‘Review’ of three Zavfino arm cables

[YNWaN]

‘Review’ of three Zavfino arm cables

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/Assorted/E0AF0E47-1E4E-4CEA-810F-24AA82822387_zpskua6cb6o.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/markemark_2006/media/Assorted/E0AF0E47-1E4E-4CEA-810F-24AA82822387_zpskua6cb6o.jpg.html)

Intro
In the title to this post I’ve written ‘review’ in quotation marks because I’m not a reviewer, just a chap who likes music and tinkering with his hi-fi. I should also add that this is a purely subjective report based on personal auditioning and there is no attempt, or pretence, at achieving any form of scientific rigour - this report won’t convert anybody who believes cables cannot make a difference - but then it’s not supposed to.

Background
A few weeks ago I visited the North West Audio Show at Cranage Hall (and very enjoyable it was too). Whilst I was there I stopped off at the Ammonite Acoustics stand and had a chat with Hugo Cass, the owner. The end result of this chat was that I left the show with three tonearm cables to try! I had recently been experimenting with different cables between my tonearm and my phonostage and Hugo’s offer to try these additional cables came as both a pleasant surprise and a somewhat daunting task.

Description
The armcables in question are by a company called Zavfino, which, despite the rather European sounding name, are a Canadian company. In addition, Zavfino was not a company I had ever heard of but that’s not surprising as there are literally thousands of companies producing interconnects and all fighting for their little share of the market! As it turns out, Zavfino have been in business for over ten years and are unusual in that they not only use cable that is manufactured unique to them but also make their own RCA plugs and DIN/arm connectors (which are, apparently, used by many other cable manufacturers).

The three cables
The three cables I was loaned were ‘The Cove’ £69.00 (in a gold and black woven jacket), ‘The Mahone’ £119.00 (in a grey and black woven jacket) and ‘The Highlands’ £355.00 (in a green and black woven jacket). All three follow a similar form in that they consist of a single, rather than double, run of cable that is split into two at the amplifier end. All are really very flexible and should make cable dressing very easy (I’ve set up many LP12’s and none of these cables would cause a problem). All can be ordered with either straight or right angled DIN plugs and come with RCA plugs as the output (I don’t think there is any choice in this bit). The three cables are of shielded construction and have a drain wire to ground at the output that is terminated in a gold plated crocodile clip. There is no ground wire at the arm end and this isn’t an option (as far as I know), but I experienced no noise/ hum problems. Unusually, whilst the ‘Cove’ is a standard 1.2 metres in length the ‘Mahone’ and ‘Highlander’ are a touch longer at 1.5 metres.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/Assorted/BA871D5B-9BD3-4380-9C77-4DD4C9FCAAB0_zpsnv7cgaw3.png (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/markemark_2006/media/Assorted/BA871D5B-9BD3-4380-9C77-4DD4C9FCAAB0_zpsnv7cgaw3.png.html)

Use
In use all three cables were very easy to fit and the custom DIN plugs (all metal casework) were a very nice snug fit - not too tight but very reassuring and solid. The build quality of these cables is really first class and, unusual even in cables from big manufacturers, heatshrink is not used at all which makes the joints close to the connectors much more flexible than is often the case.

Auditioning
Anyway, enough of the preamble nonsense, to the meat of the matter (sorry vegetarians and vegans, but you know what I mean), what did the auditioning reveal. Well, for quite a while, it didn’t reveal anything as having just finished comparing a number of arm cables I wasn’t keen to go to the bother any time soon as all my trials had confirmed was that the Mogami 2549 cable (1) I was already using was excellent and quite up to the job. You can buy the exact same cable from Yannis Tome for £69.00. However, after some considerable ennui I finally got round to trying my (generously) loaned cables... .. .

With something of a sense of trepidation I started with the £69.00 ‘The Cove’ and sat back for a listen - wow, I was very pleasantly surprised, I didn’t immediately feel that something was missing and rush to reinstall my usual cable (as I had rather learnt was my usual feeling when substituting new ‘super’ cables). In fact, after further listening I actually preferred the sound of the Cove! It had all the solidity and body of the Mogami but with just a bit more fine detail which made the whole sound seem that little bit more intimate and ‘real’. In my notes I wrote that ‘The Cove’ had a “good solid sound but still airy and open and better than usual detail”. All in I think that makes ‘The Cove’ a bit of an audiophile bargain, it costs the same as the Mogami and is just as nicely made but sounds better and uses higher quality DIN and RCA plugs - what’s not to like?

