XLO should not be a limiting factor in your system-building. The XLOs are directional and in a reasonably transparent system you can tell when they are not connected in the proper direction. Finally I noticed that I had plugged in the XLOs in the wrong direction. I reconfigured my system a bit, and for a day or so it sounded rather off, especially at higher volume levels. (Smooth is meant not in the sense of glossing over subtlety, just in the sense of not being grainy or hard).Īn odd thing happened recently. The XLO has always seemed smooth and detailed. My experience with cables in general is: shorter is better, certainly in terms of preserving dynamics. 5 m to replace those MITs, although the MITs seem quite decent. 5 m out of my dac into my passive line drive (Mod Squad), with 1 meter MIT MI330 out of the drive. They will also bring out bass compared with cheaper or let's say less capable interconnects.
JE of Stereophile is right that they increase dynamic contrast.
5 m way back in '93 and have never had them out of my system. Now $330m called"Reference Type 1" but I think it's the same cable. Price used to be $200/meter when it was called XLO Type 1. And if you don't like the KCAG and the Ref 1A, then you better be prepared to spend a whole lot more! If you find Kimber's KCAG a bit too much over the top, XLO's Ref 1A is your alternative.
While the Ref 1A isn't a match for the super duper high-end cables, it is affordable ($330 for a one-meter pair). In this price range, all other cables sound vague, murky, distorted, and/or slow. But on the other hand, the Ref 1A does not smear transients, and those images remain tightly focused, never wandering around. Think of cardboard cut-outs or Hollywood facades. The Ref 1A has razor sharp image outlines, but those images don't have any depth. So, if you are the 25% who are lacking bass power, go with the Ref 1A over Kimber's KCAG. If you optimize the volume so that the bass is just right, then you'll hear a lean midrange and treble. If you set the volume so that the mids are just right, you will have too much bass. But what if you need a cable that has a more powerful bass?Įnter the XLO Ref 1A. That cable will work wonders for 75% of you. For years, the best in this rice range was Kimber's KCAG. Nevertheless, this is the bargain of mid-priced cables. I may seem stingy for giving this product "only" three stars, but the Ref 1A does fall quite a bit short of the best. For this review, I am talking about the Reference Series 2 single-ended interconnect.
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