Now we embark on the high-priced segment - at least in two out of three cases and only at first glance. Three high-quality USB cables, developed and manufactured in the Netherlands, are up for testing. But there's also a neat surprise at the doorsteps for all those who don't want to overspend themselves for a good-sounding USB cable.

The Dutch company Siltech, founded in 1983 and since then involved in the development and manufacturing of musically high-quality cables, has long been established as a brand alongside its afiliated brand CrystalConnect (formerly Crystal Cable) under the auspices of International Audio Holding BV and is being globally successful. Both CrystalConnect and Siltech share the same goal, namely to produce the best cables in all areas - from loudspeaker cables to digital connections and power cables. CrystalConnect serves the financial upper class, but Siltech is by no means cavorting in the consumer class either. I am glad in having to deal with the more down-to-earth segment of this brand. I was provided with the Siltech Explorer 45USB, Siltech Classic Anniversary USB and Siltech Signature Royal Golden Universal II models, each of them 1.5 metres long. While the Explorer 45USB, the least expensive of the three - one metre retails at 359 euros - is very flexible, as is the Classic Anniversary for 949 euros, the impressive Royal Signature has a larger bending radius due to its crosssection.

Edwin van der Kley Rynveld took over the company in 1992. After his experiences gained at Philips and Exxon, as an electronics engineer he placed special emphasis on refined measurement techniques in the research and development fields. His understanding of the hi-fi market and his knowledge of the limitations of existing audio electronics and loudspeakers led to the development of the elaborate Symphony speaker system and SAGA amplifiers at Siltech. His wife, the internationally successful pianist Gabi Rynveld, takes care of the marketing of Siltech and CrystalConnect, while his son Viktor de Leeuw has also recently joined the company as C.O.O., reinforcing the family commitment to best quality in sound and workmanship. The sales management in Germany under the aegis of the International Audio Holding BV in the Dutch city of Elst - which is halfway between Arnhem and Nijmegen - is accounted by Werner Kempf, who has been well known in the German hi-fi scene as a sales professional for 30 years.

It's not difficult to apprehend the meaning of the brand name Siltech: an artificial word made up of „silver“ and „technology“. This also clearly reveals the very basis of the Siltech cables: silver. Since high-purity silver is relatively expensive compared to equally pure copper, the Siltech portfolio therefore also includes copper cables such as the Explorer 45USB presented here. However, this should not immediately lead to a lack of interest in this cable, precisely because the Explorer constitutes the aforementioned surprise for me. At Siltech, it’s not the material alone that determines how good a cable is: The mechanical design is of comparable importance in many respects, and in this regard the Explorer has a lot in common with the more expensive alternatives. As a third criterion, the accuracy in manufacturing is also decisive for the quality of an audio cable. Siltech perceives cables, and I can absolutely confirm this view from my own experience, not as mere accessories that only serve to connect high-quality devices. Rather, cables, like hi-fi equipment, are components in their own right with sound-influencing properties. Ideally, they should be tonally balanced, neutral in timbre, and not showing any limitations in fine detail and dynamic behaviour. The three Siltech USB cables in question are good evidences oriented towards this goal.