YNWaN
26-04-2012, 21:10
Mark Grant Cables – A Tale of Four Connectors!
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/grouppic.jpg
A few weeks ago I was chatting to Mark Grant (of Mark Grant Cables) about his G1000HD interconnect cable, This cable is custom made for Mark to his specification and is available terminated with four different types of RCA plug. The G1000HD has crimped on Canare plugs (£45), the G1500HD has soldered on Neutrik Profi plugs (£65), the G2000HD is available with either soldered on WBT Cu (copper) plugs (£195) or WBT Ag (silver) plugs (£245). In each case, the actual cable used is exactly the same, the price difference of £150 between the cables being entirely due to the cost of the different connectors used to terminate the cable. On his website (the cables are available direct from www.markgrantcables.co.uk) Mark describes the cable as being:
“A high purity copper cable, not silver or silver plated copper. The central conductor is a single solid core of high purity copper, this is surrounded by low density gas injected dielectric insulation and a dual layer shielding system consisting of two layers of dense coverage high purity copper braiding and a vibration damping translucent PVC outer jacket”
I was interested in trying Mark’s cable and he suggested that I might like to compare the effect of the different connectors – with some trepidation I agreed. Mark offered to loan me four 1 metre stereo cable pairs, each made up with the different plugs and, true to his word, a couple of days later a package arrived – stuffed full of shiny cables!
The first thing I did was to look at the quality of Mark’s manufacture. Each of these cables is very neatly constructed. Custom printed heat shrink is carefully applied (colour coded and printed with Mark’s logo and cable directionality). Mark left the heat shrink unfitted (intentionally) on one end of one cable and as a result I was able to cast a critical eye over the quality of his soldering; I was pleased to see that it was absolutely excellent – cable was neatly trimmed and the actual solder was shiny and precisely applied.
In Use
The Canare plug is a visually simple construction and most of it is hidden under the neatly applied heat shrink. The contact metal is gold plated brass and both the positive and return are crimped to the cable conductors (Mark has invested in the correct crimping tools to achieve the correct connection). In use you simply push the connector into place. However, in practice I found the connectors to be a touch on the loose side and my pre-amp, in particular, didn’t like to make a good connection unless the plugs were pulled out to just the right position. I mentioned this to Mark and he immediately offered to change the plugs, but as this was just a test I didn’t bother – when positioned ‘just so’ they did work fine.
The Neutrik Profi plug makes an altogether more secure contact. Again, the conductors are gold plated brass but the plug has quite a unique construction. The return is longer than usual and sprung loaded; this means that the return makes contact before the positive and retracts into the body of the plug as the plug is pushed onto the socket. The Neutrik’s snap into place with a very positive feel and the connection was always secure.
The WBT plugs are a very elaborate (and very nicely made) construction. Both the plugs are WBT’s finest ‘nextgen’ offerings (WBT-0110). The Cu and Ag plugs share the same construction but the CU plugs use contacts manufactured from pure oxygen free copper and plated with a thin layer of 24k gold. The Ag plugs use silver for the contact material (with no further plating).In each case the centre pin is a sprung construction and the return is an complex three point chuck (only one of the three points is actually conductive). The outside barrel of each plug screws onto the body and, in so doing, clamps the return connector firmly against the plug socket. The WBT connectors are easy to fit and, because of their precision construction, they are easy to remove (this last aspect was highlighted by some other interconnects I have that are fitted with WBT copy connectors – these were a right pain to remove and the outer barrel was very difficult to unscrew on these).
The Comparison
Well, there are a lot of potential issues with comparing connectors such as these four. In the first place, I am sympathetic to the idea that a cable is either connected or it is not, the electricity flows, or it does not; if the connection is made, what else is there to consider. Secondly, assuming the conductor does matter, doesn’t it make sense to match the same conductor materials for both the plug and the socket (and the cable too). In this case this was an investigation by myself using my system, the chassis sockets are (I believe) gold played brass (as most are). As mentioned earlier, the actual cable is un-plated copper, but even the copper WBT plugs have a thin layer of gold plated over them and the wire is soldered to the plugs – the solder used in this case has a small amount of silver content, but no copper, gold or brass. In the case of the WBT Ag connectors the electrical signal must travel along a copper conductor, through the solder alloy, then through a silver connector and through a layer of gold plate, through a brass connector, then another layer of solder and finally to another copper wire – six metal to metal transitions for just one connection! The path is hardly less circuitous for any of the other connectors (or most cables in general). Given such issues, can the plug really make any difference? Thirdly is the issue of preconception. In this case I hadn’t purchased anything and I wasn’t looking to buy anything; I was happy to find that there was no difference between these connectors……but, for whatever reason, that is not what I found.
