Cable Asylum: REVIEW: XLO Limited Edition Cable by Luminator

Model:	Limited Edition
Category:	Cable
Suggested Retail Price:	$ very expensive
Description:	Interconnect
Manufacturer URL:	XLO

Review by Luminator on August 18, 2008 at 12:05:46
IP Address: 66.47.253.226 Add Your Review
for the Limited Edition

Ten years ago, in 1998, I started the uproar of using expensive interconnects on cheap electronics. Out of sheer whimsy, I stuck a spare XLO Signature 1.1 on my Sony Playstation. You should have seen the vitriol launched my way. But, a my friends can attest, video gaming, because of the focused, detailed, fast sound, was more involving and emotional than ever before.

Undeterred, I then stuck Tara Labs' ISM The One and XLO's LE-1 on the not only the Playstation, but the Sega Genesis and NEC Turbografix. Hot frickin' damn! The sound, believe it or not, was awesome. And it took clear, transparent interconnects to unlock the sound. Or, another way of looking at it is, lesser interconnects were throwing away resolution.

It is now 2008, and some slow-to-get-it audiophiles are only now checking out the Playstation. I just checked, and while XLO are revamping their Reference and Signature series, their Limited Edition lineup is still intact.

And it's high time I re-visit the Limited Edition interconnects. The single-ended IC is called "LE-1," and the balanced interconnect is called "LE-2." For more information, click on the following links:

LE-1, Part 1
LE-1, Part 2
LE-2

It is important to know that, unlike some other companies, XLO do allow you to order LE interconnects in custom lengths. I am not sure if they will do custom terminations with, say, DINs (e.g., for use with Naim gear) and Camacs (e.g., for use with old Mark Levinson gear).

After using locking-barrel RCAs on other products, I enjoyed the ease of using the LE-1's friction-fit RCA.

If you are going to play in this league, why oh why do you not have a Cable Cooker? You simply do not know how your cables can perform, unless you have some such device. And the good news is, the LE interconnects really only need 2-3 days on the Cable Cooker, followed by a few days of regular usage. If your LE interconnects have not been Cooked, you will not know what their true soundstaging and resolving abilities are. And now that I look back, it's too bad we did not have the Cable Cooker back in 1998. Those expensive cables on the PS1 would have sounded even better , had they been properly treated.

Sigh, yeah, back in 1998, the likes of Tara Labs ISM The One and XLO Limited Edition were considered whacky expensive. Nowadays, their prices are merely run-of-the-mill. Harumph! But, an optimist will see that as (a) more people joining the audio parade, (b) a greater chance of technology trickling down into the more affordable ranges, and (c) a golden opportunity to swoop in, and buy up, at cheaper prices, used samples.

Heck, I myself use Nordost Odin, each of which costs as much as a car. But a product like Odin puts the LE interconnects' performance in perspective. The Odin quite clearly shows that the LEs are lacking, first of all, in transparency. You cannot "see through" the soundstage as clearly. Furthermore, said soundstage isn't as deep as it should be. And this shows up, whether you are listening to the San Francisco Symphony or Julian Lennon.

I grew up playing baseball, basketball, and football. I used to think that basketball practice on asphalt courts under the mid-afternoon Hawaiian sun was brutal. And it was. But that only prepared me for the demands of hockey. If you're on the ice for more than a minute, you're dead. Your legs tighten up, and no matter what your mind says, your body doesn't obey. You struggle to get to the bench, and you're huffing and puffing like a dragon. That breathing, as you are well aware, is different from the breathing you do in the more pedestrian baseball, basketball, and football. In baseball, all we did was stand around, and watch the other team(s) circle the bases. In basketball, you could go to the defensive end, and catch a break by bending over and putting your hands on your knees. In football, there's a break between each play. Plus, when you come off the field, you sit on your helmet. In these four sports, there are different degrees of breathing. Unfortunately, the Limited Edition interconnects take away such details. So if you are an audiophile looking for "free notes," sorry, the LE is too honest for that. It will not magically add any detail. Moreover, it does detract a bit from the air surrounding each image. As I said, it muffles the way the music "breathes."

