Mr. Zanetti's review-testimony to the discovery of cables Ricable Invictus

Today we want to present you with a somewhat special review of Invictus Power and Speaker, faithfully reported from how we received it as a matter of transparency. It is that of our new customer, Mr. Zanetti, who discovered the brand Ricable through a visit from a dear friend, Alessandro, an audiophile like himself. It all begins with the usual time of listening with the usual system of fine workmanship, but within a short time things take an unexpected turn, which will lead the two of them directly to the headquarters of Ricable...

After reading the first part, you can find the second part, published later, at this link.

One day last August, I visited my friend Alexander in his "home automation" apartment and we prepared, as usual, to listen to music from his Hi-End system. The system is particularly refined. The electronics consist of a McIntosh MCT 450 transport and a McIntosh Ma 8900 integrated amplifier with converter (DAC). The speaker system is Sonus Faber "Serafino." I was used to the great quality sound that this system is able to give back, but this time I heard, after about thirty seconds, something different. It sounded Lars Erstrand (Opus 3 label). The recording was originally analog of the highest quality (probably with Nagra equipment). But even better was the digitization process done in DSD 128.

"What did you do?" I said. The answer made me wince. "I changed the cables," he answered me candidly.

You have to remember that in the last twenty-five years, I think we would have changed about thirty cables of all kinds doing the most outlandish experiments. So I concentrated on the sound. Erstrand's vibraphone sounded perfectly finished, without smearing, perfectly highlighted in space, without roughness or annoyance of any kind. The reproduction was perfectly transparent with a kind of "gilding" of the instrument (I wouldn't know what exactly that means, but viscerally I feel like calling it that). The piano, then, was a sight: transparent and textural, perfectly defined in space. Another jaw-dropping result was the tapping of the brushes on the drum cymbals. The usual other parameters took a back seat to the transparency and "gilding." My attention was captured by Erstrand's performance in an almost childlike way, despite the fact that I was a very longtime audiophile.

We hear other recordings but the impression is always the same: unusual transparency, gilding of the instruments, location and refinement of the instruments. The space of the placement of the instruments is granitic. At this point I ask Alexander what he has done.

He, almost circumspectly, points me to two blue-colored cables: a power cable and a pair of cables Speaker . I stand dumbfounded. The power cable is plugged into the wall outlet and feeds a power conditioner from PS Audio. All the equipment's power cables are fed by PS Audio with its usual cables. I focus on the cables. They are nice and thick! I take the gauge and measure the diameter: power cable 20 mm; the cable Speaker (speakers) is the same. Name: RICABLE.

At this point I want to meet, if possible, the seller-manufacturer. To my surprise Alessandro tells me that he is Italian and that he is located about 25 km from Novara, in Oleggio. Quick phone calls. An appointment is set for Tuesday, September 2, at 11:00 a.m. (in the morning, of course!). We arrive about fifteen minutes early at Ricable and on the gate we are greeted by the owner: mister Sergio Modenesi.

After the usual pleasantries, I begin my hammering with specific questions about the electrical and mechanical parameters of the cables he produces. I ask to visit the warehouse, I look with interest at the coils with cables and insulators of all kinds, I continuously question Sergio about everything. Until 12:15 p.m. arrives and my friend Alessandro politely points out that everyone is hungry as hell and that it would also be time to end the visit.

I was very positively impressed by Sergio Modenesi's expertise combined with the enthusiasm and energy of the entrepreneur. I discovered that he is a chemist like me and has worked in urethane polymerization. For none of his cables does he use PVC, a polymer that can ruin copper and could release the very toxic vinyl chloride monomer. I appreciated the painstaking work of annealing the copper wire after each processing step and the careful choice of insulating technopolymers. He also told me that some Italian companies are at the forefront of copper wire extrusion and the production of specific technopolymers.

In conclusion, a positive and enlightening visit. Sergio Modenesi represents the best of our small businessmen, combining in his person competence, passion and a lot of hard work.

L.R. Zanetti

We thank Mr. Zanetti for his valuable review of our Invictus Power and Speaker and take this opportunity to introduce you to the products he discovered, which can be reached by clicking the buttons below.