The final hurdle is one of testing methodology. To be honest, this was a simple issue for me as I was only interested in forming my own opinion, for my own interest. I was not interested in a scientifically valid investigation into metallurgy or contact resistance etc. What I actually did was to plug each of these cables in between my phonostage and my pre-amp (the only place RCA equipped interconnects can go in my system) and have a listen – if I heard a difference I made a few notes. I did use the mute control on my pre-amp between listening to each cable/connectors and I did use the same music – I also used each cable for the same length of time in case anyone thinks that one may have benefitted from extended use at the expense of another.
The Listening
Although I have listed my findings in Canare, Neutrik, WBT Cu and WBT Ag order, this is not the order that my listening was carried out; I actually listened to them in a number of different orders so that the cable preceding the current one was different.
I must admit, I half expected to find no difference between these plugs, or at least very little. As it turned out I found some of the differences to be pretty obvious; more obvious than the differences between different interconnects often are!
Canare
With the G1000HD cable fitted with these connectors the overall sound struck me as quite ‘warm’, almost ‘sweet’. Partly I thought this was because very fine detail seemed a bit understated, or even missing. The leading edge of notes seemed softened, blunted. Bass had good weight (greater than the other plugs in this comparison) and perceived extension, but it also seemed a touch soft. Overall the music ‘romped along’ well, but I did think the soundstage lacked separation and air and, for me, this detracted from the illusion of a musical event.
Neutrik Profi
I was surprised by the Neutrik fitted cable as it immediately struck me as quite noticeably different to the Canare fitted cable. It did sound a bit ‘dry’ compared to the Canare; but it also seemed to have significantly better instrumental separation and the soundstage was wider than with the Canare’s. Bass seemed to have better focus and texture, though outright weight and extension was marginally less than with the Canare’s. On a negative note I thought the sounded a bit thin in the upper mids; male voices seemed to be more about the lips and teeth than the throat and chest.
WBT nextgen Cu
Soundstage seemed slightly less wide than with the Neutrik’s, but instruments were, if anything, even better focussed and there was a rich tonal range with good dynamic contrast. Not surprisingly, both the WBT plugs shared very similar qualities but they were not identical. The copper offerings were less obviously delineated than the silver plugs, less ‘projected’ in the mid-range; but they still had good rendition of fine detail and some may find their balance more natural than that of the silver option.
WBT nextgen Ag
The silver version of the WBT immediately struck me as having strong leading edge attack of notes. The mid-range was strongly projected and low level resolution was good. Fine detail stood out in a way that wasn’t so apparent with the other cables/plugs tried. However, the balance had a tendency to emphasis Sss sounds and I eventually found the more up-front presentation of the Ag’s a touch artificial; I could understand why some might find the Ag’s a bit ‘hi-fi’ and the Cu’s more ‘musical’. In addition, I wasn’t entirely taken with the bottom end; whilst the top was all light and filigree detail, the lower registers seemed a touch subdued. Upper bass was tight but also a bit hollow in tonal character. Lower bass was a bit lessened and ultimately a bit soft.
Conclusion
Well, as you can probably tell, ultimately I wasn’t all that taken with the silver WBT plugs (despite the fact that many consider them to be ‘the ultimate’). They seemed to shine a light on the upper-mid frequencies, but this was at the expense of the lower registers and I ended up finding their presentation impressive but rather artificial. The Canare equipped cable was OK, gutsy, but I missed the separation between instruments and overall I found it a touch veiled. I didn’t like their rather vague connection quality either. In stark contrast, the Neutrik’s made a much better connection and were also, by far, the best value. They offered most of the advantages of the much more costly WBT plugs but at a fraction of the price; if it wasn’t for their rather lean mids they would be the outright winner. As it turns out, I don’t really have a winner as such. The copper version of the WBT’s were, probably, the best balanced of all, but at a cost, and ultimately they weren’t that different to the Neutrik’s!
I was surprised by these connectors and the differences were such that I can imagine someone who liked the sound of the Canare equipped cable being rather less keen on the leaner and tighter Neutrik cable. Why these differences exist is another matter entirely. No doubt some will assure me that I’m imagining these sonic differences and that they don’t exist at all, but over a two week period of auditioning I consistently came to the same conclusions. Perhaps it is to do with the mix of metals used, the impedance of the connection, the surface finish, the force the connectors are clamped together, the dialectic – who knows. Whatever the cause of the sonic differences, my conclusion is that the type of connector used does make a sonic differences and I wonder how much of the differences heard between cables is actually a result of the way, and with what, they are terminated.
