Decade Series / Stereophile

Interview - Matthew Bond / Stereophile

Prism 1100 & 22 / Hi-Fi Choice

Reference G2 / Audio Adventure

Prism 2200 & Bi-Wire / Fi

RSC Master Gen 2 / The Audiophile Voice

Original RSC Master ('93)/ The Audiophile Voice

Vanishing Points / Audio Adventure

Klara Speaker Cable / Home Theater

Reprinted from

Fi

February 1996 Volume 1 Issue 2

by Dick Olsher

TARA Labs' Prism 2200 ($39/1m pair) easily gets my vote as the best sounding interconnect under $100 a 1m/pair. On the face of it, the Prism is a classic coaxial design which uses a single 1.15mm diameter solid-core conductor and a braided copper shield as the return leg. Materials are all of good quality: long-grained OFC, polyethylene dielectric, and an anti-static polymer outer jacket. The RCA connectors are 24K gold-plated and are soldered with lead-free silver solder. The RLC parameters are 0.1 ohm/m, 0.72 micro Henry/meter, and 115 pF/m. Each Prism interconnect is hand-assembled and individually tested at the TARA Labs factory in Oregon. Yet, despite (or probably because of) the lack of hi-tech engineering, the Prism 2200 delivers big time.

The sound is surprisingly smooth and spacious, with particularly sweet upper octaves. This interconnect knows how to cater to violin and female voice. Treble transients are always under control, and there's plenty of low-level detail in evidence. OK, so it isn't perfect: there are slight losses in soundstage transparency, clarity, image outline palpability, and micro-dynamics. The total sonic signature reminds me of a vintage Dynaco Stereo 70 tube amp-and I mean that as a complement from the bottom of my heart. Considering the asking price and its level of textural liquidity, the Prism 2200 un-deniably represents a minor miracle. Kudos to the TARA Labs team, and especially cable meister Matthew Bond.

Here's a product that Matthew Bond tells me he dearly loves, and I can understand why. On a tight budget? Well, at $3.95/ft pair ($47.40/6 ft pair plus a $50 biwire termination charge) the Prism Biwire speaker cable fits the definition of an entry-level product... and it's even biwire capable! What that means in no-brainer language is that there's one pair of spades at the amp end and two pairs at the speaker end. If your speaker doesn't have a biwire provision, simply double up the spades at the speaker end. Its sound bears a strong family resemblance to that of the Prism 22. Think of tube gear and you'll begin to form an accurate mental image of the Prism's ability to flesh out image outlines and caress Harmanic textures. The speaker cable, however, gives up a bit more than does the Prism 2200 in the realm of low-level detail resolution. An enthusiastic thumbs up for this puppy.