jorma prime.pdf - Jefferson Hifi

jorma prime 

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue24/jorma_prime.htm 

1 sur 5 30/04/2009 11:33 

POSITIVE FEEDBACK ONLINE - ISSUE 24 

jorma design 

Prime interconnect and speaker cables 

a s r e vie w e d b y R o b e r t H. L e vi 

ROBERT H. LEVI'S SYSTEM 

LOUDSPEAKERS 

Avalon Eidolon and REL Stadium 

III subwoofer. 

Yumpin' yiminy! The Jorma Prime speaker cables and interconnects from Jorma 

Design in Sweden are probably more expensive than the gear you will use them with, 

but they will surpass every other cable around. Have I heard every top cable in the 

world? Certainly not. Do the Jorma Primes sound more musical, dynamic, quiet, 

textural, and elegant than all of my current references? Yes. Do they have more 

clarity and truthfulness? Yes. Do they sound better than every set of loaner cables 

I've heard, no matter how exotic? Yes. Even cables made of rare elements? Yes. 

Powered cables? Yes. Cables containing water or air? Yes. Yes. Yes.



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ELECTRONICS 

E.A.R. 324 phono, Pass X1 

preamplifier, and an E.A.R. 834L 

tube line stage. E.A.R. 890 and 

NuForce 9.02 amplifiers. 

SOURCES 

VPI Scout/JMW 9 tonearm, VPI 

SDS Controller, ZYX R100H phono 

cartridge. ModWright Sony 999 

SACD/CD Player with Signature 

Truth, Mod/Bybee Filters and 

Revelation Cryo Silver Umbilical. 

Pioneer DVL 919 LD/DVD Player, 

and the E.A.R. Acute CD player. 

Magnum Dynalab MD-108 

Reference Tuner, Marantz 10B 

tuner, and Scott 350B FM tuner, 

AQ 7500 FM Antenna, Stax 7t 

Electrostatic headphones, Grado 

Reference 1 headphones, and a 

Grado headphone amplifier. 

CABLES 

Harmonic Technology CyberLight 

interconnects, Kubala-Sosna 

Emotion interconnects, speaker 

cables, and AC cables, 

Dual-Connect Gold interconnects, 

Soundstring interconnects and 

speaker cables, or Kimber Select 

balanced, Kimber TAK phono AG, 

Kimber Hero balanced and single 

ended interconnects, Eichmann 

Express 6 Series 2 interconnects, 

and Acoustic Zen Silver Reference 

II balanced interconnects. Kimber 

D-60 Digital Interconnects. Kimber 

Select 3038 Silver speaker cables, 

Harmonic Technology Magic 

Reference Silver speaker cables. 

Dynamic Design THB Nebula 

Interconnects. 

ACCESSORIES 

Monster Reference 350 Mark II v2 

Power Conditioner and World 

Power Power Wing, Kimber 

Palladian power cables, Tara RSC 

and Decade power cables, Tiff 

power cables, Tice power cables, 

Tice Clock, and Audio Prism Quiet 

Line IIs. Cable Cooker 2.5, Winds 

Stylus Pressure Gage, Bedini Ultra 

Clarifier, VPI Record Cleaning 

Machine 16.5, Soundstring Pro 

Power Cables, and Kimber Pro 10 

Gold Power Cables. 

At $7000 for a one-meter pair of interconnects ($2700 for each additional meter) and 

$12,400 for a two-meter pair of loudspeaker cables, the Jorma Prime cables push 

the envelope more than sonically. The company's website (www.jormadesign.com) 

says that the brand-new cables were designed for the Swedish Statement project at 

CES 2006. They are made of top quality materials—gold, 99.999999 percent 

copper, transparent Teflon, and walnut—all fine-tuned to get the best possible 

results. The cables have completely new conductors that were developed by a small 

European producer that truly had to push its limits—they had to change their 

machines to be able to make these conductors, and it took more than half a year to 

test them. The cables also make use of the Bybee Slipstream Golden Quantum 

Purifiers. 

I've heard the $3100 Jorma No. 1 interconnects, and thought them quite fine, but I 

was not prepared for the quantum leap demonstrated by the Primes. Placed at the 

output of my new Tim de Paravicini-designed E.A.R. Acute CD player, which has 

both single-ended and balanced connectors, I was able to compare cables either 

directly into my preamp or into my power amp. The Jorma Primes sounded clearer, 

more detailed, more everything, than every other cable in my inventory, or that I 

could borrow. I have never heard my Avalon Eidolons sound so musically right, so 

unfatiguing, so pure, so quiet, so nuanced. I also heard the best depth perspective I 

have yet perceived from these transducers, but that was just the beginning! 

When my complete system was completely wired with the Jorma Prime cables, a 

sonic leap to musical heaven occurred. If you buy the Prime interconnects, you 

absolutely must buy the loudspeaker cables, too. Any other speaker cables will 

degrade the performance of the interconnects. I know. I tried. There's no way 

around this. Prepare to pay at least $20,000 for sonic perfection or don't even start. 