Next up was the £119.00 ‘The Mahone’ (I wish these cables were just numbered, but hey, whatever). Well this sounded very like the cheaper ‘Cove’ (I can’t keep on putting ‘the’ in front of all the names even though that’s what the manufacturer, rather pretentiously, calls them) but with a greater sense of apparent intimacy and better stereo focus - not night and day but quite enticing nevertheless! My initial, rather scrappy, notes say “very like the cheaper one but with even better focus and stereo images are really strongly positioned”.

Last, but by no means least, was the £355.00 ‘Highlands’ (I’ve no idea where these names come from). Interestingly, this cable had a noticeably different character and balance than the previous offerings. The soundstage sounded really open and instruments existed strongly in their own spaces (almost disconcertingly so in some cases). The top end was really fine, detailed and filigreed - almost as though RAAL tweeters had been suddenly installed. However, whilst the sound was extremely free of grain it was also a tad drier in the upper bass region and this gave, for me, the sound a slightly more cerebral and less ‘meaty’ quality than the previous two combatants. On very atmospheric, or simply recorded, music the ‘Highlands’ really shone, or rather it simply sounded as if there was less of a filter present, but on more compressed material it sounded a touch less demonstrative than the other two cables.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/Assorted/78E88971-8574-4C54-987C-FB03AADA5300_zpsxvcwtruw.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/markemark_2006/media/Assorted/78E88971-8574-4C54-987C-FB03AADA5300_zpsxvcwtruw.jpg.html)

Conclusion
In the end it was the ‘Mahone’ that had the best balance for me and the music I tend to listen to. It had the weight and drive of the ‘Cove’ but with a lot of the inner detail, and delicacy of the ‘Highlands’. If you listen to more unamplified music than myself you may well prefer the ‘Highlands’. For many the ‘Cove’ will be a worthwhile improvement (£40.00 seems to be about the minimum one can buy an arm cable for and its easy for the connectors alone to exceed the cost of the ‘Cove’).

There is, of course, a whole lot of USP marketing from the manufacturer about wire design etc. and if that interests you it’s all on their website. I won’t go into it here as I have no clue as to how valid it is. Anyway, that’s it; I wrote this report as a bit of fun (I like the style of the Stereophile reviews so tried to ape that) and I have no relationship with the manufacturer or the distributor etc.
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(1) The same Mogami cable is used by Linn in their T-Kable which is £320.00 for a 1.2 metre length. I think this puts the pricing of the Zavfrino cables into perspective as the connectors that Linn use are no better, in fact not as good in some ways, as the ones Zavfino use.
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Zavfino website: https://www.zavfino1877.com/hi-fi-connectors-and-parts
Ammonite Acoustics website: https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/product-category/audio-cables/

[mikeyb]

Good 'review' [emoji4]

Tom had mentioned these cables to me a while back and I've been tempted to give the Mahone a try once my tonearm returns from service/upgrade. Your thoughts make it even more tempting. Thanks.

[karma67]

a very good price for the mahone cable,mogami 2549 is very good,if it betters that then its another 'no brainer' bargain.

[montesquieu]

Link to my write-up of these cables a while back https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?64363-New-find-Zavfino-arm-cables

[YNWaN]

Oh, I’ve not seen that before - will have a read now :).

[YNWaN]

Hmm... a very good read and most interesting. My findings seem to parallel your own except I did end up preferring the Mahone over the Highlands (though I recognise and appreciate the qualities you ascribe to the Highlands).

[montesquieu]

But as you point out people who mainly listen to acoustic music (in my case largely classical, with some jazz) might like the Highlands better, that was the conclusion from my perspective. I think we are pretty much in agreement. Top value regardless.

[Ammonite Audio]

Thanks to Mark and Tom for taking the time to share their thoughts on these Zavfino 1877Phono cables, which confirm my honest view that the COVE is an outright audiophile bargain at just £69, the MAHONE is an outright high-end bargain at just £119, and the HIGHLANDS is quite a special thing at £355, which is a fraction of what most cable makers charge for a high quality, pure silver cable.

The MAHONE and HIGHLANDS cables are longer than average at 1.5m (the COVE is 1.2m). The HIGHLANDS has relatively long 'tails' at the RCA end which means that there's never any problem using it with dual mono phono amps that have widely spaced RCA sockets. The MAHONE and COVE will both cope with RCA sockets spaced up to 18cm apart.

I'd like to mention the packaging of these cables, which is understated, tasteful and effective - no cynical blinging up here. The COVE and MAHONE both come in a nice zipped fabric bag, and the HIGHLANDS is in a satin black hinged box, as shown below. I don't think that people like to pay over the odds for lavish packaging and neither do they want flimsy/cheap packaging. Zavfino 1877Phono's packaging is unexpectedly delightful as well as being reassuringly functional.

https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190819-MAHONE_Packaging_Picture.jpg
https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190819-HIGHLANDS_Packaging_Picture.jpg

[karma67]

Could you tell me if the mahone is fully shielded, ie the tails

[YNWaN]

I did undo one of the RCA plugs and you can’t see anything as the end is very neatly covered by a small length of heat-shrink. I don’t get any hum or noise though and it’s at least as good as the Mogami.

[Ammonite Audio]

Could you tell me if the mahone is fully shielded, ie the tails

I presume so - it would not work as a tonearm cable without full screening to prevent hum, and these cables patently do not pick up hum. See the description at https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/product/zavfino-1877phono-the-mahone-tonearm-cable/ which state "Cores are tightly twisted followed by a mylar/copper drain for excellent EMI/RFI rejection" and that's clarified in the specifications as "Shield: Aluminum mylar with silver coated copper tight pitch spiral"

[karma67]

Thanks for confirming

[montesquieu]

I did undo one of the RCA plugs and you can’t see anything as the end is very neatly covered by a small length of heat-shrink. I don’t get any hum or noise though and it’s at least as good as the Mogami.

Agreed in my experience with the Highlands this is a very quiet cable.

[Bigman80]

I presume so - it would not work as a tonearm cable without full screening to prevent hum, and these cables patently do not pick up hum. See the description at https://ammonite-audio.co.uk/product/zavfino-1877phono-the-mahone-tonearm-cable/ which state "Cores are tightly twisted followed by a mylar/copper drain for excellent EMI/RFI rejection" and that's clarified in the specifications as "Shield: Aluminum mylar with silver coated copper tight pitch spiral"Sorry to disagree but its highly unlikely to be shielded at the tail ends.

It's also not absolutely necessary that it is shielded and will work fine without the shield over the tails.

[karma67]

i think it is mate,sorry to disagree,i bought one (i wont say who from) with the tails not sheilded,i was getting hum.i made my own and sheilded the tails and guess what,no hum. in my opinion a tonearm cable has to have very good sheilding from top to bottom,the signal is tiny so any unwanted noise needs to be kept out.

[Bigman80]

i think it is mate,sorry to disagree,i bought one (i wont say who from) with the tails not sheilded,i was getting hum.i made my own and sheilded the tails and guess what,no hum. in my opinion a tonearm cable has to have very good sheilding from top to bottom,the signal is tiny so any unwanted noise needs to be kept out.Did you get hum off the one you bought from me?

I've sold a lot of my tonearm cables and they aren't shielded at the tail end.

Only one person said they had hum they couldn't get rid of and when we investigated it, it was that he didn't have the ground connection due to the phonostage he was using being powered from a wall wart. We tried the arm cable to a separate ground and it worked perfectly. No hum.

I've used my arm cable here for months on end with zero hum. So no, it's not an absolute must.

[karma67]

yes it was your one,i first thought it was coming from the paradise being close to my amp because if i pulled the paradise out and at an angle it got less. when i made up my cable i sheilded the tails and got no hum,thus in my system i need a turntable cable fully shielded which is why i asked the original question.i think its good practise to shield the tails regardless.

[Bigman80]

yes it was your one,i first thought it was coming from the paradise being close to my amp because if i pulled the paradise out and at an angle it got less. when i made up my cable i sheilded the tails and got no hum,thus in my system i need a turntable cable fully shielded which is why i asked the original question.i think its good practise to shield the tails regardless.You're doing well this week Jamie, you've managed to shit on my cables twice lol

The answer as usual is that the way things behave in people's systems can be totally unique to that system.

I can't get a silent SUT in my house yet have absolutely zero hum when one isn't connected.

Was the cable humming prior to the installation of the Paradise? I'd suspect you'd have said if it was.

"best practice" doesn't really come In to it. Adding shielding (when it isn't necessary) alters the characteristic of the cable and affects the sound. I prefer the sound of unshileded cables but If *you* require shielding, fair enough but as I said, myself and many others haven't had any issue at all.

[karma67]

you asked me if it was yours that i was using,i answered your question,so im sorry if you think thats shitting on your cables.

[AJSki2fly]

A very good and interesting review Mark. I was recently talking with Hugo re arm cables and may just have to try out one of these.

[Bigman80]

you asked me if it was yours that i was using,i answered your question,so im sorry if you think thats shitting on your cables.Did it buzz/hum before you put the paradise in?

[karma67]

yes,it didnt hum on the zeta though. what ever the whens and whys,it went away when i used a tonearm cable that was fully shielded,its no big drama as far as im concerned,like you say you've sold loads and had no complant.

[Bigman80]

yes,it didnt hum on the zeta though. what ever the whens and whys,it went away when i used a tonearm cable that was fully shielded,its no big drama as far as im concerned,like you say you've sold loads and had no complant.Just interested.

Strange though isn't it, how I've plugged it into 20+ phonostages, multiple tonearms when visiting people and used with a multitude of Amplifiers and preamps of all types of design, and never had a solitary hint of hum or buzzing at any given time. Except with suts lol. I've sold loads of them and never had a problem or a returned cable. Mad isn't it.

Theres always one anomoly.

Anyway, back on the Subject of Zavfino, I've used a lot of their stuff and it's always been good quality.

Nice review Mark and Tom.

[karma67]

A very good and interesting review Mark. I was recently talking with Hugo re arm cables and may just have to try out one of these.

ive just taken the plunge :eek:

[montesquieu]

Just interested.

Strange though isn't it, how I've plugged it into 20+ phonostages, multiple tonearms when visiting people and used with a multitude of Amplifiers and preamps of all types of design, and never had a solitary hint of hum or buzzing at any given time. Except with suts lol. I've sold loads of them and never had a problem or a returned cable. Mad isn't it.

Theres always one anomoly.

Anyway, back on the Subject of Zavfino, I've used a lot of their stuff and it's always been good quality.

Nice review Mark and Tom.


Actually as it happens Olly I have one of your arm cables and it works fine, no buzzing either direct into phono stage with MM, or with an SPU + SUT in the mix. Using it on the Garrard 401 at the moment.

I did have some problems with the cable socket on the AT1503 on the Garrard, but that caused me intermittent hassles with any cable. It's with Angus at the moment to see if he can sort it out. May require a new socket. But definitely not the cable's fault.

[Bigman80]

Actually as it happens Olly I have one of your arm cables and it works fine, no buzzing either direct into phono stage with MM, or with an SPU + SUT in the mix. Using it on the Garrard 401 at the moment.

I did have some problems with the cable socket on the AT1503 on the Garrard, but that caused me intermittent hassles with any cable. It's with Angus at the moment to see if he can sort it out. May require a new socket. But definitely not the cable's fault.

Hi Tom,

Yes, you have one of my very early ones!

Imagine that, i might know what i'm doing after all :rolleyes: lol

Delighted to hear you still have it in service and it's been fine. Shame that the arm itself is having an issue but as you know, our resident AT & SP10 guru will sort it out. Spoke to phonomac earlier actually, surprised he had time for the call with all the work he's got going on! lol

If the arm cable does ever need anything, just let me know.

[Mike Reed]

It would be interesting, Mark and Tom, if you say which arms and cart's you used the Zavfino cables with; also, the stages you fed them into. I'd be a little surprised if the effects you both found were totally independent of the hardware you used them with.

[montesquieu]

All in the signature, Mike. Ikeda 407, Miyajima and SPU cartridges, into Miyajima ETR-Stereo and Allnic H7000V.

[YNWaN]

It would be interesting, Mark and Tom, if you say which arms and cart's you used the Zavfino cables with; also, the stages you fed them into. I'd be a little surprised if the effects you both found were totally independent of the hardware you used them with.

I used a very different system to that of Tom’s; a Javelin arm with a rebuilt Troika into a Paradise phono.
—————
I didn’t mention any of this in the review as it is unlikely that readers will be familiar with this setup and, in fact, it’s very likely they won’t have heard any of it.

[Rocky]

I have recently bought one of the Mahone cables. Previous I have a Yannis Tome 2549 Mogami.

There isn't that much in it, but there is something! The Mahone has a slightly more clarity/finer detail/top end, which I needed in my system, but it does sacrifice a little body to do this. If you have a big mid range powerful system, it wont matter.

I have also had some expensive Chord Tuned Aray cables previously...I prefer the Mahone over both the Chord and the Mogami, but if you have a bright system, the Mogami would probably be better.

[Mike Reed]

Thanks, Mark and Tom. Good reviews from both of you and not the easiest comparison to make; (beyond my expertise and inclination !) Seems the Mahone is the sweet spot financially and in length. Not sure about the (DIN/SME?) type plug; is it mandatory in the range or are there other options, I wonder, as I'm not in favour of split phono lead/cable tonearms?

[Ammonite Audio]

Thanks, Mark and Tom. Good reviews from both of you and not the easiest comparison to make; (beyond my expertise and inclination !) Seems the Mahone is the sweet spot financially and in length. Not sure about the (DIN/SME?) type plug; is it mandatory in the range or are there other options, I wonder, as I'm not in favour of split phono lead/cable tonearms?

The MAHONE is also available with RCA plugs (and ground wires) at both ends, for the same £119 as the DIN versions. It’s very good used between a SUT and phono amp, as well as for use on turntables/tonearms that have just RCA sockets and a ground post.

I think there’s more to gain from having a genuinely good quality removable tonearm cable, with the inevitable extra connection than the compromise of a tonearm with a potentially indifferent fixed cable run to the phono amp. Most cables with fixed external cabling have separate internal wires, so you have a join anyway, but it’s out of sight. My incoming Reed 3P has fixed external wiring, but I know that Reed use decent sounding cables, so that’s a good choice.

[Mike Reed]

Just looked at the options on your trade thread, Hugo which addresses my query. However, that's useful info. about the Reed; in principle I prefer one I/C twixt cart. and stage, having had a number of arms with both systems. My SME was a bit of a p.i.t.a. on the Orbe and my friend had no end of trouble freeing up his SME connector under his Phantom.

[YNWaN]

I have recently bought one of the Mahone cables. Previous I have a Yannis Tome 2549 Mogami.

There isn't that much in it, but there is something! The Mahone has a slightly more clarity/finer detail/top end, which I needed in my system, but it does sacrifice a little body to do this. If you have a big mid range powerful system, it wont matter.

I have also had some expensive Chord Tuned Aray cables previously...I prefer the Mahone over both the Chord and the Mogami, but if you have a bright system, the Mogami would probably be better.

I agree with all the above - well put in fact :). I too have tried one of Chord’s top Tuned ARAY cables (retail is £2,000.00) and was very underwhelmed.

[karma67]

yep mark has hit the nail on the head with his review,based on that i bought the mahone myself,first off the service from hugo was brilliant,very quick delivery after my order was placed.
the first thing i noticed was how quiet it was,turned up to max volume it still remained silent,ive used mogami 2459 myself for a while and as already stated it has a similar sonic nature but with a touch more detail.
i actually prefer the crocodile clip earth lead over the more conventional type.

the price of this cable is truly a bargain and i normally make my own up but by the time you've factored in buying the din plug and rca's,heashrink and sleeving + your time,there really doesn't seem any point when you can buy this one ready to go.

