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

When we first reviewed
Listening Feedback Room
New Atlas Cables
Atlas audio cables a
number of years ago, it
wasn’t with the intent
of adding any of them to our Audiophile
Store, because — as ever — the
listening comes first, the store listing
comes second. If ever. But the listening
was convincing, and so were the prices.
Those first Atlas cables offered quality,
but also value, or at least a number of
them did.
But time marches on. So do copper
prices, and we mean upward. Atlas has
replaced many of its cables, including
some of our favorites, with new ones.
Would we be as happy with the new creations?
Might they have taken shortcuts
to save money, and thereby downgraded
the performance? That’s what this
review session was all about.
This was a blind test. It wasn’t double
blind, because Gerard knew what the
cables were. However Steve and Toby did
not, and Gerard avoided all comments
during the actual session.
Hyper Asymmetrical, 1 m, $309
We were surprised by Atlas’ use
of the name Hyper for this series. The
Hyper series of loudspeaker cables are
amazing for their modest cost, but they
are made from conventional oxygen-free
copper. The Hyper interconnects use
single-crystal continuous cast copper,
created with the Japanese-invented
Ohno process. That’s more expensive, or
52 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
it should be. There are, as we shall see,
two versions of the Hyper interconnect
cable.
This “asymmetrical” version is made
the way most interconnects are made,
with a coaxial construction. The centre
conductor is the one with OCC copper,
but the ground return is also the shielding.
That shield is made up of two layers
of braided copper. The connectors are
solder-free, and are structured so that
they don’t compress the wire.
This was an all-analog test, using
three LPs. We compared the test cables
to the expensive Atlas Mavros interconnect
that runs between the phono stage
and the preamplifier in our Omega
reference system.
We began with the Non Allegro from
the Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
(Reference Recordings RR-1504). The
Hyper did quite well, but predictably
it did not compare with the Mavros.
Though there was good depth and a
plausible stereo image, there was some
confusion in the highs, accompanied
by some hardness in the strings. Some
loud passages seemed too loud, though
the volume level was untouched. There
appeared to be a tonal shift favoring the
higher frequencies. Overall the sound
was more constricted and less refined.
“The triangle has a sound comparable to
lens flare on a photograph,” complained
Toby.
Steve had a compliment that actually
wasn’t one: “The music is easier
to take because it is less emotionally
overwhelming.”
We continued with an old favorite
choral recording, Laudate! (Proprius
PROP 7800 — the exclamation mark is
part of the title). Listening to it with the
Mavros was an experience, but it paled
with the Hyper. The female voices were
somewhat hard, and male voices lacked
their usual richness. Dynamic contrast
was reduced, but paradoxically some
passages seemed too loud. “It’s beautiful,
but it’s less realistic,” said Gerard, after
the session was over.
The final recording was another
old favorite, Hard Day on the Planet
by Loudon Wainwright III (who, by
the way, is the father of two other
well-known artists, Rufus and Martha
Wainwright). It sounded very good with
the Hyper, but not as exciting as we had
hoped. The words were actually easier to
follow, but that was due to an artificial
“edginess” which also added confusion
to some passages. Toby compared the
effect to the “speech” button on the radio
of his old Volvo: it helps comprehension
at the expense of enjoyment. Rhythm
was strong, but Loudon’s voice was dark,
despite the brightness, and even harsh.
The Hyper Asymmetrical is not
inexpensive, and for its price we had
hoped for better performance. We can’t
recommend it.
Hyper Symmetrical, 1 m, $413
Never mind the similarity of name,
this is a totally different cable. It’s the
replacement for a long-time favorite of
ours, the Navigator All-Cu. It’s “symmetrical”
because it has two singlecrystal
conductors to ferry the audio.
The two shields, one of them braided
and the other consisting of copper-plated
Mylar foil, are connected at only one
end, and thus are not involved in audio
transmission.
The price difference with the preceding
cable may not be huge, but the
performance gap certainly is. “This one
is closer to awesome,” said Toby. “The
flow and the dynamics are more liquid,
though that liquid is too viscous and not
as free-flowing as with the reference.”
Steve found the timbres of the oboe,
clarinet close to perfect. Gerard noted
that the woodwinds seemed more dis-