Lazy audiophiles whose systems and setups are a mess often turn to interconnects as some sort of cure-all band-aid. These people often request that their cables are "forgiving." Indeed, throwing some sugar over some cardboardy oatmeal can make it more palatable. The LE interconnects do indeed warm up the harmonics. But it's different from simply pouring sugar. The LE's sweetness comes from within. Okay, so instrumental textures are a bit off. But don't let that lull you into thinking the LEs are slow or not dynamically capable. It can make dynamic leaps with precision and force. And sometimes, when musically appropriate, the LE allows cymbals to blast forth with a suddenness of attack.

The LEs do not starve the music. Even with the thin-sounding Rotel RCD-971, and thin recordings, the LEs sweetened the sound enough so that, while we were aware that it was thin, it wasn't unhealthily so. But be careful, if you've got typical full-sounding high-end audio. Using LE can drown your room with sound, leaving you wishing for a leaner, more spacious presentation.

But how do the LE interconnects keep it all together? Well, I recently took receipt of the Simaudio Andromeda and dCS Puccini CD players. For the first time, my 2-year-old took notice of KC And The Sunshine Band. And that indicates that the XLO LE has sufficient strength to let these players' musical force through. With these players, music isn't as choppy. Having heard KC And The Sunshine Band through the Andromeda and Puccini (and LE-2), Aiden can't stop singing along to "Boogie Shoes," "Get Down Tonight," "Give It Up," "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty," and "That's The Way (I Like It)." When a 2-year-old gleefully sings "I like it," you better believe it!

My friend Donald eyed the US$20k Puccini, and bellowed, "$20,000 to play KC And The Sunshine Band? Ridiculous!"

My other friend Chris smiled and said, "$20,000 to play KC And The Sunshine Band? Awesome!"

So will $2500 for a 1-meter XLO LE-1 be ridiculous or awesome for you? Or will it lie somewhere in the muddled middle? Only you can answer can that. Only you know what your system is, what your system will be, what your budget is, what your timeline is, what your rooms are like, and what your musical tastes are. But I've given you enough background, history, and user info, so that you can ask yourself if it's even worth your time to check out the LE interconnects.

It is also difficult to make any decisions about interconnects, when not paying attention to speaker cables. Yes, I do have extensive experience with XLO's LE-5 speaker cable. Though I will have to review the LE-5 at some later date, it does sound similar to the LE interconnects. Yes, they do sound cohesive, when used together. I've already given you a description of the LE interconnects' sound. Keep that in mind, as you shop for a speaker cable. Yes, it is okay to mix and match. In general, the LE interconnects were happy with a speaker cable which was fast, detailed, and clear, anything from Kimber 4TC to Tara Labs The One to Nordost Valhalla. Or, if you want to stick with XLO, but can't justify going to LE-5, a nice alternative is the Signature 2 speaker cable:

Well, if it took me ten years to evaluate the Limited Edition interconnects, and come up with this review, let's hope it takes me less time to write a good review of the LE-5 :-)

-Lummy The Seahorse

Product Weakness:	not as transparent or incisive as others, outer jacket looks like something from an elementary school art project
Product Strengths:	RCAs are friction-fit, can be ordered in custom lengths

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: from the Adcom GFA-535II to Simaudio W-8
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): from the Adcom GTP-400 to the Simaudio P-8
Sources (CDP/Turntable): from the Sony Playstation to the dCS Puccini
Speakers: from the NHT SuperZero to the Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento
Cables/Interconnects: Nordost Odin, Tara Labs ISM The One
Music Used (Genre/Selections): rock, pop, metal, oldies
Time Period/Length of Audition: 10 years
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	from the Adcom GFA-535II to Simaudio W-8
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	from the Adcom GTP-400 to the Simaudio P-8
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	from the Sony Playstation to the dCS Puccini
Speakers:	from the NHT SuperZero to the Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento
Cables/Interconnects:	Nordost Odin, Tara Labs ISM The One
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	rock, pop, metal, oldies
Time Period/Length of Audition:	10 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner