This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

In association with the French discrete R2R Totaldac I noticed a less forward sound and less dynamics than with the Legato wire. As the Totaldac Reference A1 is dynamically rather generous, the association with the Skywire 2020 was simply excellent. Then I replaced the dynamically feisty NOS D/A converter with a known converter of more laid-back character to check if the reduced forward projection would now impact my desired level of involvement. The sound with the Audio GD Ref 5 D/A converter predictably was a bit darker than with my Legato and Naturelle Audio digital wires. It was still an enjoyable result but calmer and not as involving as with the Legato. My final and very warm recommendation for the Skywire 2020 digital cable goes to dynamically powerful DACs like the Totaldac or Yamamoto YDA-01. My response was more tempered with intrinsically more laid-back sources which would have benefited from a bit more extravagance.


For the 2020 analog interconnects their performance in my opinion relied more on personal tastes and ancillary choices where our high-end microcosm is anything but universal. The 2020 interconnects enhanced bass tautness, substance, tone colors and overall clarity. When I listened to my system using Skywire’s digital cable and interconnects, it didn’t sound entirely as before. I had the sensation of major midrange clarity but the strengths of the 2020 interconnects were in some ways an unnecessary emphasis of the Totaldac’s own signature. The sensation of air and drama and articulation seemed a bit recessed compared to my Legato and Naturelle Audio interconnects. I thought that the limited treble energy was responsible for this assertively gentle nature. I remained pleased with my system’s overall performance but my personal sensibility is focused on a more dynamic lively reproduction. Is that a fair or false image of reality? As an audio enthusiast I regard my personal listening pleasure as the foremost requirement before I have any concerns over idealistic abstractions.

I also used the Skywire interconnects with the Lake People G100 headphone amp. In this environment the cables did not exhibit the recessed dynamics they had with the Wyred4Sound STP-SE preamp. Unchanging were tonal accuracy, three-dimensional soundstaging and a very calm top end. In that sense these cables always delivered a very pleasant sound regardless of whether you view their treble as a bit soft or simply free from the ubiquitous ringing and related artifacts we might have gotten so used to as to actually prefer. I thought this showing made the Skywire 2020 cable a very commendable choice which preserved listening comfort regardless of associated equipment yet didn’t sacrifice on clarity and detail.

In a perfect world I' be able to provide a more precise assessment of these interconnects. I simply think that cables are a cuisine-type ingredient for final flavoring. That’s why it’s important to test wires in different situations. They might have specific features that will translate no matter the context; or interact rather less than predictable from system to system. In my two configurations the 2020 interconnects portrayed space around and between instruments very accurately particularly on front-to-back layering. They also preserved soundstage stability, seamless coherence and brought further density to the sound. They sounded overall softer than my regular wires but not particularly rounded off, just less demonstrative. Their intrinsic density and quietness brought out a further level of midrange detail. Using the Lake People amp with my AKG K701 headphones I was surprised many times that I would distinguish micro details I hadn't previously noticed with these headphones. This certainly was not a common result and demonstrated the particular efficiency of the Skywire interconnects in this area.

The Skywire 2020 speaker cables I received were terminated with spades on either end. Their sonic signature was relatively close to the digital and analog interconnects by retaining a very dense sound and superb quietness. The main difference versus my usual wires was one of perspective. With the Skywire 2020 my system sounded a bit less forward and spectacular than with my usual Legato Precision + wires or even  the Art Cable. They had me focus especially on low distortion, timbre quality and overall coherence. As their tonal balance was slightly different from the Legato wires, the resolution of inner and low-level detail seemed at first slightly less. After several listening sessions my impression changed. It was in fact just a difference of tonality, not resolution. The ability of the Legato to uncover subtle microdynamic transients and shadings is simply outstanding in my system. They fit my personal voicing to perfection. But I have to admit that neither the Orpheus mono amps nor Wyred4Sound STP-SE preamp are particularly euphonic. In my opinion the 2020 speaker wires would make a far more appropriate combination with vacuum tube amps than timid solid-state gear.

At the same time the Legato speaker cables don’t deliver this type of tonal density and organic quietness. Here the Skywires ruled sovereign. Their stereophonic image was remarkably stable and each instrument’s position was very accurate to not blur with the orchestra. When you achieve this level of accuracy with other cables, one sometimes pays for it with a lower cohesion of the whole soundstage. That was not the case with the Skywire 2020 speaker cables which always remained very respectful of overall coherence especially with opera and symphonic music. The voice of Anna Netrebko on Bellini's La Sonnambula was portrayed with great clarity to highlight the subtle variations in the praised coloratura of the Russian Amina. Fortes were always delivered with ease and fluidity without any perceptible stress or distortion.


Conclusion. Summing up and having kept the Skywire speakers cable on my Triangle speakers for more than two months, I could easily live with this pairing. Of course with a sticker of $1.745 for a four-meter pair, the Skywire 2020 speaker cables are rather pricey for such a niche brand. Even so they’re impeccably built, sound great and should keep you involved with the music. As always a personal listen in one’s own system is mandatory. Compared to many other cables, these would seem to particularly emphasize timbral diversity and three-dimensional imaging without exhibiting the fasted or slowest transients. It is more a question of priorities and perspective than of qualities and faults. These cables are very even-tempered and should provide very satisfying results in most systems. The 2020 interconnects are characterized by great quietness and a laid-back nature that achieves great listening comfort even with indecent SPLs yet without any particular loss of accuracy and low-level detail. They also deliver a very calm treble. The digital wire is a highly commendable proposal for anyone who has contracted an allergy against any kind of digital glaze. In this price range you should definitely give it a listen. This was one of the best S/PDIF cables I've ever experienced. For anyone looking foremost for superb tonal veracity, lower midrange clarity and reduced distortion levels, the Skywire 2020 range is highly recommended. That does not mean the Skywire cables sacrifice other important aspects in music reproduction. Given how the choices in Cableland make for a rather vast country, one should simply point at any cable for its most outstanding and salient features.
Skywire Audio website
Enlarge!