Chris makes good cables, Iam not surprise ..
Black Cat Cable's/Coppertone wires are amazing good!
I had recently borrowed from Mike Kay (Audio Archon), who is a retailer of Black Cat Cables, a full loom of the entry level Coppertone IC's and speaker wire. The Coppertone IC's retail for $200 a pair and a ten foot run of the speaker wire costs $350. Damn reasonable, indeed. The materials and quality of build is as good as any cable I have had in my house for review, regardless of cost. If you want all the details regarding the theory behind these wires you can go to the Black Cat Cable website and read the four superlative reviews on the Coppertone model.
The first aspect that strike me was the beauty of this cable at producing beautiful timbres and colors in the tonality of different instruments. Next, was a vanishing noise floor that allowed the smallest micro-details to be clearly heard. The Coppertone loom was very balanced throughout all frequencies with an excellent airy top end and a taut/accurate bottom end. Sound-staging was excellent in height/width/depth and layering/placement of individual instruments was precise in this acoustic space.
Finally, the Coppertone cables took my whole system's ability to render a sense of relaxation/ease without out losing any speed, micro-dynamics, or punch was at a higher level then compared to my reference cables. I have always had a very high level of liquidity in my system. However, these wires are not just "silky" in their overall presentation, but allowed me to relax into the music and connect with it in an emotional manner that was quite delightful.
Please remember the Coppertone cables are not just good for the money, but are reference level performers that compete with cables that are dramatically more expensive.
The first aspect that strike me was the beauty of this cable at producing beautiful timbres and colors in the tonality of different instruments. Next, was a vanishing noise floor that allowed the smallest micro-details to be clearly heard. The Coppertone loom was very balanced throughout all frequencies with an excellent airy top end and a taut/accurate bottom end. Sound-staging was excellent in height/width/depth and layering/placement of individual instruments was precise in this acoustic space.
Finally, the Coppertone cables took my whole system's ability to render a sense of relaxation/ease without out losing any speed, micro-dynamics, or punch was at a higher level then compared to my reference cables. I have always had a very high level of liquidity in my system. However, these wires are not just "silky" in their overall presentation, but allowed me to relax into the music and connect with it in an emotional manner that was quite delightful.
Please remember the Coppertone cables are not just good for the money, but are reference level performers that compete with cables that are dramatically more expensive.
43 responses Add your response
Hey Bon, No, the Coppertone loom is in the big downstairs system. Just remember how much you enjoyed that system, with these wires everything is better, plus this subjective aspect of just relaxing almost like hearing what a great SET amp offers without losing dynamics. The PS system's wires are very good, but these Black Cat cables are at a higher level. There's no doubt that I'll be purchasing a full run for this system too. |
What a coincidence as I was just looking at their site yesterday.I'm going to add a second subwoofer and hook them up directly from the amp rather than from the preamp as they are now.I'm using Clearday now which I really like, but since Paul is out of the biz now the hunt ensues. Teajay in your opinion would using the Cleardays on either the speakers (Tektons) or the subs(SVS) along with another brand be detrimental?I'm always up for saving a few $ but not if it's going to sound like hades:) |
I have both Coppertone interconnects and Coppertone speaker cables. They are seriously good and I agree wholeheartedly with Teejay. I have also had a variety of other cables in and out of my system through the years at all price points and I have over the past couple of months directly compared the Coppertones to Cardas Golden Reference (IC's and spkr cables) and A23 (IC's and spkr cables). I have sold the Cardas and I'm on the fence between the Coppertones and the A23. I presently have both tube(Leben) and solid state(Pass) amplifiers and likely will always keep both topologies around. If you don't require balanced connections(since he doesn't make a balanced Coppertone), these are seriously terrific cables and Chris was exceptional to deal with. |
Hi jtcf, I strongly believe what speaker wire you use to drive your subs does not have to match the wire you use for your main speakers. However, to drive your main speakers, if I got it right they are Tekton Speakers, the Black Cat Cables would give you a superlative improvement over the Clearday cables. |
I have pretty much a complete Black Cat Cable loom in both of my systems and yes they are very good. I too play in the shallow end with the copper cables such as The Tube and the 3200 series. I do find it funny that Teajay gives Coppertone a rave review while his new boss Srajan said he didn't have a system low budget enough to use Coppertone. |
Comparisons please I love the way my system sounds but u know how it is , we can’t ever stop. My weakest link is my interconnects but I only say weakest because of the price not because of the sound. I am using Shunyata venom between my modded bel canto dac and my LFD NCSE amp driving my harbeth super hl5. |
Just got my Coppertone speaker cables today.They've only been running for a couple of hours but they sound great right away.Compared to the Clear Days(R.I.P. Paul) they are so far subtlety 'liquid' as teajay noted.Also a little more air around each instrument and vocalist,a bit deeper soundstage.They don't favor any one frequency and are neutral in that regard.Very,very nice! They feed Tekton Impact Monitors from an Aric Audio Transcend Push Pull amp.When they settle in over the next few weeks I'll update for whoever is curious. |
Yo Teajay! Goodonya man! I have a Stereovox XV1 digital cable. A bit too detailed and maybe a little harsh sounding. However, I have no doubt Chris can work some magic with copper. I spoke with him personally and the dude knows his sh*t. I think you just made some audiophiles on a budget mucho happy. Keep up the good work man! BTW, in speaking with Chris he clued me in to running banana jumpers in addition to my shotgun biwire cables (spades). Yes, you read that right. I was skeptical but I tried it, and DAMN he was dead on balls right. My bass tightened up and soundstage was expanded. I won’t listen without those jumpers anymore. Try it! It’s an uber cheap and effective tweak! Have Chris make you some. |
