Review: Kimber Kable Silver Streak Interconnect


Category: Cables

For me, imaging is very important. I like to hear a jazz quartet as it might appear live on stage--Sax to the front, piano to the far left, bass in the middle rear, drums to the far right. Compared to the Kimber PBJ, the Silver Streaks really pull this off. Of course, it depends on the quality of your recording and the CDP. Right now, I'm using the Cambridge Audio D500SE, which is, admittedly, a bit of a budget player, but it'll do the job for now, and you can upgrade the power cord, which is next on the list. I have found that these cables tend to favor digital sources; I hooked up the SS's to my Project Wood 2.9 TT, and, while the imaging was slightly improved, I experienced some fatigue; it was just a little too hot (this could be my cartridge--a Grado Gold Prestige--but I doubt it. Switching back to the Kimber Heros, running from the TT to the DB Systems reworked phono preamp took the edge off of the presentation w/o losing much of the soundstage. The moral of this story: copper might just work better with analog sources. I should note that I'm running another pair of Silver Streaks from the pre to the Mistral Integrated amp, which is very fast and smooth. At any rate, I am probably preaching to the chior (if musical metaphors are allowed in this forum), but the Silver Streaks are worth a try, especially at current used prices.

Associated gear
Mistral Integrated amp. Cambridge Audio D500SE CDP.

Similar products
Kimber Kable PBJ, Kimber Hero.
crazy4blues
I used 2 prs of 1m Silver Streaks terminated with WBT-0144 on one set and with Swiss Nutriks on the 2nd pair. I found the imaging first rate and deep, almost an etched quality to the soundstage. Though as you pointed out the cables proved hot. They never warmed up in my system. In fact I found them substantialy bass shy vs. the Hero's they replaced. Where the Streaks excelled in imaging and presence, the Hero was harsh and unfocused. On the other hand, the Hero was warm in the mids to upper bass and downright powerful and fast in the lower notes. I sold the Silver streak rapido... put the Hero's back in, until recently when I started a/b'ng Straightwire line including Virtuoso "R" & Serenade--Awesome.
My KCAG sounded best after I used a cable burner for a week. No harshness after that. Mike
Update on the Silver streaks. They have been settling down the more I listen to them. They seem to be a little smother now. I switched back to the Selects last night & it sounded like I threw a blanket over the speakers. I think i am satisfied with the streaks! Thanks Kimber.
just built a system with the kgac's and after a some break in time on the cables, all the harshness went away. all i can say now is the imaging is exceptional with a wide deep soundstage. the speakers tend to disappear from the room. now its all about finding great recordings. no analog here though. here's an e-mail i got from kimber-if anyone cares

Thank you for your inquiry. Kimber Kable products generally sound great right out of the package. However, Kimber Kable speaker cables do take approximately 50 hours to begin sounding more like their original design objectives, after which continued improvement is realized over the next several hundred hours. Kimber Kable interconnect cables begin to sound more like we intended after about 100 hours of significant signal flow. They continue to improve over the next 500 hours or more of use. Burn-in time varies due to the design and the materials used as well as the location within your system and the signal strength involved. The higher the systems overall quality, the more the effects of a longer burn- in period will be realized.

With our considerably equipped test facility we have been able to measure the effects of burn-in. Our research has led us to believe that burn-in is an altering of the dielectric as well as the possibility of the metal having an altered state. The voltage present in a signal has the ability to slightly alter the dielectric properties of the insulation.One analogy that has been used to describe burn-in is that of water flowing down a river. As the water flows down the river, the small stones that line the bed of the river are smoothed over in the direction of the water flow. The water finding the path of least resistance. Many books have been written on dielectrics and conductive materials without a definitive theory on burn-in having been established. Measurements and microscopic analysis have brought us closer to truly understanding this very real phenomenon, however making definitive statements on this topic may still be a bit misguided at this point in time.

Sincerely,

Todd Walldorf
Product Support & Sales
KIMBER KABLE
I went from the Kimber select to the silverstreaks, and although the soundstage is more open, the cable seems a little harsh to me.Listening to sax, and some vocals seem just a little shrill and anoying to me ears. Maybe i have been listening to the selects too long. Just how i see it. Rather HEAR it.