INTERCONNECTS and speaker cables have always fascinated me.  They appear to be nothing more than pieces of wire that transmit an electrical signal from point A to point B.  Yet, there are a plethora of brands available to the hearty audiophile willing to audition these components.  Each company who manufacturers or distributes cables claims to be implementing the correct manufacturing technique or process and using the most accurate or musical ingredients.  To the average audiophile, the marketing jargon and tech-speak confuses and detracts from the primary concern ö the sound quality of the music.  As a former hifi salesman and a general practitioner at the Planet HiFi Audio Doctor clinic, I have listened to many consumers and their ailments.  One concern that stands out is whether or not audio cables have an appreciable effect on the sound quality of the average system.  Customers cannot believe that a piece of wire could improve the sound of their systems.  I understand their disbelief. 

As a budding audiophile, I had posed similar questions to my local dealer.  When he presented me with a pair of van den Huls, I responded incredulously to his gesture.  I asked him,' What could possibly go wrong with the sound as the signal moves from the CD player to the preamplifier?' Sometimes I would become offended and begin challenging my local dealer's intentions.  I would say, 'Why would expensive cables audibly change the sound quality of the music better than my cheap cords?'  But after listening to a pair of Monster Cable Sigma in my inexpensive audio system, I became a believer and a convert.  I recall thinking that the cables were almost as expensive as my entire system but that the difference in sound was equivalent to a complete system upgrade.

There is as much science and theory in cable design as in most other audio component categories.  Fortunately, the past ten years have seen great advancements in cable sound quality and construction.  Cable designers better understand the mechanical and electrical properties and interactions of the key components that produce high fidelity sound.  As a result, the hifi market is plush with state-of-the-art cable components that provide the ultimate in signal transmission.  But obtaining the pinnacle of hifi cable technology comes at a severe cost; an indulgence that the audiophile masses can only participate in at their local dealer or at a wealthy friend's place.  So, where does this leave the working class audiophile and his $5,000 audio system?  It puts him on a bus to Lancaster, New York where Joe Skubinski of JPS Labs produces the $200 Ultra Conductor loudspeaker cable. 

If you are planning on taking the trip, I must warn you.  The tour guide hands out tissues and I would recommend taking a few.  The Ultra Conductor is so incredibly involving and successful at conveying the musical essence of the medium that some listeners become overwhelmed with emotion.  And who wants to see a grown man cry?

Construction

JPS Labs used much of the technology of the acclaimed Superconductor 2 loudspeaker cable in the design of the Ultra Conductor.  At the heart of the speaker cable lies a unique conductive element comprised of a proprietary blend of ultra-pure alloys trademarked 'Alumiloy'.  The JPS Labs website states that this combination conducts audio frequencies cleaner and better than any other conductor available. In addition, the proprietary alloy material allows for maximum clarity without the veiling. Every cable that leaves the JPS Labs factory is hand-assembled, and the quality shows.  My 8-foot pair review sample arrived coiled up inside a cylindrical plastic container, which in turn rested inside a well-packaged shipping carton.  The Ultra Conductor has a bright blue PVC outer jacket and is terminated with good-quality gold and copper spade lugs.  The exposed positive and negative ends are covered in a red mesh protective jacket and are secured in place with white heat shrink tubing.  The familiar JPS Labs logo finishes off the cableās visual presentation.  The Ultra Conductor is quite flexible and should not present any problems in terms of positioning onto the amp/speaker connectors.  Nor should you have problems when snaking the cables around stands and other cables.  The workmanship is definitely top-notch and far exceeded my expectations for a $200 speaker cable.

Set-Up

I burned in the loudspeaker cables for approximately 80 hours by using the XLO / Reference Recordings Test & Burn-In CD.  Based on my initial observations from casual listening, the Ultra Conductors required substantially more time to break-in than most of the other cables I have used in my system.  The sound quality of the cable improves significantly over time and I recommend waiting at least 80 hours before conducting any serious auditioning.  After proper conditioning, the midrange opens up and a slight veiling of the sound is removed.  This sort of change is, at times, dramatic and reinforces my belief that some cables are more sensitive to break-in than others.

Sound Session

Using my brand-new Relaxinā With The Miles Davis Quintet (OJCCD-190-2), I cued up 'If I Were A Bell' and was immediately impressed with the Ultra Conductor's ability to hide the loudspeakers within the soundfield.  The soundstage spread across the outer edge of the loudspeakers, approximately a foot in front and five to six feet behind the speakers.  Depth perception was excellent, and depending upon the recording, sometimes bordered upon exceptional.  A realistic music venue was portrayed that allowed the loudspeakers to disappear from the musical background.  When I switched back to my Synergistic Research Alpha speaker cable, the soundstage contracted ever so slightly and the loudspeakers drew more attention to themselves.  I suddenly became aware of the two loudspeakers in front of me and consciously tried to ignore them.  But during my listening sessions I was, at times, subconsciously aware of their presence.  This distraction prevented me from fully immersing myself into the Quintet's probing brilliance and made me a spectator instead of a participant.  Reinserting the Ultra Conductor brought the Quintet back for another set.  Davis and Coltrane trade grooves on the swinging 'It Could Happen to You.'   With the Ultraās in the signal path, these two jazz giants sounded skillful and astute.  The 'you are there' feeling was back and I was lost in pulsating rhythm and melody.

