A certain memory proximity to Nordost's Heimdall 2 suggested that those had cast the somewhat broader stage. Tellurium Q's Black Diamond expanded the virtual stage further back, Furutech's Evolution 2 less so. Layer specificity once more recalled the Nordost, far from a disadvantage. Hence the strings' rows of the Royal Opera House Orchestra appeared as they should have but also meant that I couldn't necessarily count out each player. I've tried the same in the concert hall and failed likewise. Unsurprisingly, the Vovox texturas worked brilliantly as a complete loom. That goes back to their shared concept. Even generally it's common that a maker's cable range shows built-in synergy.  With Jürg Vogt's creations that's perhaps truer than most, making it perfect in hindsight that I approached this review as a full set. And in fact, broken down I recognized the described signature with each individual link. Now you might ask how those would integrate into an existing system. Or would the answer be "all or nothing" instead?


Versus my well twice-as-costly Analog Tools speaker cables, the Swiss embedded harmoniously without causing any noticeable signal 'dilution'. Clearly they didn't best mine on micro detail and resolution where the reference links showed even more detail on Brooke Miller's piano attacks, more metallic sustain on the strings. But such losses felt minor given the nearly equal realism and tonal fidelity. Considering the cost offset, this cast another favourable vote for the Swiss solid-core cables.


As anticipated by Vovox, in situ their phono cable benefitted from shielding since the unshielded version which I also tested struggled with some hum. Still, it's advisable to test the unshielded one when no SME plug is required. If it comes off without noise, it'd be my first choice. 'Naked' offered a tick more detail, hence also more grip. The underlying less-is-more principle (more data from structural minimalism) seemed to be operational. Vovox themselves favour unshielded interconnects wherever lengths and applications allow. Hence those are their default versions.

This sorted, I had to suss out potential offsets between RCA and XLR links. In the past, the latter followed their theoretical advantages of superior distortion cancellation to also render the purer less 'washed-out' reading. Not here. I couldn't hear a difference. Both cables sounded the same. Again, the textura loom's optics were plain and all understatement, not glam. In daily use, their extraordinary flexibility allowed for even tight radii to be a pleasure to route. Only the Eichmann Bullet plugs required a bit of manual finesse. Otherwise mechanical toughness should never be a concern.

Even less so will be concern over sound. Long-term happiness was extraordinarily mature. Even many hours into an audition, there were no frayed nerves from over-pronounced highs or pseudo-dynamic upper bass acrobatics. This came off without sacrifices in magnification power which in this price range fulfilled high expectations. Above and beyond price class were the dynamic prowess both on the micro and macro levels. Here the focus was more on capturing the full dynamic range of orchestral forces, not to impress with isolated jackhammer infrasonic salvos or other FX. If the texturas lacked anything at all, it was the ability to remain fully present in the outermost frequency extremes; and perhaps have the last word in solidity. Here one expects the clearly costlier textura fortis models to make their case.
True for the Vovox textura was near universal appeal due to all the covered strengths and their unusual colour intensity. Despite the subtly warmer tuning, studio DNA remained strong with neutrality and realism. This wasn't the result of a scope jockey's flat-as-the-horizon quality but a very sensible reproduction of the multi-facetted timbres of acoustic instruments. Just listen to a violin, concert grand or trumpet and you'll see what I mean. Whilst I should feel very trigger-happy to say so, it's no longer appropriate to call the textura range by Vovox an insider or secret tip. For that they're far too well known already. But they do remain a hot tip amongst friends and especially the speaker cable impressed with a real bang on the price/performance metric.

redaktion @ fairaudio.de

Vovox website