Top Harmonic Technology Magic One RCA (SPDIF) DIGITAL single cable, Superb 1M RCA Single Crystal 50% Silver & 50% Copper Digital Cable:

 A Weinhart Design favorite, fast, detailed, big sound stage and very musical.

A great value and cable...

Demo in as new condition.

Specifications:

Combines a unique blend of the finest 7N (99.99997%) high purity OCC silver and 6N (99.9997%) OCC copper SINGLE CRYSTAL conductors, MAGIC Link Two represents the finest in signal transfer between your audio and video components. With more multi-gauge, individually insulated conductors within its compromised construction, MAGIC Link Two also implements an unparalleled bi-metal blend of Harmonic Technology’s world-renowned pure OCC Single Crystal� silver and copper conductors, which create an interconnect with an unsurpassed balance of transparency, detail and harmonic balance.

Introduction:



Flashback to the early 1990s. I am in the midst of purchasing my first
entry-level high-end CD player, a $595 Rotel. $595 constituted a major
expense for me at the time, one I did not undertake without much
deliberation.



As I'm reaching for my VISA card, still wondering if I'm biting off more
than I can chew, salesperson Glenn at Oakland's Pro Home Systems pulls out
a more expensive menu. He tells me that I must spend at least $78 on an
interconnect (AudioQuest Ruby, the only brand he carries) in order to do
the player justice.



I am incredulous. After sundry exclamations of outrage and much
discussion, I agree to sample the Ruby. For the heck of it, I also ask to
sample the next level up, AudioQuest Quartz ($110). (This was a sure sign
of an audiophile in the making.) Then I drive to another high-end store in
Berkeley and borrow a $48 MIT interconnect for comparison.



The results are incontrovertible. Not only does the AQ Ruby sound better
than the MIT, but the Quartz sounds much better than either. I
invite friends over and they agree. Convinced, I shell out $110 for the
Quartz. Cables do make a difference. End of High End Interconnect Lesson
No. 1.



Flash ahead to the final fall of the old Millennium. The Rotel is long
gone, replaced by an Audio Alchemy transport, AA Pro 32, and Theta Gen. Va
DAC. Only a single pair of discontinued AudioQuest Quartz remains,
relegated to low-level status on my ancient VCR. My digital interconnects
are Nirvana Transmission (then $599 each). The interconnects linking Theta DAC,
preamp, and amp are Nirvana SL-1 ($599) and Tara Decade ($799). Speaker
cables are AudioTruth Dragon, the company's former top-of-the-line silver
speaker cable ($3600).



After visiting Clement Perry on the East Coast and discovering how good
Harmonic Tech's Pro-Silway interconnects sounded in his system, I agreed
to review HT's entry-level Precision-Link interconnects. A pair of 1 meter
RCA-terminated Precision-Link interconnects still retails for the same
$129 the company charged in 1999.



Since the AQ Quartz and HT Precision-Link cost almost the same, I compared
their sound. I found that the Quartz had more life and edge on top, but
communicated far less information than the Precision-Link. As I reported
at the time, on my bright, hardly high-end Kenwood tuner, “The
non-fatiguing top on the entry-level Precision Link made for the most
pleasant listening. It may not convey all the three-dimensionality and air
I desire, but for an entry-level interconnect, it is clearly a candidate
for audition in a lower-priced sound system. In a system with a bright
digital setup, of which there are countless millions, it may in fact
prove a perfect choice.”



Early last year, Jim Wang of Harmonic Technology asked me to review his
top-of-the-line Magic One interconnects. When I told him that my Nordost
Valhalla interconnects cost a good 300% more than Magic One interconnects,
he showed no fear. In fact, he welcomed the comparison. Although at CES
2004 Harmonic Tech introduced improved Magic Reference Tweeter speaker
cable ($1800/8 ft. pair), improved Magic Reference Woofer speaker cable
($2500/8 ft. pair), and new Magic Reference Bi-wire speaker cable ($3500/8
ft. pair), their top-of-the line interconnects remain Magic Digital One
and Magic Link One.



I must admit that I had my doubts. Since my system was undergoing rapid
transition, and I wanted to maintain a constant of interconnects and
speaker cables in order to properly evaluate each change, I held off
auditioning the Magic Ones. Frankly, it was to Jim's advantage. Upgrades
to my Talon Khorus X speakers, purchase of a new transport and amp, a
nearly full complement of Elrod EPS-Signature power cords, the loan of the
superb Reflection Audio preamp, the recent addition of Ganymede supports
under transport and amp, and the use of Shakti Stones on amp and DAC, have
taken my system to a much higher level. It is with this newfound degree of
clarity, timbral accuracy and resolution that I finally began my
comparisons. I thank Jim Wang for his trust and patience.



Listening:



I decided to go whole hog and use Magic One in my entire chain. I
proceeded to connect my transport and DAC with the Magic Digital One, and DAC-preamp-amp
with two sets of Magic Link One. [A complete equipment list can be found
at the end of this review.] Although Jim was good enough to break-in
everything beforehand, the cabling had sat unused for a year. After
cleaning connections, I followed his suggestion and alternately played
music and Ayre break-in tones through them for over 72 hours. By the time
of my final audition, the interconnects had charged for a good 144 hours.



My initial impression was lukewarm. I had just finished preparing to
interview mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli by replaying The Salieri Album
(Decca), and gave it another listen through the Magic Ones. Bartoli sings
the opening track at breakneck speed, pushing her voice to its absolute
limits in order to express fury while negotiating over two octaves of
hellish coloratura. Not only did I miss the top-end openness of the
Valhalla, but the voice sounded uncomfortably shrill. The accompaniment of
the period instrument Orchestra of the Enlightenment also lacked the
sparkle and air I routinely hear when attending live performances of
similar ensembles.



