Having properly set expectations for a profound dead-obvious impact, here's the result: exceptionally easeful, soft and deeply relaxed, with no loss of timing or concomitant speed but slightly reduced resolution and drive. Another set of solid-core wires through some years back had been auteur Franck Tchang's Parisian LiveLines. Their different metalurgy—short 2mm splices of silver or platinum at the ends of pure copper and in often dissimilar sequence for the hot and return legs—had made for a very fast, exciting adrenaline-type effect. Sharing with them the articulate precise timing, the Swiss vocalis then were of a very different temperament. The closest to their very laid-back effect had been FirstWatt's F4 amplifier. It has zero voltage gain to solely act as current buffer. The Vovox version of a mellow summer's climate had a billowing aspect related to what the Feliks Audio Euforia's OTL triodes injected in preamp mode. But because there was no concomitant blurring in time, the cables didn't add the echoic fill I described in the Euforia review. Rather than minor fuzziness from deliberate soft focus, relaxation Vovox style married adroit articulation to textural pliability. The soft part was reminiscent of tubes, the speed more typical of wide bandwidth DC-coupled amps whose reach avoids phase shift in the frequency extremes.

A different pointer at the same grouping of qualities would invoke the edge articulation of silver without its lit-up treble, lean bass and overall damping. Key to the easeful vocalis style was a certain textural no-feedback looseness. This, nomen est omen, pointed right back at the textura moniker of the dearer models which also applies to the budget range. It made for a big non-agitated mellow sound which lingered rather than projected. That downplayed elements like incisiveness, aggression and grip. Those contributed to what one paragraph above I named slightly reduced resolution and drive. It's why vocalis easefulness didn't result in the gush factor of Samuel Furon's Ocellia solid-core silver wires in their kautschuk sleeves of crushed crystal filler. Gushing implies extrovert energy or pressurization. Here the Swiss played it more limpid or introvert. I expect that growing raw conductor mass in the solid-core power cords (with CE mark!) to that of our usual Titan Audio Eros single-crystal copper jobs might increase the perception of drive; and that moving up in the Vovox catalogue to pricier textura models will increase resolution.

Here it's important to remember the attractive tags of Vovox's Swiss-made entry range; and how with it, one can mock up parts of an energetic milieu which many pursue with valve gear. With vocalis, one needs not a single glowing bottle yet simultaneously secures bandwidth and speed which, from valves, tend to be a far costlier enterprise than budget Sino imports. I found it most enlightening how pronounced and instant this sonic effect was after I'd swapped whole cable looms. I also found it very interesting how now three solid-core cables of my acquaintance (ASI, Ocellia & Vovox) share elements which I would trace back to proper timing as a lack of phase shift. In that context, using 1MHz amplifiers and speakers which don't confuse the time domain pays dividends. Novel for me were Vovox's non-metallic XLR connectors which seemingly weighed nothing compared to their usual full-metal-jacket brethren; and that solid-core power cords could get a CE cert.

In conclusion, a streamlined front-to-back loom like Vovox vocalis can influence the feel or gestalt of musical playback in ways which many believe are exclusive to 'proper' hardware like big amps and expensive speakers. Because most systems are built over time to involve plenty of trade-in or sell'n'buy fixes, their cable looms tend to likewise be patchwork. And that haphazard approach to our system's blood supply is how and where we miss out or at best, dilute our results. Where changing just one cable should mostly have a rather small impact, redoing the entire loom can be imposing in its effectiveness and set the course direction we hoped for without touching any of our electronics or speakers. Whether a set of Vovox vocalis has your name on it depends solely on whether the above descriptions of their sonics are where you want to... well, C.A.M.P*. out. If yes, I can guarantee a most effective relocation service; and far easier and cheaper than moving house. Fascinating!

Vovox website

US/AU distributor's website