Kimber Silver Streak, Part 6
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| Posted on March 5, 2022 at 14:39:39 | ||
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Posts: 7330
Location: Bay Area Joined: December 11, 2000 |
 In the early-to-mid 1990s, when we were new to high-end audio, our girlfriends took college organic chemistry classes. My wife, who went to UC Berkeley, still has some textbooks, CDs, and audio products from those years.  "OMG, look how young I was!" exclaims my friend Wendy. Taken from when a dad got remarried, the photo depicts Wendy with "black hair - no grays or whites. And what's with the braids?!" Hmmm, the braids remind us of Kimber Kable.  In the late-90s, we dyed or got highlights for our hair. The colors were mostly shades of brown. Hmmm, the black-and-white shirt reminds us of Kimber's Silver Streak interconnect.  In late 1997, looking good with dyed hair, we went to SoCal. "Valentine," by Jim Brickman with Martina McBride, was a huge hit. Didn't matter that Valentine's Day 1998 was still a few months away; Brickman's "Valentine" put everyone in a loving mood. So then we went to Hawaii.  Hmmm, white watch and black wristlet. Of course, we had to go to Honolulu's Audio Direction Ltd. There, the late Stewart Ono (AA's UncleStu52) said that, if you had regular single-ended audio equipment, Kimber's Silver Streak interconnect was a cost-effective choice. He said it was more clean, open, resolving, and transparent, than the cheaper PBJ. Yet, said Stu, the Silver Streak's performance came close to that of the much more expensive KCAG.  Hahaha, one Inmate, who shall remain unnamed, complained, "I'm bald! And what prickly f------ hairs I do have are ghost white!" Reminiscent of Kimber Silver Streak, these highlights of gray (as found on Wendy's older sister) are now de rigeur, for middle-aged moms, such as Wendy's older sister, pictured here. Also, due to cosplay, teenagers and young adults are also getting these "silver streak" highlights.  Hmmm, many of you have asked how the Silver Streak compares to the new Kimber Carbon IC. The latter is $576 for a 1-meter piece, with WBT-0114 RCAs.  The Silver Streak no longer is available with WBT-0147 RCAs (bottom). A 1-meter Silver Streak with Kimber UltraPlate (not pictured) is $484. With the same WBT-0114 as found on the Carbon IC (top), a 1-meter Silver Streak is $590.  Hmmm, people struggle with blinds. People squirm, and are afraid to ask how to work or untangle the blinds. No matter how you try to straighten the Kimber Silver Streak, it will bend, kink, and twist. Still, because it is soft, it can be easily routed, and will not take up space. Alas, when you compare the sonic traits of Kimber's RCA Silver Streak and Carbon, listeners may squirm. They sound different from each other, but their weaknesses are not in the same areas. If you have decent audio equipment, there may not be a clear-cut "winner."  With the Kimber Carbon, the sound is solid, and there just aren't any "free notes." So if your equipment is shy on treble, the Carbon refuses to add any. But if you have vinyl playback, with its ubiquitous upper-midrange warble, the Carbon's stability in this area is a good thing. With the single-ended Carbon, there are losses in air, breath, and delineation between images. However, said images are stable. When you replace the Carbon with single-ended Silver Streak, you do get more see-through transparency, soundstage height, breath, space around and between images, and treble extension. However, the images are not as stable. Silver streak replaces fine textures with a sort of sheen and grunge. Drums do not display as much size, focus, punch, and power. Music does not flow as effortlessly, as it does via the Carbon. On Jim Brickman's Valentine," the Carbon will direct your attention to the piano. The Silver Streak will place more emphasis on Martina McBride's singing. If your equipment is thin and raspy, you'll probably prefer the Carbon 60/40. But if your equipment is solid-sounding, you might prefer the Silver Streak by that same 60/40 ratio. The bald Inmate has used both, and in a variety of systems. He likens them to adjusting the blinds, but writes: "For everyday use, I go with SS. But for certain special moments, when I want the emphasis to be on the music instead of the space, I go with Carbon." -Lummy The Loch Monster
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