[Rocky]

yep mark has hit the nail on the head with his review,based on that i bought the mahone myself,first off the service from hugo was brilliant,very quick delivery after my order was placed.
the first thing i noticed was how quiet it was,turned up to max volume it still remained silent,ive used mogami 2459 myself for a while and as already stated it has a similar sonic nature but with a touch more detail.
i actually prefer the crocodile clip earth lead over the more conventional type.

the price of this cable is truly a bargain and i normally make my own up but by the time you've factored in buying the din plug and rca's,heashrink and sleeving + your time,there really doesn't seem any point when you can buy this one ready to go.

Its a well priced cable thats for sure. I think it means if you have a highly digital detailed system, then the Mogami may suit better, but if you need that little lift in detail, then the Mahone is the better option. And agree on the crocodile clip!

How did you find the angel breath cartridge leads? I notice you purchased them also.

I notice you and another cable maker on this forum was inquiring about the OCC cable from Zavfino as a bulk buy, is that what your cables are made from?

[batteredhaggis]

Good reviews guys. As a newbie here and just to add my two cents, I bought a 'The Highlands' cable a few weeks ago. Apart from the slightly daft name and (IMHO) beautiful but slightly OTT packaging (sorry Hugo!), it seems to be living up to expectation. The following is in no way a proper review though:

Coincidentally (with reference to Tom's situation), I too had been running an Audio Note AN-V silver cable in my system. By happy chance it had come with a standard SME IV I'd bought second hand and now it was running from my main arm, another SME IV but this one Kondo silver-wired, with an Ortofon Cadenza Blue cart. Jack (Non-Smoking Man) and I had compared it at some length with the original SME (VdH) arm cable and thought it very beneficial in my system (some might argue that's not hard). Now I was looking for a longer silver cable as I had re-sited my TT. I'd also installed the other arm and mono cart, with a separate phono stage sited nearer the deck, so the AN could run from it and remain in the system for the time being. The Zavfino fitted the bill and the length was perfect so a call was made to Hugo who sorted me out impeccably and very quickly too.

It's a little early days yet as I doubt the cable is remotely run in, although on their website, Zavfino make quite a bit of their manufacturing process which they claim allows them (quote) "to get a unique “break-in effect” normally associated with cables that have had 30 to 40 hours of signal and/or current run through them." Their words, not mine, but this cable certainly did not sound 'wrong' in any way from the start. I'm not running my normal system at the moment and good as they are, my little desktop Dynaudios are not remotely as revealing as the Revel Studio 2s I usually use, so my normal references are a bit out-of-whack. All I can say so far is that I concur with the findings of both the OP and Tom. It certainly isn't embarrassed in any way in company with the AN cable, and that is high praise from me. Detail is very high and I'm not noticing any 'thinning' in texture if I've understood the observations above correctly. Whether that remains in the big system with a Class A as opposed to Class D power amp remains to be seen, but that system is not short of midrange richness so I doubt it will be a problem. If current performance is anything to go by I'd say (at least in comparison to the AN), it's a bit of a bargain. It is unquestionably well made and finished to a very high standard. I've seen more expensive cables than this that were poorer from a construction point of view and woeful cosmetically.

In due course I will reverse the cables and make a comparison with the AN-V in the Kondo-wired arm, but for now there is little incentive to do so as it sounds so good.

For info, I'm using the straight connector version (and a very classy connector it is too). My phono stage is a Sutherland 20/20 which being two identical mono units in one chassis has the left and right inputs spaced unusually far apart. The Zavfino cable has longer tails than usual and fitted the task perfectly, whereas I had to gently prise back the joined insulation on the AN with a scalpel for it to fit.

[Ammonite Audio]

Thanks Jamie! Interestingly, I have further 'burnt in' (for 4 days on the cable burn in gadget) the Highlands cable that Mark reviewed and as a result its sound character seems to have deepened and become more 'organic'. So, with running in, the Highlands does seem to have all the positive attributes of the Mahone (particularly spatial definition) with extra resolution of fine detail. I do try to make sure that all the Zavfino 1877Phono cables that I sell spend enough time on the burn-in gadget which, to my ears, does seem worthwhile.

As noted below, the Highlands has long 'tails' which means there is practically no restriction on the spacing pf RCA sockets on phono amps, which is a big 'plus'. The copper Majestic tonearm cable (https://www.zavfino1877.com/the-majestic-mkii) also has nice long tails and I will be adding that to my stock list when I next order from Zavfino.