In addition to presenting instruments with very good depth, the Ultra Conductor maintained especially pronounced bass.  Sara K's 'Brick House' from The Super Audio Collection & Professional Test Disc (CHDVD171) opens with a string bass line that is an excellent test for all audio components.  The recording is first-rate and 24bit / 96kHz to boot.  Using the Synergistic Research Alpha, the bassist's plucks were fairly anemic and a bit lethargic, turning the intro into a stumbling point during the song.  After turning off the amp and replacing the cable with the Ultra Conductor, the bass line seemed to leap up after me.  Truly rhythmic notes now rumbled and slapped with exciting energy and focus.  There was pop to the strings as four metal wires flung themselves from the bassists fingertips.  The improvement in sound quality was significant and helped convey the groups coinciding musical temperament.

Another striking feature of the JPS Labs Ultra Conductor is the cables incredibly neutral midrange.  Using Centaur Recordās Marin Marais: Pieces de Violes IIIe Livre (CRC 2429), I heard linear response though most of the midrange and well into the lower treble.  John Dornenburg defies description with his sweeping notes and lush interpretation of Marais' 'Suite in G Minor.'  The simplicity and technical prowess of the music parallel the attributes of the Ultra Conductor and highlight the cable's unusually flat midrange response. After listening to speaker cables that retail for five to ten times the cost of the Ultra Conductor, you come to realize how important and remarkable this feat is for a working-class audiophile product.  At $200, I would expect to hear major peaks and/or dips throughout the crucial middle frequencies, as this has been my experience with similarly priced cables.  But I was neither offended nor bombarded with inconsistencies in the Ultra Conductorās middle frequency range.  Instead, I was rewarded with an extremely smooth and pleasant response that neither added nor detracted from the music.  The midrange is a crucial portion of the audible frequency range and itās the most difficult to get right.  Joe Skubinski hit the bulls eye on this one and at a fraction of the cost of most other successful cables.

Sound Summary

So how does the JPS Labs Ultra Conductor compare to my current reference speaker cable?  The Synergistic Research Alpha and the Ultra Conductor are two cables cut from very different cloth.  I used Livingston Taylor's 'Isn't She Lovely' on the Super Audio Collection to help me summarize and clarify the differences between both cables' overall musical presentations.  Using the Alpha, the first two minutes of the song moved along at a quick and lively pace.  Guitar picks had sharp attack and extended range on the decay.  Taylor's voice was resolute and precise without sounding overly detailed.  But at times, when using the Alpha, I could hear a bit of edginess to Taylor's whistle that portrayed an artificial side to this part of the music.  In addition, I could picture each of the musicians within the soundfield but they were positioned individually, not as a group.  I felt as if the people were a bunch of hired hands and not a band of musicians who would live, eat and breathe together.  Also, when using the Alpha in the system, bass lines sounded adequate but at times appeared to lag behind the rest of the music in both pace and fortitude.

In contrast, the Ultra Conductor provided a more musical approach to the presentation of 'Isn't She Lovely.'  The high frequencies are velvety smooth with excellent sparkle.  Cymbals vibrate with a realistic and satisfying shimmer.  Gone are the familiar splashy sounds of most cables in this price range.  In addition, the midrange is full of body and beautiful rich texture.  At first, the Ultra doesn't appear to have the openness and detail of the Alpha's midrange.  But this apparent lack of detail is due to the phenomenal bottom-end of the Ultra Conductor.  This extraordinary bass succeeds in balancing out the rest of the audio spectrum and therefore makes it appear that there is less information available to the listener.  It reduces an unnatural prominence or peak in the midrange that can be misinterpreted as more resolution and detail.  Where the Alpha can be categorized as a vividly detailed and up-front cable, the Ultra Conductor is musically and emotionally descript.  For those audiophiles who prefer a lively and up-front sound combined with first-rate detail and high frequency extension, the Synergistic Research Alpha should be on your must audition list.  But for those audiophiles who require a harmonically rich and full sound with excellent bass and top to bottom coherency, then the Ultra is the cable for you.  Based upon your personal tastes and the sound of your existing components, either cable may be the winning ticket.

Conclusion

The JPS Labs Ultra Conductor proves that you don't need to make any sacrifices in order to achieve an envious level of musicality and emotion.  At $200 per pair, the Ultra provides a laundry list of sonic benefits with a reasonable price tag.  It wasn't hard to justify its placement into my budget reference system, and it continues to challenge all cable newcomers in the audio small cap value category.  Combining top-flight sonics and hand-craftsmanship, there is no reason why any audiophile shouldn't give this cable an audition.  So go home, hook up some Ultra to your system, and get in touch with your emotions.

(Please note that UltraConductor of today is a more flexible cable with even better sonics)

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