Ok so I have been using Colin’s EWA LS-25 speaker cables for some weeks now and can honestly say I have no need to improve on these, they are quite phenomenal in my system. Moving from TQ black cables to the EWA LS-25’s provided such an improvement in every area soundstage became wider, taller, greater depth with focus and image placement first class. Bass is wonderfully tuneful and tight, with mids and treble just making music sing. Nothing out of place and at no point do I feel I’m missing anything or that any one instrument is highlighted.
So I purchased the EWA IC-5 and EWA MC-5 cables for trial against my TQ blacks, which Colin duly sent.
EWA IC-5 XLR Interconnect
Upon receiving this I removed it from its plain cardboard box and plain hessian sleeve. Note on this, I applaud Colin for not making me pay for fancy boxes, silk sleeves, manuals, crushed velvet liners or diamond incrusted widgets that have no use, and once the cables are plugged into my system sit in the loft never to be seen again. The cables themselves are hugely flexible that give you confidence to be able to twist the XLR’s to marry up with the kit end. The cable itself is of a bright blue colour with silver XLR plugs.
Once plugged in the EWA IC-5’s were left running 24/7 as the day before I received them I caught a cold so needed to wait to fully recover before doing any serious listening. This at least provided a period of time to allow them to fully burn in, which while I’m always intent on doing so can’t always bring myself to do without listening .
So how do they sound, well this has not been easy to judge if honest. I was hoping for the day/night change the EWA LS-25s had brought, but this, while a clear change, I found much more difficult to put my finger on what the change was. Let me try to explain.
On first listening I thought that the soundstage to be slightly diminished and that the highs to be slightly rolled off, but could not pin point what was missing.
When listening to new equipment I tend to try unfamiliar tracks, which I know goes against common consensus. I find that if I am familiar with a track I tend to concentrate on say a bass note or cymbals or something that I know exists to check how well this particular aspect of music is reproduced on the new equipment. By playing music I am less familiar with I can then see how much I’m drawn into the music.
However, by using familiar music it became apparent that the highs were not rolled of or in fact the soundstage diminished. What was happening was that the EWA IC-5 interconnects had removed a level of hash or noise around the instruments. The likes of cymbals now sound realistic, guitar strings sound like a string. Maybe sound is not correct what im referring to is how it looks in the soundstage. The background seems quieter somehow again adding to that sense that I was missing something.
This same attribute of the EWA IC-5’s brought such focus to the instruments within the soundstage that it seemed slightly diminished but in fact it was just focus. One track that really brought this home was Miles Davis “All Blues” on the “Kind Of Blue” album, where a couple of minutes into the track you hear drum stick on cymbals. Now don’t crucify me if this is not its name I’m no musician. Previously on the TQ blacks this seemed to take up the whole right channel from speaker to centre soundstage, very unnatural. However; on the EWA IC-5’s the point at which the stick hits the cymbal is now etched in air and the cymbal shimmers which sounds and looks natural. That point of contact is just so pin point you can see it. Nothing blends together, each instrument has its own space to breath.
EWA MC-5 Mains Cable (Silver)
Again, a plain box and protective sleeve. The lead has an MK silver tough plug one end and what looks like standard IEC, unknown if silver, the other end with the lead being flexible. Nothing fancy but looks pretty good without being bling.
First off, I’ve never really spent much time comparing mains cables, as I’ve never felt comfortable constantly turning off my equipment and swapping back and forth. If honest I was not expecting the EWA MC-5 to compare to my TQ black mains lead due to cost and plugs used on the TQ lead.
Again, as with the EWA IC-5 I found the need to compare the same way and without making this too long, I found exactly same attributes as with the EWA IC-5 interconnects. Black back grounds, Image stability and focus of instruments with space around instrument. Yes, superior to my TQ black lead.
Putting both cables into the system really emphasised their abilities with a couple of additions. With the LS-25’s, IC-5s and MC-5 on my amp the sound removed itself from the speakers and they disappeared entirely. The soundstage became pin point where you could listen to each individual instrument and see it in mid-air. I know this all sounds very clichéd and I have no idea how someone can create cables with the exact same attributes but Mr Wonfor has done just that, and this is how I found them to sound in my system.
Having now spent some days with these in my system and listening to all sorts of music, familiar and not so familiar, these really are stonking cables. Bass weight has increased but not booming or bloated, but fast and musical. This is how I find these cables, musical which somehow have reduce noise or hash, and provided pin point accuracy within the soundstage.
I have noticed that the sweet spot on my sofa has reduced slightly and now have to sit a fraction higher in my seat. I think this is as a result of the way the Wonfor wires create its soundstage, you can almost move around it.