I have heard the Coppertone cables, they are as everyone is saying...superb cables at very reasonable prices. There are a couple of rave reviews here: http://fairhedon.com/2019/01/16/black-cat-cable-coppertone-interconnects-and-speaker-cable%EF%BB%BF/ |
I don't own Coppertones but I have a full loom of Black Cat copper cables in both systems: Redlevel Coeur speaker cables The Tube! interconnects 3202 interconnects 3232 speaker cables I don't see any of these models any more in the lineup since Chris has relocated back to the USA, but they are all copper. If I had to start over again I would go with Coppertone. I also use one his old Stereolab Master Reference digital cables. I don't think about cables any more since I bought them. If Chris made a power cable I'd probably buy that too. |
Has anyone compared these Coppertone cables (or any other Black Cat) to Duelund Wire ICs? IME the Duelund wire (w/ Duelund plugs) have an excellent organic flow, tone (of course), and present the entire recorded ambient space with realistic volume scaling of the frequency spectrum—accentuating nothing. Might these similarly priced IC’s perform similarly, even though there is teflon and nylon used? |
@yping Just noticed your question about the Nordost comparison. I own several Nordost cables....and consider them as my reference. When I compared the Nordost Frey cables to the Coppertones, what I was surprised at was how extremely close the two sound. The Frey cables are slightly more dynamic sounding and slightly more extended in the very top frequencies, but we are talking very small differences here! Compared to the Tyr cables that I own, same differences, but more expansion of the dynamic envelope compared to Frey and The Coppertone cables! Considering the major price difference between the two brands, that is a major achievement for the Black Cat Coppertone cables, IMO. |
I just added a Black Cat Silverstar Power Cord to my system. My initial impression after just a few minutes of listening....WOW!! This cable is just the 'cat's meow'!! ( pun intended!). Now after a weeks run in, the cable is even slightly better, which means that it has easily seen off the likes of the Synergistic Tungsten, Audience SE, Cardas Clear power cords that I was using. The Black Cat Silverstar Power Cord is a MUST audition...highly recommended! |
@veroguy I have not heard the Coppertone vs the 3232’s. I now also own a pair of Silverstar interconnects and can compare those to the Coppertone ic’s. The Silverstar are indeed a step up from Coppertone...mainly in their bass resolving ability and in their dynamic capability. We are NOT talking of large differences here...as the Coppertone is a tremendous cable with little left on the table. However, with the Silverstar, one does get more of what I stated-and a cable that made me sell a well thought of multi thousand $$ piece ( which will go unsaid here--and no, it was not Nordost!) If you are looking to upgrade your Signal cable...Black Cat is a no-brainer! |
The reason I said I would go with Coppertone if starting over is that the first Black Cat cables I bought from Chris was the Redlevel Couer speaker cables, which was his entry level speaker cable at the time. Those cables are still in a system that gets played every day and I have no desire to swap them out. I do have 3202 speaker cables that I use in my other system. Honestly I don't hear a lot of difference between the 3202 and the Couers, which I'm guessing are similar in construction to Coppertones. |
I received my Coppertone IC yesterday and I’ve only listened for a couple of hours but they’re really good! I played Bill Evans -Waltz for Debby and heard coughing and murmuring in the background that I hadn’t heard before. Cymbals sound lifelike the bass is more articulate albeit slightly leaner, perhaps more accurate compared to my previous transparent IC. I agree with above mentioned impressions namely: airy top end, micro details, tonal richness, taut bass. It’s a great cable and easily sounds much more than what it costs. Question: how long did it take for full break in? |
I believe the Coppertone's benefit from break-in. After 10-12 hours of use, the sound opened up a bit more. Out of the box, it was already open and airy sounding but yesterday it seems to have settled in and it sounds amazing! The IC cable it replaced (Transparent) was already pretty good but the Coppertone bettered it. Notes and voices hang in the air longer, better micro details as well. I agree with what's been said that it's a superb cable. I'm looking to complete the loom in the near future. |
I've had the Black Cat Coppertone speaker cables in my system for about 6 weeks now. I'm happy with the results in my system - a confirmed upgrade over the Signal Cable Silver Resolutions. Especially in the high frequencies. The Coppertones have the same level of detail, but don't over-emphasize the high frequencies. Last summer, I had purchased a new coax digital cable, the Sablon Panatela, which has received excellent reviews for dynamics and details. It was unlistenable in my system - excellent dynamics and inner detail, but the highs were a airy, bright and edgy mess. After about a month of using the Coppertones, I put the Sablon coax back in the system. Aha! There's what everyone was talking about. I think I just had a lesson in "synergy"... Anyways, great cables. Thanks to everyone for your insights. |
OK, seriously late to this thread but I wanted to add my praise for the Coppertone Flatwave ic's. The level of detail they provide is stunning. It can be overwhelming at first listen because when first installed they tend to sound a bit edgy. After around 30 hours that edginess is gone and the cables continue to bloom to where they are are seriously musical. The spatial characteristics; staging, and instrumental separation are also just outstanding and add to the very enjoyable listening experience. They perform far above what is expected at their price point. The next cable on Chris' site is about 3 times the cost of the Coppertone Flatwaves, just to show the company they keep. Well, it is evident that I am very well pleased with the purchase of these ic's. Just outstanding! |
Not to take anything away at all from the Coppertone cables, which are as described above, BUT the new line from Chris; the Graceline cable...are a major step up! I replaced my Silverstar cables with Graceline 1...the difference is quite obvious and very much more musical. If the Graceline cables are in your budget, i highly recommend them. Anyhow, now back to the Coppertone's. |
