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Imaging remained very precise and three-dimensional. Indeed this stunning liquidity did not undermine my sense of overall precision. I always had difficulties to completely forget whatever cables I used before for various reasons to always consider them a kind of compromise and not complete win-win. The High Fidelity Cables were the first to let me completely forget the wiring's sonic identity.
The difference between entry-level CT-1 and the enhanced version of speaker cables wasn't small. The enhanced version magnified the former's strengths and added density and bass authority. The little treble harshness of the CT-1 speaker cables was completely ameliorated. Bass and drums had greater impact but the overall climate remained very liquid and natural. With the High Fidelity CT-1 E loom, the main features I love about my system were delivered at a whole new level of accuracy.
The way these cables seemingly injected more information to flow through my system than before didn't telegraph in any attention-grabbing fashion. They sounded laid-back without really being laid-back and they were fast with a rare sense of proper pace. They were very silent with a really dark background but sounded energetic rather than overdamped. They had an enormous quantity of midrange detail with proper tonal warmth but also were very linear top to bottom thanks to extended frequency extremes.
They had plenty of energy but also delivered very much small-scale data and cubits of decays and air. Bass was very defined and tight without a concomitant loss of density or energy. Finally they sounded as though they were not really there. The sheer quantity of information was a terrific enjoyment but the most stunning aspect of it all was that they sounded so natural. They never seemed to impose any detectable sonic signature of their own vis-à-vis any of the other looms I've tried in the past.
It did not seem that 'synergy' between interconnects and speaker wires locks a buyer into a mandatory pairing. The association of speaker and interconnects worked perfectly of course but using the XLR Grimm with the High Fidelity speaker cables was a very good match too. The Grimm seemed to deliver even more extended bandwidth for higher ambient detail whilst the High Fidelity RCA by contrast was more about luscious warm tone and seemed to reveal less venue detail even if I suspected that the Grimm was actually a bit less natural.
Discs used during my listening tests were Esoteric Chopin, Liszt and Debussy Piano Pieces; Da Capo Records Mozart Symphonies with Adam Fischer & Danish National Chamber Orchestra; Little Hartley Music 600 Years in a Moment by Fiona Joy Hawkins; 2L Quiet Winter Night; RCO Live Shostakovich Symphony N°10 with Mariss Jansons & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Conclusion: The pricing of High Fidelity Cables places them beyond reach of the many but presented a true pain of a different sort when I saw them leave. In my mind they remain a personal reference for accuracy and pure listening pleasure. I am not a serial cable tester to consider myself an authority but anyone ready to spend such a significant amount on audio wires would do well to give a listen to these High Fidelity Cables. They were the best cables I have heard thus far. They provide such openness that it was quite difficult to go back to other wires. Another reviewer wrote a while back that it would be better not to try these if you cannot afford them. I agree wholeheartedly.
As I want to relocate my two Luxman power amps close to my speakers, I'd just need a pair of one-meter speaker cables to make it unreasonable buying the 3m loaners or RCA interconnects when my system runs balanced front to back. Even so the pair of RCA CT-1E interconnects was the first to do as well as—and on tone even better than—my customary XLR leash. I can only imagine a future when High Fidelity XLR cables might appear in my system. For the happy few who can afford today's contenders and have their sonic focus on naturalness, resolution and a wide-open sound, these cables could be the final door to audio heaven!
