CRYSTALCONNECT Reference Diamond

MJ03.11.2012

Interconnects

The drum kit from Chesky Records‘ Jazz Sampler was very dynamic, I could almost see the tension of the skins on kettles and swings of drumsticks as well as the deep throbs of the kick drum. Never had I a feeling that the miniature cross-section of the Reference Diamond made anything that happened down below 40-50Hz thinner or less full bodied. Quite opposite, the solo double-bass went seemingly yet deeper than with competitors.

Function and form

100%

Ease of use

80%

Sound

95%

Appearance

Rather than on a unique topology is Crystal Cable’ s philosophy based on advanced metallurgy. They do not braid conductors in complex ways, they do not employ air as dielectrics, they do not clamp heavy machined rings on their cables- the conductors of any Crystal Cable are made of gold-injected silver. The alloy combines crystallic grids of both the materials to complement each other and to achieve optimum homogenous structure that exhibits superior electrical and mechanical properties.

Technically, the CrystalConnect Reference Diamond is (alike other Crystal Cables) a simple coaxial design in a dual Kapton dielectric, shielded with a braided silver foil that also serves as a negative conductor and encapsulated in a thin layer of trasparent Teflon. It may seem trivial but one has to consider that the materials that were used are technologically superb and applied in unusual manner with precisely defined ratios, which also means an increase in production expenses.

Bass management

Weight

Slam

Articulation

Using the silver-gold alloy yields other positive consequences like higher mechanical resistance on the crystallic level. Thus the cable can be thinner without worrying too much about micro-ruptures that are normally due under mechanical stress. The coaxial design allows keeping constant spacing of the core conductor, dielectric and shield and consequently keeping stable electric parameters along the whole length of the cable, unlike standard braided cables that change their cross-section layout when bend.

Low inductance, capacitance and resistance values are the other interesting feature of the CrystalConnect. Crystal Cable claims that RFI pick up is also extremely low so that it is not unfeasible to run up to 20 meters lengths of the interconnect without any loss of transparency.

And finally there is a company that does not rely on the WBT standard and employs its proprietary terminations that are made of the similar alloy like the conductors. This helps to eliminate any distortions that are induced at the boundary of two incompatible metals.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail

Air

Transparency

The Reference Diamond is an extremely sophisticated sounding cable that is rich in inner detail, fantastically fluid and tightly coherent across the full frequency response. It combines a great sense of control and pacing with superb imaging and unrestricted dynamics. What is even more important it does not dissect a piece of music into individual elements, rather it conveys a cohesive and organic sonic picture. How do all these transfer into human language?

In Something Cool (The Best of Groove Note) the Reference Diamond induces a higher sense of realism than my reference (DNA). It has finer layers of microdynamic scaling and provides more truthful insight into fragile dynamic ratios of the recording. The border between the almost whispered vocal and Jacintha taking her breath is very delicate and it is a key for the realistic experience. Here the CrystalConnect proves its superiority in spades. Also sibilants that can be nasty with lesser cables are as clean as a mountain spring, piano notes are ringing with clarity and does not sound to be reproduced.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre

Dynamics

Temporal resolution

In Dick Hyman´s Topsy (From The Age of Swing, Reference Recordings) the CrystalConnect was better in defining the transient lick of a cymbal than my reference interconnect. Also, as the track progressed, I had the feeling that the Reference Diamond painted a more vivid sonic picture and used much more color tints that other interconnects, not unlike you changed the old TV screen for a new one. It provided better insight on what happened when fingers plucked strings that made the body of a double bass resonate, yet this insight did not disintegrate the track into a bunch of sonic events – quite opposite, despite the high resolution I never lost the feeling of integrity and musical flow.

There is a very well recorded hi-hat on Nordost‘s System Set-up and Tuning disc. The initial transient was quick and sharp with no smearing and that induced a sense that the hi-hat’s sound was a tad faster than with competitors, yet it was more colorful, brassy and three-dimensional.

Spatial resolution

Holography

Soundstage width

Soundstage depth

The cable did not get limited by the speakers and the room and was readily placing performers into the positions that were either captured by a microphone or created by a recording engineer in a studio. I know, the previous sentence is actually weird – how can an interconnect cable overcome the placement of speakers? Well, I can only say that when I replaced the CrystalConnect by any other cable that was on hand during this review, the magic of dimensionality was gone. By the way, on the Chesky’s disc there is a track with four people marching with simple instruments around a microphone and I liked that the Reference Diamond let me hear that in a kind of quasi-quadrophonic mode, as if there was another pair of speakers behind my head. Perhaps it has something to do with revealing small nuancees and further ambient clues, or maybe these are just a little highlighted, I do not know... What I know is that with the Crystal Cable I could also track the RFI on the background of the music. The RFI was recorded during the Chesky’s take and is normally well heard at the end of the track, yet with the Reference Diamond it was trackable in the duration of the track as well.

Price as reviewed:54 000,- Kč

Recommended resellers

SK: Kohut Audio, Košice, tel. +421 905 642 156

CZ: Navrátil Audio, Havířov, tel. +420 737 821 360

Manufacturer's website: http://www.crystalcable.com

Associated components

Sources: Van Medevoort CD transport CT460 and DAC DA466, Accuphase DP-78, Accuphase DP-700
Amplifiers: Van Medevoort PSQ/CAQ/PAQs, Accuphase A-70, Luxman L-590AX
Interconnects and speaker cables: Tara Labs ISM The 2EX, Stealth Dream Petite, Krautwire Fractal, Nordost Valhalla V2, Cardas Clear, Audioquest Wild
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 802 Diamond, KEF LS-50
Power conditioning: Nordost Thor (modified)

Gallery

89%

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