Iconoclast by Belden Series 2 speaker cables Review

Iconoclast by Belden Series 2 Tough Pitch Copper speaker cables, spade termination.

Listening sessions

As this involved a simpler comparison of cables versus full featured components, I chose to casually but perceptively listen through discs of artists whom I appreciated in the past. The difference between the performance of the Series 1 and Series 2 cables was not dependent upon having a current list of demo pieces. It’s obvious when there is a difference in performance, and all one needs is a suitable process of comparison, such as playing the pieces of music and then switching cables. The descriptions below will typically take the form of what the Series 2 cables did differently from the Series 1 cables.

Larry Coryell, “Redwing”: While the Series 1 cables were perceived as clean, that is, without smearing or coloration, the Series 2 cables were distinctively cleaner. The Series 2 SPTPC (blue) cables convey a pleasing sparkle in the treble. Paying attention to a particular metallic bell being struck, it became better resolved and even had a bit of its own reverberation and noticeable resonance. The alto backing singers peeked through more and, in general, I noticed more midrange, which made the cables seem better balanced top to bottom. The bass was cleaned up to be tighter, but at the same time fuller. Very deep LF had some tone to it versus simply force or punch.

James Ingram is a vocalist I rediscovered when playing through my cassette tapes, especially his album The Power of Great Music. There are some lovely duets in that collection with complementary women’s voices, such as Patti Austin and Linda Ronstadt. Ingram and Austin on “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” vacillate between crooning and crying out with force. In comparison to the Series 2 TPC (red) cables, the Series 2 SPTPC (blue) cables made their voices more raw, visceral to the degree that I thought Ingram was a bit out of his league when reaching for the high notes. He seemed to be working hard to make it seem like he was not straining. The rawness of the second set of listening impressions with the more expensive cable wasmore palpable, truer to life in my estimation. That, perhaps, is why I heard more sibilance in Ingram’s singing.

I hesitate to make a judgment regarding the cable on such a small sample with sibilance because often the recording is the primary culprit. I am not sure that it is possible to make a system that with every recording maximizes upper frequency resolution, yet never reveals sibilance. I anticipate that some recordings will flirt with treble intensity limits. If the sibilance or “peakiness” of the treble is limited to few recordings, then I know the cable is performing acceptably. When hearing “Somewhere Out There” with the Series 2 SPTPC, Ronstadt’s singing was resolved as even more halting, breathy vibrato, as befits her rock pedigree. She churned along, true to rock form, as if rock singers’ lungs can’t support more than a dozen words at a time. Hearing “There’s No Easy Way” rendered by Iconoclast’s best conductor, the SPTPC, I was hearing deeper into the recording space and more decay of the instruments’ notes.

I like vibes and turning to Harvey Mason’s Ratamacue I revisited some of my favorite performances, like Mason’s rendition of “Take Five.” The combination of Series 2 TPC (red) and SPTPC (blue) Speaker cables sorted out the instrumentation better and added a dollop more dynamics than the Series 1 speaker cables. The piece was simultaneously more delineated and more cohesive. The vibes were thicker, weightier — an unusual thing to say about tuned blocks that are struck. The piece “8:22A.M.” relaxes me, perhaps because I daily rise at about 4:30-5:00 and on some days I am already looking to sneak a noon nap! On “Noble Places of the Heart” the soft recessed backing instruments are more clearly distinguished. Overall, the impression was of the performance being more complete.

A group like Avenue Blue is disdained by many jazz aficionados as contrived, office music for a mind on autopilot. Perhaps, but I prefer such to the jazz equivalent of blindfolded musicians running circles in the dark. I like my Jazz to have a melody line, a story versus meandering like an octogenarian with memory loss repeating phrases ad nauseam. Give me Joe Sample or Philippe Saisse and I am content. I am not as concerned about technical proficiency or supposedly evident genius in playing as I am with it being a pleasant experience, and that is likely why I can appreciate and enjoy Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” but I will turn to Harvey Mason’s version more often.

I wonder if the image on the cover of the Avenue Blue Featuring Jeff Golub is from Stockholm, considering that the first two tracks are “Stockholm Prelude” and “Stockholm.” I suspect it is not an image of Peoria, Illinois! The setting created by the piece does the job; it is one of the best empty-city-at-night performances I have heard — big, vacant, cavernous even. The immediacy of the guitar stands in contrast to the expansive background and the bongos in the left channel popped out of the mix. On “I’ll Be Around,” the piece seemed to get a slight tonal overhaul more so than with other selections. The bass line seemed a bit tipped upward, perhaps the impression of hearing more resolution of the instrument’s notes. The bass lost overhang that I had heard in the past, which gave the impression that the guitarwork was deft and more subtle than I had thought. “Moon River” was a fitting listening session sendoff as the refinement brought by the Series 2 SPTPC cables allowed me to hear very soft noises, the noises associated with Golub moving his hands across the frets and strings of the guitar. I could visualize him patiently letting each note develop.

A revelation: I latched onto Golub’s Soul Sessions after my comparisons were done. I mention it as it is some of his best work, with more artistic flair than the previous pieces. Supposedly, the recordings were done old school, with all the musicians playing together versus solo performances in a studio stitched together. Perhaps it’s just bias, but the work sounds less fabricated and more involving than his typical work. I hope he continues to move in that direction.

Choices

Now that I have used Series 1 and Series 2 speaker cables with two conductors, TPC (red) and SPTPC (blue), I feel that generally my prior conclusions about speaker cables have been supported. The geometry and conductor material strongly influences performance. The two most common setups in use by audiophiles are single wired or bi-wired speakers. If you are in the market for new speaker cables and struggle to determine which of the options Iconoclast offers is best for you, then consider the better conductor, the SPTPC, to be superior to the TPC, and consider the Series 2 to be better than Series 1. Use a cost-benefit analysis to select the appropriate cable. Know that I find either Series 1 or Series 2 to outperform previously reviewed cables, so you will not go wrong with either Series. Generally, the Series 1 is a less exacting and demanding cable in that if your goal is relaxed listening, I recommend it as being ideal for obtaining a more comfortable sound. If the goal is high end performance that will potentially require more system tuning to match both system resolution and tonality, then the Series 2 is a great choice. The price to performance ratio of Iconoclast Cables is skewed so heavily toward the performance end that unless you are severely restricted, the recommendation to outfit your rig with the finest that the company offers is an easy one.

From the above examples it should be evident that I have been enjoying and continue to endorse the Iconoclast cable brand as one worth pursuing for extreme systems. It might not be surprising that I moved to Iconoclast’s Series 2 speaker cables for reviewing. They easily pass my Law of Efficacy, and I will continue to rely on them to push systems to their limits.

Associated Components:

Digital Source: Small Green Computer sonicTransporter and SONORE Signature Rendu SE with systemOptique; Wireworld Starlight CAT-8 Ethernet Cable

Analog Sources (vintage): Realistic LAB 400 Turntable; Schiit Audio Mani Phono; Nakamichi CR-1A Cassette Deck

Streaming Music Service: Tidal

Interface: Roon

DAC:  COS Engineering D1 DAC Plus Pre-Amplifier; Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme with Burson, Dexa NewClassD or Sparkos Labs discrete opamps; Exogal Comet DAC and PLUS power supply

Preamp: Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amp in dedicated Preamp mode

Amps: Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra; Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated in dedicated Amplifier mode; Exogal Ion PowerDAC (used exclusively with Comet DAC)

Integrated: Redgum Audio Articulata; Kinki Studio EX-M1+

Speakers: Legacy Audio DSW Clarity Edition; Kings Audio King III electrostatic speakers; Pure Audio Project Trio15 10” Coaxial version and Horn1 version; Kings Audio King Tower omnidirectional; Aspen Acoustics Grand Aspen; Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Monitors

Subwoofers: Perlisten D212s Subwoofers

IC’s: Iconoclast RCA and XLR Generation 2 with Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper conductors; TEO Liquid Splash-Rs and Splash-Rc; TEO Liquid Standard MkII; Clarity Cable Organic RCA

Speaker Cables: TEO Cable Standard Speaker; Snake River Audio Signature Series Speaker Cables;

Digital Cables: Clarity Cable Organic Digital; Snake River Audio Boomslang

USB: Clarity Cable Supernatural 1m;

Power Cables: Clarity Cable Vortex; Snake River Audio Signature Series; Belden BAV Power Cord

Power Conditioning: Wireworld Matrix Power Cord Extender; Tice Audio Solo

Copy editor: Dan Rubin

Manufacturer’s Comment:

The Series II speaker cable was produced in TPC and SPTPC copper only. As Kurt indicates, OFE is only available in the Series I design and really not a part of this review.

I have to tread lightly when offering explanation or opinion on both series and copper variant on our speaker cables. After all, the copper variants within series are “identical” in geometric design and “almost undistinguishable” from one another in electrical properties. From a physical standpoint they only differ in the copper conductors. Galen has been forthright beyond anyone else in the industry to share his knowledge and open book presentation on his cable designs.

The original intent on offering variations in copper was to meet price points. Good, better, best, based on copper purity. Cables were “NEVER” developed or meant to be used as “tone controls!” Early on, beta tester comments and responses made it clear that though the design was the same, the copper variants  provided a “different” presentation or sound and also made it clear that “symmetry” played an important or at least possible part of the equation.

We prefer to speak with customers and after asking questions, listen, and only then make recommendations on what might work best for them.  Audiophiles who many times have tube based systems or perhaps listen mostly to vinyl “might” benefit from one copper variant while audiophiles with largely un-dampened rooms with tile, marble, wood floors or even lots of glass might benefit from another. It’s usually our preference to send a couple of coppers for them to audition.

Of course I can always cut to the chase and simply recommend our “best” interconnects and speaker cables that almost universally find their permanent homes wherever they are sent.  And though not inexpensive, these cable assemblies represent some of the absolute best values in audio. These really are, something to be at least “auditioned!” 97% of what goes out the door never comes back!

Iconoclast products were designed by Galen Gareis, 35+year principal product engineer at Belden utilizing the “world-class” Belden Engineering and Design Center in Richmond, IN. This process involved years of effort.

Thank you again for your willingness to share your experience of our products with your readers.

Bob Howard
BJC/Iconoclast Cables