KCI Silkworm+ VS Gabriel Gold interconnects

I am late to the party in terms of discovering KCI silkworm cables. There are so many "homegrown" cables on the market today that are being touted as being great that I've tuned out the hype and stayed away from auditioning any of them. I only tried KCI cables after a fellow A-goner and friend coerced me into giving them a try. Boy, am I glad I did!

I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER had an interconnect take my system to a level like this on its own...all by itself! The sound I'm getting is incredible, out worldly, crazy, crazy good! It excels in SO many areas I don't know where to start! Let me detail what I'm hearing:

-A livelier pace and rhythm that keeps your foot tapping all through the song!
-Along with this comes great bass detail and depth. I'm hearing bass lines as well as detail in the bass I never heard before.
-The way it organizes and separates instruments in the soundstage, fully delineating and unraveling complex musical lines so you can hear each instrument and exactly what its doing in the background!
-Vocals, vocal, vocals! What air and naturalness. It opens the vocal up so you can hear everything! its organic, palpable and natural sounding with a touch of air and breathiness.
-The extra detail is phenomenal and its across the entire frequency range not just in one area. I'm hearing things in the mid-range that my other ic's just weren't able to resolve and send to my speaker cables.
-A relaxation to the entire presentation but again with great PRAT and flow. Just unbelievable.
-The treble is just lovely. Brushes on the snare drum are finely textured, you can hear the individual strands. Tingly these like triangles just pop!

Not only is this cable great in terms of checking off all of the "audiophile qualities" we crave, its just down right enjoyable to listen to!

The only other cable type component I've ever had in my system that produced sonic improvements of the same magnitude (actually to a greater magnitude) was the Elrod Gold statement version 2 power cord. That was akin to adding a reference component in my system. But its 3 x the price of the KCI silkworm + so it should give better performance.

My highest compliments to John Prator at KCI. Great product!

Hello Shinn aj,

I wanted to chime in here to clarify a few things if I may. First off I'd like to say thank you for your interest in our cables, much appreciated. My hat is off to everyone participating in this thread; it's really nice to see a KCI vs GG vs Jade thread that is so fair and civil-thank you.

The changes made from the standard Silkworms to the Mk II were just a natural progression over time as we were able to acquire better components and improve our building techniques. A few things were changed such as larger more pure Teflon tubing and a second layer of insulation but the most important improvement was the much improved and much more robust strain relief, besides that there was really nothing earth shattering for the Mk II's honestly. As a side note; none of our cables only have techflex over just the conductors, they all have at least two different layers of insulation over the conductors before the techflex, which is just a protective covering, is applied.

The Silkworm+ came about as we wanted to improve on the standard Silkworm and hopefully be able to build a cable that would equal or even surpass our limited(and costly) Silkworm S.E. without such a high price tag. The "plus" uses all new Teflon, insulation, plugs and wire-pretty much a total redesign and has exceeded our expectations. Though the plus is larger in diameter it is still a comparatively(sp?) thin cable and very easy to manage which has always been one of our concerns.

The cables you are considering are all excellent cables IMO; Steve at GG does top notch, fantastic work and the Jades are no slouch either. Most of these cables will compete with the big guys cables costing much, much more and will offer you more "bang for your buck" so to speak.
I hope that I was able to clear up a few things for you and wish you the best in your search. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me anytime and I'd be happy to try my best to answer your questions. Have a great day!!

Sincerely,
John
KCI

Hi Shinn,
The difference between the Silkworm and the GG Revelation: I found the Silkworm to sound a bit more natural and full in my system (tube amps and pre). I also hear a bit more of the frequency extremes with the Silkworms. Both the Silkworms and the GG's have excellent build quality. Regards and good luck with the decision. BTW the Silkworm + is the 4th pair of Silkworm I have purchased in one iteration or another.

My ears agree with Arthur's. The combination of Silkworm+ interconnect and Purist Proteus Provectus tonearm cable in my system helps deliver the most natural/realistic sound I've ever heard from amplified music.

What a great reply Arthur, thanks.

Would you mind to let me know which Gabriel you owned?

Price wise, I think Silkworm+ as KCI's top-of-the-line is quite a bargain & appealing since its price almost on the same level as Gabriel's Revelation R and below Gabriel's top cables, the Rapture (their Reflection line definitely not an option).

If yours were GG Rapture and Silkworm+ performs better in your system & to your ears, then it's obvious which the winner based on price-performance ratio. But, system synergy is the most important thing, I know that.

Unfortunately, their flexible trial periods and auditioning each one of them are not great idea since my country is a "leech" where every US$50 value of imported goods would get 20% customs and not to mention tax. Sending back & forth would make me broke in no time.

Thanks Arthur.

The Silkworm + and the Gabriel are equally robust and flexible in my opinion,with the Jade being flexible, but not as robust in build. For the record my Jade cables never broke but they do need to be treated with care. I know all 3 would take good care of you if there were any build issues, but time out of system for repair is a valid consideration.

