This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
 |
I was not really surprised that cables costing more than twenty times the Linteks delivered better results. But I was surprised by how the main focus of my comparisons rested on a very similar tonal balance - definitely a good point for the two Lintek pairs. Considering price equality with Mogami interconnects, those did not possess as neutral a tonal balance as the Linteks. There was a slight though certainly not unpleasant coloration versus the French interconnects. Given the former’s reputation for being relatively uncolored, the neutrality of the Linteks seemed quite remarkable.
|
|
|
|
|
Other features were not fundamentally different between the Mogamis and Linteks. The connectors of my Mogami references are of higher quality but this does not have sufficient impact on the sound to create any distinct advantages. Transient of guitar string were perhaps a tad more defined over the Mogamis but if this difference was real, it was also very subtle.
|
 |
 |
Instrumental images were precisely positioned and stable as was quite obvious when listening to the very demanding Guitar Trio [Verve – Al di Meola, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin]. The Linteks firmly anchored the sonic images in a wide enough stage but certainly lacked depth. On the All Star Percussion Ensemble (an extract from the Perfect Sound SACD of the 2009 Hong Kong High-End Visual Show), each instrument was readily identifiable and easy to differentiate and the slight loss of sparkle and harmonic extension in the upper octaves created no confusion or inhibition of understanding the musical action.
Of the two Lintek cables, I personally preferred the RCA-CT. I honestly heard no great differences but the RCA-Cs could be favored in systems requiring a touch of brightness. For the rest and relative to my personal tastes, I’d stick with the pure copper pair.
Conclusion: The Lintek interconnects are interesting options in the arena of genuinely bargain-priced hifi products. My experience here thus far suggests that for most listeners, the choice should be mainly dictated by needed or desired tonal qualities. These interconnects seem very close to neutral and only very slightly to the rich or full side of it. For superior performance in other areas, you’d need to spend more.
|
|
|
|
What I found important was that the Linteks did not interfere with the character of my system. While there was less bass extension, less harmonic richness, less speed and less dynamic explosiveness, the sonic detail was almost on the same level. For their price, I should thus certainly recommend these cables knowing that even at €200/pr, you can very easily arrive at inferior results - unless you believe that the purpose of interconnects cables is to change the flavor of the sound. That would definitely be another story altogether.
|
 |
 |
For the other—my—type of listener, the neutrality of the Lintek interconnects was astonishingly consistent regardless of components and speakers used with them with. To me, such consistency across differing ancillaries has always been a clear hallmark of overall cable quality. They do what they do regardless of what components you might own... |
|
Quality of packing: Basic.
Reusability of packing: A few times.
Condition of component received: Excellent.
Human interactions: Good.
Pricing: Fair considering performance.
|
French-only Lintek website
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
