The Absolute Sound
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- Apr 19, 2013
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- #1
<p>
Over the years numerous examples of Wireworld Audio speaker cables and interconnects have crisscrossed my listening room. So many in fact that a common theme has gradually emerged. On a tonal basis, Wireworld’s wires have been eerily consistent model to model—even to the point of predictability. Their character has always centered on the midrange first, eschewing frequency-extreme flashiness in favor of an overall neutral response. At times I’d characterize them as leaning slightly toward the darker side of the tonal spectrum, but that’s an impression I don’t want to exaggerate. It is more a reflection of the fact that Wireworld doesn’t hype the treble octaves like many other cables I’ve encountered. There is no false detail or transient etching.</p>
<p>
Still, in retrospect, there seemed to be room for improvement in its mid-priced offerings, especially in spatiality and low-level resolving power. Thus, when I was afforded the opportunity to hear Wireworld’s popular Equinox and Eclipse wires in their new 20th Anniversary Series 7 configuration, I jumped at the chance.</p>
<p>
These mid-priced wires are the heart of the Wireworld line— what I consider the two most popular upgrade price points. Both use Ohno Continuous Cast copper conductors (OCC), but Eclipse uses a heavier gauge, which results in thicker, stiffer products.</p>
<p>
If my coverage of Equinox 7 is giving you a sense of déjà vu, it should. In Issue 236 TAS writer Ron Doering included Equinox in a survey of mid-priced cables. In that article RD pointed out its “pleasingly rounded and warm presentation,” a conclusion that I’d reached in an earlier go-round with Equinox. Even so, I wanted to contrast Equinox 7 with the uptown Eclipse 7 wires, bouncing them off one another to illustrate what enthusiasts can expect when contemplating an upgrade.</p>
<p>
My impressions of Equinox 7 essentially mirror RD’s with the exception that compared with earlier Wireworld iterations, the Series 7 wires are a bit brighter and more open in the treble, and though they have a warm overall signature, low-level veiling has been reduced and the recovery of inner detail improved. The Equinox Series 7 is a more tonally neutral and open wire and bears a significant tonal resemblance to its pricier sibling, Eclipse 7. However as I listened to <em>Rhapsody in Blue </em>[St. Louis, Slatkin; Reference Mastercuts], the Equinox Series 7’s balance was clearly more midrange-y and just a little brasher and flintier on brass transients. Soundstage width and dimensionality were mid-pack for this range with a corresponding hint of congestion around neighboring orchestral images. On balance Equinox will be a tough competitor with the recent reviewed Nordost Purple Flare and WyWires Blue (Issue 236).</p>
[Source: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/wireworld-series-7-equinox-and-eclipse-speaker-wire-and-interconnect/]
Over the years numerous examples of Wireworld Audio speaker cables and interconnects have crisscrossed my listening room. So many in fact that a common theme has gradually emerged. On a tonal basis, Wireworld’s wires have been eerily consistent model to model—even to the point of predictability. Their character has always centered on the midrange first, eschewing frequency-extreme flashiness in favor of an overall neutral response. At times I’d characterize them as leaning slightly toward the darker side of the tonal spectrum, but that’s an impression I don’t want to exaggerate. It is more a reflection of the fact that Wireworld doesn’t hype the treble octaves like many other cables I’ve encountered. There is no false detail or transient etching.</p>
<p>
Still, in retrospect, there seemed to be room for improvement in its mid-priced offerings, especially in spatiality and low-level resolving power. Thus, when I was afforded the opportunity to hear Wireworld’s popular Equinox and Eclipse wires in their new 20th Anniversary Series 7 configuration, I jumped at the chance.</p>
<p>
These mid-priced wires are the heart of the Wireworld line— what I consider the two most popular upgrade price points. Both use Ohno Continuous Cast copper conductors (OCC), but Eclipse uses a heavier gauge, which results in thicker, stiffer products.</p>
<p>
If my coverage of Equinox 7 is giving you a sense of déjà vu, it should. In Issue 236 TAS writer Ron Doering included Equinox in a survey of mid-priced cables. In that article RD pointed out its “pleasingly rounded and warm presentation,” a conclusion that I’d reached in an earlier go-round with Equinox. Even so, I wanted to contrast Equinox 7 with the uptown Eclipse 7 wires, bouncing them off one another to illustrate what enthusiasts can expect when contemplating an upgrade.</p>
<p>
My impressions of Equinox 7 essentially mirror RD’s with the exception that compared with earlier Wireworld iterations, the Series 7 wires are a bit brighter and more open in the treble, and though they have a warm overall signature, low-level veiling has been reduced and the recovery of inner detail improved. The Equinox Series 7 is a more tonally neutral and open wire and bears a significant tonal resemblance to its pricier sibling, Eclipse 7. However as I listened to <em>Rhapsody in Blue </em>[St. Louis, Slatkin; Reference Mastercuts], the Equinox Series 7’s balance was clearly more midrange-y and just a little brasher and flintier on brass transients. Soundstage width and dimensionality were mid-pack for this range with a corresponding hint of congestion around neighboring orchestral images. On balance Equinox will be a tough competitor with the recent reviewed Nordost Purple Flare and WyWires Blue (Issue 236).</p>
[Source: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/wireworld-series-7-equinox-and-eclipse-speaker-wire-and-interconnect/]