The Prime interconnects plus loudspeaker cables will yield an astounding, staggering 

50 percent improvement in definition and musicality over all other cables. I honestly 

don't know what Jorma Koski is doing that makes all other brands sound either thick 

or thin, bright or dull, hyped or boring. I just wish he could do it more cheaply. That it 

has been done at all is quite an accomplishment. 

The Jorma Prime interconnects do not seem to be reactive in any way. They work as 

neutral links between any components, even between a tonearm and a phono stage. 

They are medium-sized, very flexible, and terminated in WBT Nextgen Silver plugs 

that fit everything. The speaker cables are equally flexible, and elegantly terminated 

in WBT spades. Other terminations are available. The Bybee filters are built into 

each cable in an elegant walnut enclosure. Bi-wire configurations are available, but 

you'll need two credit cards. (Just kidding.) 

These cables have an amazing neutrality. Coloration is so low that I was unable to 

identify any, yet I heard and felt an organic, involving presentation that was as good 

as it gets. The Jorma Primes have to be approached from a holistic perspective. You 

can't simply focus on the pristine, open highs or the elegant, alive mids or the deep, 

solid bass, or even on the fantastic definition. You just take it all in, all at once. 

Let me take a moment to list my reference interconnects so that you know my 

preferences at different price points. The sound achieved in each price category is 

eclipsed by that achieved in the next highest category. (Sorry, there's no free lunch.) 

My favorite interconnects to date are: 

Over $4000 per meter 

Jorma Prime



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$2000 - $4000 per meter 

Harmonic Technology Cyberlight (with Battery Pack III) 

Nordost Valhalla 

Kubala-Sosna Emotion 

Dynamic Design THB Nebula 

Silversmith Palladium 

$1000 - $2000 per meter 

Dual-Connect Gold 

Kimber Select Silver 

Acoustic Zen Silver 

$450 - $1000 per meter 

Harmonic Technology Pro Sil-way III 

Xindak Gold 

Kimber Select Copper 

$250 - $450 per meter 

Under $250 

Soundstring Pro 

Eichmann Express 6 Series 2 

Kimber Hero 

With more definition than even solid gold interconnects—in fact, more than that of 

every other interconnect I've heard—the Jorma Prime interconnects, especially in 

combination with the Jorma Prime speaker cables, are state of the art! You'll pay 

handsomely, but this kind of performance has its perks. You'll live the recordings, not 

just listen to them. If you have the best loudspeakers and front-end gear, the Jorma 

Prime cables are for you. Their supreme performance, coupled with their supreme 

neutrality, should make them compatible with just about every brand of equipment 

imaginable. Jorma Prime receives my very highest recommendation. These are the 

ones for the ultimate cable connoisseur! Robert H. Levi 

The music used in evaluating the Jorma Prime interconnects and loudspeaker cables 

included: 

The Carl Saunders Sextet (BluePort CD BP-J011) 

Beethoven, Archduke Trio (Mirrored Nature SACD MNR 5003) 

Tchaikovsky, Trio in A Minor Op. 50 (Mirrored Nature SACD MNR 5001)



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Beethoven/Franck, Violin and Piano Sonatas (Mirrored Nature SACD MNR 

5002) 

Dvorak, Symphony 6, Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra (LSO 

Live SACD LS00526) 

Dvorak, Cello Concerto, Queyras, Prague Symphony (Harmonia Mundi SACD 

801867) 

Gene Harris, The Best of the Concord Years (Concord Records CD 4930-2) 

Hovhaness, Symphony 22/Cello Concerto (Naxos CD 8.559158) 

Jacintha, Here's to Ben (Groove Note SACD 1001-3) 

Chopin, Piano Concertos 1 and 2, Rubinstein (RCA/BMG SACD 

82876-67902-2) 

Dvorak, Cello Concerto, Piatigorsky (RCA/BMG SACD 82876-66375-2) 

Suppe, Overtures (Mercury SACD 470-638-2) 

Hovhaness, Mysterious Mountain (Telarc SACD 60604) 

The Absolute Sound SACD Sampler (Telarc SACD 60011) 

Howard Hanson, Symphony 2 etc. (Telarc SACD 60649) 

SuperBass2 (Telarc SACD 63483) 

Orff, Carmina Burana (Telarc SACD 60575) 

Diana Krall, Love Scenes (Impulse SACD 2841-35) 

Duke Ellington, Blues in Orbit (Mobile Fidelity SACD 757 ) 

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (Columbia SACD 64935) 

Isomike Sampler (Kimber SACD 2005A) 

Chick Corea, Rendezvous in NY (Stretch Records SACD 9041-2) 

Glenn Gould, Goldberg Variations (Columbia SACD 37779) 

E. Power Biggs, Four Antiphonal Organs (Columbia SACD 87983) 

Saint-Saens, Piano Concertos Vol. 1 (Audite SACD 92.509) 

Jorma Prime interconnects 

Retail: $7000 for a one-meter pair 

Jorma Prime speaker cables 

Retail: $12,400 for a two-meter pair 

Jorma Design



5 sur 5 30/04/2009 11:33 

web address: www.jormadesign.com 

E.A.R. USA/Sound Advice is the US importer and distributor for Jorma Design 

web address: www.ear-usa.com/jorma.htm 

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