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/grouppic.jpg
A few weeks ago I was chatting to Mark Grant (of Mark Grant Cables) about his G1000HD interconnect cable, This cable is custom made for Mark to his specification and is available terminated with four different types of RCA plug. The G1000HD has crimped on Canare plugs (£45), the G1500HD has soldered on Neutrik Profi plugs (£65), the G2000HD is available with either soldered on WBT Cu (copper) plugs (£195) or WBT Ag (silver) plugs (£245). In each case, the actual cable used is exactly the same, the price difference of £150 between the cables being entirely due to the cost of the different connectors used to terminate the cable. On his website (the cables are available direct from www.markgrantcables.co.uk) Mark describes the cable as being:
“A high purity copper cable, not silver or silver plated copper. The central conductor is a single solid core of high purity copper, this is surrounded by low density gas injected dielectric insulation and a dual layer shielding system consisting of two layers of dense coverage high purity copper braiding and a vibration damping translucent PVC outer jacket”
I was interested in trying Mark’s cable and he suggested that I might like to compare the effect of the different connectors – with some trepidation I agreed. Mark offered to loan me four 1 metre stereo cable pairs, each made up with the different plugs and, true to his word, a couple of days later a package arrived – stuffed full of shiny cables!
The first thing I did was to look at the quality of Mark’s manufacture. Each of these cables is very neatly constructed. Custom printed heat shrink is carefully applied (colour coded and printed with Mark’s logo and cable directionality). Mark left the heat shrink unfitted (intentionally) on one end of one cable and as a result I was able to cast a critical eye over the quality of his soldering; I was pleased to see that it was absolutely excellent – cable was neatly trimmed and the actual solder was shiny and precisely applied.
In Use
The Canare plug is a visually simple construction and most of it is hidden under the neatly applied heat shrink. The contact metal is gold plated brass and both the positive and return are crimped to the cable conductors (Mark has invested in the correct crimping tools to achieve the correct connection). In use you simply push the connector into place. However, in practice I found the connectors to be a touch on the loose side and my pre-amp, in particular, didn’t like to make a good connection unless the plugs were pulled out to just the right position. I mentioned this to Mark and he immediately offered to change the plugs, but as this was just a test I didn’t bother – when positioned ‘just so’ they did work fine.
The Neutrik Profi plug makes an altogether more secure contact. Again, the conductors are gold plated brass but the plug has quite a unique construction. The return is longer than usual and sprung loaded; this means that the return makes contact before the positive and retracts into the body of the plug as the plug is pushed onto the socket. The Neutrik’s snap into place with a very positive feel and the connection was always secure.
The WBT plugs are a very elaborate (and very nicely made) construction. Both the plugs are WBT’s finest ‘nextgen’ offerings (WBT-0110). The Cu and Ag plugs share the same construction but the CU plugs use contacts manufactured from pure oxygen free copper and plated with a thin layer of 24k gold. The Ag plugs use silver for the contact material (with no further plating).In each case the centre pin is a sprung construction and the return is an complex three point chuck (only one of the three points is actually conductive). The outside barrel of each plug screws onto the body and, in so doing, clamps the return connector firmly against the plug socket. The WBT connectors are easy to fit and, because of their precision construction, they are easy to remove (this last aspect was highlighted by some other interconnects I have that are fitted with WBT copy connectors – these were a right pain to remove and the outer barrel was very difficult to unscrew on these).
The Comparison
Well, there are a lot of potential issues with comparing connectors such as these four. In the first place, I am sympathetic to the idea that a cable is either connected or it is not, the electricity flows, or it does not; if the connection is made, what else is there to consider. Secondly, assuming the conductor does matter, doesn’t it make sense to match the same conductor materials for both the plug and the socket (and the cable too). In this case this was an investigation by myself using my system, the chassis sockets are (I believe) gold played brass (as most are). As mentioned earlier, the actual cable is un-plated copper, but even the copper WBT plugs have a thin layer of gold plated over them and the wire is soldered to the plugs – the solder used in this case has a small amount of silver content, but no copper, gold or brass. In the case of the WBT Ag connectors the electrical signal must travel along a copper conductor, through the solder alloy, then through a silver connector and through a layer of gold plate, through a brass connector, then another layer of solder and finally to another copper wire – six metal to metal transitions for just one connection! The path is hardly less circuitous for any of the other connectors (or most cables in general). Given such issues, can the plug really make any difference? Thirdly is the issue of preconception. In this case I hadn’t purchased anything and I wasn’t looking to buy anything; I was happy to find that there was no difference between these connectors……but, for whatever reason, that is not what I found.
