The improvements that I think I heard during the initial part of the running-in process are mostly subliminal and probably not something you can measure but, as a direct comparison with the Mogami cable would soon unveil, the Jorma very clearly and very definitively outperforms it. And any other digital cable that I have along with it! So much is clear already: Hans was right, the Jorma is an absolutely superb cable.

Swapping the Mogami AES/EBU cable for the Jorma cable was an absolute ear-opener! It was literally as if one turned a focus knob on an old CRT TV or, perhaps more appropriate, like switching from SD to 4K. All of a sudden, everything was crisper, more concrete and more direct with subtle sounds now positively popping up from the still wide and deep soundstage.

Going back to the Mogami was not fun! Instantly, this cable was unveiled as actually being quite smooth and even a little fat in the bass. Granted, it sounded balanced but somehow simplified and much less exciting. Even though I have always listened to it thinking it was pretty darn transparent and neutral, it now sounded decidedly processed and filtered to me.

The Jorma provides a technically immaculate performance, ticking all the audiophile parameter boxes like child’s play. And even though the cable sounds considerably crispier and more articulate, the treble remains airy and fluid and the organic and free-flowing nature of the performance is never hampered in the slightest. Of course, when a cable is more accurate, the sound of some recordings can become drier and I can imagine that one may need to adjust if one was used to hearing a large amount of smear. But even if it is very accurate, the Jorma always puts the performance first and the emotion always shines through.

Rhythmically, the cable is also very strong. It’s tight and fast but not metronome-like. It accelerates and decelerates precisely as required by the music.

The cable allows one to dissect mixes very easily and in that sense it is analytical. However, I would absolutely not classify its performance as cool or clinical. It’s quite the opposite, actually. I feel like, finally, I am hearing the format as it is supposed to perform!

Link do recenzji: Jorma AES/EBU – Hifi-Advice