soundstage, build quality, midrange 'body'

cost

UK prices for kimber high, especially for select range - this bit of jewelry set me back £750 for 0.5m balanced. Lived with balanced KCAG for 6 months & mistakenly trialed this high purity 'black pearl' all-silver cable out of curiosity - no going back, as new sonic doors opened. Soundstage more accurate & midrange much more fullness & body - piano much more realistic. Could manage with 0.5 meters to connect CD & pre-amp. Chose JPS balanced SC2 for 1m preamp-amp link for optimum cost-benefit ratio.JPS much more competitively priced in UK (via Audiosalon, Glasgow).

Sugden masterclass CD
Pass Labs Aleph P preamp
Pass Labs Aleph 4 amp
Kimber Bifocal XL
ProAc Future 2's

Similar Products Used:

kimber KCAG, chord chorus/anthem

Coherence, detail, richness

Price?

I put a pair of these Kimbers, replacing KCAGs, between my Wadia 27i and a Classé CA300. They didn't take too long for break in, maybe a week. The first several things I noticed were harmonic richness and retrieval of subtle detail that I had not heard before on familiar CDs. I had always liked the balanced KCAGs and only purchased them after auditioning several other brands. The KS1130 builds on the strengths of the KCAGs significantly. So if you like the KCAGs in your present system I would recommend an audition of the KS1130. I'm going to live quite happily with these cables for the foreseeable future. I don't usually recommend dealers, but the Cable Company has loaners (most brands) available for a modest cost and have always treated me well.

Similar Products Used:

KCAG

Associated Equipment:Theta DSPro Basic IIIA
Mark Levinson No.380, Classe' Thirty
Classe' CA-100

I consider Kimber's KCAG and KCTG to be four, maybe four-and-a-half stars. These have long been a favorite of mine. And now, Kimber has come up with the incredibly expensive KS-1130 ($300 term + $1100 per meter).

I haven't tried many other brands' balanced interconnects, so my references for this review are AQ Lapis, and balanced KCAG and KGTG.

Compared to the Lapis, the KCAG will give you better imaging, more detail, and faster dynamics. However, the Lapis is smoother, and I can see how some audiophiles would prefer the Lapis over KCAG. Compared to the KCAG, KCTG yields a smoother treble, more full-bodied imaging and weight, and a more powerful deep bass. I know there have been many posts, complaining about the high prices of interconnects. Sorry, but I find that the 1130 is even better than the KCTG.

The 1130 allows images to replicate more closely how they are on the recording. There is better organization of those images within the soundstage. The ratio between bass, mids, and treble is truer to real life. And the transistions from frequency to frequency is handle more smoothly. Image depth is much improved over the KCAG and KCTG. No more cardboard cut-outs, as other 'philes have observed.

The KS1130 does not hold back bass' power. Boomy recordings have nowhere to hide. 4 out of 5 systems have too much bass. With the 1130 in these systems, the sound will be worse.

The 1130 is neither stiff nor flexible. If you have grown accustomed to the thread-like KCAG, then you'll probably find the 1130 to be stiff. But, it's all relative, no? At any rate, I experienced no hum or noise problems with the 1130. As always, be sure to burn in these cables, before jumping to conclusions. Mine sounded kinda cloudy and mushy, for the first two days. But after that, it gets out of the way, and allows you to hear what your equipment really sounds like.

Really, the only criticism I can level on the 1130 is that it costs too much for 95% of us. And, the longer the length, the more it costs! If you can't afford the 1130, don't fret about it. Just stick with the excellent KCAG and KCTG, and enjoy what you already have. Unless you have ultra high-end gear, the 1130 won't effect much improvement. If you really have that burning desire to spend money, well, you'll be better served with powerline conditioning and room treatments.

To the 5% who can afford the 1130, check it out! If you already have your $$$$ equipment, it'll appreciate the utter neutrality of Kimber's 1130.

Now that you have an idea about what the Kimber 1130 sounds like, please let me know how it compares to other high-priced balanced interconnects, like XLO's Limited Edition, TARA's The One, MIT Reference, et. al.

Clean, crisp, even response

dry, cold, mechanical, over-priced

I guess the question isn't whether cables work, but whether they work in a given system. These do not work in mine. I'm using B&W N-803 speakers and a Wadia 850 CD player run directly into a Classe CA-201 amp. The speaker cables are Monster MI.4s. THe B&Ws are good speakers, but tend to be a little hot in the treble, and closed off in the mids. The Kimbers really exacerbate these problems. With the Kimbers, my system is not musical at all. When I brought home the Wadia CD player, I was using the single-ended Monster interconnects. The sound was just awesome. Musical, spectacular, with smooth, sweet highs and rich, chocolatey lows. Subtle variations of pitch and volume were clear and involving; the system pulled me into the performance. The sound seemed to roll out of the speakers in waves, resonating and filling the room with music. Nirvana. I wanted to tap my foot on every cut; the sound quality really enhanced my enjoyment of the music. I wanted to go balanced, but so far the sound has only gone downhill, even if it is cleaner. The sound with the Kimbers I'm using now is way too cold, dry ... mechanical. It's not bright exactly, but when listening to jazz, it's sort of like, "would you like some music with your cymbals?" Addition of the Kimbers totally ruined the involving, musical experience I had when I first brought the Wadia home.

Similar Products Used:

Monster M550i (single), MIT Shotgun Pro Line (balanced)