Opinion 1

We are well aware of the fact that some of you, visiting our website quite regularly, may feel a certain weariness with the puzzling regularity of tests dedicated to audiophile cabling systems. However, there is no need to deceive yourself, or conjure reality, but playing with open cards and referring the more inquisitive individuals to the tab with announcements, you can see for yourselves how many cables have recently reached us. So it should be clear that there is a lot happening in the cable segment. In addition, these are not from known, and regularly hosted brands, but come from manufacturers who are just looking for a wider audience, and want to gain recognition on our market. And how else to achieve this goal if not by being featured in industry periodicals, including ours? That is why this time we have tackled a double „fresh”, because we will be talking not only about a new manufacturer but also a new on our domestic market. So let me not keep in suspense any longer, I hasten to explain that we are presenting you a complete set of cabling from the Danish Dyrholm Audio manufactory, all of them belonging to their top Vision series, provided to us by Olsztyn based Prestige Audio.

Since this text is the debut of the Danish company not only on our pages, but from what Google suggests, also among Polish (regardless of its form and availability) audio press, I think it would be appropriate to mention at least in a few simple words about it. And yes, the headquarters of Dyrholm Audio is located in Hammel, and if someone still doesn’t know where to look on the map, we will tell you that you should first locate the slightly more famous (for example from ARoS – Museum of Contemporary Art, Marselisborg Castle, university, or even the old town) Århus and then look to the left and slightly up to find Hammel at a distance of only 23 kilometers. The company was founded and run since 2008 by John Dyrholm, who, quickly getting to the point and avoiding annoying discussions, assumes, that although measurements are useful, both in the production and development of cable technology, their results only accidentally translate into the sonic effects of individual cables. Of course for obvious reasons, audio cabling has to meet certain electrical parameters, but even in such case, the final assessment has to be made by ear, i.e. during arduous listening and comparative tests. It’s a classic ear R&D for audiophiles, which no „oscilloscope” can replace, at least for now. And it was during such tests that he came to the conclusion that the best sonic qualities, at least when it comes to dielectrics, are offered by unbleached cotton, which, in addition to its antistatic properties, also works great as an anti-resonant. The expectations for the conductors themselves, set by the designer and the manufacturer in one, are in most cases met by UPOCC (Ultra Pure Ohno Continuous Cast) copper. It is also worth mentioning that all Dyrholm Audio cables are handmade and their geometry and parameters are selected for a specific cable length. In short, there are no shortcuts, and given that Denmark is not one of the regions with the lowest labor costs, the manufacturing process itself has a significant impact on the final prices of their products.

As we have already managed to show you in the report from the unboxing, Dyrholm cables are delivered to end customers in handy black suitcases padded with a soft sponge, and the cables themselves are kept in an equally subdued aesthetic. You will not see any eye-catching flashiness here, unless someone insists and deems it appropriate to leave the orange and blue protective nets on, during everyday use. However, if these purely protective items remain in their boxes, the wires themselves, dressed in grey and black textile sheaths, are unlikely to attract attention.
In Dyrholm Audio’s portfolio, the Vision Series Ethernet cable is not only the youngest product, but a real gem, as there are no plans to create its lower-born siblings, at least for the time being. The basis for such a decision is probably the fact that its production is done entirely manually and its construction does not use a „civilian” – generally available twisted pair cable, but its bowels are filled with exactly the same class of UPOCC copper wires as for the other representatives of the top Vision series. Cotton non-woven fabric is used as an insulator and the impedance of the cable is set at 100 Ω. And here’s an interesting fact, because in addition to standard (if Telegärtner can be considered as such) plugs, there is no problem to order a version equipped with M12s that fit the reference Telegärtner M12 SWITCH GOLD.
The interconnects representing the analog domain use cores made of corrosion-protected single UPOCC copper wires in cotton fleece insulation, optimized for the final length of the connector. Each conductor is protected by a tinned copper shield from interference, and the distance between the conductors and the shields is optimized for the lowest possible capacitance, minimizing static build-up, and protecting against vibration. ETI Research plugs from the Kryo series, made of silver-plated copper, were used for confectioning.
Loudspeaker cables, on the other hand, are characterized by a noticeably more complicated design. Each of the wires has four AWG7 cores, all of which are based on three seven-wire UPOCC copper bundles. As an insulator, we will again find a cotton non-woven fabric, and the tinned copper screen has special outlets, which make it is possible to ground them with the help of „drains” provided by the manufacturer. Plug consistency with the interconnects was maintained and ETI Research Kryo made of silver-plated copper were used again.
No less interesting are the viscera of the Vision power supply cable, as they consist of two AWG 10 current conductors, each containing no less than 36 UPOCC copper wires, and the grounding line is made from 12 silver-plated OCC copper wires (AWG 9). The cables are braided with cotton fleece and protected against corrosion. There is also a tinned copper screen and a highly sophisticated confection made of silver-plated copper Furutech NCF plugs from the 48 series.

Okay. There was a bit about the manufacturer itself, there was something about what you can see from the outside and what is hidden inside, so just a little bit about ergonomics. And so, as you can see in the photos above, apart from the Ethernet connector, both the XLR and the speaker cables require some space, because the sections between the plugs and the ends of the metal splitters covered with textile sheaths are protected by fairly stiff heat-shrinks. Some attention should also be paid to the power cord, which maybe does not impress with its diameter, but its weight and rigidity combined with springiness can cause some placement issues.
But how does the Danish delegation compare in terms of sound? From a global perspective, playing as a team, the Dyrholms offer a soothing calm and coherent sound, so the last thing that can be said about them is that they play spectacularly, because they are an obvious contradiction of that. This does not mean a loss of dynamics, or even throwing the proverbial blanket over the speakers, but just lack of any signs of excess or willingness to forcefully increase the pacing. There is also no mention of any tendency towards nervousness, no emphasizing of sibilants or similar “fireworks”, which may seem very invigorating and suggestive of above-average resolution at the initial stage of acquaintanceship, but in the long run cause irritation and recurrent migraines due to their ruthless analyticality. Here, we change the perspective and point of view, moving from an armchair of a hair-splitting audiophile to a couch of a music lover just enjoying the music. Anna Maria Jopek on „ID” rustles and „gets into distortion” less than usual, and the industrial-metal raptures served by Samael’s crew on „Solar Soul” are not so rough and grainy. Fortunately, making the sound more civilized does not bear the signs of excessive averaging and smoothing, so the distorted Macro 'Marko’ Rivao and Vorpha guitars continue to happily bite our synapses, but instead of rusty roughness, they are covered with light satin, which, together with the accompanying Xy keyboards, results a very successful, coherent in terms of „consistency” background for Vorph’s gurgling and hoarse vocal parts.
And what can be said about the cables’ solo performances? It seems to be the same, although for example, the ethernet cable, somewhat resembling in terms of juiciness and homogeneity of the sound the embodiment of musicality in the form of the Fidata HFLC, goes a step or two further in terms of sophistication and unforcedness. On the other hand, in comparison to my Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame, the Dane is maybe not presenting the information about the acoustic environment of where the recordings were made more sparingly, but they are not provided in such an obvious way, so while listening to the „Monteverdi – A Trace of Grace” by Michel Godard we still have unfettered access to them, on „How Long Is Now?” from the trio Iiro Rantala, Lars Danielsson, Peter Erskine those can fade into the background if you lose a bit of your concentration.
On the other hand, XLRs and speaker cables offer a sound that avoids even the slightest signs of offensiveness, and avoids bringing the foreground closer to the listener. As a result, the sound is extremely linear, ethereal, free in its own way, and maintaining the right distance between the musicians and the listener. It’s hard to talk about any special conservatism in this case, but both the emotional and energetic side of the presentation are surprisingly sensibly exploited. So, while jazz or chamber music become the obvious beneficiaries of such school of sounding, in the case of more brutal varieties of rock and free-jazz, lovers of extreme sensations may lack the element of madness and truly apocalyptic gallop blasts, where this kind of rationality may cause a slight insufficiency. However, you don’t go to the Polish Royal Opera in the Old Orangery to expect ruthless death-metal from Behemoth. However, it’s time for a small supplement, i.e. the ability to ground the shielding of the speaker wires, which noticeably improves the microdynamics by blackening the background more accurately and increasing the distance between its noise and even the quietest „useful” sounds.
The power cord also operates in a more or less similar aesthetic, giving way in terms of dynamics and volume to the Furutech NanoFlux-NCF, compensating for it with extraordinary refinement and musicality. Referring to musical analogies, like the hit „The Sound Of Silence”, Dyrholm is not so much close to the archaic and protective style of Simon & Garfunkel, but more to the emotional depth of Disturbed, rather than to extremes in the style of Nevermore. The bass is soothingly soft, velvety and vivid, but appropriately tight, so there is no need to worry about sponginess or too much blurring.

