Ray Kimber started Kimber Kable in 1979. Before Kimber Kable, all we in the industry knew about cable was- the bigger the better. There was a little something to that, but Ray was about to teach us about the importance of more pure metal, braiding techniques and improved dielectrics.
There are numerous fine cables on the market today. It is fair to say they all owe a debt of gratitude to Ray Kimber as his work moved cables north in a scientific fashion. We continue to do business with Kimber Kable as they make some of the finest cables in the world- at competitive prices no less. We also enjoy the fact that these cables are made in Utah by Americans. They’re not purchased from China and badged USA.
Speaker Kables
Kimber Kable 8 Pair Speaker Cable
Two 10′ Runs with bananas or spades, $388
$14 per foot plus terminations
Speaker cable matters. The more revealing your system is, the more it matters. If you have a garden variety receiver with garden variety speakers, zip cord is fine. That gear is like a dusty window that won’t let you see CLEARLY- what’s on the other side.
If your system IS REVEALING, cut above speaker cable makes sense. It is icing on the cake. With a revealing system each improvement helps. By paying attention to the details of mains conditioners, power cables, interconnects and of course speaker cables, you get an accumulation of improvements that add up to a substantial upgrade. You will appreciate the quality of your recordings more, in terms of detail, punch and ambiance.
In the early 70s we discovered that thicker speaker cable provided more bass and better dynamics in a fine hi-fi. I wouldn’t say the improvement was monstrous, but it was noticeable. Some companies were trying to fool us with clear magnifying insulation jackets to make us think the glass of beer had more fluid that it actually did. Yes, it was the wild wild west in the cable development world.
In 1979 Ray Kimber of Kimber Kable changed the game. His research revealed that there was indeed science to all this. BRAIDING cable, or in Ray’s case, BRAIDING KABLE, lowered inductance and virtually eliminated RFI. It worked. It provided sound that was clearly, more CLEAR. We learned that there was more to cable than bigger is better.
In fact, Ray’s braided cable sounded less thick and murky in the bass. With Ray’s braided kable, dynamics improved, as did clarity and the impact of transient attacks from drums, pianos and guitars.
Ray offered FOUR PAIR and EIGHT PAIR. Both are still available today, but it is 8 PAIR that floats my boat as the best law of diminishing returns performer.
It is wise to terminate your kables with banana plugs. First of all, using banana plugs allows you to get this thick kable into standard sized terminals. They sound the same as spade lugs, but they can be installed more easily to the connectors, and once you’ve done so- the connection to your amp and speakers is easier than using spade lugs. Banana plugs come in various shapes/sizes and metal. Please budget about $80 for a 4 pack of banana plugs. The $388 price above for 8 PAIR does include bananas.
Very soon after Ray brought out his cable, the industry realized this braided cable technology was legit. You can’t patent braiding. Pretty soon everyone and his brother was braiding their wire. It worked. We still work with Ray. He makes great kable at fair prices. He’s a philanthropic guy in the music community.
8 PAIR is the sweet spot on the speaker cable market!
Kimber Kable Carbon Speaker Cables
Carbon 8: 1m $880pr, 2m $1320pr, 3m $1760pr, 4m $2200pr, 5m $2640pr, 6m $3080pr
Carbon 16: 1m $1640pr, 2m $2520pr, 3m $3400pr, 4m $4280pr, 5m $5160pr, 6m $60400pr
Carbon 18XL: 1m $2900pr, 2m $4000pr, 3m $5100pr, 4m $6200pr, 5m $7300pr, 6m $8400pr
Kimber recently introduced the first speaker cables that clearly beat the 8 PAIR in my book. They’re called Kimber Carbons. You might remember a day and age when speaker cables had batteries installed in line. It didn’t work well in practice, but the idea was interesting. How to get a bit more bounce or dynamics out of the sound?
Kimber worked on applying carbon, which is 6% conductive, to wire for 20 plus years. Eventually Ray found the technology to do so. The carbon coating is covered with a Teflon dielectric. The Carbon line of cables was born and added a distinct dynamic punch and sparkle to your music, which was simply lost in lesser cables.
Sonically, Carbon speaker cable allows dynamic range and superior resolution to soar. It’s as though you opened the window and let in fresh air. All ranges are more expansive. Transients start and stop faster. Most notably, there’s no bloat or FAT in the bass range.
While the Carbon 8/16/18XL will benefit ANY speakers, they’ll be especially valuable for those of you who own speakers of full range = extended bass response. You’ll be happily surprised how
Carbons tighten up the bass while allowing air and space to show anew.
The difference among the three Carbon models is more evident as you have higher end systems with uber extended bass. Let me know your system and I’ll recommend the right model for you!
