Review: Jade Audio Reference Pure Solid Gold Reference Interconnect
Category: Cables
Jade Audio Reference Pure Solid Gold Reference Interconnect
Before I start my review of this excellent entertainer, let me explain how the Jade Audio Reference line of cables come to life….
The Reference line of audio cables is the flagship line for Jade Audio, LLC in Minnesota. They offer a full line of Reference RCA and XLR interconnects as well as Reference speaker cables. All Jade Audio Reference Solid Gold cables use 99.99% pure solid gold wire exclusively. The Reference Solid Gold/Platinum cable uses 99.99% pure solid gold and 99.99% pure solid platinum wire exclusively. The positive conductor for the Reference Solid Gold cable consists of three strands of 30 and 28 gauge wire sleeved in unbleached natural cotton dielectric. The negative conductor consists of four strands of 24-30 gauge wires sleeved in unbleached natural cotton dielectric. These conductors are then sleeved in Teflon tubing to minimize wire breakage. The positive and negative conductors are held ¾” apart from one another as specified in Jade Audio’s patented design. This assembly is then wrapped again in a natural unbleached cotton surround and finally sleeved in carbon fiber. Jade Audio cables are terminated using screw type connectors to avoid the use of impure solder. The cable I asked Jade to develop uses Furutech carbon fiber connectors. In other Reference cables Jade Audio have incorporated Bocchino connectors which are their standard connector choice for the Reference line.
I hope you are still with me here. On to their performance now!
I swapped the GE 6L6 tubes for Telefunken EL34 tubes and hooked up the Jade Audio Reference between the Audio Synthesis Passion passive attenuator and my Quicksilver Audio tube amplifier. I let the cable settle for a few days and then it was time to do some serious listening.
I almost forgot how good my system sounded! I pulled out some of my favourite CDs and they just sounded awesome. I didn’t think the cable used between a passive attenuator and power amplifier would make a huge difference, but I thought wrong! The result was nothing short of jaw-dropping.
It’s quite remarkable how much atmosphere there is, how much air around voices and instruments. The soundstage is huge. I didn't know my little studio loudspeakers were capable of producing such deep bass. I was a little reluctant to put on a Telefunken recording of Strauss music thinking I might blow up the speakers. The record is a live recording from Vienna, and during the track “Auf der Jagd polka” a musician fires a real rifle. Moonya and I ducked behind the couch, both looking for cover. Then she looked at me and I saw her thinking: don't ever do that again when I'm in the same room with you. You could have at least given me a warning! Moonya is my Scottish Fold cat, my little muse. Because of her folded ears, I always joke that her ears are based according to the “Folded Ear Principle”.
These Reference cables do carry a rather heavy price-tag, and with the price of gold being so high, you’ll have to dig deep into your wallet. There are alternatives though. Jade Audio offers the Vermeil and the Hybrid. I have tried both, and both are equally impressive. The Reference is just amazing. I do not think it’s possible to find a cable that comes even close to its performance. You owe it to yourself to listen to Jade Audio’s range of cables before you try anything else. If you can afford the References, you’ll never listen to another cable again. I cannot praise this cable enough, listening to this cable is an extremely as-close-to-the-live-performance-as-you-can-get experience. Highly recommended!
Associated gear
Audio Synthesis Passion
Audio Synthesis Transcend Decade
Audio Synthesis DAX-2
Quicksilver Audio Silver Sixty
TDL studio monitor loudspeakers
