e mentioned history of Mogami Densen (Mogami Cable) company while reviewing cables from their basic line, NI. It is one of those manufacturers that create products mostly for professional and industrial customers which explains their reluctance when it comes to novelties that can't really be measured. On the other hand when something passes internal tests company implements it quickly no matter the costs and no matter market's perception. Let’s have a look at the cables we received for a review this time - they don't look like high-end products, they don't even try to look like ones. Both interconnect and speaker cable have rather unimpressive diameter and if it wasn't from those fantastic plugs they could be used as laces. And yet these particular models are, in fact, top of the range.

As it turns out production of these models is so complex that if it wasn't for their great popularity Mogami would have abandoned their production in favor of others (see Koichi Hirabayashi, Hi-Fi Cable NEGLEX 2803 & 2804 - Historical Review, pdf).
These models have been in production for a long time and were created because of Mr Koichi Hirabayashi's (chief engineer) need to question thesis published independently by Mr Akihiko Kaneda and Sabro Egawa in 1974 and 1975 who claimed that cables changed sound. At the time both articles seemed pure heresy, but soon after these articles were published many engineers started to delve into the topic.

The skin effect was pointed out as one of the reasons why cables changed sound. Mr Hirabayashi-san using calculations and later also blind tests proved to himself and to his coworkers that it was true – the skin effect did modify audio signal transferred via a cable. The problem was that these changes were immeasurable, although calculable and audible. A solution came with better understanding of psycho-acoustics – as it turned out human brain was capable of perception of even slightest differences between very close frequencies but when it came to significantly different frequencies this ability decreased dramatically. That in fact was an opposite behavior to that of measuring equipment and thus such a significant differences between what a man could hear and what he measured.

Based on this research Mogami designed NEGLEX 2803 & 2804 cables, that Mr Hirabayashi always has to fight for with his accountants who want to withdraw them from production and replace them with other, more profitable products.

WHAT AND HOW

The name of the series, NIII, is short for Neglex III. For test we received two cables – NIII-2803 interconnect and NIII-2804 speaker cable. NIII-2803 is a coaxial design, very flexible one, with relatively small diameter of 3.6 mm. It sports a patented geometry called Double Cylindrical. The inner run is wire winded around a small diameter core. There is a thick layer of dielectric around it which constitutes a core for the return run. The inner core, Ø 0.7 mm, is made of polyester, and the outer one of polypropylene. The inner run is made of 30 wires, Ø 0,08 mm each, the outer one of 100 wires of the same diameter. The material is high quality PCOCC, i.e. pure, long crystal copper. Polish distributor terminated this cable with one of the best RCA plugs I know: ETI Bullet Plug TeCu (tellurium copper).

The speaker cable, NIII-2804, is also a balanced designed and the same diameter as IC (which means – rather small for speaker cable – below you will find an image comparing it to my Tara Labs Omega Onyx). It also sports a Double Cylindrical design, but a slightly different one from IC's. It sports an internal polypropylene large diameter core with 100 Ø 0.08mm wires winded around it. It is than covered with a layer of polyester, and than another 100 wires winded around it. Polish distributor terminated it with ETI Bayonet TeCu banana plugs at one end and ETI Spades OFHC on the other.

Recordings used for the test (a selection):

• Cocteau Twins, Blue Bell Knoll, 4AD/Imperial records TECI-24275, CD (1988/2006).
• Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0023, XRCD24 (1964/2013).
• Electric Light Orchestra, Out of the Blue, Epic/Sony Music Japan SICP-30111, Blu-spec CD2 (1972/2013).
• Jack de Johnette & Foday Musa Suso, Music From The Hearts Of The Masters, Golden Beam Productions GBP1112, CD (2005).
• Miles Davis, Sorcerer, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2145, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1938”, SACD/CD (1967/2014).
• Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de melody Nelson, Mercury Records/Universal Music France 277 825 3, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD + DVD (1971/2011).
• St. Vincent, S/T, Loma Vista/Hostess 3767247J, CD (2013).
• The Doors, The Best of the Doors, Elektra/Audio Fidelity AFZ5 206, “Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1973/2015).
• Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, Atlantic/Rhino 2795617, “Deluxe Edition” 2 x CD (1992/2015).

