Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Harmonic Technology Pro Silway Mark II Cable by the analog kid

Model:	Pro Silway Mark II
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$400.00
Description:	Single-Crystal Silver/Copper Hybrid Interconnect
Manufacturer URL:	Harmonic Technology
Manufacturer URL:	Harmonic Technology

Review by the analog kid ( A ) on April 09, 2002 at 18:35:42
IP Address: 35.9.15.46

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for the Pro Silway Mark II

In reading the posts on the Cable Asylum for several months (and contributing on occasion as well), two names that repeatedly arise have been Harmonic Technology and Silversmith. HT seems to be receiving a TON of rave press recently as a reasonably priced, high-performance cable, and Silversmith seems to rule the day in terms of cost-no-object designs (see my previous review of Silversmith speaker cables - they are unbelievably great). In particular, the Pro-Silway Mark II's have garnered some strong mainstream press praise, receiving a TAS "Golden Ear" Award, and being touted by Michael Fremer as his "reference interconnects." So, it was with great excitement and anticipation that I set out to score a pair, and A/B them with various different IC's that I have on hand.
To begin with (prior to turning to my experience with the Pro Silway, heretofore referred to as "PS"), let me clarify my IC experience(s). I have owned and used numerous ICs over the last few years, including the following: Kimber Silver Streak, KCAG, and Select 1010; Nordost Blue Heaven; and Cardas Hexlink Golden 5C, Neutral Reference, and Golden Cross. Of these, my favorite has been the Golden Cross - not the absolute highest resolution of the bunch, but truly the most musical, and (to borrow Gizmo's label) the "King of tone."
Receiving the PS, I was immediately impressed with the build quality for the price. This is a GORGEOUS cable in terms of quality of craftsmanship, with heavy-duty locking-type RCAs. The cables had probably 200-300 hours already on them (compliments of a friend of mine), and so they were well broken in prior to my audition. I tried them within two different systems: my office digital system (Rega Planet, Sonic Frontiers SFC-1 integrated, and B&W DM302), and my analog-only home listening system (Basis 1400 with Mark Baker Silver 250 arm, Grado Statement, ARC PH3SE phono, AI L1 pre, Pass Aleph 60 monoblocks, Snell XA 60 speakers). Within the office system it became the only interconnect, whereas within my home system it was "inserted in the chain," with the other cables remaining my reference Golden Cross's (except for the speaker cables, which are Silversmith).
Within the office system, the first thing I noticed was amazing increase in resolution, and retrieval of inner detail. This was accompanied by dramatically increased slam, and energy in the transients. They truly blew me away - I was amazed by the improvement over my standard Cardas Hexlinks (the IC I used in my office). Impressed, I carted them eagerly home.
Within my home system, however, the effect was quite different. Again, they impressed me with enhanced retrieval of low-level information. For example, on the track "Guinevere" from the exceptional Classic reissue of CSN, there are several brief breaks during the song, in which all you can hear is guitar decay, and a VERY quiet foot in the background tapping the beat entry leading into the next part. With the PS's in place, the tapping of the foot became very clear, whereas with my Golden Cross's it sounds more like a strange vague "clicking." Also dramatically improved was the transient energy - everything sounded more aggressive, and intensely brilliant (guitar attacks, cymbals explosions, etc.).
At the same time, within only a few minutes I realized that something dramatic was MISSING. The "magic" that had existed within my system was GONE. Now I know this sounds vague and allusive, but within my system there exists a certain synergy - a sound that keeps you on the edge of your seat, sometimes holding your breath without realizing it. With the PS's, it was just gone. I sat there, thinking "well, I SHOULD like them," but the organic nature of the music had evaporated. Everything sounded clean, clear, brilliant, and lifeless. The most simple way to express it is this: with the PS's in the signal path, my beloved analog system immediately sounded digital.
This was most blatantly noticeable when I pulled out my standard female vocal "test" LPs - Sarah McLachlan "Fumbling Toward Ecstacy" (Classic pressing), and the exceptional DCC reissue of Joni's "Court and Spark." For both, the rich natural warmth of their voices was gone - replaced by a starkly neutral, clear, and clean sound. Not at ALL like the real thing (having heard both in concert, I can say this).
Doubting my own ears, I played "switcharoo" for hours (days, actually), with numerous other cables I had on hand. The effect was consistent. The insertion of a single one meter run of PS rendered the same effect each time. It also didn't matter where it was in the chain: I tried both between the preamp and the amps, as well as between the phono and the preamp.
I'm also not talking about coloration versus neutrality here. For example, the Golden Hexlinks are VERY obviously colored. But the PS's are not simply "neutral" and "uncolored" - within my system, they bleached out every semblance of natural tone. This is very UNLIKE other "neutral" cables, such as the Silversmith.
My conclusion? The Harmonic Technology Pro-Silway Mark II is a very clean, clear, and brilliant-sounding cable. For those individuals who prize transparency above all else, it will provide an enormous bang/buck performance and excellent resolution. At the same time, it will not suit everyone's tastes. For those people who (like me) prize natural tone above all else, I heartily encourage you to audition them prior to purchase.

Product Weakness: Tendency to bleach out natural tonal quality of music, particularly with female vocals.
Product Strengths: Outstanding build quality; excellent bang for the buck; great resolution and retrieval of inner detail; explosive transients

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Pass Aleph 60 Monoblocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	AI L1 preamp, ARC PH3SE phono
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Basis 1400, Grado Statement
Speakers:	Snell XA60
Cables/Interconnects:	Cardas Golden Cross, Silversmith
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, Pop, Female Vocal
Room Size (LxWxH):	22 x 11 x 9
Room Comments/Treatments:	RPG Diffusors
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 month
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Monster HTS5000
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Tendency to bleach out natural tonal quality of music, particularly with female vocals.
Product Strengths:	Outstanding build quality; excellent bang for the buck; great resolution and retrieval of inner detail; explosive transients