Excerpted from Audiophilia Online

On The High Wire

The Kimber PBJ/4TC, Wireworld Polaris III, and NBS King/Serpent II Interconnects and Loudspeaker Cables

by Blair Roger

Rock Bottom

I used to work in the Financial District. Some of the oldest parts of the city are only a few blocks away and I discovered an electronics surplus store close enough that I could easily spend my lunch hours browsing there. They sold everything from complete sets of dental instruments to NIB/NOS Decca Dustbugs, to scary rubber feet. At least, that's what the label on the bin said. My favorite part of the store was the basement, where there were rows of dusty Hammond transformers, bins of Krell-style heat sinks, shiny steel ball bearings as big as marbles, and of course, the wire.

They had all kinds of it: foil shielded coaxial, four conductor Teflon insulated wire, high speed data communications wire, flat ribbon cable, many types of antique hook-up wire, and even some stuff that those alleged to be working there couldn't identify. The best part was that it was outrageously cheap. So cheap, in fact, that I could bi-wire my whole system and make interconnects too for about $8.00. And that was for the exotic type that appeared to have been custom made for some big name high-tech firm.

I had a l lot of fun with all that wire, but I'm not really sure that it made my music sound better. I particularly remember a shotgun affair I dreamed up that featured a 32 awg. solidcore, pink Kynar insulated conductor spiraled around a Teflon coated multi-stranded silver-plated copper wire. It looked great but it made my Dyna 70 amp sound like it was gagging. This wasn't at all what I had hoped for - I had more the siren song of the Lorelei in mind, and I realized finally that I would have to set my sights higher than the basement to find musical bliss...

...[NBS King/Serpent II Interconnects] The Real Thing: Part III

NBS (Nothing But Signal) is certainly among the more enigmatic cable manufacturers in existence. But I can understand that. They don't want to give any secrets away.

Their prices can be stratospheric too. They have a very wide range of cables and recommend selection based on the approximate value of the rest of the system. In my case that meant the King/Serpent II speaker cables and interconnects, which are about the middle of their product line at about $1800.00 for each 8-foot (2.5 m) pair.

I had a bit of a wait as the cables are made to order and tested individually. The actual construction can vary for a given model depending on the length required. Mine arrived in due course packaged in zippered black canvas sacks. The King/Serpent lls are brilliant crimson and a bit stiff. The spade lugs on the cables are very robust and of high quality. The RCA plugs on the interconnects cling to the jacks with an absolute death-grip. All their wire incorporates a Passive Frequency Inductance Network (PFIN) and unconventional use of silver shielding and unique wire weave patterns. The purpose for this is to minimize the effects of RFI and EMI in the cable. The result is said to be the achievement of a dramatically lowered noise floor, maximal dynamic range, and the ultimate in information retrieval.

Walter Fields, President of NBS Audio Cables and the company's chief designer, sounds like the Edgar Cayce of audio. It is said that he "pictures" (dreams?) what he wants his cables to sound like and then he goes about creating that sound. I believe it.

The [NBS King/Serpent II Loudspeaker Cables] King/Serpent ll is on a different plane of performance from what I might call simply "wire". It is beyond wire. It is mystical and enchanting. Again, take the mono recording of My Funny Valentine by the Miles Davis Quintet. I played this cut and then replaced my regular interconnects with a pair of King/Serpent ll. The typically narrow mono image between the ESL-63s became wider and deeper. That was a surprise so I decided to install the King/Serpent ll speaker cables and start over. The mono image changed in character: again, wider and deeper but now the musicians were spread out in space almost like a purist miked stereo recording. In addition, I began to notice that the leading edge of transients were subtly relieved of the hardness I now realize to be a cable distortion. None of the drama or impact of the music was lost. If anything, the music was more dynamic and more free-breathing - not softened - but more subtly and gently detailed. The music sounded more natural.

I can't explain why, but it seems that these cables really are somehow quieter than others. I have the conviction that there is less internal interference with the signal. They even seem to settle faster after a transient so that there is less residual noise in the system. Less is more: more music, that is.

The King/Serpent lls reveal a richness and fullness in certain recordings I had considered almost unlistenable in the past. Take, for example, a French re-issue of Herbie Hancock's classic Maiden Voyage [Blue Note 84195]. I did not enjoy listening to this album when I reviewed the Waveform Mach 17 loudspeakers in the fall of 1997. Now the opening chords of side one thrilled me with a feeling of restless anticipation of the voyage. I was immersed in the music as Freddie Hubbard's uniquely warm and gently buzzing Flugelhorn appeared to my left, and painted an image of the musician's spirit in the air. To the right, George Coleman joined in on Tenor and the picture was complete. I mused, is it possible that Tony Williams could ever play the drumkit better, more gently or with more nuance than this?

I don't want you to think that this wire is designed to make bad records sound better. There is nothing euphonic about it. NBS wire just reveals what is on the disk without adding distortions of its own. I've listened many times to the early recording of Manuel Barrueco, Guitar [VOX Turnabout TV 34738]. I had noted previously that this album of guitar suites by Albeniz and Granados seemed to have been recorded in a large hall, but I could not distinguish much beyond that. With the full set of King/Serpent lls in place, several things came to light. First, the recording was made in a school gymnasium. I could hear children playing in the hallway outside. Second, and most surprising, the guitar suite had not been recorded in one session as I had thought. It was very evident now that at least two sessions, each with different microphone positioning, had been required to get a complete take. The differences between the cuts were very clear: a different day, a different mike setup, and a completely different sound from the same location.

This is powerful wire. It will bring out the best qualities in your system: qualities that will surprise and possibly amaze you. Is it the best? I can't answer that question. I can only tell you that I'm completely infatuated with the way this wire brings my music to life.

King/Serpent II Loudspeaker Cable and Interconnect Manufactured by NBS Audio Cables
155 Fifth Avenue South Suite 150, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
Phone: (800) 627-0204, fax: (612) 339-8750
web: http://www.nbscables.com
e-mail: nbscable@nbscables.com
Source of review sample: Manufacturer Loan