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
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Reprinted from: The Audiophile Voice
The Audiophile Voice
Volume 2, Issue 2 - January, 1996
by Joel Schumer
My old speaker cables were outdated, and I had become aware
of the sonic signature they imparted on my system. TARA Labs
RSC (Rectangular Solid Core) Master speaker cables had been
given an enthusiastic review by
Russ Novak in The Audiophile Voice, so it seemed
that this would be a good place to start
my search for new speaker cables.
On re-reading Russ's review, I realized that he heard in
these cables exactly what I was looking for: neutrality. But
had Russ been a victim of his own hyperbole when he wrote,
"Dynamics and bass and treble extension are the best and
go hand-in-hand with this feeling of natural control. This
cable breathes life into the music without coloration
..."? More than a year had gone by since Russ had written
these words, so I gave him a call to see if anything had
happened to change his mind. Nothing had. The TARA RSC
remained his cable of choice, and soon the beginning became
the end of my search for new speaker cable.
In April Of 1994, I acquired an 8 foot set of my own and
within weeks I had become converted. They sounded every bit
as good as I had hoped! Bass was clean, deep, open, and
very dynamic. Mids were pure, sweet, very transparent,
completely free of colorations. Highs were airy and extended
without a trace of artificial brightness. This had to be the
perfect speaker cable!
And then in September of 1994, Matthew Bond, founder of TARA
Labs, announced a newly developed successor: RSC Master
Generation 2. The cable uses a new conductor described as
"Consonant Alloy," a
proprietary blend of elements
which, according to Mr. Bond, surpasses the performance of
99.9999% pure copper.
Like the earlier cable, the rectangular solid core
conductors are individually insulated and wrapped helically
around a center air tube. Unlike the original RSC cable,
however, the Generation 2 uses fourteen small strands of
extruded Consonant Alloy copper. The small size of the
conductors optimizes the frequency response, and the
"multi solid core" configuration results in much
improved flexibility.
TARA Labs kindly supplied me with a set of their new cables
so that I might make my own comparisons. Handling the newly
arrived Generation 2, I was immediately aware of their
improved flexibility. The older RSC was quite stiff, but
these could easily be bent in a two inch radius. Like the
earlier cable, a stereo set consists of four individual
cables about three eighths of an inch in diameter. Positive
leads have red collars with arrows pointing away from the
amplifier. Negative cables are also marked with directional
arrows but without the red collars. There are no left/right
designations.
THE SOUND
Right out of the box, the new cables sounded just great.
[I've had that experience myself. Is cable "break in"
merely a fiction? -- Mark] Perhaps TARA Labs had improved
on perfection. (Or is Perfection that mythical receding goal
post always just a tantalizing yard or two beyond reach?)
Putting philosophical thoughts aside, I let the Generation
2's play for several weeks to assure myself that they were
well broken in and then I began my critical listening. I
used hybrid and solid-state amps from Audio Research, and
tube amps from Quicksilver and Sonic Frontiers. Speakers
included Rogers LS3/5a's, Totem Ones, and Quad 63 Pros.
After several more weeks, it became clear that the
Generation 2 is able to do everything at least as well as
the earlier RSC cable, and is better in most key areas.
Upper octaves are smoother, just as extended but with a
slight increase in liquidity and a reduction in
"white" hardness. The close-up miking of Anne Sophie
Mutter's violin in Carmen Fantasie (Deutsche Grammophon
437 544-2) produces a string tone that can be slightly
strident. With the Generation 2, the upper frequencies are
just as extended but smoother and there's just a bit more
air. All the detail remains but less sharply etched. String
tone loses a little hardness and seems more relaxed. Rebecca
Pidgeon's The Raven (Chesky JD 115) also demonstrates the
Generation 2's superior upper range. Pidgeon's voice
sounds marvelously open and natural with the earlier RSC,
but switching to the Generation 2 removes a thin patina of
coarseness that I hadn't known was there.
Midrange with both cables is very much the same: open,
transparent, natural. James Levine and the Met Opera
Orchestra have a marvelous 1993/94 recording of
Beethoven's Eroica and Schubert's Unfinished squeezed
onto a 75 minute disc (Deutsche Grammophon 439 862-2). Both
the old and the current RSC cable present the midrange
beautifully. Timber and tonal balance are accurate and
undistorted. Where other cables add bloom to the lower mids,
brightness to the upper mids, or a warm haze throughout, the
Generation 2 remains neutral, natural and unaffected.
Bass extension is solid and deep when listening with either
the original or the Generation 2. But hearing the Ray Brown
Trio in Summer Wind (Concord Jazz CCD 4426) with the
Generation 2, the sense of rhythmic drive is stronger. Not
by much, but the Generation 2 has a "foot tap"
quotient that's slightly higher.
39 seconds into the second track on the Ray Brown CD a
telephone softly rings, interrupting the performance and
titillating the audience. I had heard this cut a dozen
times, but with the Generation 2 there was something
different and startling. I realized it was the very specific
location of the ringing. I seemed to know' exactly where
the phone was located. Perhaps this is the most noticeable
improvement of RSC Generation 2. The cable is able to
transmit more spatial cues with greater accuracy than its
predecessor.
On a subtler level than ringing phones, the Met/Levine
recording mentioned earlier takes on added dimension with
the Generation 2. The sound stage at Manhattan Center
broadens, the sense of hall ambience is heightened,
instrumental locations are more precise. In short, there is
an increased "you are there" sensation of sharing the
space with the orchestra.
Without doubt, TARA's RSC Master Generation 2 has to be a
contender for the title of best speaker cable available.
Although TARA Labs has not raised their price on the cable,
it remains expensive, and I would certainly recommend a home
trial before purchase. Regardless of amplifier/speaker
combination, the Generation 2 made my system sound better.
When listening to the LS3/5a's and the ARC D-240 MK II,
the sound was truly transformed. These little speakers from
twenty years ago sounded far better than they have any right
to sound. The Quad 63s with the Quicksilver Silver 90's
sounded better, but not spectacularly so. The improvement is
there but at a modest level. Only by experimenting with the
cables in one's own system, can a prospective purchaser
decide if the upgrade warrants the expense.
For me, the bottom line is simply this: RSC Generation 2 is
a superb cable. Music sounds more natural, with less
coloration and a greater sense of space than with any other
cable I know. I'm sure I could live happily with this
cable in my system for many years to come.
TARA RSC Master Generation 2 Speaker Cable. Eight foot
stereo pair, $810 ($45 per foot per speaker plus $45
termination charge.)
TARA Labs, Inc. 2245 Ashland Street, Ashland, Oregon 97520.
Phone 541-488-6465.
Associated Equipment: Linn Karik/Numerik CD System,
Audio Research transport and DAC 2; Audio Research LS2 B MK II preamp;
Sonic Frontiers SFS-80, Quicksilver Silver 9, Audio Research V-70, and
D 240 MK II amplifiers; Totem One, Rogers LS3/5a, and Quad 63 Pro speakers;
MIT 75 Shotgun, Straight Wire Maestro, Cardas Quadlink 5C, & TARA
Labs' original RSC speaker cable. |