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Cable Asylum: REVIEW: Kimber Kable KKSV-1 Cable by badman

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REVIEW: Kimber Kable KKSV-1 Cable

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Model: KKSV-1
Category: Cable
Suggested Retail Price: You can't have it!
Description: Kimber Kable summer Vacation cable
Manufacturer URL: Kimber Kable
Model Picture: View

Review by badman on February 04, 2002 at 20:02:52
IP Address: 208.58.107.31
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for the KKSV-1


This is the Kimber Kable Summer Vacation 1 memorial cable. It is a speaker cable with 12 23 awg solid core, ultra high purity, ultra long grain copper, insulated with V-teflon. V-teflon is a dual wall teflon, which has a clear inner wall. These conductors are braided around an X-38 dampening core, which has anti-static properties. The conductors are held in place with a matrix of anti-static yarn. I was lucky enough to be one of the 4 people in the world to get this cable. It is terminated with each person's preferred WBT connector, I have locking bananas on one end and compression spades on the other.
Before further review, big thanks to Ray for the vacation and cable.
"These are nice. Really nice. I originally replaced some Chris VH cat5s with them, and these are WAY better. Not a little. They are very clean sounding, with a low noise floor, and rich harmonics and detail, and image like crazy. I initially had concerns about the relatively small awg, which is only about 15, but it's caused any noticable compression yet.Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Chris' cat5 design. But it can't compete, this is more precise and higher quality from the copper to the teflon to the consistency of the geometry to the terminations (WBTs might be a little overkill on the cat5s)"
These were my initial notes. I was blown away by these cables, and they are indeed of supremely high quality and performance. I waited, though, as they needed a thorough breaking in, as well as a more neutral reviewer to really do a decent review. So now, I have calmed.

Primary music for the following listening is Pink Floyd "Meddle",
The Who "Tommy", a Telarc Recording of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring", Oingo Boingo "Nothing to Fear" and Mapleshade's Ebony Brass Quintet "Brand New Bag"
I did a little swapping with some cables I'd been letting stay warm in some other systems (not my own). I First listened to some zip cord. Yech. Sounded bass heavy, convoluted, grainy, and thin. Imaging was garbage. Blah. Back to dads system ;-) Then the TNT twisted twins (24 pair cat5 design). Way better than the zip, though some graininess remained. The high frequencies were less harsh, but still rather unpleaseant, and the sound still was muddy. Moving along, I tossed in the Chris VH cat5 design, and the grainyness dissipated somewhat more, and the sound clarity improved overall, as did the imaging. It was nice, and a darn sight better than many a cable I've heard.
Then the KKSV-1 got back in. Whew... my system was breathing. I mean air, and in a serious way. A sort of natural sense of space enveloped the instruments, with easily identifiable locations, but without the spatial cues yelling "Here! Look Here!". The warmth of male voice and acoustic guitar is evident and soothing, but not overwhelmingly so. The high frequencies are there, with extension, but not bothersome at all. The quality of the copper seems to be key here, as there is nothing that sounds strained, but at the same time, it can sound quite nasty and edgy when fed the right material.
In my system, I cannot imagine a better speaker cable, nor do I intend to purchase a different speaker cable for a LONG time, if ever. I am a DIY type, but this thing, made by giant braiding machines, is amazing. I don't know how many people like Floyd, but "San Tropez" has me bobbing my head and smiling as I write. And this is not infatuation with a new cable, it's been in the system since the summer.

Perhaps it's synergy, in a system requiring high current on the speaker cable the relatively small sized cable might sound constricted. MIGHT. My sysem drives only very low current at bass frequencies (the speakers have active bass), and I have noticed no compression. The Rite of Spring has all the balls it should, with BIG dynamics. In an all tube stsyem, this cable might be a little warm. MIGHT. It sounds natural in mine, perhaps a very slight tilt towards the warm side, though that could be nice harmonics getting through that are restricted with other cables.

I must post a disclaimer, I'm not a rich man. I've not listened much to other cables in the Kilobuck range on my system. I wish I could afford super expensive speaker cables, I'd buy a Corvette! These are WAY better than I imagine I'll ever need.


Product Weakness: Maybe a little too small for low sensitivity speakers and high wattage.
Product Strengths: Clarity, ease of listening, imaging, price (free!!!)


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Acurus A100
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Acurus RL-11, Bottlehead Foreplay (souped up as heck)
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz CC-67, EAD DAC-1000, Toshiba SD-3109
Speakers: B&W DM 605 s2
Cables/Interconnects: PBJ, DIY, KS-1030
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classical, Rock, Jazz, other
Room Size (LxWxH): 20 x 12 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition: 7 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Rollerblocks, my own PCs, many other tweaks
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Kimber Kable KKSV-1 Cable - badman 20:02:52 02/4/02 ( 0)