Good reviews guys. As a newbie here and just to add my two cents, I bought a 'The Highlands' cable a few weeks ago. Apart from the slightly daft name and (IMHO) beautiful but slightly OTT packaging (sorry Hugo!), it seems to be living up to expectation. The following is in no way a proper review though:

Coincidentally (with reference to Tom's situation), I too had been running an Audio Note AN-V silver cable in my system. By happy chance it had come with a standard SME IV I'd bought second hand and now it was running from my main arm, another SME IV but this one Kondo silver-wired, with an Ortofon Cadenza Blue cart. Jack (Non-Smoking Man) and I had compared it at some length with the original SME (VdH) arm cable and thought it very beneficial in my system (some might argue that's not hard). Now I was looking for a longer silver cable as I had re-sited my TT. I'd also installed the other arm and mono cart, with a separate phono stage sited nearer the deck, so the AN could run from it and remain in the system for the time being. The Zavfino fitted the bill and the length was perfect so a call was made to Hugo who sorted me out impeccably and very quickly too.

It's a little early days yet as I doubt the cable is remotely run in, although on their website, Zavfino make quite a bit of their manufacturing process which they claim allows them (quote) "to get a unique “break-in effect” normally associated with cables that have had 30 to 40 hours of signal and/or current run through them." Their words, not mine, but this cable certainly did not sound 'wrong' in any way from the start. I'm not running my normal system at the moment and good as they are, my little desktop Dynaudios are not remotely as revealing as the Revel Studio 2s I usually use, so my normal references are a bit out-of-whack. All I can say so far is that I concur with the findings of both the OP and Tom. It certainly isn't embarrassed in any way in company with the AN cable, and that is high praise from me. Detail is very high and I'm not noticing any 'thinning' in texture if I've understood the observations above correctly. Whether that remains in the big system with a Class A as opposed to Class D power amp remains to be seen, but that system is not short of midrange richness so I doubt it will be a problem. If current performance is anything to go by I'd say (at least in comparison to the AN), it's a bit of a bargain. It is unquestionably well made and finished to a very high standard. I've seen more expensive cables than this that were poorer from a construction point of view and woeful cosmetically.

In due course I will reverse the cables and make a comparison with the AN-V in the Kondo-wired arm, but for now there is little incentive to do so as it sounds so good.

For info, I'm using the straight connector version (and a very classy connector it is too). My phono stage is a Sutherland 20/20 which being two identical mono units in one chassis has the left and right inputs spaced unusually far apart. The Zavfino cable has longer tails than usual and fitted the task perfectly, whereas I had to gently prise back the joined insulation on the AN with a scalpel for it to fit.

[Rocky]

Where does the Majestic come in their line up with the Mahone etc Hugo?

[Rocky]

Thanks Jamie! Interestingly, I have further 'burnt in' (for 4 days on the cable burn in gadget) the Highlands cable that Mark reviewed and as a result its sound character seems to have deepened and become more 'organic'. So, with running in, the Highlands does seem to have all the positive attributes of the Mahone (particularly spatial definition) with extra resolution of fine detail. I do try to make sure that all the Zavfino 1877Phono cables that I sell spend enough time on the burn-in gadget which, to my ears, does seem worthwhile.

As noted below, the Highlands has long 'tails' which means there is practically no restriction on the spacing pf RCA sockets on phono amps, which is a big 'plus'. The copper Majestic tonearm cable (https://www.zavfino1877.com/the-majestic-mkii) also has nice long tails and I will be adding that to my stock list when I next order from Zavfino.

Where does the Majestic come in their line up with the Mahone etc Hugo?

[scotty38]

Had my Cove arrive today that I ordered to get my recent G99 acquisition going.... Lovely cable, pleasure to deal with, cheers Hugo!

[Ammonite Audio]

:)


Had my Cove arrive today that I ordered to get my recent G99 acquisition going.... Lovely cable, pleasure to deal with, cheers Hugo!

[YNWaN]

Where does the Majestic come in their line up with the Mahone etc Hugo?

I had a look at the Zavfino website and the Majestic seems to come between the Mahone and the Highlands.