Very musical.

None that I have found

This is a great cable. In fact much better than Transparent Super, but at half the price. Good smoothness, very good rythm, good tuneplaying in the bass and very very musical. I use this together with the First and the Revelation Loudspeakercable. This combination outperformes cables costing many times its price. Exellent.

Similar Products Used:

Transparent Super

Extremely accurate, wide & deep sound stage, very 'transparent'. Good Value For Money !

Speed [slightly sluggish], long 'burn-in' period, termination [cable cannot be shortened].

20.03.2001.

I am using vdH cables throught my set up, so I guess I might be a little 'bias' towards the product, but truthfully speaking, even if I had not bought vdH and used it for the past 2 years, I would have still given it a rave rating.

With regards 'The Second'; one of the best Interconnect Cable I have ever used and or auditioned, very transparent, clean, realistic & truthful. Does not paint a picture that was never there, never adds colour, nor does it round the edges off. If a recording is poor, it will make sure you hear it and vice versa.

The cable is very 'European Sounding' [please pardon my political latitude], actually very 'laid back', there is nothing 'forward' or 'in your face' here. Every thing is sublime, smooth & suave. Exceptional.

All said and done I would still have liked a cable with the 'Speed' of NORDOST & SILTECH, 'Poise' of CARDAS, 'Look & Build Quality' of TRANSPARENT etc. But then again I am asking for the best of ALL WORLDS.

I am very happy with my 1 m. & 4 m. set of vdH 'The Second' & would vehemently recommend the same to all music lovers !

Mazher Bashir JAFFAR.

20.03.2001. Mumbai [Bombay] INDIA.

Dynaudio Confidence 5 [Speaker 1]
J M Labs Mini Utopia [Speaker 2]
Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD Player [to be changed]
Simaudio Moon P-5 Pre-Amplifier [to be changed]
Bryston BP 25 Pre-Amplifier
Bryston 7B ST Power Amplifier
vdH 'The Revelation' [Speaker Cable + vdH Spades]
vdH 'The Second' [Balanced Interconnect Cable]

Similar Products Used:

vdH Intergration Hybrid, vdH D 102 mkIII, Kimber 'Hero', Siltech etc.

transparent, neutral

?

This hybrid cable is so smooth and let the music flows naturally. Like other posted, it doesn't add anything to the music. Neutral.............
For the home theater, I prefer transparent super, though 'cause it has more energy but not so fast and clear as the Second. Diana Krall's voice is rendered beautifully.
Soundstage is deep enough. Bass is deep and round. Midrange is detail and natural. Highs are smooth.

my gear:
krell KRC-HR
Krell FPB200c
krell kav-250/2cd
thiel cd 6

Similar Products Used:

straightwire serenade, transparent musicwave super, cardas cross

separation of different instruments; bass in general; bass at low volume;

not encountered any yet

I read quite a bit about different cables and heard the Van Den Hul The First in a system similar to mine. When the opportunity arose to buy The Second at half the normal price (including a spare cable!), I took it. I have not regretted it! I use the unbalanced version between my CD Player and Amp. The clarity of the sound is wonderful. The different instruments occupy their own space in the room and I have no trouble in picking them all out seperately. Bass is powerful, but controlled and also very good at low volume. One indicator of an improvement in sound after a change to your system, is that you can hear 'new' sounds on familiar CDs. There are plenty of those when listening to 'Buena Vista Social Club' for instance.

My system: Cyrus DAD3Q, Cyrus 7 amp + Cyrus PSX-R power supply, Dynaudio 60 speakers

Similar Products Used:

AudioQuest Quartz

I compared the Van den Hul (the second) to the inexpensive Cardas Twinlink ($150 vs. $350 cdn .8m for the VDH). The difference was startling. The VDH sounded less transparent and much less smoother than the Cardas. Its bass was also less pronounced. You have to question the logic of going metal-free. If VDH technology is superior to conventional copper wire, why do about 90%, if not more, of the cable manufacturers continue to use copper? I don't think this cable is worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

Cardas Twinlink 5c ; Cardas Quadlink5C; Cardas Cross