Kimber Kable Interconnects
Kimber Kable Tonik Interconnects
.5m $96, 1m $108, 1.5m $120, 2m $32
While Kimber is known primarily for high end cables like the new Carbon interconnects, don’t forget about the best value at the other end of the price scale, the affordable Kimber Tonik interconnects.
Tonik begins life as a three wire, Varistrand, braided geometry, interlink cable. With high purity copper cabling and edge of the art polyethylene dielectric, Toniks are down right inexpensive while high performing.
Tonik has an open, smooth sound, which you can surpass- by going with Kimber’s Hero. The Hero has a slightly more muscular, airy sound. You can’t truly WHUP the Tonik until you go nuts for Kimber’s new Carbon interconnect. That, mis amigos, puts you in an entirely different league!
Kimber Kable Hero Interconnects, Ultraplate RCAs Or XLRs
.5m $231, 1m $296, 1.5m $361, 2m $436
Kimber makes cables from modest to esoteric. The sweet spot for most of our customers is the iconic Kimber Hero. It is used in some of the highest end systems going, yet is still reasonably priced.
Hero consists of a four wire, Varistrand, braided geometry, interlink cable. With high purity copper cable and Teflon dielectric, Heros are warmer and richer sounding than Kimber’s less expensive Toniks.
Compared to Tonik, Hero has a more muscular & airy sound. You can perceive this difference on a system where the speakers and electronics are north of a grand each. An example of a system that would benefit from Heros, would be one that includes Wharfedale Lintons or Magnepan
MG .7s, and any Hegel or upper level NAD integrateds or separates. By the time you’re talking Bryston and McIntosh, Hero should be locked in.
Pricing above is with Ultraplate connectors. That’s the version that makes most sense to buy.
Hero is also available with fancy schmancy WBT connectors- for fancier money. The price is $380 or $520 depending on which WBT. But… it isn’t necessary to spend more for Heros than the Ultraplate price.
That’s because …1m Hero runs $296- how far do you have to go to beat it? You have to double the money and buy Kimber’s Carbon, $620. Carbon sounds better than Hero with WBTs. It’s smarter to buy the Carbon than Hero with WBTs!
Carbon Interconnect
.5m $510, 1m $620, 2m $840, 3m $1060, 4m $1280
Brand new, and performance breaking for me, is the Kimber Carbon Interconnect cable.
For its price point, Carbon shatters the glass ceiling of dynamic range performance most noticeably! It sounds like you added more power to your system, which you did NOT.
Along with improved dynamic range, you’ll hear deeper, tauter bass response and improved resolution throughout. All told, Carbon provides a substantive level of improvement compared to anything less than it – or close to it.
For many years our reference standard for the money has been the Kimber Hero. It features Kimber’s Varistrand, 4 copper (state of the art 102% IACS purity) in 4 wire braided weave construction with a Teflon dielectric. It’s terrific and we still encourage it.
To beat the Hero all these years, you had to jump up to the Kimber Select Series. The KS-1116 is better in that it has six, solid core (as opposed to stranded) Varistrand copper cables with a Teflon dielectric along with electrostatic dissipative material braided in a constrained matrix geometry around a core.
Carbon starts life similar to the Hero, but instead of using just a Teflon dielectric, Carbon has a special “factor.” Carbon employs an electrostatically dissipative CARBON INFUSED POLYMER layer surrounding Varistrand wires. This is semi conductive layer helps to improve the speed of transmission over 5%. Finally, this construction is then covered with a Teflon jacket. As I mentioned above, you’ll notice the sonic improvement most clearly in dynamic contrast, bass impact and overall transparency.
Carbon is standard with WBT-0114cu RCA’s or silver plated studio grade XLR’s. How sophisticated a system do you need to have to appreciate the benefits of a Carbon(s) interconnect?
Suppose you have a fine integrated amp like McIntosh, Hegel or Bryston. Congratulations! NOW we’re talking. If you have a true cut above integrated amp or separates, YOU are a candidate for Carbons.
I’m just going to assume that if you had good enough taste to buy electronics like these, you have commensurate speakers. But maybe we need to discuss those too!
Anyone who reads our site knows I’m an avid silver disc lover. I own thousands of CDs and SACDs. It’s kinda OCD if the truth be known. I love the Marantz SA-10 disc player which doesn’t use a DAC chip- and supports XLR as well as RCA outs. When I substituted the Carbon for an array of lesser cables, it was always “sunlight” when I went back to the Carbon. Short of the Select KS-1136 Silver (1m $2480) I’d rather have the Carbon than anything else on the market!