Review: Kimber PBJ Interconnect


Category: Cables

This is a near legendary interconnect. It's price to performance ratio is very high, and the parts quality is excellent, using "varistrand" high purity copper in teflon, in a three wire braid with one signal conductor and two returns. The RCA connectors are proprietary machined Kimber connectors with "ultraplate" plating. Compared to the radioshacks... well, there is no comparison. Better quality parts and design lead to better clarity, articulation, dynamics, and imaging. The Monster ICs (several shielded types) all fell short in all aspects as well, despite pricing in line with the PBJ. These were only slightly better than the radioshacks, and not worth the price at all. The PBJ sounded very fast and open, and seems to be quite revealing. Unfortunately, many systems may have their harsh qualities revealed, and a warmer IC may help mask these problems better than the PBJ, but in a system that can handle it, these are excellent low cost RCAs. They do not compare to the Kimber Select line, nor should they, being WAY less expensive. These are, as a reputed reviewer says, reference wire you can afford. They are great, and the wire is of such high quality that you don't even think of upgrading just to get better materials, unless you're going to silver. Very good cable indeed.

Associated gear
B&W DM 605 s2
Bottlehead ForePlay
EAD DSP-1000 DAC

Similar products
Low level Monster products, Radioshack gold, DIY
badman
Hi Badman,

Just read your review on the PBJ. You have a good cable in the PBJ. I was in the market for budget cables some time back & the PBJ showed up on my radar too. I listened to it @ a Kimber dealer. It sounded good. Then the dealer told me to hang on & he went behind the rack & switched the cables to the Kimber Hero. We heard the same music once again & what a difference in the sound!! Unbelievable is the word! What the PBJ did, the Hero trumped it in spades - the PBJ's bass was a bit fat, the Hero cleaned it up. Better mid-range articulation & more space & air around the instruments w/ the Hero. Great high freq. extensions too. The increase in cost was just marginal - he sold me the Hero for $125 brand new. I believe that the PBJ is in the $80 range? Well, I have seen Hero's on Audiogon in the $80-90 range used so it really isn't t-h-a-t expensive. If I may suggest, you would greatly benefit from the Hero in your system. BTW, I have the B&W DM604S2 so I know your speaker sound quite well.

BTW, TAS had a shoot-out review in Nov of a bunch of cables in the $100-$200 range & Kimber's Hero & Synergistic Research's interconnects came up on top. Here is a link to that review. You can read the abstract for free but the actual review will cost you $3!!

http://www.avguide.com/product/Interconnects/Accessories/Kimber_Kable_/Hero/2361.jsp

Just my 2 cents worth.

Regards
Bombaywalla.
I would agree,bang for the buck and a pretty revealing interconnect.I use them in my H.T.setup and 2nd stereo system.Can reveal harshness with certain types of music or CDs.All in all I like this interconnect.