Good performance for the money. Dramatic improvement over cheap cable.

There are probably better performers out there, but at greater cost.

After lots of internet research, I ordered a 15 ft. pair of these cables (terminated with banana plugs) from tsto.com to replace the Monster XP cable that was running to my main speakers. These cables made a dramatic improvement to the sound of my humble budget system, consisting of a Denon AVR 3803 receiver, Paradigm Mini-Monitors, Kimber PBJ interconnects, and a Boston Acoustics PV 600 subwoofer. Imaging and soundstage were much improved, with greater detail present. The cables also toned down the bright sound from the Mini-Monitors. Of all of the upgrades that I've done, these cables have made the biggest improvement in my system. I recently purchased a NAD C542 CD player to replace a broken (and mediocre) Sony ES carousel unit. The C542 sounds incredible, but has sadly exposed the limitations of my other components. Time to upgrade again....

Similar Products Used:

Monster junk, Audioquest cables

Design, definition, value!!

At this price there are not any.

I got a great deal on these 4PR's on e-Bay for a 10ft pair. What I did not realize was the aggragate length was 20ft; bi-wire time much to my delight! I use these for my NAD 317 to Kef Q1's bi-wired and feel that such an improvement is made in "air" and speed. The bass is solid and fast with no boominess; it's just plain clean. For terminations I just use some inexpensive monster gold plated's that I bought at Circuit City; they're fine.

Similar Products Used:

Monster Xpi, Audioquest

Transparent. The pre-terminated gold-plated banana plugs are excellent.

It doesn't cost $30/foot and make people feel all warm and gushy inside.

If you are looking to upgrade from lamp cord or Moster Cable, this is a nice step up. The bass is tight, the treble is smooth and airy. But what do I know?...I'm not spending $500 on cable. If you don't own a component that costs more than $1000 than I don't think you will be dissapointed.

Similar Products Used:

Monster Cable "original," Monster XP

Lack of character.

Finicky to terminate, not the ultimate detail resolution.

For a budget cable there isn't much to beat it. It definitely "gets out of the way" and lets the components up the chain shine through. Not the most detailed cable available in the world but without peer at the price. Most people can buy this and never think about cables again.

Similar Products Used:

Kimber 8PR, 8TC

Cheap, speedy, musical

A little dry

I am currently using 4pr along with a bi-amped B&W 602 s2. With adcom 555 on lows & marantz 170dc on mids with bryston preamp the sound is on the forward side of things , analytical , the relative dryness of the kimber was welcome. I agree there is no replacement for good cable but sometimes its nice to find gems like this at a fraction of a price. There are certainly some restraint in crispness but not in air not opaque , definatly a musical cable. Lets face it , your cable ,although important, will never change a bad component into a good one , in relativity. There was a time when my own 'snootyness' would forbid me to enjoy a product such as this, oneday you just wake up and realize the world doesn't need another critic and that to enjoy your system is to not shop anymore.

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lots. none at this price

braided design

sound (very bright)

I have audioquest type 4, type 2, and this kimber 4pr. Kimber 4 pr is terrible, the sound is way too bright, lack of detail & soundstage. Audioquest type 2 is much better than kimber 4pr, the type 4 is even better than type 2.

Similar Products Used:

Audioquest type 4 Audioquest type 2 Original monster

Name, and perhaps the braid design.

Sound

After reading the reviews in this forum, I wanted to give a trial to this cable. Some time ago, I didn''t beleive a cable could make a difference in sound, but they really make a difference. KK 4PR made my speakers sound very strange. I have to agree with the last 2 folks below, this cable lowered the performance of my speakers. I couldn''t hear the bass, mids and highs sounded crappy, maybe with the exeption of some details but they really sounded cheap. Maybe they perform better with different electronics or speakers, but in my case I didn''t like''em a bit. I compared them with RS 16 and 12 gauge cable, and even the 16 gauge RS cable sounded better than the KK 4PR. At this point I can say that there is a difference between "some" speaker cables. IMO, there is "no difference" between Monster and RS cable, any gauge, they all sound the same to me... Actually I use Linn K 20, and I really can hear a big difference using it. It''s kinda dry tho... but the sound is very clean and smooth. In fact, if your speakers sound a bit or too bright, try this cable,(L K20) I think you''ll like it.

Similar Products Used:

None

great value, great bass, smooth treble

minor pain in ass to strip 8 wires at each end (ugh!)

Well, I'm one of those guys who thinks "A cable, is a cable, is a cable..." Basically, my girlfriend bought it for me as part of a birthday gift (I told her I wanted to try some new speaker cable). I was a little disappointed with my B&W 601S2's (or maybe it was my receiver), but the bass was lacking and so was the treble. If I turned the loudness button on, the treble was great, the bass was way too boomy. Anyhow, after replacing my generic 12gauge wire with banana plugs (biwired) with two 7foot runs of the Kimber Kable 4PR (with banana plugs of course), I actually noticed a difference!!! The bass increased a little (just enough in fact), and the treble brightened up (but still smooth like silk)! I couldn't believe it - Hell even my girlfriend, who couldn't give a rat's a** about home audio, noticed a difference! I'm shocked to say the least - and very happy indeed! For a mere $34.20 CDN (about $23USD), I noticed an improvement in the sound of my home system! Definitely recommended as a cheap and very effective upgrade!

System Used:
Nakamichi AV-7
B&W DM601S2's
Kimber Kable 4PR (biwired)

Similar Products Used:

none

Very clean & dynamic sound for price

Evidently the thinner Teflon coating on 4TC allows for greater noise reduction

I must agree with Arvin below. My 16-year old 12-gauge Monster Cables had corroded green with age, so I decided it was time to replace them. This took me on an odyssey that began with Radio Snack 14-gauge wire, Home Depot 12-gauge stuff (beautiful to look at), on to IXOS 6003 and finally to Kimber 4PR. There was a subtle but significant improvement every step of the way. Compared to the IXOS 6003, the bass is much more solid with the 4PR -- so much so, in fact, that I had to spin my subwoofer output leve down from about 40% to 25% or so. Soundstaging, imaging, treble air, midrange clarity all improved with an outlay of just $34 for a 10' unterminated pair. Not a bad deal.

As for rating, I have a system in that no "budget" product can earn a 5. Only the price-no-object stuff can do that --$10K-plus. Nor can an inexpensive product earn a 4, which should be reserved for the next level down of high end wire @ $500+ for two 10' runs. So I give this a "5" for value and "3" for overall quality.

Similar Products Used:

IXOS 6003

The best 20 bux I've ever spent on my audio system

Weaknesses? At 20 dollars, are you kidding?

For around 20 dollars (for 14 feet), you cannot go wrong with this stuff. I was a bit skeptical at first about the difference 20 dollar cable would make in my system but was amazed at the improved clarity the second I hooked this stuff up. Details come through in the music that were not there before. The bass is lower and tighter, highs are clearer, and soundstage is more defined--including the bass, finally!!! Overall sound is improved an incredible amount for so little money - across the board in every genre of music. It made my system "come alive" like never before. On Kimber's website they quote someone saying that this cable will make your system sound like it costs twice the money. Believe it!

Tested On (in a small room with a high ceiling):

-Marantz CD-48
-Mystery 100 dollar (.5m) interconnects
-Pioneer VSX 401 receiver
-Kimber 4PR speaker cable
-PSB Century 300i speakers (why did they discontinue this fantastic line and especially this model?! - *sigh*)

Ratings: 5 stars each - because the price is laughably low!

Similar Products Used:

Various cheapo speaker cable - nothing else as good is available for so little.