One last point, I've never considered my system to be lacking on the black background side of things but this is one of those times when you don’t know you have an issue till its gone.
I just need to work out how I can afford to buy enough EWA MC-5 mains cables for my entire system. Question is silver or gold plugs ??????
So I purchased the EWA IC-5 and EWA MC-5 cables for trial against my TQ blacks, which Colin duly sent.
EWA IC-5 XLR Interconnect
Upon receiving this I removed it from its plain cardboard box and plain hessian sleeve. Note on this, I applaud Colin for not making me pay for fancy boxes, silk sleeves, manuals, crushed velvet liners or diamond incrusted widgets that have no use, and once the cables are plugged into my system sit in the loft never to be seen again. The cables themselves are hugely flexible that give you confidence to be able to twist the XLR’s to marry up with the kit end. The cable itself is of a bright blue colour with silver XLR plugs.
Once plugged in the EWA IC-5’s were left running 24/7 as the day before I received them I caught a cold so needed to wait to fully recover before doing any serious listening. This at least provided a period of time to allow them to fully burn in, which while I’m always intent on doing so can’t always bring myself to do without listening .
So how do they sound, well this has not been easy to judge if honest. I was hoping for the day/night change the EWA LS-25s had brought, but this, while a clear change, I found much more difficult to put my finger on what the change was. Let me try to explain.
On first listening I thought that the soundstage to be slightly diminished and that the highs to be slightly rolled off, but could not pin point what was missing.
When listening to new equipment I tend to try unfamiliar tracks, which I know goes against common consensus. I find that if I am familiar with a track I tend to concentrate on say a bass note or cymbals or something that I know exists to check how well this particular aspect of music is reproduced on the new equipment. By playing music I am less familiar with I can then see how much I’m drawn into the music.
However, by using familiar music it became apparent that the highs were not rolled of or in fact the soundstage diminished. What was happening was that the EWA IC-5 interconnects had removed a level of hash or noise around the instruments. The likes of cymbals now sound realistic, guitar strings sound like a string. Maybe sound is not correct what im referring to is how it looks in the soundstage. The background seems quieter somehow again adding to that sense that I was missing something.
This same attribute of the EWA IC-5’s brought such focus to the instruments within the soundstage that it seemed slightly diminished but in fact it was just focus. One track that really brought this home was Miles Davis “All Blues” on the “Kind Of Blue” album, where a couple of minutes into the track you hear drum stick on cymbals. Now don’t crucify me if this is not its name I’m no musician. Previously on the TQ blacks this seemed to take up the whole right channel from speaker to centre soundstage, very unnatural. However; on the EWA IC-5’s the point at which the stick hits the cymbal is now etched in air and the cymbal shimmers which sounds and looks natural. That point of contact is just so pin point you can see it. Nothing blends together, each instrument has its own space to breath.
EWA MC-5 Mains Cable (Silver)
Again, a plain box and protective sleeve. The lead has an MK silver tough plug one end and what looks like standard IEC, unknown if silver, the other end with the lead being flexible. Nothing fancy but looks pretty good without being bling.
First off, I’ve never really spent much time comparing mains cables, as I’ve never felt comfortable constantly turning off my equipment and swapping back and forth. If honest I was not expecting the EWA MC-5 to compare to my TQ black mains lead due to cost and plugs used on the TQ lead.
Again, as with the EWA IC-5 I found the need to compare the same way and without making this too long, I found exactly same attributes as with the EWA IC-5 interconnects. Black back grounds, Image stability and focus of instruments with space around instrument. Yes, superior to my TQ black lead.
Putting both cables into the system really emphasised their abilities with a couple of additions. With the LS-25’s, IC-5s and MC-5 on my amp the sound removed itself from the speakers and they disappeared entirely. The soundstage became pin point where you could listen to each individual instrument and see it in mid-air. I know this all sounds very clichéd and I have no idea how someone can create cables with the exact same attributes but Mr Wonfor has done just that, and this is how I found them to sound in my system.
Having now spent some days with these in my system and listening to all sorts of music, familiar and not so familiar, these really are stonking cables. Bass weight has increased but not booming or bloated, but fast and musical. This is how I find these cables, musical which somehow have reduce noise or hash, and provided pin point accuracy within the soundstage.
I have noticed that the sweet spot on my sofa has reduced slightly and now have to sit a fraction higher in my seat. I think this is as a result of the way the Wonfor wires create its soundstage, you can almost move around it.
One last point, I've never considered my system to be lacking on the black background side of things but this is one of those times when you don’t know you have an issue till its gone.
I just need to work out how I can afford to buy enough EWA MC-5 mains cables for my entire system. Question is silver or gold plugs ??????