Next I turned to Chesky's new recording of Rosa Passos and Ron Carter
performing a fusion of jazz and bossa nova. Passos' voice lacked color and
overtones, and the pitch of Carter's boomy bass was difficult to
determine. The whole presentation seemed rather flat, something I never
expected from a Chesky product.



So I tried an experiment. I replaced the Magic Digital One (XLR) with my
Nordost Valhalla digital. The change was marked. Much of the color I had
expected to hear from Bartoli and Passos returned. All of a sudden, air,
three-dimensionality, a black background, treble extension and overall
clarity were back.



Further experiments led me to change first the Magic Link One between DAC
and preamp to Valhalla, then replace the Valhalla digital with the Magic
Digital One, then return entirely to Magic One, then switch just the
interconnect between preamp and amp to Valhalla, etc. etc. etc. I repeated
the process over the course of several nights, repeatedly trying every
permutation and combination I could think of. I also added Hilary Hahn
playing Brahms and Terry Evans singing his soul out
to the mix. I even trotted out my old (and excellent) Nirvana Transmission
Digital cable. Since the latter has BNC termination, adding it enabled me
to simply flip a switch on the Theta and compare Harmonic Tech Magic
Digital One to Nirvana Transmission Digital. The Nirvana, I might add,
cost $200 more several years ago, and probably costs even more now. I
would expect it to sound better.



Interestingly enough, I could hear little difference between the two
digital interconnects until I added Nordost Valhalla between DAC and
preamp. Then the Nirvana Transmission Digital began to shine, clearly
passing more information than the Magic Digital One.



I also compared Nirvana Transmission digital to Nordost Valhalla digital.
I could hear little difference between the two when the remaining
interconnects were Harmonic Tech Magic Link One. It was only when I had
replaced all Harmonic Tech Magic Link One with Valhalla that I could
clearly hear that the Valhalla digital transmitted more information and
greater body than the Nirvana Transmission digital. It also sounded
smoother on top.



Finally, I paid a lot of attention to Ron Carter's bass. The more Valhalla
I added to the chain, the more under control and in tune his instrument
became. Since bass is not entirely under control in my room, some who have
criticized Nordost Valhalla might suggest that the reason Carter's bass
sounded better with Valhalla has more to do with the fact that Valhalla is
bass shy rather than Magic Link One lacking ultimate bass control. I
personally have never been convinced by such criticisms; I think most
interconnects lack control in the bass and tend to give it too much
weight. I am of the opinion that since Valhalla's transmission speed is so
extraordinary, it may sound bass shy compared to other cables when in
effect it is simply more truthful. I am far from alone in this assessment.
As an interconnect, in many equipment configurations Nordost Valhalla
remains unsurpassed. [A review of the new Nordost power cords is
forthcoming.]



Putting this all together, I reached the tentative conclusion - remember
that word tentative - that the weak link in the Harmonic Tech Magic chain
is the Magic Digital One. The Magic Link One may not equal Valhalla in
range, speed and openness, but for close to four times less money, it does
a pretty fine job.



Revelation:



Part Two of my experiments came when I brought a single set of Magic Link
One interconnects to my partner's residence. David owns an aged Kenwood
receiver (at least 20 years old, but built far better than comparably
priced receivers today, boasting a discreet output stage usually only
found nowadays in high-end equipment and an excellent tuner with a perfect
waveform and adequate phase response to at least 53 kHz). He also has an
early generation Sony CD player and antique Technics speakers.




The speakers' tweeters buzzed until we added an IEC connector to the
Kenwood receiver and powered it with a $1500 Audio Prism SuperNatural
S-2
power cord [See review in Archives]. That cord darkened the top,
bringing
the tweeters under control while greatly increasing midrange body and
bass
extension. I also put a Harmonic Tech Precision-Link interconnect
between
receiver and CD player, and HighWire speaker cable on the Technics.
Forget about adequate support under components, ideal speaker
placement, the large desk between and jutting in front of the speakers,
and lack of standard size speaker inputs on the receiver and speaker. No
room, no interest, no way.



Don't turn up your nose just yet. The thing is more than listenable,
better than most modern mass market setups in fact. And if David ever
gets different speakers, watch out.



Enter Magic Link One between receiver and CD player. Magic! From a
serviceable system that I only used to audition a newly-released CD before
taking it to my place to discover all it had to offer, I discovered one
blessed with three-dimensional images, a beautiful and captivating sense
of air and space around instruments and voice, and digital glare replaced
by a pearly sounding, most inviting warmth. David initially missed the
edge on sounds he heard with Precision-One, but after only 12 hours of
signal passing through the cables, the highs opened up. At that point
David was open to entertaining the notion that what he had up to then
considered a live top had in fact been mainly digital glare and
distortion.



The Ones made a fantastic improvement to the system. They were exceedingly
quiet, three dimensional, and filled with color. There was a warmth to the
presentation and a silence that I had never expected to hear from those
antique components. Even outside the soundstage and standing way above the
speakers, the system had come alive.



High-End Interconnect Lesson Number 533. Some cables form a better
impedance match with certain components than others. The higher the
driving impedance (output impedance) of a piece of equipment, the more
sensitive it is to cable matching. When Magic interconnects (or any
interconnect for that matter) are paired with the right components, the
music shines.



Conclusions:



As with all cabling, the Magic Digital One and Magic Link One are system
dependent. Put into a system whose total cost of electronics equaled one
set of Magic Links, they made it sound far more costly and musical,
something I had never expected. They may especially excel with systems
exhibiting a hard edge or digital glare and those lacking midrange warmth.
Harmonic Tech Magic interconnects do not work their magic with all
components, but with the right electronics, they truly shine.







- Jason Serinus -

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