The Royal Signature steps out to fascinate with its impressive musicality and clearly outperforms the Habst, which, however, also retails for under half of its price. The openness of the Siltech is fascinating. But it's not just a matter of obtaining even more spatial depth, which the Signature USB naturally offers; rather, this cable manages to better perform complex symphonic music with high resolution. Tchaikovsky's Pathétique, recorded in May 2019 by the Berlin Symphony under Kirill Petrenko and sourced in 24/96 quality from Qobuz onto my music computer's hard drive, clearly reveals the Royal Signature's excellent ability to finely depict the orchestral density. Thus, the familiar and unsightly phenomenon of the orchestra only reaching the ear in a constrained manner during tutti passages, somehow as if it were laced up, doesn’t occur at all. This is never a nice thing to happen, let alone resembling a live performance, but unfortunately it can be observed time and again even in very good systems. This virtuosity alone makes the Signature Universal II an object of desire. It reveals this quality not only to the lover of symphonic works, but it sets out to entirely convince also in pop and rock. Ween’s album Chocolate and Cheese positively glows with luminous timbres thanks to the fine analytical capabilities that the Siltech brings to bear. Details are vividly carved out, making listening a pleasure. This transparency pairs with a suppleness that is conducive to musical flow and prevents any strain or the aforementioned nervousness. But there’s more to it than that. One discipline where I wouldn't have expected much change from a USB cable is dynamics. In regard to this, the Siltech shows that there has still been room for improvement in my system. The analytical abilities of the Royal Signature presents each instrument clearly delineated and three-dimensional, especially in good recordings, conveying a sometimes downright spectacular explosiveness. This is what I experienced with "Calypso Minor" from the jazz album Sotho Blue, where, for example, the bass lines were presented with much more vehemence and attack, as well as with many other, no, really with all music. It just depended on what the recording was able to offer. The Royal Signature Golden Universal II is the most magnificent USB cable that I was ever allowed to evaluate in my system and in my view worth every euro of its price.

The Classic Anniversary, which is considerably less expensive, also shows partial advantages over my reference cable and shows considerable bass impact in "Calypso Minor" as it performs in a very powerful and explosive way without thickening the sound. The timbres please the ear thanks to their authenticity, while wind instruments and the grand piano are articulated in a very concise and vigorous manner. Nevertheless, the Classic Anniversary should not be blamed for not projecting the spatial image equally deep into the room compared to the Signature. The Anniversary draws at least level with the Habst, and the latter may well be considered one of the best among its competitors. However, it differs somewhat from the Classic Anniversary in its sound signature. Together with the Golden Universal II, it delights with a stress-free performance that makes long-term listening a real enjoyment. After having listened to the Anniversary for a while, I don't like to say bad things about it, even in this somewhat unfair test order. For it performs in a very balanced way, and with a great, colourful sonic image as well. It also differentiates deep lows clearly and reproduces every instrument with great realism and presence, but with less extension into the depth of the room. Here lies the big difference when compared to the more expensive rival out of the same company. When listening to Ween’s album, the coherent play of the Classic is just as pleasing, but even here it cannot achieve the stunning spatial order and fine dynamics of the Signature Universal II. However, the timbres and the differentiated depiction of voices and instruments are again fascinating, inviting the listener to follow each individual instrument with ease. But let's go back to Tchaikovsky's Pathétique with the Berlin Symphony once again. The Anniversary offers a touch more dryness here, which greatly benefits the musical impression. In this way, even when facing a full-fledged orchestra, the strings sound very articulate and dynamic and not at all constricted. This I hadn’t expected – simply magnificent. So also the Classic Anniversary is well worth the money. If you plan to be its proud owner one day, you might compare it with many competitors, but strictly not with the Siltech Royal Signature Golden Universal II.

So, let’s move over now to that cable that eclosed from the many days of breaking-in as my favourite: the Explorer 45. This can’t be had for free either, but its price might seem very reasonable to some to be invested in a good system. What has the monocrystalline copper structured Explorer to offer for just under 360 euros? By the way, thanks to its mechanical flexibility, which is similar to that of the Classic Anniversary, one meter of length should usually be enough. Let's then stay with Tchaikovsky and his 6th Symphony. In my system, the Explorer 45 seems to more open up towards the back of the soundstage than the Anniversary. Again, the performance beautifully presents itself free of (jitter?) artifacts, which is inherent to all three Siltech models. The orchestra sounds somewhat less defined, but that doesn't distract me after having got familiarized with it over a few minutes, as the tender fluidity of the strings and the "silk-like“ sound are enthralling. The wind instruments caress with their tonal colours as well, and the low strings stand out contouredly from the high ones without the sonic image tending to fall apart. The complex musical events can be appreciated in detail very beauteously. Thusly concentrating on this emotional work is easy, so that I immerse myself in the music and almost forget that I am actually supposed to capture the impact of the cable here, and not the music.