Hi-Fi Choice - May

EXTRAS
Atlas Cables
Zeno 1:2 headphone cable
WHEN IT COMES to cable
upgrades, replacing the cable
supplied with a set of headphones is
often well down the list of priorities.
But, as we shall discover, it’s well
worth considering. The Zeno cable
incorporates Ohno Continuous Cast
(OCC) copper conductors that are
covered in FEP (fluorinated ethylene
propylene) low-temperature
deposition dielectric to protect
the integrity of the OCC material.
The wires are then wrapped in a
protective soft PVC inner liner and
finished with a tangle-free red fabric
outer jacket. A wide range of
termination options are available
employing Atlas’ Metik non-solder
crimp plugs to give an airtight
metal-to-metal contact.
The Zeno is available fitted as
standard with a single 3.5mm stereo
plug or two 2.5mm, 6.35mm or
4-pin XLR mini plugs for the
headphone end, together
with a choice of 3.5mm,
6.35mm or 4-pin XLR
plugs for the amplifier
end. In addition, a wide
range of brand-specific
headphone connectors are
also catered for, including
Sennheiser. For this review,
the cable is tested with a
pair of Oppo PM-2 planar
magnetic headphones
(HFC 402).
Moment of truth
Listening to a direct-to-disc vinyl
recording of the Syd Lawrence
Orchestra playing Sing Sing Sing, the
track really comes alive. The treble
opens up and there is even more
excitement in its performance with
the already superb Oppo. Bass is
tighter and more extended. Swapping
back to the supplied cable, the sound
is a little more closed-in and the
extreme top end disappears as the
performance misses some of the
energy of the recording that’s gained
with the Zeno 1:2 cable in place. This
is a serious upgrade for the discerning
headphone listener. NR
DETAILS
PRICE
£245 for a 3m cable
TELEPHONE
01563 572666
WEBSITE
atlascables.com
OUR VERDICT
Spec Corporation
RSP-501EX
Real-Sound Processor
DETAILS
PRICE
£495
TELEPHONE
0203 5442338
WEBSITE
nunudistribution.
co.uk
OUR VERDICT
THIS LITTLE BOX of tricks is
designed to be fitted across the
terminals of your loudspeaker, close
to the speaker, and is claimed to
improve resolution and the natural
timbres and texture of the sound.
On first sight, you could be forgiven
for thinking that each unit is just a
box containing a handful of passive
components and, to be honest, you
would be right. There is no power
supply, so it can only be a passive – or
Zobel – network. Such networks are
often employed on the output of
amplifiers to cancel out the reactive
portion of loudspeaker impedance. In
its simplest form, a Zobel network is a
resistor and capacitor in series across
the amplifier output, but siting it here
doesn’t benefit the speaker in terms of
addressing the effects of the speaker
cable and also the reverse EMF
generated by the movement of the
voice coils. This reverse current
returns to the amp and makes it more
difficult to drive the speaker in
accordance with the input signal. This
is a particular problem for traditional
semiconductor linear amplifiers.
Spec check
Each unit measures 100 x 47 x
117mm (WxHxD) and weighs 0.25kg.
The box is beautifully made and very
high-quality audiophile components
are used internally, which is essential
for coping with the high current
demands of a loudspeaker.
My review samples have already
been run in for 80 hours and with
the RSP-501EX installed across
each of my transmission line
loudspeakers, I enjoy a more natural
sound that flows more effortlessly.
The soundstage is widened and
deepened and there is more space
around the instruments. The bass is
also tighter, faster and punchier.
Yes, the RSP-501EXs are expensive,
but they do work. NR
MAY 2016 115