USB DONE RIGHT: Two magic boxes that let computer audio ...

amplifier. The same would be true of
other cables that are “semi-balanced,”
or (more accurately) pseudo-balanced.
There are four 3T interconnects,
named respectively The Valley, The
Rock Hybrid, The Hill Hybrid, and The
Mountain Hybrid. Thus this one is second
from the bottom. It is, however, far from
being an entry-level cable, with a price
of $695. A balanced version with XLR
connectors is offered at the same price.
There are also 3T loudspeaker cables.
The price doesn’t buy you a full
metre, however, and that presented a
problem for us. Still, with a little adjustment
we used The Rock to connect our
phono preamp to the reference preamplifier
in our Omega system. That would
put The Rock up against our newest
reference cable, the $1500 Atlas Mavros.
VdH 3T “The Rock”
Unfair? Well, that’s what having a reference
is all about! And there is a 3T cable
of about that price if that’s the way you
roll.
structure, and therefore has no crystal In the past we have criticized Van den
in Europe at least, A.J. Van boundaries.
Hul cables for their connectors, which
den Hul’s eponymous com- Now, not all critics can be made to made rather loose contact with anything
pany is known for a wide agree that there is an actual problem we attempted to plug them into. As
array of audio products, including a full that can be traced to the presence of before, these connectors are composed
line of electronics. In North America it’s crystalline boundaries, but a number of a rigid outer shell with what appears
famous for phono cartridges, but espe- of cable manufacturers are using Ohno to be a sheet metal collar inside it. We
cially for audio cables. Steve Bourque’s single-crystal copper, which allows a tried them on several pieces of gear, and
Rendezvous session with A.J. is elsewhere single crystal to be over 100 metres we are pleased to say that the fit was quite
in this issue.
long. We ourselves are design-agnostic. snug. We can’t comment on their likely
Van den Hul cables are not of the There are claims we believe in, not on longevity.
generic sort hawked by a growing theoretical grounds, but because we have This was, once again, an all-vinyl
number of small and not-so-small
providers, sourced from big wire mills
seen excellent products made that way. comparison, starting with a new Refer-
THIS Van MAGAZINE den Hul makes IS other INTERACTIVE!
claims for ence Recordings LP of Rachmaninoff’s
overseas. VdH was the first (and, as far its 3T materials, It work beyond in three the ways. advantage Symphonic Dances (RM-1504). As we’ve
as we know, the only) company to offer In of the amorphous table of construction. contents, click The on cable’s an article mentioned title, before, this recording is
wires containing no metal at all. VdH’s transmission and you are path whisked remains right intact to the even article. notable for its great depth of image, as
The First and The Second interconnects In if the list wire of is advertisers bent, something on the second-last not true most page, of Keith O. Johnson’s recordings
used carbon filaments rather than the click of many on an an ad expensive name, and high-tech go right to cable. the ad are. itself. The LP is especially strong in that
usual copper, silver, or silver-coated And the 3T cable Then is click said on to an be ad, immune department, as is the HRx 24/176.4
copper. We still own a pair and of The your browser to changes will in take temperature, you right as to well the advertiser’s as to version. Web page.
Second cables, in fact. Now comes the Remember natural aging. when It you’d should, have so the to circle company little numbers With The Rock the depth was notice-
3T hybrid cable (“3T” stands for True says, last on forever. a card Needless you would to then say, this mail last in? ably shallower, with the result that the
Transmission Technology).
is not Doesn’t a characteristic that seem we like can a long expect time to ago?
musicians seemed closer to us. For that
From that name you might conclude test!
reason the music appeared to be louder.
that the cable is made from three dif- As you can see from our picture, There was still a lot of detail, though
ferent materials. In fact its composition the cable appears to have a directional Toby thought there were elements miss-
begins with five materials, all metals arrow, but you may want to ignore it. ing, making the long string lines less
this time, plus a sixth one, the carbon The cable’s double-braided shield is interesting. The piano had somewhat
that VdH has used before. The different connected at only one end, identified by less detail as well. Even so, Toby found
materials are blended into an amorphous a sticker that reads “ground end.” That the recording, through The Rock, to be
mass which, unlike conventional copper end would be connected to the preampli- “harmonically exciting.” Steve gave it a
or silver, does not have a crystalline fier if there is one, or to an integrated mixed rating. “It’s in the same ball park
Listening Room Not everyone is aware that,
50 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine