˻ PREMIERE ˼

⌈ AVATAR AUDIO - a company led by CZARIUSZ ANDREJCZUK, whose core products are loudspeakers. In addition to them, however, it has also been developing the entire company ecosystem, including cabling, for years. The tested interconnect № 1 is one of its most expensive series. This is its press PREMIERE. ⌋

NETWORKING, AS A SITUATION concerning modern commerce, is almost “transparent” to us. A Żabka store on every corner, on every second one there is Biedronka, Lidl, Kaufland, and others, and on top of that there are stores in shopping malls, mostly the same ones everywhere - this is our everyday life. Alarmist titles of articles such as Small marketplaces don't stand a chance! are no longer surprising, because we have also become accustomed to exaggeration driven by the rule of clicks (“the rule of money,” as Kora sang), and have somehow subconsciously come to terms with the dominance of the “big ones”. This is how the optimistic phase of capitalism without necessary regulations ends.

That's on the macro scale. On the micro scale, however, things look a little different. On a small scale, not many of us, but at least some, we begin to appreciate small stores, contact with someone we recognize and who recognizes us, as well as we prefer to buy something that has at least a residual history embedded in the brand, or even in a particular piece. And this is where I see the opportunity for micro audio. It is from them that you will get a one-of-a-kind product, often custom-made, usually not at all inferior in terms of quality to the “big ones”. One such company is Avatar Audio.

▌ Dreamlink № 1

AVATAR AUDIO's TOP INTERCONNECTS very well, while showing also that they represent a handmade, craftsmanship. Those for whom such an almost tangible contact with the maker is important will therefore be pleased. The short-run nature is also emphasized by the hand-painted wooden boxes in which the cables are delivered. The cables, we should add, are packaged in linen red bags.

As Czarek, owner of Avatar Audio, writes to us in an email, the Dreamlink No. 1 interconnect is made of “extremely pure copper,, obtained “through a special, stress-free (at the molecular level) metallurgical process.” That's not all, as the copper, he adds, is subjected to additional chemical and physical processes. And further:

We use “bullet” plugs (plastic instead of metal - only point ground contact area; the metal sleeve does not contact the wires) and extensive electromagnetic interference filters. The new version of the cable, Mk II, uses twice as many conductors it is upgraded at Metrum Lab using its complex IFE processes.

And it was this last sentence that interested me the most. After all, Metrum Lab is a Polish specialty company that offers both technological solutions and its own products. It focuses on interconnect and power cables, and has one series on offer, but more important seems to be the IFE treatment used in the products of many Polish manufacturers. Marek Dyba in his Edge power cable test cites three examples, companies: ESA, Marton and Ferrum. It's mostly about special conditioning of internal cabling or final listening during design with Metrum Lab cables; more → HERE ˻PL˺.

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| A few simple words…

ANDRZEJ GROCHOWSKI
Metrum Lab – owner, designer

IFE TECHNOLOGY WAS DEVELOPED in 2015, and we have been working on it since early 2014, commissioned by one of the companies involved in measurement of electrical waveforms. IFE is an acronym for the Latin Imperium Fluksus Electrons, which means an orderly (managed) flow of electrons. t should add that it really refers to the drift of electrons and not electrical charges, and in no way to the flow of electrical energy.

The purpose of the project was to analyze the phenomenon of distortion of a signal transported by an electrical conductor. Their magnitude is influenced by both the type of conductor and the nature of the signal itself. These two parameters, however, we could not change (such were the assumptions of the order). We could, however, influence some changes in the micro-structure of the conductor by postulating a reduction in distortion. The postulate turned out to be true, but it took about a year and a half to demonstrate this in measurements. Without the help of one of the friendly institutes and one of the plants of the Warsaw University, we would not have managed.

We have been using this technology successfully in the audio market for several years. IFE is applicable to all cables with a metal conductor. Power cables, analog interconnects, LAN cables, USB cables, speaker cables, as well as those conventionally - but wrongly - called digital: S/PDIF, AES/EBU or BNC coaxial cables are subject to it. Modifying the internal wiring of audio equipment also has positive effects. However, spectacular benefits come from “treatment” applied to any transformers, from power supplies to output ones.

I’d like to bring up also loudspeakers. There, in addition to internal wiring, we are able to improve the properties of coils in crossovers and drivers. The recent development of IFE allows us to really significantly improve the properties of capacitors. Using IFE as a sort of service, we work with many global manufacturers of audio equipment, as well as individual audiophiles.

From the point of view of the listener, the most important thing is the sonic effect. In the shortest terms, it can be said that two, usually opposite aspects are improved simultaneously. These are resolution and mass combined with tonality. As a result, we get an extremely faithful presentation. Previous unspecified ‘patches’ of sounds take the form of bodies suspended in space, and this creates an extremely palpable virtual sound-stage.

User feedback can attest to the audible effects of our modifications. We will soon post some of the many received on our website. First, however, we will supplement the site with information about IFE. The editors of “High Fidelity” are the first to receive information about this technology, and we are confident that they will publish it sooner than we will on our site :)

Some of the effects of using IFE can be seen/listened to on archived recordings from Audiokoneser Society meetings → AUDIOKONESER.pl and on the Audiokoneser YouTube channel. AG

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FINALLY, LET’S ADD that the tested Avatar Audio interconnect is quite stiff, but not excessively so. Completely rigid is, understandably, a rather long section with a brass sleeve. It is in it that the ferrite filters, once mentioned by Czariusz, were located. They bear the name of the cable and the series logo - Dreamlink (stylized as 'DreamLink'). The cables are shielded, directional and made of copper conductors. They are terminated with bullet-type plugs. The brass body, made in-house, does not come into contact with the wires.

▌ SOUND

HOW WE LISTENED • Avatar Audio Dreamlink No. 1 analog interconnect was tested in a 'High Fidelity' reference system, connecting the output of the Ayon Audio CD-35 HF Edition SACD player, or its WBT Nextgen gold-plated sockets, and the input of the same company's Spheris III line preamplifier (again, WBT Nextgen sockets, gold-plated). It was an AA/BB/A comparison, with the familiar A and B, with Siltech Triple Crown interconnects playing the 'B' role.

» RECORDINGS USED FOR THE TEST ⸜ a selection

⸜ PATRICIA BARBER, Companion, Premonition Records/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2023, SACD/CD (1999/2003).
⸜ GARY BURTON & MAKOTO OZONE, Face to Face, GRP/Universal Music LLC UCCU-6195, „Jazz The Best | № 192”, SHM-CD (1995/2012).
⸜ DARIUSZ PRZYBYLSKI, Already it is Dusk, Requiem Records 47 | ELK 2, ELK Series, Limited Edition No. 205/300, CD (2017).
⸜ MEGADETH, Contdown To Extintion , Capitol Records/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDCD 765, Original Master Recording, Ultradisc II, Gold CD (1992/2006).
⸜ MICHAEL JACKSON, Thriller, Epic/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2251, Original Master Recording, Ultradisc UHR, SACD (1992/2022).
⸜ NIMA BEN DAVID, Résonance, M•A Recordings MO88A, CD (2011).
⸜ HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ BIBER, Rosary Sonatas, wyk. Rachel Podger, Channel Classics CCS SA 37315, 2 x SACD (2011).

IT WON'T BE HARD to understand how the Avatar Audio interconnects interpret a musical signal. Its “proprietary sound”, and every cable has it, consists primarily of a refinement of the midrange. Mind you, a refinement, not emphasis. For it's not about coloration, usually resulting from modification of the frequency response. It's something else. Dreamlink No. 1 does this by saturating this range with energy. The sound thus becomes bigger, livelier, stronger.

That's why PATRICIA BARBER's vocals from the Companion album sounded so great, so tangible. The double bass played equally well, or maybe even a little better. Oh yes, it is this instrument that is a great example that will help you to understand what I am talking about. With the tested interconnect it will have an incredibly “wooden” body. It won't be a dry thump, but a seasoned, dense build-up of signal, followed by a saturated decay.

And I'm not just talking about ˻ 2 ˺ Use me, the second track on this live album, but any other, such as ˻ 7 ˺ Black Magic Woman. Therefore, plugging this cable into the system will make significant changes in the sound presentation. First of all, it will saturate and tighten it. This is due to a stronger lower midrange and energy throughout this range. Energy, we should add, focused not on attack, but on saturation, a high internal level of “charge”, if you will.

Vocals will be just as palpable, slightly in front, as well as other instruments positioned by the manufacturers on the listening axis. This is not a cable that blows up the stage, while we're at it. I would say that it shows spatial relationships very well, accurately locating sound sources in width, but even better in depth. The latter is a symptom of high resolution. And this is also the case with the Dreamliner No. 1.

This is because the resolution of this cable is really good. It's not selective in any distinctive way, so you won't notice it right away. But when Barber finishes the introduction to, the aforementioned, Black Magic Woman and when she mutters underneath until the sounds of the instruments until they fall silent, you can hear it quite well with the Avatar. But as a difference in timbre rather than intensity. This was also repeated when listening to the wonderful GARY BURTON and MAKOTO OZONE from the Face to Face album, released in 1995 by GRP. We can hear with this cable both instruments with excellent timbre, but without the sharp-cutting-them-out-from-the-background.

In truth, it was here that it became more strongly apparent that the tested interconnect simply plays in a very organic way. That is: a little dark, a little warm, but nevertheless excellently differentiating. That's what “organic” is to me. That is, playing a very natural sound, which does not impose itself with details, but in which there is plenty of information. It's as if it goes over the “descriptive” layer of sound and immediately directs us to the “interpretive” layer.

The cable does this regardless of what kind of music we listen to, so it is consistent in its performance. Because both the aforementioned, perfect jazz productions, and the excellent, wonderful album Already it is Dusk by DARIUSZ PRZYBYLSKI, and - on the other hand - MEGADETH with Contdown To Extintion and Thriller by MICHAEL JACKSON, all these albums had a common denominator - their sound was organic. Something that causes the music to flow, to overflow, to saturate the listening room with energy.

READING THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS, one might think that the Number 1 plays in a very distinct way. And this is, after all, a cable that unambiguously favors a saturated midrange, the upper treble presenting with a slight hesitation, so to speak. So one might think that it also tones down dynamics, which it does not. In the recordings, everything is in its place, as both the opening bells of Barber's Black Magic Woman, and Burton's vibraphone, even the maracas in the Jackson’s ˻ 6 ˺ Billie Jean, heard in the right channel throughout the song, were all clear, intelligible, and had a part in creating the sound.

However, the upper treble is just an addition here, you should know that. It is - if I'm honest - just a warm sound. „Analog” warm, to use a cliché. And maybe this rendition would be even closer to the best DSD recordings, for example, the M-A label’s or Channel Classics. There's meaty bass, there's a saturated midrange and excellent dynamics. But all this is served as mature, seasoned playing, not with the speed of a rookie.

▌ Summary

THE SOUND WORLD of CZARIUS, owner and designer of Avatar Audio, is extremely rich. Its primary direction is, if I may reduce it so, timbre or tonality. With the tested interconnects it is intense, deep and rich. The sound features a remarkably nice midrange, because the saturated and boosted foreground is thus close to us and palpable.

The treble seems to be covered by the intensity of the midrange. Everything we need is there, but it is there “in service” rather than as a leader. In contrast, bass is strong and deep. Rather warm than selective, but never overextended or uncontrolled. On the contrary, its control is excellent, as could be heard both with Przybylski's Hammond E100 and with the bass on Jackson's album. This is an excellent interconnect for people who know what they want and want to achieve it in the most beautiful way possible. ●

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THIS TEST HAS BEEN DESIGNED ACCORDING TO THE GUIDELINES adopted by the Association of International Audiophile Publications, an international audio press association concerned with ethical and professional standards in our industry, of which HIGH FIDELITY is a founding member. More about the association and its constituent titles → HERE.

→ www.AIAP-online.org