In my system and to my ears they all soundstage and image well, more alike than different I would say, but I preferred the KCI for it's more natural sound on everything and I listen to a lot of singer/songwriter type of vocal music. They delivered the most satisfying and toe-tapping sound to me. But that's my system, my ears, and my preferences, so again I would encourage you to audition them as possible.

Hi Arthur, thanks for your response, appreciate that.

Since you owned all three of them, which one do you think is more robust and durable over time?
I heard and read on some threads that Jade Audio is not so robust and easily get broken. No offense to Jade Audio, I need to do my due diligence as customer and get confirmation/opinion from fellow audiophiles.
Which of them is more flexible to bend?

In your opinion and system, which of those three you think is better for vocals and soundstage? I meant closer to reality/life-like and toe-tapping enjoyment.

Thanks Arthur.

I've owned all 3 and still own the Silkworm + with Xhadow rca connectors. They are all very good, and all 3 are really great guys to deal with. The Silkworms just sounded more natural to me in the end, and as noted above had a better presention of low end material in my system. It must be said at this point you are really getting into personal preference and taste, so what yings for someone else may yang for you, or vice versa. All three offer trial periods I believe, it woud be best to listen for yourself.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

@Orcas747: What made you replaced your GG with KCI? Any sonic/sound quality differences between your GG Rev1 and Silkworm IC? Thanks.

Still haven't made up my mind.
Anyway I found other interesting gold interconnects namely Jade Audio.
Has anyone ever listened to or had experience with Jade Audio Vermeil? How's it compared to GG and KCI?

Thanks guys.

I had the GG Rev1 IC's. I replaced them with the Silkworm IC.

Both are great cables. Steve and John are both very good guys to work with. I still have GG speaker cables which I like very much.

I have just replaced my Silkworm IC with the Silkworm +. Concur with others that the bass is fuller with more punch. Also less veiled from top to bottom in my system. (must also disclose that I went from RCA to XLR. Can't qualify what differences were produced by that change)

Thanks for your inputs guys, really appreciate that.

Regarding vocals, which one do you prefer? I like sweet, rich and lush vocals.
Any dynamic difference? Such as one is mellower than the other?

@Tvad: Thanks for your reply. I've done my due diligence all over this forum and others, but I need to decide 1 out of these 2. I know both of them are great cables, no doubt, but I'm trying to analyze any impressions in this thread and match them to my preference.

@Pani: Interesting suggestion, but I couldn't find much information upon Fusion Gold IC. Therefore I'm still more into GG or KCI. Thanks though.

Any opinions, impressions, recommendations and suggestions are welcomed. Cheers!

Look at Fusion Audio Romance IC. They too have a gold version. I currently use their copper version and I do not see myself upgrading ICs for a long long time. They do everything you are asking for and much more in terms of tone and body.

Csmgolf description of the Silkworm+ is accurate over the Silkworms but, the + bass is tighter and has more punch. The Silkworm bass was more rounded.

Steve(GG)and John(KCI)both make excellent cables. I own both. They do sound somewhat similar. I can't compare them directly the GG Reflection are RCA and the KCI Silkworms are XLR.

Maybe the GG are little more extended and the KCI fuller in the bass.

The Silkworms+ are much thicker then the regular ones but, are still flexible.

Joe

Again, as Tvad stated the differences between GG and KCI are subtle. My preference was for the Silkworm based on what I described as the differences above. These are MY observations in MY system and may not apply to you, your system or your preferences. I have never heard any cable that is light years ahead of other similarly priced cables. There have been subtle differences that I found musically important to me. With that said, the Silkworm+ is a definite improvement over the Silkworm. I liken the difference to looking thru a cleaner window. Better contrast between background and performer, more vibrancy, better tone, more 3 dimensional. The difference is subtle, but audible and worthwhile to me. Regards, Cris.

Tvad - Thanks for your response. No distinct difference between them SQ wise? Unfortunately I won't have a chance to audition them A/B in my system.
Anyway, the more flexible and more thinner jacket of Silkworm won't bring any noise floor right?

Csmgolf - Thanks Csmgolf, you are very welcomed with your own opinion since it's going to help me narrowing my decision.
Is it night & day difference to step up from Silkworm into Silkworm+? What has changed?
On the same level, which one you prefer between GG Revelation Mk1 and Silkworm? Why?
Thanks buddy.

Don't hesitate, just chime in guys! Especially those who had experience with both brands. Cheers!

I should have ended my last post with IMO. It was certainly the case to my tastes and in my system with the cables I mentioned.

I have owned both Silkworm and currently own Silkworm+. I have also owned the GG Revelation Mk1. I have never heard MK2 or rapture. Both will do what you are looking for as Tvad says. I found the mids and highs of the GG slightly more forward than either Silkworm or Silkworm+. From what I understand, Mk2 are better but I've never heard them, and am not sure what has changed about them. I would suspect that the best comparisons would be Silkworm to Revelation Mk2 and Silkworm+ to Rapture. Both of the upper end models will outperform either of the lower priced ones.