Ultralink Challenger Bi-Wire

[reyneman]

I'm moving my review to here where it belongs

[reyneman]

Sorry if this is not up to standards, but I'm a bit rushed lately. Will do better in the future.

Let me establish MY baselines for this cable comparison.

Many members of AK have ‘issues’ with interconnects and cables. Comments on my evaluation are welcome, but I’m not interested in debating the value of special wire in this review.

Is it psychoacoustics? Listening to music is an emotional event. Different things move different people in different ways. I find the entire listening environment affects how the music moves me at any one time. Therefore, ANYTHING that changes MY perception changes how I perceive the music. All music listening can be construed as psychoacoustics, as your emotional response is not based solely on the changes in pressure you perceive as sound. Many have closed their minds to the ability certain items have to improve their system. Perhaps their inability to perceive changes made by these items due to THEIR preconceived notions is the real psychoacoustics at play.

Is there a difference? Read the eval, LISTEN FOR YOURSELF, then decide. Try to remain open minded.

Bottom line- if it affects my perception of the musical event, then it makes a difference TO ME, and that is all that matters.

Off the soapbox, onto the eval!

The system I used to compare the various speaker cables:
Source- Sony SCD-777ES, both CD and SACD
Amplification- Musical Fidelity A300 Integrated
Speakers- ACI Jaguars

The culprits being evaluated:
Ultralink Challenger Biwires

Comparison products used:
DHLabs Silver Sonic T-14 biwires
Reyneman Specials

LET’S GET IT ON!

[reyneman]

The Ultralinks remind me mostly of 12/4 power cord. They use two wire gauges (12 and 14) wrapped in a ‘proprietary’ manner, terminated with Oz bananas. Build quality looks quite decent. The banana connectors were the weakest part of the cable, and I would see if another type could be substituted. I found that they did not have enough tension applied when inserted into the five ways, and could easily slip out of the post. When installed in my system, they had a quite attractive and neat appearance, one with good WAF while still maintaining your macho image.

For this evaluation, I made a set of homemade biwire cables using Radio Shack gold bananas and double runs of Home Depot speaker wire, one 12 gauge and one 14 gauge. I would like to say I used the two different gauges to more closely approximate the size of the Ultralinks, but in actuality I had problems stuffing two 12 gauge runs into the ratshacks and settled for this configuration as the best I could do.

First comparo- Ultralink vs Homemades

Quite frankly, the homemades are a disappointment. The Ultralinks provided a broader soundstage, with much greater textures and details, along with a smoother presentation overall. The homemades seemed to narrow the width to an area at least a foot inside both speakers, with a flat and less musical sound. The midrange was recessed, with harshness in the upper mids that became quickly tiring. Highs were ragged and emphasized. Lows were acceptable.

The Ultralinks increased the soundstage to the outside edge of the speakers. While neither cable had much depth to the musical presentation, this may be a result of my compromised speaker placement (hey, the wife has WAY too much input on my placement, so cut me a break!). These cables handled voices quite well, but I detected a bit of harshness in the upper mids that at times ‘roughened’ female vocals enough to jar me out of my musical reverie.

Second compare- Ultralinks vs DH Labs

OK- I must admit to one of my own biases. I am a BIG fan of DH Labs. I have always found their products to be competitive with any other regardless of price, and at their prices they are almost unbeatable.

The DH Labs presented a soundstage that went outside the speakers with slightly more depth and texture that the Ultralinks. They presented a more musical presentation, contained no added harshness at any frequency. THIS PERCEPTION COULD BE A RESULT OF MY LONG ASSOCIATION WITH THE DH LABS! But, at this time, I would choose the DH Labs, WAF be damned.

BOTTOM LINE

I found the Ultralinks to be quite capable cables. Good build quality, decent looks and one of the neatest biwire installations I’ve seen. Factoring in the cost factor (around $70 U.S. for a 10 foot pair), I believe they are a great value. Although not up to the best available, I believe Ultralinks make a creditable introduction to higher end wires. If Oz offers alternate terminations, they may be just about unbeatable at their price.

HERE’S A ONE TIME GREAT OFFER. Thanks to Oz Enterprises, these cables are available for you to try, AND I AM GOING TO THROW IN A SPECIAL OFFER OF MY OWN!

Yes folks, for a limited time, I will send a set of custom Reyneman made biwires to allow you to run your own comparison. Just send me your address, and I will not only send you the Ultralinks to try but my set of (admittedly bad) homemades. Don’t take my word that there is a difference, try them for yourself.

If you actually like my cables, I’ll work something out for you

[omer]

Thanks for the great review! Ultralink does offer a better connector, called the Pro banana which is a solid shaft instead of the leaf spring type. Provides MUCH beter contact, and doesn't slipout either. They also have a locking banana which is even better, but it's more money.

Now, DH Labs being silver plated will have a bigger stage and better definition.

Needless to say some systems sound harsh with sivler, other sound wonderfull. SAme goes with pure copper.

You said it best reyneman, keep an open mind, and listen for yourself.

I think it was great that you made a set of home mades as another set to compare to.

So, who's next up at bat? :D