GOODSOUND!GoodSound! "Equipment" Archives

Published August 15, 2002

 

TARA Labs Prism Interconnects and Speaker Cables


300i interconnects


300i interconnects


Omni speaker cables


Bi-wire speaker cables

 

While many specialty-audio cable manufacturers claim to offer extensive selections of economical cables for nearly every budget, and then make an affordable cable or two, TARA Labs (The Absolute Reference Audio Labs) really delivers a range of products. The Prism line, for instance, features 10 models of speaker cable and eight different interconnects, starting at the almost-unheard-of price of $10 USD (per one-meter pair). Even better, these aren't just sops to the budget audiophile, but real products offering trickle-down technology from some of the company's most expensive products. The Prism line includes video, digital, and power cables, providing a complete selection of budget products for price-conscious audiophiles.

I recently got the chance to audition a selection of the latest Prism cables, including the 300i ($19.95 per one-meter pair) and 3300i ($89.95 per one-meter pair) interconnects and the Omni ($1 per foot) and Bi-wire ($4.95 per foot) speaker cables. Although TARA’s budget speaker cable is usually sold without termination, terminated lengths are available from the factory for an additional charge of $60. The review cables that I received sported banana plugs at my request.

Technologically speaking

Every cable TARA Labs manufactures -- including the Prism line -- uses the same SA-OF8N copper (Super Annealed Oxygen-Free Eight Nines). Oxygen-free "eight nines" (99.999999% pure) copper is an extremely pure version of the metal, which is then treated with TARA’s proprietary "Super Annealing" process, which heats and cools the copper so it results in a long, unbroken crystalline structure that TARA refers to as a "monocrystal." TARA contends that the many breaks in the crystalline structure of typical copper conductors exacerbate audible high-frequency distortion, while the monocrystal of SA-OF8N copper offers a smoother, more detailed transfer of frequencies over a wide bandwidth.

TARA’s less-expensive Prism cables use the company's "pressure stranding" process, in which many thin strands of the soft SA-OF8N conductors are twisted together with great force. This results in very close contact between the conductors and very little air space between them, reducing the possibility of internal oxidation between the strands, which could adversely affect the transfer of the audio signal. Alternatively, several Prism cables feature "pressure grouped" conductors, which consist of a few round conductors that are tightly wound so they act much like a single conductor, TARA claims. In addition, the company claims pressure-grouped cables have better phase coherence than regular, stranded conductors.

All the Prism cables use a dielectric called Aero-PE (Aerospace Polyethylene) or SVPE (Stable-Valence Polyethylene), which is chemically treated to be less reactive with the audio signal. Dielectric materials typically store energy, releasing it back into the conductor as random distortion. Polyethylene is generally believed to be a better dielectric than the more commonly used PVC, but is not as good as, say, Teflon, which is used in TARA’s most expensive cables.

Finally, the Prism interconnects (audio, video, and digital) come with a handy convenience feature known as the "Signal Shuttle" cable-management system. These plastic sleeves slide up and down the length of the cable and can be connected to each other to keep things neat and tidy. They also come with pre-printed stickers so that you can label each of the Shuttle connectors, which will come in handy if you ever need to disconnect the cables and reconnect your components later on (a nice touch, especially if you have a complicated home-theater system).

In short, TARA Labs' Prism cables appear to offer high-quality materials and construction techniques.

Interconnects

The 300i interconnect may be inexpensive, but it features SA-OF8N pressure-stranded conductors, SVPE dielectric, and heavy-duty RCA connectors that provide a very tight fit. The more expensive 3300i interconnect uses solid-core conductors and is a thicker, stiffer cable, but is still quite easy to work with. It appears to have the same tight-fitting RCA connectors as the 300i, and also uses SVPE dielectric.

Speaker Cable

Both of the Prism speaker cables I received for review utilize 14AWG pressure-grouped conductors and Aero-PE dielectric. The Omni speaker cable is similar in design to the Bi-wire speaker cable, but it only employs a single pair of insulated wires within the outer sleeve.

The Bi-wire speaker cables, on the other hand, (as the name implies) have four separately insulated wires within the outer sleeve, allowing the consumer to biwire or biamp his loudspeakers. Some speakers have two sets of binding posts (one for the low-frequency drivers and another for the high-frequency drivers) and can be connected to one or two channels of amplification with this cable configuration. The Bi-wire speaker cable can, of course, be terminated with a connector for each separate wire group with this type of setup. However, the cables I received for audition were terminated with only a single pair of banana plugs on either end, with two wires connected to each of the plugs in a configuration often referred to as "shotgun."

Sound for all tastes and budgets

I auditioned the TARA Labs Prism cables on a reasonably priced system consisting of a Blue Circle CS integrated amplifier ($1150), Axiom M3Ti SE loudspeakers ($275), and an NAD 502 CD player ($299, discontinued). Included in the system was an Audio Magic Xstream power cord ($69) that was used with the CS integrated. For review purposes, the 3300i interconnects were used in conjunction with the similarly priced Bi-wire speaker cable and the less expensive 300i interconnects were paired with the Omni speaker cables.

