Wireworld Silver or Gold Eclipse 8 - IC or Speaker Cable?
About 20 years ago, I owned some costly Wireworld interconnects, probably the Gold range. I then deviated from WW and tried other brands. Several years ago I tried the Electra 7 PC. Fast forward to today, I recently tried the Silver Electra 7 PC and Platinum Starlight 8 USB. I’ve only installed the Silver Electra 7 power cord and so far things are looking promising.
For people who say that Wireworld PCs are the weakest product in comparison to their interconnects and speaker cables, I partly agree. I find that the power cords don’t sound good when used on amplifiers, sounding dull and flat with reduced dynamics. I solely use the PCs on digital sources such as DACs and they perform well here.
Coming back to the question, I may be interested to try the higher range Wireworld interconnects (balanced XLR) or speaker cable in the near or distant future when I get the itch. Currently I have pretty good and costly cables in my system but am curious about the Silver and Gold Eclipse 8 range. Questions as follows.
1. What is the main difference in sound quality between the Silver Eclipse 8 and Gold Eclipse 8? Which is more dynamic, smoother, detailed and 3-dimensional?
2. Generally, which is considered to be better with Wireworld products, the interconnects or speaker cable? In other words, a cable that is capable of bringing a larger impact or improvement to the sound of the system.
Before anyone asks, the Platinum is left out as it is a little too rich for my blood. However, I wouldn't mind people posting their impressions on the Platinum vs Gold vs Silver Eclipse 8 if the comparison was made.
@jdub39 , the Silver Eclipse 8s are good! It’s about 100 hours only now and the sound has improved tremendously, more open with better clarity and detail. The slight dark and muffled sound in the midrange and upper bass are now gone. I can’t wait to get to 200 hours. Once it's all over I'll swap to the Acrolink XLR again to reconfirm my impressions. |
@ryder , Sounds about right! |
ryder I always enjoy reading about your System upgrades. Nice score on the WW Silver Electra7 PC. I was really impressed with this particular Power Cord. And yes, it does well on Digital sources. Can you talk about the Sonic differences between your Acrolink PC and the WW Silver Electra7 PC?
Happy Listening! |
Hi Jafant, Thanks. This time it’s not the WW Silver Electra7 PC but the Silver Eclipse 8 XLR interconnect. I haven’t made any serious comparison between the Silver Elektra7 PC and Acrolink PC but may do it soon. I briefly swapped the Elektra7 PC and Acrolink PC on my amp and source and found the Acrolink PC to have a more full-bodied sound with bloom in the midrange and treble whereas the Elektra7 has a leaner sound and perhaps slightly more detailed but without the bloom. In other words the WW sounds a bit flat or bland in comparison. I have since made few changes to the system (new rack, new power conditioner etc.) so things might be a bit different now if I compare the cables. Generally, the Acrolink PCs have a fuller and warmer sound, a bit tube-like while preserving the detail. If the system is already warm then the Acrolink PCs might not be a good idea. I need more time to assess the sound or performance of the WW Silver Electra 7 PC as I only use it on the streamer at the moment. I prefer the Acrolink PCs on the amp and DAC but may swap the cords another time. I’m now waiting for the burn-in of the WW Silver Eclipse 8 XLR to complete, possibly in another 2 to 3 weeks before I switch to the Acrolink XLR. |
You posted this earlier:-
Update. I think it’s rather accurate since I’m currently experiencing this albeit it’s between the WW Silver Eclipse 8 XLR and Acrolink 8N-A2080III XLR instead of Gold Eclipse 8 XLR. The Silver Eclipse 8 XLR has better clarity, separation and detail than the Acrolink XLR but sounds a little lean with reduced bass slam and dynamics. The overall sound of the WW is clean and tidy. The Acrolink sounds a bit too warm and thick in the midrange and lacks the airiness of the WW. However, the overall sound of the Acrolink is more dynamic and the bass sounds more robust. I can feel the powerful bass pumping with the Acrolink while it’s reduced bass energy with the WW which caused the reduced dynamics. The bass thud of the WW has less impact and sounds weaker. The dynamics leap out more from the background with the Acrolink while the WW sounds a little flat in comparison. The WW also lacks the bloom or tube-like glow of the Acrolink particularly with piano. Perhaps the WW is more neutral while the Acrolink imparts a bit of tube-like glow or warmth to the sound of instruments. I presume it’s a matter of matching as I might get a different result if I swap DAC and speakers, which I will do soon. Nevertheless, that does not change the basic character or sound signature of the cables. The WW Silver Eclipse 8 XLR would be perfect if it maintains the clarity, separation and detail across the frequency spectrum and improves on bass slam and dynamics.. Will the Gold Eclipse 8 or Platinum Eclipse 8 provide the additional bass slam and dynamics? I’ve actually shortlisted the top level Acrolink 7N-DA6300IV Mexcel XLR as the ultimate final treat before I retire for good. It’s very costly so I’ll have to wait until next year after I manage to raise the funds. There isn’t any doubt the WW Silver Eclipse 8 XLR is a great sounding cable at its price point, great value. The 7N-DA6300IV Mexcel costs almost 5 times more than the Silver Eclipse 8.
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