HG Silver Lace Revisited


Several months ago Trelja and SDcampbell brought our attention to this inexpensive silver IC that performs beyond
its modest price. I recently gave this IC a listen. Eight strand construction, unsheilded but no noise pick-up in my system, improved RCAs over previous HG cables, 30 day trail period.

Last year I auditioned Silver Audio Hyacinth $275 and HT ProSilway II $400 and found both to be excellent cables but
gave a slight edge to PS II, however Hyacinth was very close
and a much better value. Silver Lace I feel is currently the
performance/value leader as its sound is in the same league as PS II at less than 1/2 price $190. Sound is as smooth as any silver IC in this price range, excellent detail retreval, and 3D presentation is superb. Would sound wonderful in any system whose tonal values were nuetral to warm. I get enhanced detail without the pronounced treble
and upper midrange that a silver cable like Kimber KCAG or
Silver Streak produces. Instead of a lean bright sound some
silver cables impart, SL is remarkably balanced, clean, smooth sounding.

I use copper ICs in my current all Musical Fidelity system
because I like the added warmth and fullness,
and although the SL may not be my everyday cable, I will be keeping it as it is too good not to have, and I may in the future use it. A remarkable value, cudos to HG.

Any other members want to add their experiences?
128x128megasam
I would agree that the price performance ratio is outstanding. Excellent detail retrieval, open and focused soundstage, impactful and deep bass, and a nice balanced presentation. Just a tad on the cool side of neutral, but the SLs let the music flow, and have an engaging character. I have both RCA and XLR versions. I've had the XLR version since Feb. and use it as a substitute ic when selling and trading my main ics. It took a long time for the XLR version to break in, about a month before it fully smoothed out. I recently replaced the Transparent Audio Supers in my HT with Silver Lace. The RCA version is breaking in much more quickly then the XLR version did. I haven't tried it in my main system yet, but I think the RCA version sounds better then the XLR version. Kevin agrees.
Sam, thanks for sharing your opinions of this cable with us all. You are certainly one of the cable gurus of this site. The more people who are able to submit a review on a product, the better able we on this site are to form a concensus for that product. When and where it will work well, and vice versa. Your opinions seem to agree with anyone fortunate enough to try this cable in their system. The sound of silver has a lot of myths attached to it, foremost that it is bright. While it is true that silver is open and honest, a good silver cable should not be bright. Some people say that silver is just a microscope, drawing attention to whatever is "wrong" with one's silver. I take more of a middle of the road approach. Feeling that there surely are silver cables which are bright, harsh, or irritating. But, also saying that silver should be used in a complimentary system. My whole point in a nutshell is system synergy. Components must match and/or balance other components. Otherwise, the most expensive system in the world will not yield anything beyond bad sound. Conversely, a very satisfying system can be inexpensive. It just takes a little effort. Products which offer true world class sound at real world prices are abundant in this industry. Despite others telling us we are required to equate better with more expensive. HomeGrown Audio Silver Lace certainly is the best interconnect I have come across in my system. It is not a great budget cable, but a reference quality cable that happens to offer a price lower than other reference quality cables. I would never stand up, as so many do, and say it is the best interconnect. No cable is the best for any and all systems. Anyone who argues this point is either misinformed or a liar. As has been stated above, in a system voiced warmly, this is a product that should be auditioned. People with tubes and speakers which are not so forward are good candidates for Silver Lace. People with more upfront solid state and forward or bright speakers would probably be wise to look elsewhere. I can say that at its best, Silver Lace offers an open, detailed, punchy, extended(at both frequency extremes), yet liquid, full, and grainless sound.
Silver Lace is all that. BUT, since I replaced Silver Solution with it, the soundstage is impossible to dial in. On most recordings, no matter where I position the speakers, the image has moved back in plane with them and some defining instrument or sound is coming directly from them. One good example is the cymbals on Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue. All the rest of the drum kit is well back and between but those cymbals are localised to the speakers, one cymbal left and the other right. Is this the recording?
I also find that piano is problematic with the image shifting toward left or right in an unnatural way as the notes go from bass to treble.
Kestrels are supposed to be easy to position, and were. I've tried the formulas but the room is L.R.-D.R., 12X26 and I can't put the listening position in the D.R.
Anyone have a suggestion?
Kitch29, I don't know how long you have had your SL. I found the treble to take a long time to develop that airy quality that allows cymbals to shimmer and float free of the speakers. The soundstage also becomes less recessed, and all frequencies become more proportionate to one another. Initially I thought the treble might be slightly shelved. There was also a glare in the upper mids and lower treble that took time to smooth out.