POLISH AUDIO CLASTER

ltra Reference Series by AUDIOMICA LABORATORY is one of the six series in its lineup, the second one from the top. On the very top there is the Consequence Series, and below Excellence and three named after colors: Red, Gray and Black. Each of them includes a full range of cables, from classic analog interconnects to digital USB, AES / EBU and Ethernet ones. The catalog claims there are several dozen models altogether.

In addition to the fact that the company offers cables for every budget, maybe except for extremely cheap and extremely expensive ones, in each series one can find some proprietary solutions, technologies and ideas. The company is not dogmatically attached to the type of conductor, provided it is copper or silver. For example - in the Red series there are cables of both, OFC copper and silver, and for example the Excellence series utilizes OCC copper, cast silver with a purity of 6N and silver-plated copper. Let me put it this way: a mature company with a smartly prepared price list and knowledge of the market and its needs.

| Ultra Reference Series

There are five models in the Ultra Reference series: Europa analog interconnects (RCA and XLR), Genimedes speaker cables, AC Calllisto power cable, Quan loudspeakers and Ethernet / Streamer / LAN called Artoc; the first three names refer to Greek mythology, and the fourth to the Chinese mythology (actually the Greek name is: Ganymede). They use both silver and silver-plated copper. Europa is a made of solid-core silver N6, Genimedes is made of silver-plated copper and Callisto is made of OCC.

Most of the cables in the lineup are available in several versions. What differs them are plugs and optional filters. The multitude of available versions made the company systematize the selection of the appropriate version and starting from August this year customer can choose from three available versions/grades: STANDARD, PREMIUM, LUXURY. The appropriately described division of the optional versions includes: interconnects, speaker cables and other selected cables from the first three series (Black, Gray, Red). In the near future manufacturer plans to standardize the described scheme of the optional selection for all series.

The cables are delivered in nice wooden boxes, which is the hallmark of the brand since the beginning of its existence. On the lid there are three logos: of the mother company, Audiomica Laboratory and Acoustic Points. The latter is a separate branch of Audiomica working in the field of new technologies. The main product offered by Acoustic Points is the patented POM-C AP50 material used to make the anti-static elements - this element protects the surface of the cables against surface and electrostatic micro-charges.

All of the are terminated with solid plugs – the RCA cables delivered for test featured AML-RCA10-Ag plugs made of silver and rhodium plated copper, speaker cables came with silver-plated WBT spades and silver and rhodium plated bananas (product of other company), and power cable with rhodium plated plugs with a carbon fiber braid body. The latter are produced by one of the Taiwanese companies. The power cable featured an optional TFCT Double filter (TFCT II).

The TFCT or Two Filters Current Tension – Audiomica calls it a „conditioner” – is one of the solutions that the company has been developing from the very beginning. We wrote about its "single" version many years ago in the review of the Gray cables. As we wrote at the time, a suppression of electromagnetic interference takes place in two ways: capacitors collect interference from ground, while arranged in series power line reactors increase the impedance of a line, which increases the effectiveness of bypass capacitors. The filter is fitted into an oblong, heavy aluminum cylinder.

Even just this one detail proves proper attention to every detail easily recognized in every Audiomica Lab cable. In short, the make & finish is excellent, much better than that of a large part of well-known foreign competitors, who use simpler, and therefore cheaper, solutions. Here you can see the quality, for example, in excellent metal elements, external design, plugs, packaging, and even hand-filled certificates. In the latter, one finds the name of the model, its symbol, as well as the names of people responsible for making and checking the cable. It would be nice to mark the modification chosen by the client in them.

The Audiomica Laboratory cables were tested in the "High Fidelity" reference system in A / B / A comparative listening, with A and B known. They were compared to the Siltech Triple Crown and Acoustic Revive Triple-C sets of cables; additionally, I also listened to the Absolute-FM cable from the latter company. The interconnect connected the Ayon Audio CD-35 HF Edition SACD player and the Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, the speaker cable connected the Soulution 710 power amp and Harbeth M40.1 speakers, equipped additionally with a SPEC filter, and the power cable was used for the Ayon player.

Recordings used for the test (a selec- tion):

• Aquavoice, Silence, Zoharum ZOHAR 168-2, Master CD-R (2018);
• Black Sabbath, 13, Vertigo/Universal MusicLLC (Japan) UICN-1034/5, 2 x SHM-CD (2013)
• Deep Purple, The Audio Fidelity Collection, Warner Bros./Audio Fidelity AFZB 019, “Limited Edition No. 0878”, 4 x gold-CD (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973/2013)
• Diana Krall, Wallflower, Verve/Universal Music LLC UCCV-9577, “Deluxe Edition”, SHM-CD + DVD (2015);
• Eva Cassidy, Songbird, Blix Street Records/JVC VICJ-010-0045, XRCD24 (1998/2010)
• Norah Jones, The Fall, Blue Note/EMI, 99286, CD (2009)
• Pat Martino, Hombre, Prestige/JVC VICJ-41574, „Heritage of Jazz – II Prestige 50 | 18”, K2 CD (1967/2006)
• Pat Metheny, What’s It All About, Nonesuch Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-14176, CD (2011);
• Paul McCartney, Kisses on the Bottom, Universal Music/Universal Music LLC [Japan] UCCO-3038, SHM-CD (2012)
• Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Master CD-R (1965/2016);
• Sławek Jaskułke, Sea, Kayax 079, CD (2014);

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Japanese issues available at

| EUROPA interconnect

Europe interconnect delivers a balanced, smooth sound. 'Smooth' is the key word in this case, because it describes not only the attack but also the dynamics and timbre. Using it instead of Siltech has changed the way the musical material was treated. With Europe the presentation was focused on coherence and fluency. It became a bit calmer and more intimate with it. And this is because the foreground was placed quite close to listener, it was the most important element of the presentation and it organized both space and imaging instruments and vocals.