Japanese CD editions are available from

Cables with such an impressive CV, working in so many places – recording studios, post-production and mastering ones, they all must have something very solid to offer in their sound. They might be not so refined as products made for a hi-fi market, but first of all they are usually several times less expensive, and secondly they offer a solid base to build music on without much effort, without problems.

The NIII cables have this something in their sound. Music delivered by them sounds authentic. Every next recording brings something new, something unique, but each time it bases the performance and a flat frequency response. It is important also because both cables (both behave in the same way so I describe them as one) obviously “hate” any harshness or brightness in the sound. It does not mean, at least not directly, that they offer a warm sound, like, for example, products of another, great manufacturer of inexpensive cables, Supra. Here the attack is also bit rounded on the edges, bit smoothen, but the treble is also nicely extended and properly emphasized.

It is obvious especially when listening to jazz that often involves fast, powerful percussion attacks – Mogami deliver cymbals and snare drums in a very clear way as a group of sounds, trying to maintain their common denominator and not to let the presentation to “overheat” – which usually creates an impression of a bit nervous presentation. It can be managed, to a point, with better resolution and selectivity, which cables of The Chord Company do (another “pro” manufacturer who succeeded on the hi-fi market). But when using such solution one has to be very careful choosing the system such cables work in, as all it takes is one component that can't reproduce at least decent treble, and the whole presentation will sound harsh or too bright. And this is one of the biggest mistakes one might do in one's audio system. This problem does not happen with Mogami cables as they behave as they were immune to any brightness created somewhere along they way in the system.

If I was to say how these cables “sound” (i.e. how do they modify signal), I'd say that they tend to round the sound and offer most information in the midrange and bass. The latter is particularly active, which – considering such a small diameter of these cables is amazing – builds up a solid base for the whole range above the lower part. And when one listens to powerful, rich voices presented clearly in the front, like Nat ‘King’ Cole’s from a mono recording from 1952, or Serge Gainsbourg's from 1971 album Histoire de melody Nelson, one will be truly surprised by how rich these voices are, how much depth and power there is to them.

Obviously these are not perfect cables. Comparing them to much more expensive ones (with much larger diameter, too) it becomes clear that richness of the midrange is with them somewhat limited. The lower midrange is not so dynamic, not so full. Dynamics in general with these cables seems rather balanced, I mean not the explosive type. Sound always seems very orderly, balanced, and from time to time one is tempted to crank the volume bit up to fill the room with sound. With Mogami presentations starts even behind the line between speakers and nicely integrates with more distant planes. All these features of the sound are easily recognizable so there is no point pretending they don't exist. But none of them really attract attention, or distracts it from the music, so they are surely acceptable.

I used Japanese cables in my reference system, where they replaced Siltech Double Crown IC and Tara Labs Omega Onyx speaker cables, as well as in the second, relatively inexpensive system with some components I requested for reviews at the same time. In with this second system cables offered an exhilarating performance, as if they just belonged to this system by nature. System was build up with Creek Evolution 100A (8300 PLN) amplifier – beautiful, dense sound, impressive dynamics. I paired it with less expensive speakers – the new Chario Prima from Reflex line priced at 3500 PLN a pair – and this happened to be a truly wonderful match.

In such a system Mogami cables sounded amazingly well. So it would seem that one could used them in systems with components from a 10.000 PLN a piece price range, and these cables would be able to present all strengths of such system without emphasizing its weaknesses. Try such a system with some nice Rega or Pro-Ject turntable and I'm sure that money will be spent. These are reliable, solid cables that have been on the market for years and with their performance they confirm that solid engineering supported with lots of listening sessions result in products that should fit into many different systems.