Model: Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Category: Cable Suggested Retail Price: $500 total (see review and website). Description: Silver Interconnects and Speaker Cables Manufacturer URL: Tempo Electric Model Picture: View
Review by Gerry E. on May 23, 2010 at 13:49:44
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for the Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker CablesI find it more than a little ironic that my first "formal" product review is about silly cables, but here goes. First, a little about my cable history. My first semi hi-end cables were Nordost Blue-Heaven, both speaker and interconnects. I purchased these in the mid-1990s. They were different than other cables, sounded excellent and were reasonably priced. I kept them for about ten years until an audio buddy in Germany turned me on to some very inexpensive cables made out of a specific model of Belden wire.
I used those for about a year or two. These Belden based cables use stranded wire and I started reading more-and-more that solid-core was the way to go. In keeping with the inexpensive theme (I'm extremely skeptical of expensive cables), I got a set of Paul Speltz Anti-Cables. The Speltz speaker cables cost me almost nothing because I bought the raw cable, twisted it myself and use a short length with bare wire ends. Why use spades, bananas, etc, if you don't need them? You'll save money and they can only degrade the sound, not improve it.
For the past year or so I have been intrigued by silver cables. Based on the research I did, I wanted the following attributes: solid core (as above), optimal wire size (gauge), pure extra soft-temper silver with a Teflon or unbleached cotton dielectric/outer jacket. Like the cables mentioned above, I wanted the interconnects and speaker cables to come from the same manufacturer (this eliminated a number of brands because they only make one or the other). Last, I wanted the interconnects to use high quality RCA connectors and the speaker cables to have bare wire ends.
The number of cables I need and my length requirements are minimal: One .75 meter pair of interconnects, one 5 foot pair of speaker cables and one 16" pair of jumper cables to be used between my woofers and tweeters. These requirements not only help keep the cost down, but could also open up some brands that otherwise might be too expensive.
Of course I wanted to spend as little as possible, but I was willing to go up to $500 total for the set, for something really special. I looked for at least a year before making my cable purchase from Tempo Electric (Joseph Levy and Arthur Loesch). I considered every brand that I could find that met all or at least most of my requirements. I almost pulled the trigger a few times on some other brands, most of which were less expensive, but I kept coming back to Tempo Electric. One reason for this is because they use WBT-0110Ag Nextgen silver locking RCA connectors on their interconnects. At a price that's less than the retail price for a set of four of these connectors by themselves!
My patience was rewarded because just as I was about to purchase the Tempo Electric cables, they came out with their latest version using over-sized Teflon outer jackets (plus you gotta love the name - Big Twist Interconnects). They are not the only company using over-sized Teflon, but when you look at the total package and cost, they appeared to be the best value. And this is from a company whose components are not inexpensive. The idea of using over-sized Teflon tubing is so simple that it's brilliant! Air is considered the "best" dielectric and you can't get much closer to that than this.
My "Audio Philosophy", at both the system and component level is: simple, clean and transparent. Given that, the Tempo Electric cables were the perfect fit. In a case where form really does follow function, they are both visually and sonically simple, clean and transparent. Also, the speaker cable is much easier to work with than the stiff Speltz Anti-Cable. Some people have mentioned that silver cables can sound bright and I had a concern about that. Simply put, I don't hear it, at least not in my system.
I'm not going to go through a list of recordings and write how they sound (sometimes I think reviewers do this to show what esoteric musical taste they have). I will just say that my system has never sounded better. If I had to pick three attributes that really stand out, it would be the transparency, excellent bass response and the amazingly wide soundstage. Perhaps there's a cable out there using some "magical" combination of copper, silver, gold and/or palladium that can sound even better than pure silver, but I would bet that it's going to cost significantly more than the Tempo Electric cables. Do you know the excitement you feel when listening to a new component in your system? Well, I have had the Tempo Electric cables for about a month now and that hasn't worn off one bit. This is a first for cables in my experience!
Gerry
P.S. I agree with Arthur Loesch and Joseph Levy that these cables don't have a "break in" period. If anything, it's just the listener getting used to their outstanding sonic qualities!
Product Weakness: The interconnects are a great value but the speaker cable could get expensive depending on length and required gauge. Product Strengths: Transparency, bass response and soundstage width. Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: James Burgess SE 45 Amp w/volume controls Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz SA-7S1 CD/SACD Player Speakers: Western Electric 754A w/Jensen RP-302 Tweeters on Open Baffles Cables/Interconnects: Tempo Electric Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classic Rock, Jazz Time Period/Length of Audition: One month. Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
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Topic - REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Gerry E. 13:49:44 05/23/10 (21)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - demetane 09:45:43 02/18/12 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - ThorJensen 19:38:36 11/30/10 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Gerry E. 19:48:22 12/17/10 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - ThorJensen 20:51:53 12/20/10 (0)
- I wonder if the WBT connectors are genuine... - RZCK 14:03:14 05/25/10 (3)
- All parts are genuine - Tempo_Electric 07:22:43 06/01/10 (1)
- RE: All parts are genuine - RZCK 08:30:16 06/02/10 (0)
- RE: I wonder if the WBT connectors are genuine... - Gerry E. 18:20:22 05/26/10 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Audioquest4life 21:25:01 05/23/10 (12)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Gerry E. 04:49:29 05/24/10 (11)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Marc Almirall 00:35:39 05/25/10 (2)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Gerry E. 05:04:34 05/25/10 (1)
- RE: REVIEW: Tempo Electric Big Twist Interconnects & Speaker Cables Cable - Marc Almirall 09:47:40 05/25/10 (0)
- Nice, minimalist setup.... - alan m. kafton 07:11:07 05/24/10 (7)
- Copper collars on your power cords? - woober goober 11:52:09 05/24/10 (6)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - Gerry E. 18:45:35 05/24/10 (1)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - artemus 19:08:52 05/24/10 (0)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - alan m. kafton 16:37:29 05/24/10 (3)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - Duster 17:03:22 05/24/10 (2)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - alan m. kafton 12:23:48 05/25/10 (0)
- RE: Copper collars on your power cords? - benie 18:21:45 05/24/10 (0)