Topic: Review : Transparent Cable The Link 200 interconnect / The Wave 200 speaker

[netken]

The links that bind

By his own reckoning, it’s been a while since cables have gotten MK CHONG all excited and storming, but then, he didn’t expect these ones to be such see-through items ...

AS much as one might try otherwise, there’s little denying that cables form an integral part of one’s audio system. However, more often than not, as some of my friends have demonstrated, people tend to be less than enthusiastic when the issue of cables and other peripherals come up.

These same friends, cash flush from the benevolent whims of the bull market (note: this was pre-crisis, of course) had sought my counsel on their fledgling systems. With aspirations of grandeur they would throw caution to the wind. So, great, they enthused, the Brit-integrated-Italian speaker combo sounded pretty good. It’s a done deal, then. Cables? Sure ... they cost how much?! Choke! Cough! Splutter! (Imagine, if you please, a cat trying vehemently to expel a lemon-sized hairball and you’d be spot on).
Look closely, and you will see, that we sound really pretty, because of our transparency .… Transparent’s The Link 200 interconnects are musically sound.

Somehow, for the seemingly innocuous, when it came to cables, somewhere between four-figure components and the price of CD was where the Heimlich manoeuvre would have been required. To be sure, cables accord relatively lower bragging rights-for-the-ringgit claims than say, a glowing 300B single-ended triode job sitting on a granite pedestal. We have to admit that for most, the towering three-way speakers speaks volumes of their testosterone-drenched personae.

Nevertheless, it has been said that the potential of one’s system is only as great as the weakest link. Touché!

Evidently, the chaps over at Transparent Cable caught on to this notion pretty early on. With a history dating back to the early 1980s, TC has chocked more than a few notches under its belt and has long been recognised for its expertise in the design and manufacturing of quality audio cables.
Transparent, and on a budget

Though not inexpensive, the review sample cables on hand – The Link 200 interconnect and The Wave 200 speaker cables – form the house’s most cost effective options featuring its “black box” Transparent Network. Allusions of budget gear aside, these two products incorporate the very same technological and design traits found in the more advanced and coveted upper-end Transparent cables.

Conductors for both cables comprise high purity oxygen-free copper sheathed in polypropylene dielectric. In line with TC’s design philosophies, the precision extruded multi-strand conductors are precision wound and optimised for length – the issue of length is a curious but convincing leitmotif on Transparent’s web page (www.transparentcable.com).

These “black boxes” form a primary design cornerstone for the cables. Inside these sealed plastic packs reside Transparent’s proprietary passive electrical networks, which work to reject spurious noise. These junction boxes are hand customised and calibrated for each specific length.
How about the sound?

BEFORE we move further on, let me just cut to the chase – these cables get two thumbs up. Though these cables work well individually, they seem to have a nurtured synergistic relationship and work exceptionally well together. Most of the following references shall therefore refer to the cables together.

A trait that becomes quite evident once the cables have had some time to burn-in is the incremental darkness of the soundstage. As if your windscreen was just buffed to high lustre, the TC cables exhibit a credible fine texture. The noise floor is taken a notch or two down, but this allows a lot more detail to surface. Though it may seem a touch bright, the openness of the upper-mids and highs will eventually overcome initial reactions. Nuances and microdynamics become more evident and realistic. Bass extension is decent but very well articulated in terms of deftness and dynamics.

However, this level of transparency (uh, sorry for the pun!) highlights all sorts of component idiosyncrasies and mismatches that could be present upstream. If your source equipment sucks, the TC combi will rat on them straight away.

Build quality is top-notch. It may not be a well-known fact but up to 1992, Transparent developed, manufactured, and marketed Music Interface Technologies cables. Yes, the one and the same MIT (note the similar application of in situ “mystery boxes,” hmm?).

If not for the matte external sheath, it would be a hands-down winner. Splitting fine hairs? No, not really. Cables with matte exteriors (like my AudioQuest Midnight IIs) attract just way too much dust and grime. It’s fine when it’s new but a pain when it’s been lying behind your equipment for any length of time. Remember that both cables come only in a charming shade of cream.

Am I rushing up the ramparts, raising the battle cry and emboldening all and sundry to go out and spend their last dollar on these gems? Well, no.

Nonetheless, these TC cables do pose significant bang-for-the-buck. Do note, though, that they work better together than if used individually. You may also find that with the incisiveness of these cables you may need that long-contemplated equipment upgrade sooner than you had originally thought. Caveat emptor.

Model: Transparent Cable The Link 200 interconnect / The Wave 200 speaker cable

Price: RM499 per one metre pair and RM999 per 8ft pair respectively

Distributed by TONG LEE COMPANY (Tel: 05-691-1049), 13/14 Jalan Lekir, Kampung Koh, 32000 Sitiawan, Perak. Also (Tel: 03-241-4366 / 248-4366), FF-005-009-010, First Floor, Bukit Bintang Plaza, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

For: Transparency (sorry again!); neutrality; clean bass; dynamics; works better with their like; anti-garden hose – very flexible cables for upper-mid category.

Against: Natty cream matte sheath will be crud magnet.

Source : http://202.186.86.35/audio/story.asp?file=/2001/8/30/audiofile/30trans

[built]

Ken,
Update! Tong Lee is no longer the distributor as reported on The Star.
However, the price remains pretty much remain the same. Except that
Perfect Hifi dosen't stock any 8 footer. Probably, on order basis.


http://transparentcable.com/resources/dealers/malaysia.html
(Clarity AV Pte Ltd is the Authority Distributor of Transparent)

[netken]

the wave 200 is also known as the link 200 .. and it looks like this now :



Currently using them and i love them ... true to the reviews ... :D

[built]

any possibility for an audition?

[mnkh27]

Link = Interconnect/RCA Cable
Wave = Speaker Cables

[netken]

any possibility for an audition?

anytime man ... just gimme a call .. :D

[mnkh27]

annoucement:

At Audio Creations we have 1m pair, 1.5m pair, 2m pair and 4m pair Transparent TL200 at clearance prices. Call us 0123315669. While stocks last. We are looking to move soon. Help us move light. :)