[KevinW]

Jena Labs Review and Cable Audition

Jena Labs produces a huge array of cables, with a wide range of prices.  All cables have the characteristics of being extremely neutral and un-colored, near-perfect frequency balance, and excellent detail and imaging.  Price points start from the first cable upgrade past Ratshack/Monster (~$150), up through stratospheric, and it is the upper range of the line that get a lot of press.  However, the lower end of the line represents outstanding value for the price point, and these cables will consistently outperform similarly priced cables.  

The characteristics of the cables available for demo are described below.  Please see the next post for details on the demo cables available.  In this post, I want to highlight the differences between cables, so that you can determine where you fall in terms of desired sonic benefits vs. budget constraints.



The image above shows from left to right:
Soloist  (22ga core w/ shield)
Trio (3 strands of 18ga braided)
Fugue (5 strands of 18ga braided)
Symphony (7 strands of 18ga braided)
Dream Dancer (19 strands of 18ga braided)

What do all those strands of copper do?  More copper means more of the audio signal is contained within the copper, and thus is transmitted purely.  With thin cables, a large part of electric energy is actually transmitted by the electric field in the air and dielectric around the cable, where it is subject to interference.  This is the reason why some people swear by cable lifters.  More copper keeps the signal inside the conductor and thus more micro-details are transmitted un-smeared.  My experience is that this principle really works, and the fatter cables are quite addictive.

Soloist  $130 for 3’ pair
The baseline for the review.  As mentioned above, these cables are extremely neutral with no added sonic coloration.  Bass is strong, but not bloated in any way, and detail and imaging are excellent.  These are very solid performers, and I would like to get some reviews against similarly priced cables.

Trio  $330 for 3’ pair
The first braided cable, the Trio adds huge amount of detail to the Soloist, which tends to smear some of the micro-dynamics in comparison.  The Trio just sounds like a veil has been lifted upon the music, with the natural accurate reproduction of how instruments and voices sound becoming apparent. Subtle differences between instruments are suddenly much more apparent, which helps tighten the soundstage as your brain becomes able to distinguish each instrument and singer.  This is the primary benefit of upgrading from Trio to Symphony.

Fugue  $700 for 3’ pair
What a difference two more strands of wire make!  Everything is improved upon from the Trio.  Bass is tighter and individual bass lines are more distinct, highs are sweeter and more detailed, and the natural uncolored reproduction of music is even more noticeable.  However, the big leap in sonic benefit comes from the extreme micro-dynamic detail.  Hall ambience of live music is very easy to hear, giving the music much more presence and life, and the harmonic richness of every instrument is brought to the forefront.  Harmonics are the spice of life, folks.  Being able to hear the harmonics like never before is the benefit of the Fugue, and I have found that music is just so much more involving when this level of detail is present.

I’ll pause the review for a moment to offer my opinion that the radical leaps in performance between cable models is over.  The higher priced cables still have leaps in performance, but the realm of diminishing returns for dollars now exists.  The Fugue represents outstanding value, and is somewhat overlooked.  If your budget allows, definitely consider using Fugue.

Symphony $1100 for 3’ pair
This cable is a noticeable improvement on the Fugue in a very revealing system. Harmonic micro-details are even more apparent, and the overall presentation is more relaxed.  A hint of strident overtones is reduced, which had the effect of holding the mind slightly on edge.  With the Symphony, it is even easier to “relax into the music” where your consciousness becomes melded to the music.  If this sounds hokey, well some feelings are hard to describe in English.  

Dream Dancer $8500 for 3’ pair
Jena Labs loaned me this cable for a couple of weeks, and I didn’t want to give it back. The benefits vs. the Symphony were quite apparent, although not a huge leap as from Trio to Fugue.  Harmonic richness and presence were improved, and the music sounded even more relaxed, airy and inviting.  I was able to hear details in the music that I had never heard before.  Removing the Dream Dancer and going back to Symphony didn’t produce any obvious change, because these kind of sonic benefits are noticeable in their lack.  But going back to Dream Dancer from Symphony suddenly made me realize that there was now detail that was missing before.

Equipment used for this review:
Amp: Solar Fusion class D prototype
Speakers:  Solar 1.0
Source: Audio Aero Capitole MKII
Speaker cables:  Jena Labs Symphony (22 strands 18ga copper per speaker)

[KevinW]

Audition Guidelines
The following are the guidelines for the free in home demo of Jena Labs cables:

The demo period is limited to one week but may be extended to two weeks upon request to allow others in the area the opportunity to hear them. Allowing as many people as possible to hear the cables before they are shipped to the next destination is encouraged.

Solar Hi-fi also asks that you post your impressions of these cables in one or more of the more popular audio oriented message boards and encourage posting feedback in as many audio forums you like. Customer feedback is our most valuable form of advertising and it keeps us from having to launch expensive ad campaigns through other advertising avenues that would force us to increase the price of our products.

Please list your associated equipment, and feel free to use any others cables as a baseline for comparisons.

The value of these cables must be secured with a credit card while they are in your possession. You will be held responsible for our product while it is in your possession. So, please be careful not to damage them in any way. No charges will be made on your credit card unless there is some sort of incidental damage.

These have been packaged in such a way as to minimize the possibility of any shipping damage. The cables are packed in a padded Pelican box, which in turn is packaged in a cardboard box. Carefully unpack these, as they must be repackaged in the same manner as they were received. If there is any visible damage please report it immediately to Solar Hifi.

After your audition period please carefully repackage them, and take them to your local UPS facility for shipping back to Solar Hifi.  We do ask that you cover the shipping cost to the return shipping cost, and (this is very important) you must insure them for the total retail cost of the cables to cover the cost of accidental loss or destruction during shipping. Then send a copy of the UPS tracking number (ask UPS for it) to Solar Hifi (via e-mail) so it can be tracked.

Sample units are not for sale. These burned in units must be sent to the next destination or returned to Solar Hifi.

To audition Jena Labs cables, you must replace all wire in your signal path with demo’d cables.  The absence of sonic signature from Jena Labs means that only one pair could reveal only the limitations of the non-Jena cable still in the system.  Speaker cables from Jena Labs are not required, but are highly recommended.

For analog interconnects, there is one 3’ pair, and one 5’ or 7’ pair.  This is to accommodate audiophiles who use monoblocks.  The sonic degradation of a 7’ cable in a non-monoblock system is negligible.

To request an audition, please indicate the cables that interest you.  Also, please tell me how your system is currently configured and what components will be used in the comparison.  

The retail cost of each cable is listed below so that you can calculate the total amount that will be authorized on your credit card during the demo.

Analog Interconnects
Soloist 3’ ($130)
Soloist 5’ ($170)
Trio Plus 3’ ($330)
Trio Plus 5’ ($394)
Fugue 3’ ($700)
Fugue 5’  ($840)
Symphony 3’  ($1100)
Symphony 7’  ($1540)

Digital Interconnects
Trio Digi-link  3’ ($165)
Fugue Digi-link 3’ ($350)
Symphony Digi-link 3’ ($550)

Speaker Cables
Siamese 4 10’ ($740)  has four 18ga conductors per speaker
Gamma 6 8’ ($900)  has six 18ga conductors per speaker

If the cable length you need is not listed, please contact me.  Also, let me know if you are interested in a cable that is not listed.  Information on the video cable demos will be posted in a couple of weeks.