Does the world really need another cable brand? New cable companies come and go like ships in the night. Well, maybe. The packaging was the first positive evidence of the SLiC’s quality, as it was significantly less ornate than most cable brands, implying that more of the money was spent on the cable itself. It’s well-made and terminated, and it can withstand the rigors of a reviewer’s system, where cables are frequently pulled out and shoved in. There are no rewards for unusual looks or a pleasant feel; the sheathing is solid and black, and that’s about it.
Indeed, SLiC is quite hesitant to ‘share’ anything. Apart from the fact that its name stands for Super Low Interference Cable and that it aims to “dramatically reduce signal disruptions caused when current travels through conductors,” it won’t say what’s inside. According to the manufacturer, it has been optimized to work across an ultra-wide frequency range of up to 300MHz, so it should be fine with the CD’s 20kHz. The cost of a 1m run is £550, with an additional £75 for half meter costing £75 after that. Other terminations and lengths are available; click here for more information.
I couldn’t help but be blown away by the Eclipse C. Initial thoughts were that it was excavating a great deal of detail, putting out a lot of bass, and swinging nicely. And the more I paid attention, the better it became. Signing Off, UB40’s debut album, is superior to the band’s subsequent, more commercial work, but it is not a superb recording. Still, the SLiC cable seemed to add a half-octave of bass to the mix, making it seem more fluid and bouncy. It was so detailed that it picked up all kinds of hum and analogue tape print-through sounds that I hadn’t heard before in the mix. Thus was surprising for a £550 cable; generally, wires costing twice as much dig this deep.
It has a fantastic tone to it. It handled the slightly edgy vocals on 4hero’s Give In with aplomb, smooth but never dull. Vocals were piercingly transparent, yet tonally smooth and dark in a way you wouldn’t anticipate from a cable at this price point. The all-around capability of this cable astounded me; soundstaging and depth perspective are superb, low-level detailing is impeccable, and the way it plays music in a rhythmic, dynamically expressive manner is captivating. Don’t be scared off by the company’s inexperience; this outstanding cable will quickly earn it a stellar reputation. I don’t usually wax poetic about cables, let alone evaluate them, but this is an exception.
