Here are my feelings after using dh labs bl1 Series II for around a year. I still believe that they are the best for the price. Purchased at $62.75 (1 length of 7' plus 4 rca connectors) from AUDIO CONCEPTS INC., it is hard to found better price/performance ratio. They are good in almost every area. Good bass (tight, fast, acticulated and extended), good mids (very good voices with accurate timbre and good focus), detailed and extented treble (not harsh, no rolloff...). Brass (like trumpets) have just the right amount of bite and strings are close to the best i have heard. Imaging is also better then what you would expect at that price (though not as good as the very best i have heard yet (with the truth-link from harmonic technology)).
I tried a lot of interconnects from audioquest, mit, transparent, taralabs, kimber, isoda, qued, harmonic technology, dlin audio, monster, bryston, cardas.. I give an honorable mention to audioquest (ex. turquoise, quartz, emerald), kimber (ex. ppj, heros) , harmonic technology (ex. truth-link) and dlin audio (silver buller 4.0) for the performance of their budget cable (even if in some cases, they are more than twice the price of dh labs...), it is hard to beat dh labs at their low price (especially when available in bulk). Every interconnect under $100 i tried have noticeable flaws (in relation with frequency range and dynamic limitations), but in the case of dh labs, they are less obvious.

In my system, i now use dh labs bl1 series II on every components (video, tuner, amp, cd player, subwoofer). From my experimentation, the best lenghs are between 42.5" and 43" (slighly longer than 1 meter=40"). On brithter components, longer (ex. 43") is better. The most common length i use is 42.,75" (many friends are happy with this length on their cd players). Between amp and preamp, 42.5" is just right for my bryston amp.

Sorry, couldn't hear much difference between these and my stock RCA's. Take it as you will, however, as I am not an audiophile with years of discriminating experience. Build quality and asthetics are good.

I'm going to say I'm a casual listener because I probably spend more time playing and listening to music than I do on the computer and watching TV combined.
I went to my dealer of choice (Audio Alternative in Lilburn GA) to try out some new amps. A hour and a half after the store had officially closed I decided to try out some new interconnects they had. I had tested a bunch of interconnects through a blind test when I had three cables: normal cheap stuff, Vampire interconnects (reviewed on this site) and DH labs stuff. I had the cables randomly changes as I looked away and chose the one (#1,#2,#3) I liked. I chose the Vampires. The dealer didn't make a peep. If that was my decision he was going to let me go on my merry way.

Well in testing amps I heard the new interconnects and was immediately amazed. Clarity of distinct instruments was greatly improved , things seemed to clear up and distinctions were able to be heard. Everything seemed to have a new punch to it. Gorgeous.

I've learned in my audiophile journey that patience is the key. The more and more equipment and music I hear the more I learn. I think my hearing has improved actually! Now I can't stand bland sounding equipment or blase sound.

I'm giving it five stars b/c I think it was a great deal considering money. No need to buy an amp now!

Based mostly on the reviews here I upgraded from Kimber PBJ to these Silver Sonics. The improvement was immediately noticable. The Highs were better and more natural. The bass is tighter and more "present" than before. They were very resonably priced to. I went to Donald at www.wenterprisesnw.com. What a bargain!

Detail/resolution, airy and extended highs without brightness, dynamics/impact, fine mids/lows

I am in the process of upgrading my system piece by piece, and in doing so it became necessary to start getting rid of the awful "gray matter" that was connecting my electronic components. Since I'm kind of in the middle stages of my upgrade process(with the long-term goal of eventually reaching the high end) I set a price target of around $100/pr. for interconnects. So right off the bat I'm admitting my perspective does not include the benefit of sampling the megabuck interconnects.

After reading many reviews on this site and in various publications I decided to try both the DH Labs BL-1 and the JPS Labs Ultraconductors. Although both seem to get excellent individual reviews, I've never seen anything pitting these cables head to head. That said, one thing I think is important to stress is that cables are very system dependent and should never be purchased solely on reviews--too many other variables in the mix(i.e. associated equipment, personal tastes, music preference, room characteristics, etc.)

I must confess I had a bias toward the JPS Labs going in, as I expected the BL-1 might sound too bright and forward. Well, this goes to show how important listening is. The results were very clear. Again let me stress, IN MY SYSTEM the BL-1s seemed clearer, with more extended and open highs and a more detailed midrange. Specifically, with Keb Mo's Slow Down CD(quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites) the cymbals(and the overall soundstage) took on an "in the room" quality, while the Ultraconductors had a more laid back presentation that seemed comparatively veiled to the point of lacking important detail. And again in the midrange Patricia Barber seemed much more there with the BL-1s as the sibilants were more believable with the Ultraconductors again sounding one step removed from Patricia being in the room(although I look forward to trying JPS Superconductors in the future). Bass was fine with both. I'm not even going to comment on the "Gray Matter" interconnects that come with electronics--does anyone know if they're recyclable?

So the BL-1s are now entrenced in my system between my DAC and preamp and between my preamp and amp. I realize I used a very small subsample of the many outstanding interconnects out there, and I would be open to hearing any thoughts on others in the $100 price range, but for now my system is giving me goosebumps and isn't that what this is all about?

By the way, I purchased my cables from eAudionet because they have a liberal demo policy. Their service was first rate and I would recommend them to anyone looking to try cables in their system before buying. They even burned the cables in and gave a free bottle of connector fluid, and they were very price competitive as well.

Finally, since cables are so system dependent I'll mention my associated equipment(I wish everyone would do this):

-Pioneer DV-C302D DVD player(as transport)
-EVS Millenium DAC(excellent--review forthcoming)
-Rotel RSP980 pre/pro(surprisingly not too bad, but getting long in the tooth)
-NAD 7250PE receiver(using 60W amp section only--soon to be relegated to rear-channel duty)
-Soliloquy 5.3 speakers(give these things a listen if you can find a dealer--see my review; also reviewed in 9/99 Stereophile, Class B recommended for whatever that's worth)

Thanks to all who take the time to share their thoughts/ experiences with the various equipment out there, and I'd welcome any comments regarding cables or other components(especially preamps and amps).

Similar Products Used:

JPS Labs Ultraconductors and the crap that comes in the box with electronics