Sternklang Cables


No, not another cable promo! This is probably one of the first thoughts that bubbles up in you when you see the above intro. Part of our fabulous hobby is discovering new products and sharing your experiences with the audiophile community. Fortunately, my dealer Colin @gestalt shares my passion and enthusiasm for new products. So when he mentioned, he is exploring another cable brand from Japan; I said bring it on!

Sternklang cable theory originates from following idea,

“It seems to me that a wire of audio cable is not a solid body but a living organism in which numerous cells breathe. Each cell has it’s own vibration damping function and they all cooperate with each other”

Currently, the Sternklang has two tiers or series offerings, Ephemera and Sarume. I chose to audition the Ephemera XLR due its unique construction, which uses a rolled copper in a coated nylon ‘Organdy’ jacket. Due to delicate nature of the jacket, certain handling precautions must be observed. I would keep them away from Vacuum Cleaners and your Cat :-)

Unlike most cables, the Ephemera series is a extremely low mass design. Koji Teramura, founder of Sternklang cables is a minimalist and the design of cables clearly reflects his philosophy.

So how do they sound? In one word, Fabulous! The Ephemera XLR imparts a lively, textured, organic presentation. To my ears, they are aptly designed to convey all the nuances in a recording. I am very comfortable in saying that Ephemera XLR’s don’t have any sound per se or coloration.

The Ephemera (flat ribbon) cables are available in Speaker, RCA, SPDIF and XLR configurations.

I auditioned the Ephemera XLR between my Marantz SA-11S2 SACD player and Accuphase E-650 Integrated. The rest of the system is wired with HIJIRI cable loom.

And No, Sternklang cables are not replacing my HIJIRI loom. IMHO, Ephemera is a very fine cable under $1.5K price range that deserves an audition in your system. For retail prices, please call Colin @ Gestalt Audio Design. 

http://www.konus-audio.com/ephemera-interconnect-cable.html

http://www.konus-audio.com/ephemera-speaker-cable.html

 

128x128lalitk

@willgolf 

I wouldn’t quite call it a comparison just yet, what I posted above are just my listening impressions. As I mentioned in my OP, Sternklang cables has a very different presentation. They will not be replacing my reference, 聖Hijiri “Million” cable loom. I am still accessing if I can listen to Sternklang livelier, slightly forward presentation long term. I am now spoiled by 聖HIJIRI‘s sophisticated and gorgeous sound..LOL! 

How’s your SPDIF audition coming along between Sternklang and 聖HIJIRI? 

@lalitk 


I think I posted the SPDIF  shootout above in the thread.  I was ready to do a full loom of Hijiri (Power cords and RCA and S/PDIF) and then I heard the Sternklang S/PDIF.  It was a combination of what you described with Hijiri with a little more Live sound which meets what I am looking for.  I just got my Lmpizator Horizon so I am breaking it in with all of my new cables.  My next venture will be speaker cables but I am not in a rush because the Horizon needs to break in and then I have to complete a tube rolling exercise to determine the best sound.  Then I will move to speaker cables and it is why I asked you what you compared to.  

@willgolf 

I can see why you loved Sternklang SPDIF over 聖Hijiri with Horizon DAC. My system is all SS so I found the right ‘balance’ with 聖Hijiri cables. Having said that, Sternklang proving to be quite complimentary…whenever you’re ready, I recommend that you give the speaker cable a shot in your exquisite system.