Clearer Audio Silver-line Optimus Interconnect – £320.00 / 0.5m

                                                                                        By David Price, Hi-Fi World, January 2005

There’s no shortage of excellent high end phono-to-phono cables, many of which come from established and respected brands such as van den Hul

and Chord Company. This is fine state of affairs, but what depresses me is that there’s also a glut of ludicrously overpriced stuff from obscure

fly-by-night brands promising the earth, in a bid to get rich quick. Well, although I’d never heard of Clearer Audio, I’m pleased to say that it is most

definitely not one of the latter. In fact, here’s a high end interconnect that can compete aggressively with anything boasting a prestigious ‘blue-chip’

brand. A double balanced design featuring 6N Super-Pure Silver (99.9999%), there are seven solid conductors per core arranged in a multi-strand

concentric configuration. Each core is insulated in super-low-loss foamed polyethylene insulation. Each interconnect features a six layer Star

Shielding Technique; and all layers of shielding are grounded. In addition, the interconnects are fitted with the company’s ‘Super Suppressor’ ferrite

rings which attenuate a wide range of EMI, but are specifically designed to suppress RFI. The interconnects are finished with the Eichmann Silver

Bullet RCAs, silver soldered, but can be terminated with Neutrik XLRs if required. Finally, they’re supplied pre-burned in on the Audiodharma Pro

2.5 Cable Cooker – so they work properly from the off. The sound is superb – they’re one of the very best I’ve come across at any price. Think

transparent, add ‘self-effacing’ and ‘characterless’ and you’ve got their gauge. Even through my £20,000 reference system, I really struggled to

notice any discernable character. Compared to almost anything else they’re dark, velveteen and unremittingly open in nature, with excellent rhythm

and firecracker dynamics. They’re smooth and even in extremis, but never with that annoying ‘high end’ sheen and gloss from many far pricier

designs – they simply don’t sound like anything! As a CD to amp, or pre-to-power interconnect, I can think of few – if any – better.

Reprinted with permission

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