Review #46 - Invictus Signal cable - Ricable Review
Raphael C.
Sources: Audio Research CD5 CD player; Michell GyroDec turntable with Audio Technica AT1100 tonearm and Grado Reference cartridge
Amplifier: Audio Research SP-10 MKII preamplifier; Audio Research D300 power amplifier
Acoustic Speakers: B&W 805 Signature
Other: B&W DB3D subwoofer; Sansui TU-717 tuner; Systems and Magic mains filters; Listening room treated by Applied Acoustics
The following review of the Invictus Signal 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 Raphael for his time.
I have known the brand Ricable for a long time, because years ago I had the opportunity to purchase two HDMI cables, which I still use today and appreciate with great admiration for the level of construction and the overall performance of both audio and video. I had never had a chance to test in person the Hi-Fi cables that this company makes, and since the opportunity presented itself to me, I wanted to do so, partly because I was really very curious.
As an old pioneer of high fidelity (since the 1970s), I have tried many brands of more or less emblazoned cables, and after numerous direct comparisons I can say, with certainty, that it is absolutely not the price that makes the intrinsic quality of each of them.
and aesthetics of the product?
The three-meter, RCA-terminated Invictus INTERCONNECT cable, which I purchased, is a beautiful artifact, with attention to every detail. The packaging, with which it is shipped to you, is prominent, and there is padding inside to protect it from any bumps. In the substance, a lot of care has been taken in the details that really make the difference, such as: stocking, connectors, soldering, gilding. Cosmetics have also been considered, because the cable has a very remarkable appearance.
So, I immediately connected it to the digital player, and after giving it a break-in of about forty hours, as it should be, I began to listen to it, carefully, putting it directly in comparison with cables of all prominence, and whose timbre I know very well. I compared it with the cables in my possession, Transparent Plus, Ultra, YBA Diamond, Mandrake in silver (a famous cable in the 1990s), cables that I appreciate so much for the smooth sonority, the dynamic contrast, the width of the imaginary soundstage, the depth of the image.
listening impressions?
For the test I conducted, I used the most varied musical material possible to bring out all the peculiarities of the component under test, namely:
- Baroque
- Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Archiv disc
- Händel, Music on Water
- Händel, Concerti grossi
- Pop, rock, fusion
- Peter Gabriel, Up
- Pink Floyd, The Endless River
- Dire Straits, Dire Straits
- Al Jarreau, Tenderness
- Dead Can Dance, Into the Labyrinth
- Chick Corea, Plays
- Pat Metheny, The Road to You
- Genesis, Seconds Out
- Dave Grusin, Cinemagic
- Steely Dan, Gaucho
- Karen Souza, Essentials
- Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
- Italian music
- Mina, Fiorella Mannoia, Lucio Dalla , Francesco De Gregori, Fabrizio De André
Your conclusions.
Well ... theInvictus, after the long run-in, has shown remarkable characteristics, such as:
- Timbral balance: each frequency has its own location, without any prevarication;
- dynamics transfer: it seems that the signal has fewer obstacles and arrives with more energy and speed;
- damping: faster transients are damped, and well articulated;
- silkiness: the mid-highs have a texture that never fatigues, even in long listening sessions;
- image width: the speakers disappear, the greater the overall realism;
- depth: this dimension, too, has expanded;
- Noise abatement: benefits the increase of micro and macro contrast.
What did you enjoy?
- Attention to detail
- Remarkable aesthetics
- Value for money, in my context, at least
- Total lack of listening fatigue
What would you improve?
- Nothing to report
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