As regards the choice of conductor technology, the designers for Swiss Cables had their own innovative ideas. The cables use solid core conductors produced from a copper alloy, not as conventional wires are, by mechanical drawing, but via a specialized process of continuous casting. Continuous casting avoids the tensions, discontinuities and micro-gaps in the molecular crystal lattice which are present in all mechanically drawn wires and are known to cause various forms of signal deterioration. Hiroyasu Kondo of Audio Note used to age his wires for decades in an attempt to reduce these effects in his cables.

That the quality of signal transfer in cables strongly depends on the homogeneity of a wire’s crystal lattice has become widely recognized by now. It is the very reason why cable manufacturers try to improve the signal quality of their cables via various methods including cryogenic treatments, the use of special alloy like in the case of the Swiss Cables or other metallurgical measures.

Simply put, wires consist of many polycrystalline lattices, which again are made up of microscopically small crystals. Without special treatment, these structures do not form ideal signal conductors. Alloying copper with other metals attempts to reduce the discontinuities in the crystal lattice, aiming for a smoother and more consistent structure and signal transfer function. Naturally, this topic is a widely more complex subject from metallurgy than can be covered within the scope of this review.

What then is the effect of inserting the Swiss Cables into the listening chain? I started my tests with the Swiss cables power cords, and later added their interconnects and loudspeakercables. I first used the power cords with my power amplifiers, simply because the respective ac outlets were the most accessible in my system. Doubtlessly it may have made more sense to start with the preamplifier, but that notwithstanding, starting with the power amplifiers already yielded a memorable effect which was clearly audible in my system even without any lengthy burn-in. When I hooked up my power amps with the Swiss Cables power cords, the sound became instantly more transparent and dynamic. The high frequency range however appeared slightly leaner, indicating the need for more initial burn-in. Which made me wonder whether inserting additional power cords already now would thin out the treble even more. At this very moment, the often quoted “synergy-effect”, routinely invoked by corporations in need of justifying costly overhauls, came to my mind. Next day I connected my preamplifier with the Swiss Cables Reference power cord as well. 

To my utter surprise this resulted in a complete sonic harmony in the system – something I had envisioned, but not expected. I recognize that this may not sound logic to some, but it simply is what happened. On top of that, the system made another leap forward in clarity and dynamic agility. This came as even more of a surprise, considering the fact these sound improvements were brought about by a cable which was installed outside of the system’s signal path. With this accomplishment at hand, I simply settled into listening to music, and could have easily forgotten about any further writing, were it not for my editor in  chief who would probably show me the red card for such nonchalance. After a week of further burn-in, curiosity got the better of me and I went back to the initial set-up with only the power amplifiers connected via the Swiss Cables power cords. The treble which had been slightly on the lean side a week ago, had made place for a vastly more fluid and richer high frequency portrayal as a result of the additional burn-in. An effect to be noted. Some may think that such observations are merely the result of the ears undergoing a habituation process and adapting psycho-acoustically to a new component. But to know such with certainty, would necessitate solid expertise in the disciplines of psycho-acoustics. Lacking such, and being the pragmatic I am, I simply trust my ears and let listening be my guide. In any case, the Swiss Cables clearly benefit from being given time for proper burn-in. And, something I did not know yet at the time, they continued to get better and better for weeks to come !

After a few days, I received the Swiss Cables Reference interconnects and loudspeaker cables which allowed me to connect my whole system with them for the first time. Expecting the need for another round of burn-in, I was in for a surprise once more, as the interconnects and loudspeaker cables integrated themselves instantly and seamlessly right out of the box. Checking back with the manufacturer provided the explanation: the interconnects and speaker cables undergo a special burn-in program at the factory, while the power cords do not. With the complete system now wired with Swiss Cables, the sound improved again across the board, making another leap forward in transparency, dynamic capabilities and sonic wholeness, while the increased transparency at all times remained fully and harmonically integrated with the music, the sound staying free from any traces of sterility.

As most audiophiles know well, increased transparency can easily give rise to listening fatigue, when weaknesses in the system or the music get overly magnified. On the other hand, it is increased transparency which makes the full musical expression and details available to us when listening at low volumes. Navigating this sonic challenge successfully is something the Swiss Cables do extremely well!