HBS-QS1 - Silver Solid Core (Quasi-Balanced)

Of course, I remember fully well that in my presentation of the HBS4 I had written that this would be my last silver solid core cable presentation. But sometimes predictions are made, and then life happens and makes it seem absurd to stick by them. Shortly after writing my review of the HBS4, Holger Becker contacted me to report that he had been working on a new cable design which he was currently testing on his own system and would send to me for auditioning thereafter. How could I resist the temptation of listening to it or writing about it once the listening was done?

Mr Becker’s latest design was a quasi-balanced cinch/RCA concept consisting of the same type of 4N silver solid core wires that I had thoroughly tested and written reviews on before. The term quasi-balanced refers to the use of two identical wires for the hot and the ground connector respectively. This means that the same gauge and materials of wire are used to transport current from the source to the preamplifier and back. For improved noise cancellation, the hot and the ground wire are usually twisted together to form what is called a ‘twisted pair’. An external shield is then wrapped around the twisted pair to block out external interference. In case of Mr Becker’s cables, this shield is made of a high-purity copper mesh that is connected to the ground prong on one side of the cable only.

There are many terms describing such quasi-balanced cinch/RCA designs. The most prominent variations are pseudo-balanced, pseudo-symmetrical, and quasi-symmetrical. I prefer the term quasi-balanced myself, as pseudo is often used to mean ‘fake’ and therefore has a negative connotation; and non-symmetry often refers to a difference in length, which is not the case on a quasi-balanced cable. The balance rather stems from its non-coaxial layout. On a standard coaxial design, the hot wire is usually positioned at the centre of the cable with the larger mesh shield serving both as signal return path and as absorber of electro-magnetic interference. With interference travelling along the signal return path, the negative effect on music is often audible in terms of a loss in dynamics or the augmentation of the upper frequency spectrum.

Quasi-balanced cables help to eliminate some effects of interference on music signals while inviting others. They are directional in the sense that their shielding needs to be attached on the side of a well-grounded device, such as a preamplifier or an amplifier for it to be effective. Their specific layout lends itself for use with turntables, because phono cartridges are in themselves symmetrical. When it comes to usability and handling, the additional inner wire makes the finished cable thicker and slightly less flexible, qualities that I rather enjoy on a solid core interconnect, as these cables tend to look and feel rather insignificant and flimsy. Very few people would be able to guess the sonic abilities of the HBS 1-4 from their looks alone. This is pleasantly different in the case of the new quasi-balanced design.

As I was testing a prototype rather than the finished product, the cable did not yet have a name. I therefore christened it HBS-QS1 (short for Holger Becker Silver Solid Core - Quasi Symmetrical), fully aware that this might just be a working title. And I began my explorations by connecting the interconnect between our Sansui SR-525 turntable and DB Systems DB1 preamplifier. This had been the only position on either of or systems in which I had not yet been successful in getting the HBS solid core cables to work. Somehow, our DB systems preamplifier expected higher capacitance than the cable and cartridge combinations were able to provide. I ended up returning to our trusted FastAudio Black Science cable, which worked very well in this position but did not have the full depth, tonal accuracy, and authority of our silver interconnects.

The cartridge mounted was our Audio-Technica VM95 ML with Micro-linear stylus. The VM95 ML is a great tracker that reaches deep into the record groove to retrieve lots of musical detail. On the downside, it offers the slightest bit of a silky overtone on voices, pointing to the fact that it is still a budget engine, even if the stylus is quite sophisticated. Moving from the FastAudio to the HBS-QS1, I noticed the leaner factual sound of the solid core wires. As the FastAudio had already been commendable, I was not immediately certain, if I preferred the music following the change.

Listening for longer, the HBS-QS1’s timbre began to shine though. I love the cleaned up sound of solid core cables and much prefer this to multi-stand designs, and I have become a sucker for the authority and bass extension of silver. I was surprised how well the Fast Audio had been able to keep up in this position, because I normally would have expected the silver cable to blow the BlackScience out of the water. Yet, this did not happen. The change was rather subtle, one of nuance and not a major game-changer.

The HBS-QS1 appeared cleaner, leaner, and there was slightly greater silence in the absence of music. The FastAudio on the other hand presented slightly more detail and seemed to dig deeper into recordings. I was perfectly fine either way. For me the good news was that, finally, I had the option to run my turntable via the same great silver cables that had struck me as irreplaceable in all other positions. Happy with my findings, I decided to test the HBS-QS1 on our Shure cartridge which I keep mounted on a separate head shell. This has just been fitted with a new oval diamond needle and is in generally good shape. I love the bass output and high volume of the Shure. However, the relatively cheap N75-6CS spherical diamond stylus cannot compete with that of our Audio-Technica, especially in terms of tracking and musical detail. The HBS-QS1 performed with the same authority in this combination.

HBS Series - Silver Solid Core Interconnects

• HBS2 WM Audio (brass/silver) - agile, responsive, engaging
• HBPS KLE Innovations (silver) - highly revealing, highly engaging
• HBS4 Elecaudio (copper/silver) - well-balanced, informative
• HBS1 RAMM Audio (copper/gold) - rich, dark, and soothing
• HBS-QS1 Elecaudio (copper/silver) - well-balanced, for turntables

Finally, I can easily agree with Mr Becker that the quasi-balanced HBS-QS1 is a great companion to connect turntables to preamplifiers or amplifiers that benefit from higher capacitance cables but do not want to miss the musical advantages of solid core silver cables. I guess, the alternative would be to increase the diameter of the solid core wire itself. For future explorations, I would also like to see a construction in which the shield is placed further away from the twisted pair, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Such explorations in audio can wait for another day.

Specifications

• Cable lengths: 100cm
• Material: 2x 4N silver solid core in twisted-pair
• Type: Quasi-balanced with copper shielding
• DC loop resistance: 0.48 Ohm
• Parallel capacity: 50 pF (55 pF, terminated)
• Handling: directional, solid to flexible
• Termination: Elecaudio, tellurium-copper, silver-plated
• Position tested: Sansui SR-525 turntable to DB1 preamplifier

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