamis. The sound appeared flat and very clipped toward the top, not to mention that it completely lacked that "nuanced" midrange that Primare and Vienna Acoustic used to give me.
Fortunately, being aware that every cable must be broken in to the system in which it is inserted, I let the cable "play" for quite a few hours without making judgments and simply listening to the music as it came out. After a couple of days, everything changed, especially that "flatness" that seemed to plague the sound disappeared and thickness and depth appeared that I thought I had lost. But compared to the Mogami, everything had improved. But where the most obvious difference emerged was in the sound: it became full-bodied and compact and with an "airiness" and "cleanliness" in the space between instruments heretofore unknown to my system.
Your conclusions.
Certainly the Dedalus XLR was helped in its performance by the Dedalus Speaker Elite that connects my speakers to the system, but there is no doubt that, compared to the initial phase, the Dedalus showed all its qualities as a high-quality balanced cable. The difference, listening to the same CD a couple of days apart (Michael Brecker, self-titled album), was illuminating and revealing of how much edge the cable has to give back in terms of sound, imaging and cleanliness. Definitely a purchase I am amply satisfied with and even now it makes me feel continuous small improvements in listening to the music I love!
What did you enjoy?
- Body and airiness of instruments
- Cleanliness of sound
- Transparency of the scene
- Aesthetics
- Value for money
What would you improve?
- They need to be broken in with (too much!) patience
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