The final hurdle is one of testing methodology. To be honest, this was a simple issue for me as I was only interested in forming my own opinion, for my own interest. I was not interested in a scientifically valid investigation into metallurgy or contact resistance etc. What I actually did was to plug each of these cables in between my phonostage and my pre-amp (the only place RCA equipped interconnects can go in my system) and have a listen – if I heard a difference I made a few notes. I did use the mute control on my pre-amp between listening to each cable/connectors and I did use the same music – I also used each cable for the same length of time in case anyone thinks that one may have benefitted from extended use at the expense of another.
The Listening
Although I have listed my findings in Canare, Neutrik, WBT Cu and WBT Ag order, this is not the order that my listening was carried out; I actually listened to them in a number of different orders so that the cable preceding the current one was different.
I must admit, I half expected to find no difference between these plugs, or at least very little. As it turned out I found some of the differences to be pretty obvious; more obvious than the differences between different interconnects often are!
Canare
With the G1000HD cable fitted with these connectors the overall sound struck me as quite ‘warm’, almost ‘sweet’. Partly I thought this was because very fine detail seemed a bit understated, or even missing. The leading edge of notes seemed softened, blunted. Bass had good weight (greater than the other plugs in this comparison) and perceived extension, but it also seemed a touch soft. Overall the music ‘romped along’ well, but I did think the soundstage lacked separation and air and, for me, this detracted from the illusion of a musical event.
Neutrik Profi
I was surprised by the Neutrik fitted cable as it immediately struck me as quite noticeably different to the Canare fitted cable. It did sound a bit ‘dry’ compared to the Canare; but it also seemed to have significantly better instrumental separation and the soundstage was wider than with the Canare’s. Bass seemed to have better focus and texture, though outright weight and extension was marginally less than with the Canare’s. On a negative note I thought the sounded a bit thin in the upper mids; male voices seemed to be more about the lips and teeth than the throat and chest.
WBT nextgen Cu
Soundstage seemed slightly less wide than with the Neutrik’s, but instruments were, if anything, even better focussed and there was a rich tonal range with good dynamic contrast. Not surprisingly, both the WBT plugs shared very similar qualities but they were not identical. The copper offerings were less obviously delineated than the silver plugs, less ‘projected’ in the mid-range; but they still had good rendition of fine detail and some may find their balance more natural than that of the silver option.
WBT nextgen Ag
The silver version of the WBT immediately struck me as having strong leading edge attack of notes. The mid-range was strongly projected and low level resolution was good. Fine detail stood out in a way that wasn’t so apparent with the other cables/plugs tried. However, the balance had a tendency to emphasis Sss sounds and I eventually found the more up-front presentation of the Ag’s a touch artificial; I could understand why some might find the Ag’s a bit ‘hi-fi’ and the Cu’s more ‘musical’. In addition, I wasn’t entirely taken with the bottom end; whilst the top was all light and filigree detail, the lower registers seemed a touch subdued. Upper bass was tight but also a bit hollow in tonal character. Lower bass was a bit lessened and ultimately a bit soft.
Conclusion
Well, as you can probably tell, ultimately I wasn’t all that taken with the silver WBT plugs (despite the fact that many consider them to be ‘the ultimate’). They seemed to shine a light on the upper-mid frequencies, but this was at the expense of the lower registers and I ended up finding their presentation impressive but rather artificial. The Canare equipped cable was OK, gutsy, but I missed the separation between instruments and overall I found it a touch veiled. I didn’t like their rather vague connection quality either. In stark contrast, the Neutrik’s made a much better connection and were also, by far, the best value. They offered most of the advantages of the much more costly WBT plugs but at a fraction of the price; if it wasn’t for their rather lean mids they would be the outright winner. As it turns out, I don’t really have a winner as such. The copper version of the WBT’s were, probably, the best balanced of all, but at a cost, and ultimately they weren’t that different to the Neutrik’s!
I was surprised by these connectors and the differences were such that I can imagine someone who liked the sound of the Canare equipped cable being rather less keen on the leaner and tighter Neutrik cable. Why these differences exist is another matter entirely. No doubt some will assure me that I’m imagining these sonic differences and that they don’t exist at all, but over a two week period of auditioning I consistently came to the same conclusions. Perhaps it is to do with the mix of metals used, the impedance of the connection, the surface finish, the force the connectors are clamped together, the dialectic – who knows. Whatever the cause of the sonic differences, my conclusion is that the type of connector used does make a sonic differences and I wonder how much of the differences heard between cables is actually a result of the way, and with what, they are terminated.