Champagne and caviar

The sound of the 3300i interconnects and Bi-wire speaker cable was balanced from top to bottom. They exhibited good bass control, and clean, clear highs that did not sound harsh or etched. Imaging and depth were realistic, which resulted in the creation of a believable soundstage with well-recorded CDs. Both the interconnects and the speaker cable were quite neutral, and exhibited a similar familial sound.

When the 3300i interconnects and Bi-wire speaker cable were first inserted between the NAD CD player, Blue Circle integrated amp, and the Axiom speakers, I was struck by how alive the system sounded. "High Life" from FIM Audiophile Reference IV [FIM SACD 029] had great pace and a toe-tapping rhythm that was infectious. The xylophone really came to life in this recording, and the drum kit was placed precisely within the soundstage. The ambience of the recorded space such as crowd noise and applause sounded natural, and could easily be differentiated from the well-recorded but more artificial-sounding ambience of "Jitterbug" from the Mulholland Drive soundtrack [Milan 73138-35971-2].

There was also plenty of air around Mark Knopfler’s guitar on the title track of Golden Heart [Vertigo 314 514 732-2], and the bass, which can become overwhelming on some systems, was tight and controlled. Knopfler’s soft, gravelly vocals, and the vulnerable voice of Eva Cassidy from Live at Blues Alley [Blix Street G2-10046] had plenty of nuance, but were pushed slightly forward. This had the effect of making the voices seem vivid and real, if slightly exaggerated. Both male and female vocals always had a solid and stable center image that was remarkably palpable.

Beer and pretzels

Although the 3300i interconnect and Bi-wire speaker cable offer very good value, what if nearly $100 for a single pair of interconnects or speaker cables is out of your price range? Well, not to worry -- although the 300i interconnect and Omni speaker cable cost only a fraction of the more expensive models' prices, they still offered much of the same sound quality.

Listening again to Mark Knopfler’s "Golden Heart," the bass was still controlled and his voice was again pushed slightly forward, which gave it an immediate and tangible presence. Eva Cassidy’s vocals were mesmerizing, with a crisp sound that revealed a lot of detail, yet never turned bright or edgy. "High Life" from FIM Audiophile Reference IV sounded a little more forward and had slightly less depth and ambience, but it was still lively and very involving. The drum kit sounded especially real, and the high-hat and other cymbals exhibited sharp attack and sustained decay. Similarly, "Old London" had an immediate presentation, clearly defining the soloists within the soundstage, and presenting believable front-to-back layering of the orchestra and chorus.

Comparison

Compared to similarly priced cables from Analysis Plus and Audio Magic, the TARA Labs 3300i interconnect and Bi-wire speaker cable fared very well. While my preferred interconnect from this bunch was the Audio Magic Xstream ($100 per one-meter pair) and my favorite speaker cable was the Analysis Plus Clear Oval ($99 per eight-foot pair), the TARA Labs Prisms offered very balanced sound from both the interconnects and speaker cables. The Xstream interconnect and Clear Oval speaker cable both offered neutral and refined sound, but the Xstream speaker cable and Analysis Plus interconnects sounded dark and not quite transparent.

For example, when listening to Robbie Robertson’s Music For the Native Americans [Capitol C2 724382829522], the Analysis Plus Oval One interconnects ($89 per one-meter pair) and the Audio Magic Xstream speaker cables ($114 per eight-foot pair) seemed to veil the complex rhythms slightly. In comparison, the 3300i interconnect and Bi-wire speaker cable from TARA worked synergistically together to provide sound that was always quite neutral and well defined. These cables could be a bit lean sounding, but they were fast, transparent, and highly detailed. Using Prism 3300i and Bi-wire, the densely layered bass rhythms were distinct, and Robertson’s vocals and guitar work were finely textured, reaching further back into the soundstage. The two elements of the Prism combination worked together, producing a similar sound, while combining interconnects and speaker cables from Analysis Plus and Audio Magic seemed to produce slightly different sonic characteristics.

The less-expensive Prism 300i interconnect and Omni speaker cable could not compare directly to any of these more expensive cables. They deserve recognition, however, for their high-quality construction and surprisingly balanced sound -- even more so when you take into account their extremely reasonable prices. After all, most specialty cable manufacturers do not even offer products in this price range.

Conclusion

The TARA Labs Prism cables offer great value and excellent sound quality. Whether I listened to the inexpensive 300i interconnect and Omni speaker cable combination, or the more expensive, but still reasonably priced, 3300i interconnect and Bi-wire speaker cable, the sound was always clean and clear. And that makes them worthy considerations for GoodSound!-approved systems.

Prices of equipment reviewed


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