Therefore, I can only say that for a debut on our market, Dyrholm Audio, represented by the Vision series, showed a surprisingly intriguing and at the same time non-obvious side of cable High-End. Instead of acting in accordance with the popular trend of intensifying sensations, like culinary flavor enhancers do, it focuses on harmony and musicality, giving respite to our senses that are attacked from everywhere and are overstimulated. There are a lot of elements in this idea for sound shaping, which are shared with the Canadians from Luna Cables, which should not be surprising, as they share the love for natural materials, including cotton. However, the Danes go noticeably further both in terms of resolution and refinement, so if you liked what the „Canadian moths” offered, but you have reached the proverbial wall, then switching to Dyrholm Audio cables from the Vision series seems completely understandable.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U2 Mini + Farad Super3 + Omicron Magic Dream Classic; I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Turntable: Denon DP-3000NE + Denon DL-103R
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S; phono NEO d+ RCA Class B Stereo + Ground (1m)
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Furutech DAS-4.1
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF; Esprit Audio Alpha
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super3 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

Only a few years ago, it was often said behind the scenes in Poland that Denmark has mainly a standing in loudspeakers. This, of course, was unfair to the rest of the entities operating in the field of this hobby, but let’s face it, the first association most often directed us towards the Dynaudio brand, which has been specializing in the production of loudspeakers for years, and at that not only for the ordinary customer, but also for recording studios. These are the simple facts. However, as you know, nowadays such perception is a thing of the past, an excellent example of which – one of many – are the precisely made Gato Audio constructions, which we have tested several times, because they offer an interesting appearance, similar to popular cookies. And this is just the first example that breaks this old generalization of the perception of Denmark. What are the others? After the recently reviewed ZenSati brand, our today’s hero, Dyrholm Audio, a company which is taking its first steps in our market. Prestige Audio from Olsztyn has provided us with a full set of cabling, starting from power cabling, through XLR signal cables, loudspeaker cables, to Ethernet cables from the Vision series. Intriguing? If so, I have no choice but to invite those interested to read the following uttering of all the pros and cons of the aforementioned constructions.

According to the manufacturer’s information, which, although not too effusive, fortunately has been enhanced with cross-sections of each product published on their web page, the conductors in the Vision series are based on high-quality copper of the UPOCC type. Of course, depending on the tasks performed, each of them differs in thickness and number of wire runs used. And so, in the power supply cables, we will find two conductors with 36 thin UPOCC wires each and a 12-core grounding wire made of silver-plated OFC copper. The conductors constructed in this way were wrapped in cotton fibers, then secured with a screen, and finally dressed in a black and gray fabric sheath with a motif commonly known as a „zigzag”. As for the plugs used, they come from the Japanese Furutech NCF series, which is lately the leader in this type of accessories.
Writing a few sentences about the XLR signal cable, the most important information is the use of single, naturally thicker wires for conductors instead of bundles of a dozen or so so-called threads. Naturally, just like in the case of the power cable, the conductors are wrapped in cotton fibers, and the outside is covered with a twin gray fabric sheath with a black zigzag motif. In order to ensure the proper quality of connection with your electronics, the cable is terminated with ETI Research plugs.
The loudspeaker cable, has three identical conductors constructed from sets of thin wires. So we have three lines of 7 hairs each. As in the entire product line, the whole has been enriched with a cotton cover, a screen and a gray and black uniform. The forks used to connect the speakers with the electronics, as in the signal cables, come from ETI Research.
To conclude the description of the construction of the tested set, an aspect of their creation worth emphasizing is the fact that all of the conductors are handmade, and not a packaging of ready-made cables, and this applies not only to analog cables, but also to Ethernet cables. Admittedly, although „rebranding” is in fashion, it is out of the range of interest for the Dyrholm brand, because in the long run it does not give a chance for logical differentiation, let alone sound consistency of the offered products. You must admit that this is a fair approach.

