Depending on the tonality of your system, this fantastic cable could be the only interconnect you need to make your iPod sing like never before.
In my experience, the fastest way to turn someone off high-end
audio is to start blithering on about the merits of cables. Normal people and I
truly mean that, scoff when you tell them that they need to spend $500 on a set
of speaker wires. The reaction when you tell them to spend the same amount on a
single one meter pair of interconnects is usually less than pleasant and comes
with a recommendation for psychotherapy. That being said, there is real merit
to spending some money on better quality cables. Your system, depending on the
synergy with the cables you use, will sound better; more alive and capable of
greater resolution. It is not always snake oil. Granted, I would not spend more
than 30% of the total value of my system on cables, but sometimes you need to
pay an exception to the rule.
Even for the iPod.
Huh?
You read it here first.
Tommy Hudson of Hudson Audio Imports in New Jersey imports many great sounding
analogue products from around the globe, but he also designs and sells his own
brand of cables, under the AudioPath brand. While I am perfectly happy with my
long-term reference cables from Nirvana Audio, I have been looking for a cable
to run out of my iPod into my system. Having long been sold on the Red Wine
Audio iMod, which takes a 4th generation iPod and transforms it into
a killer-sounding mini music server, I knew I needed a cable to get the most
out of it. Radio Shack sells a decent copper cable for around $5 that works
rather well, but what if you need something a lot better.
Enter the AudioPath Silver iPod cable.
Made from silver wiring, can be made up with the optional
Eichmann Bullet plugs, and at 0.5 meters should be long enough for most people
to run their iPod into their stereo while placing it on a nearby shelf.
In a nutshell…
If your system is fairly warm or dark sounding and you want
to breath some life into it, the Silver iPod cable at $159.00 (with the Eichmann
plugs) is a no-brainer. You hear so much more detail from your recordings with
this cable. Granted, on an analytical sounding system, this cable might prove
to add too much sparkle rendering some recordings a tad thin. Bass response is
most certainly improved, with greater tautness and speed.
If you plan to use your iPod as a main source in your
system, give Tommy a ring and try the AudioPath Silver iPod cable. It will be
the best thing you add to your iPod this year.
The Verdict
