Stager Silver Solids Interconnect Review

This is the first time I have ventured into the world of Interconnects that utilize a solid silver conductor. Mainly because most interconnects of this type command such a high price and I’m frugal!

A friend started me down this road with the thought of creating a pair of DIY silver interconnects, due to a sale on some bulk cable from a local supplier.

Before proceeding down the DIY road I decided to see what all the hub-bub was about by looking into some reviews of existing silver interconnects to see what improvements I might attain. It was at this point that I came across several positive reviews of the
Stager Silver Solids interconnect produced by Marc Stager of Stager Sound Systems in New York. So, off I trolled to his web site to see what Mr. Stager had to say about his product.

specs

First, be aware these interconnects DO NOT have shielding - now some might think “he’s bonkers, who in their right mind would create an unshielded interconnect!” – well, errr... Kimber Cable interconnects are also unshielded, and I don’t see anyone declaring them bonkers.

And so, I flip-flopped for a couple of days, debating the merits of screened vs. unscreened and also whether the Canare RCA plugs Marc uses were worthy of a silver cable, since I am a big fan of Furutech high copper content RCA connectors.

So to pare down this review to something that does not make the reader roll their eyes – here it is...
I purchased one pair of the
Stager Silver Solids interconnect cables. Marc was extremely quick (same day) to acknowledge via email that they were out the door and into the mail system, which took 6 days to arrive. I connected them between my Cambridge Audio phono stage and my Naim Nait 5i integrated amp and listened – the next day I purchased the second set for my DAC! – and I don’t do that sort of thing unless it’s really good!

Not only are these interconnects great performers, they are great value, at $150 for a 1 meter pair!

Now I’m not going to use the old clichés like
“a veil had been lifted” or “the fog has finally cleared”, I’m gonna tell ya what I experienced in real world terms...

First, I listened to a track from a Tacet Recording - Das Mikrofon – Toccata Terza in A.
First a quick note about Tacet- their sound engineers are among the most brilliant on the planet and completely anal about microphones and all things analogue, which is why their recordings and vinyl pressings are immaculate!

The first thing I noticed was that the volume level of the pipe organ appeared to have been reduced, but then I noticed that the organ had dropped further back in the soundstage, so it made perfect sense. The depth of image that these interconnects had brought to the music was very noticeable. Next, the very detailed upper registers of the pipe organ had been placed with extreme precision across the sound stage. But my favourite part , a huge bass chord, was yet to come: and there it was – except, it had gone way past huge to enormous and very very deep. Plus, it contained a very detailed texture – like a rumbly growl.

And so it went on, album after album. Everything had so much more presence over my previous interconnects. The sound stage has become huge, the space more voluminous, the instruments more vibrant and lively, the bass lines more textured, the dynamics are so much quicker and the overall listening experience so much more believable. But more than anything it always sounded very natural and just plain right!

I also own some older recordings (circa 1958) which I thought might sound a bit lean with these interconnects, based on other reviewers coments, but even these pressings were treated with the utmost respect and actually sounded smoother, fuller and so much more enjoyable. Even the mono albums sounded a little more spacious.

By the way… my initial “reservations” about the Canare RCA adapters used by Marc have been completely dispelled by the stunning performance of these interconnects. Also, the fact these cables are not shielded did not make them any noisier than my existing cables in my setup, but you might want to keep them away from power cables (Please Note: all my 120v power cables are shielded) and avoid using cable ties for those neat cable runs (something I avoid like the plague for all of my cables).

Now, I’m not getting any younger, so for me, to hear such noticeable improvements with these interconnects prove they are doing something very right! (Oh to have my 18 year old ears back)

You might be thinking -
“Hey – to hear such a difference, you must have been using old table-lamp wire before”

Nope - for many years now, I’ve had
Van Den Hul D 102 III Hybrid Interconnects and more recently DH Labs BL-1 Silver Sonic Interconnect, both reasonably priced, industry proven, silver-on-OFC copper interconnects with Furutech RCA connectors, so I had always thought they had great performance characteristics.

The
Stager Silver Solids are my new reference!

Also – I consider my audio system to be “modestly priced” (remember – I’m frugal), but I do believe that these Interconnects would be equally at home in systems utilizing components that have a much higher resolution capability.

Other reviewers stated these interconnects seemed bright, or lack bass, but most believed they they have a good middle. Now just maybe, it’s not the
Stager Silver Solids, but the other components in their audio systems contributing to their findings?

One thing for certain,
they do change the sound: for the better!

Since purchasing these interconnects, I have exchanged several emails with Marc regarding their design, development and effectiveness and he takes a no nonsense approach, using the best materials where it matters (i.e. the solid silver wire) with industry proven components (i.e. Canare RCA Connectors) that effectively supports his design goals – a high performance, high quality product at a very reasonable price. Also, Marc will make them any length you want!

Jazz, rock, folk, orchestral, strings, woodwind, choral, electronic - pretty much any damn thing I threw at them just sounded so much nicer!

So, If you don’t have any solid silver interconnects, do yourself a favour. Try one pair of
Stager Silver Solids by Marc Stager - I’ll bet, like me, you'll buy at least one more pair.

page6_blog_entry40-two-thumbs-up A highly recommended product!