To determine its tonality, I had to listen to it a bit longer than usual. Because it is not a stereotypic “silver” cable, it does not sound quite like a “copper” one either. It does deliver a smooth timbre, but the treble is not rolled-off. This is a very good compromise between selectivity and resolution. So voices, even if they are not recorded very well, like those from the Songbird album by Eva Cassidy, do not "hiss", do not cross to the brighter side.

But there is never a shortage of treble, it is not a dark sound and in direct comparison with Siltech (silver), but also with the Absolute-FM model by Acoustic Review (copper + silver), a slight emphasis in the range between 3 and 5 kHz can be spotted. So we can hear strong cymbals, full and dense, and also vocals are very open. But the vowels that usually cause problems, i.e. sibilants, are not emphasized.

The lowest bass is good, powerful and incredibly fluid, although it does not focus listener's attention. The thing is that - although it is not obvious immediately - the interconnect focuses our attention on the midrange. Not by withdrawing its extremes, because these are in good balance with the other sub-ranges, and by something like "suspension", bringing us closer to what is happening there. It gives an intimate perspective, and thus a close contact with performers and music.

| GENIMEDES speaker cable

Genimedes does the same thing as interconnect, only more. It is a smooth, very elegant cable that guides the listener through successive albums with an ease of a world league player, who is not in a hurry, and who celebrates music rather than get excited about it. The band's extremes are present, clear and pure, but they never play the main role - this one is reserved for the midrange. This is why the voices of Eva Cassidy and Diana Krall, the saxophone of Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski from the Polish Jazz Quartet album, Pat Martino and Pat Metheny acoustic guitars, and even electric ones from the Black Sabbath 13 album - all these elements sounded smooth, pleasant, without hurry.

It's a cable that slightly slows down the pulse of the music,, I have no doubts about it. It does it by drawing our attention to what is happening in the middle of the range and to the timbre, consonance. The internal pulse of the recordings is well preserved, it is not "mellow" sound. It just prefers to present longer decay, like that from the album Silence by Aquavoice, a musical project of Tadek Łuczejko, or as from the Blade Runner soundtrack. It combines all sub-ranges, all sounds, giving enough time to every note, every sound to decay.

The Audiomica Laboratory loudspeaker cable works best with music, in which the attack, dynamics and nerve are not the most important elements of. Not because they sound poorly, but because music from Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Norah Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonard Cohen etc. will sound better, more powerful and emotionally deeper. Not only vocals will benefit from it but also the piano. This is a sound in which cohesiveness and coherence are the most important qualities. Use it to listen to, preferably in combination with the interconnect, Sławek Jaskułke Sea, and you won't stop until it's over.

| CALLISTO power cable AC

Callisto modifies the sound in a very similar way to the Europa interconnect and Genimedes speaker cable, but does it in its own way. First of all, it shifts the center of gravity to the lower midrange and upper bass. This add some mass to the sound, shifting listener's attention even more away from the upper part of the band. With this cable, hardly any poorly recorded album, i.e. with emphasized sibilants, will sound poorly. This cable smooths and civilizes this element of the sound, in a way "remastering" the recording. But in a different way than tube amplifiers, that we usually call "warm."

Because this is not a warm cable, nor are any other cables from the Ultra Reference. Warm cables withdraw the treble and lower bass, thus emphasizing the center of the band. They also boost the upper bass at the same time. So far – sounds like Callisto. However, they add something to the sound, which makes it thicker and heavier. It's often a positive change, because audio systems often sound too light and bright. However, Audiomica Laboratory cables are not suitable if you want to "warm up" the sound, because they do not add mass or thicken the sound. Callisto smooths the presentation and focuses our attention on the middle of the band, but maintains a good tonal balance. So it does not sound like the sound is "made".

Summary

The reviewed cables, both solo and as a set, propose a sound in which the most important is "preservation". This is a presentation that improves recording errors, because it does not allow the treble to sound too bright. Interestingly, this part of the band is not withdrawn, it's rather about smoothing the attack of sound.

These are perfectly balanced cables with a sophisticated tonality. They are not the most resolving ones I know, but the last thing I would say about them, is that they lack details. They simply do not go so deep into the sound structure as some other, more analytical cable sets.

The Ultra Reference cables will be useful in mature, reasonably composed systems, in which they will be an extension of what has already been achieved in terms of sound. I would rather not use them to correct anything, because that would mean losing some of their advantages, such as incredible smoothness and beautiful depth. Very nice, mature sound in a very attractive - considering both the class of sound and make&finish - price!