So you have chosen your turntable and phono stage. Satisfied with it. Play lots of music. Until one day, for no reason at all, decided to change your interconnects (IC). OK, in this particular review, there was a reason. There was an opportunity to test out the Harmonic Technology LP-10 phono cable.
Harmonic Technology is based in San Diego, USA and was founded back in 1998. Based on their website, this company patented the OCC Single CrystalTM design process where metal is purified to eliminate any potential crystalline barrier distortion. This design process is claimed to obtain purity levels in excess of 99.999997% in an atmosphere completely devoid of oxygen and other contaminants. More importantly, it is supposed to improve clarity, dynamics and power of the signals travelling through the cables.
The sample I received came with Neutrik Profi RCA and equipped with grounding cable on both sides. Based on the info I received, the LP-10 model is an only China Limited version and most probably not be available in USA. The build of cable is of high quality standard, sturdy with good flexibility if you have a tight spot to connect it to your system. The cable is based on 26 AWG 7N high purity OCC single crystal copper cable. Now, I am not going to go into details of the specifications as readers can get more info from the website here. One thing I am interested to hear is actually the impact of those ground wires that come with the cables. The LP-10 is characterised to deliver a neutral, open and refined sound. So, lets hear it.
THE SET UP
1. Kronos Sparta with ZYX Omega Cart
2. SPL Audio Phonos
3. SPL Audio Director Mk2 pre amp
4. SPL Audio S800 Performer power amp
5. PMC Twenty5 24 speakers
The LP-10 was used in between the Kronos Sparta and the SPL Audio Director Mk2 pre amp, replacing a Siltech Silver Anniversary IC.
Ode To My Family by The Cranberries
The very first thing I notice is how open the sound is with LP-10 in the equation. Dolares vocal sounded so energetic and upfront. I can agree to the claim of being open and refined sound. The LP-10 have delivered an unrestricted sound where every details of this track have surfaced out in a different presentation that I am used to. The sound of the percussion playing sounded sharp but sweet. The bass however can be a bit overwhelming but I know that this track, the bass guitar have alway seems to sound heavy. The guitar sounds was delivered with high clarity note by note. Although I could not find the neutral ground of the overall presentation, the video I shared got the agreement from the Kronos Sparta designer, Louis that it sounded quite beautiful. But I still wanted to explore more.
Moonlight Lady by Julio Iglesias
The open presentation is consistent on this track as well. The soundstage somehow sounded bigger than usual. Julio's vocal sounded luscious just as the image he carries. On this track, I started to experience the neutral presentation that the LP-10 was known for. There was no overwhelming experience from the different spectrum of sound. Highs sounded crisp and light on the ears. The low end frequency was subtle but still impactful to create that 80s music sound. Sweet to my ears.
To All The Girls I Love Before by Julio and Willie Nelson
This was an even more involving experience with the LP-10. Willie's vocal sounded very lively and emotional with the LP-10. The open sound was maintained but without loosing any depth to the presentation. On the percussion side, the rimshot, snare, toms also sounded quite open and wide without loosing its impact. Refinement is one of the improvement I can hear after putting in the LP-10 into my system. Is it a lot of difference from my usual listening experience? Read the conclusion.
THE CONCLUSION
What is it that make audiophiles debate about the impact of cable, power cords, interconnects? I have always been neutral on this matter. There are instances where I do not find any impact at all and there are times where I will just go - Wow!
Now, for this particular review, I had to change my set up a bit before I started listening to it more seriously.
- I first replaced my Vermouth Audio Reference interconnect (which is based on OCC as well) with a Siltech Silver Anniversary interconnect. between the Kronos and the Phonos.
- Listened to my system for a couple of weeks
- Replaced the Siltech with this LP-10
The reason I did this is because of 2 reasons:
- The Vermouth Audio Reference was in a different price bracket. The Siltech was retailed at a similar price as the LP-10
- The Siltech is a silver based interconnect as oppose to the Vermouth Audio Reference which is based on OCC copper similar to the LP-10
Comparing the LP-10 and Siltech, the LP-10 have given me a different experience with the 3 tracks above. Key word here is different and not necessarily better. The LP-10 was definitely true to its claim of being open, refined and neutral. Apart form the overwhelming bass on the first track, the other 2 tracks were definitely neutral. I have actually listened to many other tracks with the LP-10 in the past 2 months or so. Mainly to confirm the consistency in its neutrality. I must say that this is LP-10 main strength. It will deliver whatever the sound from your TT as it is. There is no additional coloration or so called extra bass or clearer treble. I believe that with this neutrality, the refinement and open sound just naturally surface out.
However, it was hard to hear any big improvement when compared to my Vermouth Audio Reference cable. It may be because of a similar base design using OCC but I did not have the overwhelming bass experience playing the first track when the Vermouth Audio Reference was in my system.
At RM 1,490 or SGD 490 for a 1.2 m pair, I would recommend this cable for those who like to complement your TT and phono with a neutral sound experience but with still enough refinement and open ambient. You have the option to have either Teflon DIN, Neutrik XLR (gold pin) or Neutrik Profi RCA. If you are looking at changing your phono cables, do give this LP-10 a try.
For more information, please contact KC