What caught my attention when I plugged in the wiring kit from Denmark? The first aspect was the overall calmness of the sound. Without pumping excessive amounts of energy, which is often promoted by many producers, but by choosing its expression depending on the needs of the virtual scene. But to make sure we understand each other well, it’s all about excessive expression, which, instead of giving a sense of participation in a given event, in the long run becomes not only artificial, but often tiresome. Meanwhile, in the Scandinavian version, I got a well-balanced message with nice vividness, but without any gimmicks. And since the ultimate goal was to avoid the artificial „wow” effect, the warm and safely essential presentation of the whole music was supported by an interestingly presented midrange and treble. The first one was delicately illuminated, while the treble, although it was well seasoned with a complete package of information, wanted to sound coherent with the rest of the sound spectrum, and thus was deliberately trying to be a bit restrained. In the first minutes after the application of the tested set of cables, such an approach gave the feeling of a minimal cooling down of the sonority, but thanks to the action in the midrange, the sound was still full of breath. It was such a skillful movement that you didn’t feel any dullness, but you had rather something like a more supple than a strongly shiny approach to the reproduced music. However, it reflected the intentions of the artists listened to at a given moment so well, that after a few minutes the topic became unnoticeable. And that’s because, as much as I like, the performance generated between the speakers invited me to listen to it, rather than forcefully feeding me with the music being played. Contrary to appearances, this is very important, even in case of such bands as Slayer and his „South of Heaven”, because rock performances do not need an unnatural dose of artificially generated energy, but good embedding of the material in the right mass and plasticity. Too strong and rounded adding of mass will cause loss of appropriate signal build-up, but here we get saturation, free from overweight, working coherently together with the treble and midrange, which supply us with lots of information. To sum it up, it will be both strong and sonorous, just like it should be.
Of course, jazz music and similar, focusing on different kinds of emotions, related to resounds, were equally interesting. However how is it possible, in the case of the above-mentioned, unobtrusive upper registers, to maintain a good level of sonority in such productions? Well, the key word is a minimally illuminated upper midrange. Still smooth, as I mentioned, without the effect of uncontrolled thickening, but still properly balanced, and at the same time full of volatility, guaranteeing good suspension of even single sounds in the ether. And a good example of such a state of affairs was the album „Passacaglia”, which still smells new, because it debuted on the market this week. Two seemingly not very sonorous instruments – I naturally exaggerate this aspect in relation to the cymbals, and yet each of them had the right body and charmed me with their virtuosity. And it’s not only about the long suspension of individual phrases in the air, but also about the artists’ conversation with the help of sonorous, sometimes hard and short, and sometimes soft, longer in the vector of the ethereal being, displays using their attributes. Depending on the mood of the piece, it was melancholic, only to fall into a well-understood sonic aggression a moment later. And what if this album was served with an emphasis on pushing the monotonous energy into the playing of each instrument, as many cabling manufacturers are currently serving us? There would not be a proper lightness of presentation, but it would be literally and figuratively pressed into us. And in such case, where is the pleasure of communing with music?

Whom would I recommend the eponymous wiring set to? First of all, music lovers who focus on the musicality of their set. Dyrholm Audio products strive to present stage events in the aesthetic of a charming invitation to participate in them, rather than being brutally pushed into their vortex. We will not get the brutality of the message expected by individuals with ADHD syndrome, but a balanced proposal of pastel painting of the world of music. Of course, the sentimental kind, like the one described in the example of the Polish duo Możdżer/Bałdych, but also the expressive kind, in the style of the rock group Slayer; but each time with the right dose of emotions, and not serving it without any control. This, in turn, means that someone is not on the same page with the Danes, this means, that he or she is a die-hard follower of expression above all else, in the style of kicking the listener with music, and this is not a very common treat. To sum things up, if you are looking for good taste in your music – i.e. serving emotions in harmony with a given musical material, the eponymous cable conglomerate should land in your system, at least for a test. Even if, colloquially speaking, something doesn’t click, it will still be a lot of fun.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker cables: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Essence MC
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001
– Tape recorder: Studer A80

Distributor: Prestige Audio
Manufacturer: Dyrholm Audio
Prices
Dyrholm Audio Vision Series Ethernet: 2 838 € / 1 m; 3 231 € / 1,5 m; 3 625 € / 2 m
Dyrholm Audio Vision XLR (wtyki ETI Kryo): 6 281 € / 2 x 1m; 7 025 € / 2 x 1,5m
Dyrholm Audio Vision Speaker: 13 319 € / 2 x 2 m; 15 263 € / 2 x 2,5 m; 17 206 € / 2 x 3 m
Dyrholm Audio Vision Series Power: 6 594 € / 1,2 m; 6 988 € / 1,5 m; 7 381 € / 1,8 m