Review: Verastarr Ultra Reference Speaker cable

Category: Cables

I recently added Verastarr's Ultra Reference speaker cables to my system. The improvement in sound was so dramatic that I felt compelled to let my fellow AudiogoN'ers know about this excellent product.

I had been looking to upgrade my speaker cables for awhile. I was doing the usual reading of reviews and was checking out AudiogoN for about 3 months. As everyone who has done the same knows, the amount of product offerings and information that is available on speaker wires is dizzying. I was looking for a good set of speaker wires that would let the rest of my system come to life but I didn't want to spend 2 or 3 thousand dollars to do so. I didn't even want to spend 1 thousand, so you can see my dilemma. After reading other AudiogoN reviews about Verastarr, I decided to bid on a recent AudiogoN auction and won a pair of new Ultra Reference cables direct from Verastarr.

My previous cables were DIY solid silver cables that were much better than the copper Monster Cables they replaced, but they didn't provide the sound stage, imaging and accuracy that I believed that the rest of my gear was capable of. I enjoy all forms of music (except rap)and tested the Verastarr cables using CD's from the Moody Blues, Holst's "the Planets", Inca Son (New Age), Enigma, Roger Waters, and several others.

From what I've read, many cables sound rather poor right out of the box and don't begin to "do their thing" until they break in. Not so with the Verastarrs. My first impression of these cables right out of the box was very positive. They were much more open and detailed than my silver wires. The only thing that I noticed was that the high end was a little subdued. After only 10 hours of break in, the high end came to life and the soundstage opened up dramatically. I didn't know what "jaw dropping" meant until now. Not to ignore the bass, but it is tight and extended. I no longer use my subwoofer when I'm listening to music.

After 20 hours of break in the cables smoothed out a little more. The frequency response is dead flat from top to bottom. The background is jet black and the music seems to "float" out of my speakers. I'm now hearing detail that I've never heard before from CD's that I've listened to for years. The cables sort out the music so that every instrument and voice can be heard no matter how loud or soft they may be. It's amazing how much information gets lost because some element of your audio system lacks the discrimination required to decipher it. I can only imagine what these cables will sound like when they fully break in.

My system now sounds the way I always thought that it could. Mike Powell is great to deal with and he really knows cables. Thanks Verastarr for making a great product.

Associated gear
Arcam FMJ CD23 CD Player
Classe SSP25 HT Preamp/Processor
Bryston 9B ST 5 Channel HT Amplifier
Aerial Acoustics LR3 Speakers
Music Meter "Silver" Interconnects

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