⌈ SILTECH is one of two brands that make up the INTERNATIONAL AUDIO HOLDING BV. Set up in 1983 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, it has specialized in silver cables. In 1992, the company was bought by EDWIN VAN DER KLEY RYNVELD, an electronics engineer, who introduced it to the exclusive world of the high-end. We are testing an interconnect and a speaker cable from its latest CLASSIC LEGEND series. ⌋

SINCE I REVIEWED SILTECH cables, the world has changed, we have changed and even the name of the country where they come from has changed. At the beginning of 2020, Dutch authorities decided to give up using the name Holland and accepted a new name of their country – the Netherlands (since Jan 1st 2020):

We want to present the Netherlands as an open, inventive and inclusive country. We’ve modernised our approach. What is special is that agreement has now been reached with relevant parties from both the government, Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions and private organisations including (…) the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers – a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Holland/the Netherlands said in 2019, before the change was introduced.

⸜ Dutch government ditches Holland to rebrand as the Netherlands, www.THEGUARDIAN.com; accessed 26th October 2021.

However, Siltech itself has also changed considerably. During the last supper organized by the Siltech and Crystal Cable companies in Munich before the pandemic to celebrate the High End exhibition, the new company CEO, ROBERT WINTERHOFF, was presented. Edwin, the owner of the company, wanted to change the manner it was managed in this way – from ‘family’ to corporate management. Soon afterwards, Gabi van der Kley-Rynveld (the wife of Edwin, CEO of Siltech) left the management of the Crystal Cable brand which changed its name to CrystalConnect.

It seems that those were not good changes, as at the end of January 2021 we were informed that Winterhoff was leaving the IAH and moving to Ultrasone, to become the COO (more HERE; N.B. when this text was being written, he was not working there anymore…), while a month later we received another press announcement:

Siltech and CrystalConnect are proud to announce the comeback of a familiar face in the Hi-Fi industry. Gabi Rynveld will be joining us again at IAH, supporting the PR, marketing and sales team.

And that’s good – very good, as Siltech and Crystal Cable ARE family companies, operating on a scale that makes it possible to control product quality and gives you guarantee that each cable leaving the factory in the Netherlands is perfectly prepared to perform its tasks. Gabi has spent the last six months “making straight the paths”, as I would say, while Edwin has been busy dealing with the production of a completely new Siltech series – one that seems most important for the manufacturer.

▌ CLASSIC LEGEND

IN JULY THIS YEAR, audio magazines were sent the following information:

Classic Legend is a revision of Siltech’s industry leading and multi-award-winning Classic series, first launched in 1997. Classic Legend is a middle-tier cable series, replacing the perfect Classic Anniversary series that has been in the market for 13 years after being launched in 2008 to celebrate Siltech’s 25th anniversary. The latter will be available for order until stock lasts.

It is the year 1997 that is pointed out as “formative” by this specialist. It was already four years after Edvin van der Kley began his work there as the CEO and it was then that the first CLASSIC series was launched. We can read in press materials that it “established Siltech as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance, value-for money cables.”

The cables used third-generation G3 silver-gold alloy conductors with two layers of DuPont Kapton dielectric. This significantly reduced noise induced in signal; the company even claims the cables are a thousand times less noisy than its competitors’ products. Thus, the company called them “the first silent cables”.

In 2003, i.e. six years later, Siltech presented an enhanced version of the Classic series cables (the Mk2). It was based on improved fifth generation conductors (G5), offering better conductivity and lower signal loss. Finally, in 2008, the Classic Anniversary series was launched to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Classic series. The cables used another version of the conductor (G7). Apart from an even purer material, a better dielectric was used in them, alongside new “dual twisted coaxial geometry”.

Thus, the Classic Legend is already the fourth incarnation of the 24-year old series. It comprises three models of speaker cables, interconnects (RCA, XLR, phono and digital) and power cables, grouped in three ranges: 380, 680 and 880. A new version of Siltech conductors has been used in them. This time these are hybrid G9 conductors, i.e. the ninth generation of the company’s proprietary silver-gold alloy, whose purity is almost two times higher than that of the G1.

We can read in the company’s materials that “Silver boasts the best conductivity of any metal and (…) doesn’t degrade over time – indeed it actually improves”. In the latest G9 version, micro cracks in the crystalline structure of solid silver are filled with gold, thanks to which the conditioning (burning in) process, before optimum performance parameters are achieved, is significantly reduced.

The final element is three-layer insulation consisting of a type of DuPont Polytetrafluoroethylene, commonly known as Teflon, and a thermoplastic polymer called PEEK. The latter is a colourless organic polymer. The multi-layer structure is to ensure special properties, such as thermal and mechanical stability, as well as better electrical shielding at audio frequencies and beyond them.

The shielding layer is responsible for noise reduction. While it was being developed, special attention was paid to increasing its resistance to radio and electromagnetic interference, which has resulted in “exceptionally low distortion and unlimited dynamics”. We owe these solutions to the flagship Crown range.

The manufacturer claims that, when compared to the previous Classic Anniversary series, the Classic Legend range guarantees even 2.5 times better electrical parameters and 1.5 times higher insulation capacity. Moreover, Classic Legend cables offer plus optimum sound quality already after ca. 100 hours of work. Importantly, all the cables feature small elements with microchips, thanks to which their origin can be identified. Therefore, the purchaser can be sure they are buying original products.

▌ 800i & 880L

THE 880i AND 880L MODELS BELONGING TO THE NEW RANGE, i.e. an interconnect and a speaker cable, respectively, are the most expensive products in it. They have the classic company look, i.e. feature dark navy blue braid on the thicker part – the one protected against noise and vibration – while the parts next to the connectors are light blue. Both cables feature small black elements that serve to prove the authenticity of Siltech products.

The 880i interconnect is an exceptionally flexible cable of medium thickness, with a quasi-balanced structure – i.e. where positive and negative signal flows through identical conductors, and the shielding is connected only on the signal source side. The manufacturer claims to have used a special shielding type called Super Shielding, originally developed for their top-of-the-range cables.

The places where the thicker part ends are clamped using CNC machined aluminum elements on which the cable directionality has been marked. All the inscriptions are made at the Siltech factory using laser. These elements perform both an electrical and a mechanical role here. The user can choose what connectors the cables are to be equipped with. There were RCA SST connectors in the tested pair, featuring a gold-plated shielding clamp and a silver-plated pin; the connector is attached in a way similar to WBT products.

The 880L speaker cables are also flexible and easy to arrange. They are not especially thick, so they will not impose excessive load on an amp or speaker cables. The conductor, i.e. the G9 silver-gold alloy, as well as the dielectrics – Teflon and PEEK, are the same. The positive and negative conductor are twisted together by machines developed specially for this purpose, and they share the same sheath. Shielding is applied to the whole thing, connected on the signal source side, just like in the tested interconnect.

The 880L also features aluminum elements connecting the cable with connectors. The tested cable is equipped with spade SSP 005 AM connectors, but other types can be ordered as well. The connectors were originally developed for the Emperor Crown and Double Crown series.

You can read more about the Siltech factory in MAREK DYBA’S report titled Z wizytą u: CRYSTAL CABLE | SILTECH ( HIGH FIDELITY № 188, December 16th 2019, read HERE; accessed: 28.09.2021 |PL|).

▌ THE LISTENING SESSION

⸤ THE WAY WE LISTENED The Siltech 880i interconnect and the 880L speaker cable from the Classic Legend series were tested in the HIGH FIDELITY reference system, where they were compared to the Siltech Triple Crown reference cables.

The interconnect connected the RCA output of the SACD AYON AUDIO CD-35 HF Edition player and the input of the line AYON AUDIO SPHERIS III preamplifier; gold-plated RCA WBT terminals from the nextgen series are installed in both devices.

The speaker cable connected the speaker output of the Soulution 710 amplifier with Mundorf terminals and the input of the Harbeth M40.1 speaker columns. It was an A/B/A comparison with known A and B. The interconnect was changed after each track, while the speaker cable – every three tracks. Connecting it to the amplifier in my system requires a lot of effort.

Albums used in the test | a selection

⸜ DONALD BYRD,The Cat Walk, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0009, XRCD24 (1962/2010).
⸜ FRANK SINATRA, My Way (50th Anniversary Edition), Capitol/Stereo Sound SSVS-019, „Stereo Sound Reference Record”, SACD/CD (1969/2021).
⸜ PINK FLOYD, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Harvest SHVL 804, 1E 064 o 05249/Analogue Productions CAPP 81033 SA, SACD/CD (1973/2021).
⸜ VLADIMIR HOROWITZ, Horowitz at the Met, RCA Red Seal/BMG Classics 633142, „High Performance”, CD (1982/1990)

»«

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CABLES from the Triple Crown and Classic Legend series are not subtle. I would even say they are really big. At the same time, it is obvious that we are dealing with a similar way of thinking about sound, a similar way of shaping it. Despite that, it is instantly clear that the cables are different.

⸜ THE 880i INTERCONNECT The basic difference lies in the shaping of energy flow. The Triple Crown cable (I will also call it the TC) presents it with power, in the foreground. That is why FRANK SINATRA’s vocal from the album My Way (50th Anniversary Edition) was much closer to me and larger with the top company’s cable. The 880i interconnect (CL) did it in a different way, as it pushed it back one step further into the depth of the sound stage, thus exposing the extremities of the sound panorama.

While the TC attempts to show us a large and substantial 3D image of sound sources, the CL is closer to presenting the perspective, even if that means reducing the volume. In both cases, the sound was incredibly soft and smooth. The interconnect from the TC series is darker, but in this respect the difference between it and the CL is smaller than with any cable from this manufacturer to date.

Classic Siltech cables have been valued for their open, accurate and detailed sound. Each conductor change, i.e. each next generation (G4, G5, etc. – up to G9 now) obviously led to some modifications, but all within the same idea of sound, the same “idiom”. The real breakthrough came with the Triple Crown range in 2015, while the Classic Legend is the first series from the manufacturer that you don’t have to pay an enormous sum of money for and whose sound is not based on attack or detail, but on resolution.

Not that other Siltech cables are bright in themselves, though they are sometimes perceived this way. The thing is that they quite easily show system errors in this field and such errors are common. Anyway, the new i880 cable aims towards the Triple Crown series and, such is my impression, has acquired some features of CrystalConnect cables. To cut a long story short, this means moving towards sweetness and density.

However, we cannot talk about sweetening the sound here, as it is still classic Siltech in the sense that it offers accurate attack, as well as excellently emphasizes rhythm, like in the case of DONALD BYRD’S album titled The Cat Walk released as an XRCD24 by the American Audio Wave record label. The plane on the listening axis was situated at a good distance with the tested interconnect, but located behind the line connecting the speakers, while when brass instruments arranged on the sides by Rudy Van Gelder responsible for the album recording were being played, they were close to me, clear and tangible.

It is because it is a cable that is very selective on the one hand and characterized by equally high resolution on the other hand. These two tendencies are perfectly balanced and work together very well. Selectivity gives us a clear image, while resolution makes it rich in information. Therefore, VLADIMIR HOROWITZ’S piano from the album Horowitz at the Met sounded really nice, indeed. The album was released in 1982 by RCA Red Seal, having been recorded at the Metropolitan Opera House using a digital, i.e. 16-bit, Soundstream tape recorder with a 50 kHz sampling frequency.

Transferring the material onto a CD was initially very difficult, as there were no good algorithms converting sampling frequency. Anyway, the album was released in 1990 as part of the “High Performance” series and it is a very good edition (more about the HP series can be found HERE). The Siltech interconnect gave me a very good “view” of the beat, but also good fill. I did not notice any brightening up of the sound, even to a small extent, but the musical message was still transparent.

The new Siltech cables are also characterized by nice soft beat. Although I have just written about a clear sound attack, these two things are not mutually exclusive. While listening to Horowitz and, right afterwards, to the latest issue of the album The Dark Side Of The Moon by PINK FLOYD, released on a SACD by the American Analogue Productions record label, I got a lot of information and details on the one hand, but, on the other hand, the musical message was rich and compact within itself, featuring clearly marked bass.

⸜ THE 880L SPEAKER CABLE The speaker cable is very similar to the interconnect, which should not be a surprise. However, it is not identical, i.e. it does not sound the same. The 880L enters a recording more deeply showing even more details. These are not details in themselves, but they constitute part of the musical message, thanks to which they enrich it and give us a better idea of sound itself. So, everything is a little clearer and less ambiguous.

This is about, as it seems to me, exceptionally good sound focus. That is why the stereophonic “games” played with space on the track On The Run (no. 3 on the Pink Floyd’s album) were shown in such a fantastic way. I had a good perspective of the sound stage centre, but its extremities were incredibly clear and thus effective. You must listen to this album with the Siltech cables to see how much effort was invested in it.

When used as a duo, the Siltech cables produce saturated, but clear sound. The speaker cable sounds a little higher than the interconnect, but it is the former that constitutes the leading and more important element, mainly thanks to its ability to focus sound. It does not give us edges that are “as sharp as a razor” or instruments presented with “surgical precision” – I would not be able to listen to anything like that. The attack is nicely soft, but clear anyway. This does not pertain only to rock music, as the abovementioned Horowitz’s piano sounded almost silky. Its volume was not as large as with the reference cables and it was also situated further away from me. However, it was a real instrument in real space.

The Classic Legend 880L speaker cable with the 880 interconnect produced exceptionally refined and dense sound. With them, Sinatra’s vocal was shown as being three-dimensional and given appropriate volume, without a shadow of brightening up. I would even say that there was less high treble with them than with the reference cables, though the latter seem to sound dark.

When I was listening to the beginning of the track Didn’t We (still talking about Sinatra), placed on the album as track no. 2, and then to its ending, the places where it had been edited were evident, but not emphasized. The thing is that at 0:34 noise suddenly disappears, while earlier it was strong and clearly present, which suggests that the beginning had been put together with another fragment, while the subtle “click” at the end (2:44) suggests another edition, i.e. adding a new ending this time. With the Siltech cables, these operations were as audible as with the Triple Crown model, but not stressed. I would even say they were subtly smoothened.

▌ CONCLUSIONS

AND THIS IS WHAT IS PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT: the new Siltech cables, the 880i interconnect and the 880L speaker cable, are exceptionally open, but also soft and smooth. And though the former had been true for this manufacturer’s cables since the beginning and only top-of-the-range Triple Crown cables have changed it, I would associate the latter feature with a top series, indeed. The message behind Classic Legend cables, used either separately or together, is energetic, full of swing and characterized by high dynamics. It also has depth, thanks to which the sound is saturated and three-dimensional within sound images themselves.

However, the three-dimensionality of the sound stage is also exceptional, as the tested cables show the foreground further away, simultaneously stretching the extremities of the sound stage around us, showing them accurately and with appropriate focus. Most cables cannot do it, as even if they perfectly differentiate what is happening on the listening axis, the extremities of the stereophonic panorama are usually more blurred and simply weaker, while here they constitute an equally important element of the show.

These are still not the kind of cables that would ensure “meaty” bass, though it does not lack anything here. Combined with silky, but clear treble and clear dense midrange, it results in refined and multidimensional sound. I would not like to mess too much, but, in my opinion, the Classic Legend range is one of the most interesting series from the manufacturer and only the top-of-the-range Triple Crown series goes much further. The remaining cables, including more expensive ones, have some good or indeed very good features, but none of them offer such ordered and holistic results as the tested 880i interconnect and the 880L speaker cable. ■