Opinion 1

Despite undisputed proof, that the world got “smaller” lately, of course figuratively, so in most cases the travel from point A to point B on our globe (leaving the disruptions caused by COVID-19 quarantine or lockdowns aside) within hours, while a package arrives within days, regardless where it was sent. However many buyers, from habit or other reasons, still wants to have the possibility of touching the product they want to buy beforehand. This is the reason, that while we have no objection to test products, that do not have any distribution in our country, we have the pleasure to inform you, that reviewing again a product from the exotic, sunny Bali (for the non-geographically gifted – this is an island in the Indonesian archipelago of Lesser Sunda Islands) we can now not just give you the contact details for the manufacturer, but also for the Polish distributor, as the Gliwice based 4HiFi recently was officially appointed the distributor for Vermöuth Audio. This one man company, run by Hendry Ramli, has recently broadened its portfolio with two new products in the Reference series – the currently tested Phono interconnect, in the RCA/RCA version, and the USB cable.

As this is now our fourth encounter with the Bali technical thinking in its top, reference form, I will treat the issues related to packaging and looks quite sparsely. The cable is placed in a minimalistic black cardboard box, protected from any injuries by a linen sack. The only thing missing was the authenticity certificate. If we want to describe the looks, then we could say, that the tested cable is kind of a miniature of the loudspeaker cables, where instead of the banana plugs or spades RCA plugs were mounted, and besides the signal wires there is also a green grounding connection. All the rest is exactly the same, of course appropriately smaller. The proprietary carbon splitters, the plugs made from the same material, the opaque, white braid with an interwoven black thread – all this makes us believe, that this interconnect is not something created by chance, and it should easily fit into the Indonesian “royal family”. Finally, while we are at describing the cable from outside, the VARP (Vermöuth Audio Reference Phono) is very flabby, what makes its application in any system a breeze, even in tight places around the connected devices.
As this cable is part of the Reference series, it should not surprise anybody, that the construction, as well as the used materials, are in general the same like in the other interconnects we tested. But, as you can see at first glance in this phono cable, the wires used have a smaller cross-section (24AWG) and a slightly different geometry. The signal runs in two wires with two conductors each, were each strand of copper (OCC) wires with different cross-sections is FEP isolated. The runs for both channels are additionally PVC insulated. The ground wire made from OFC copper is run separately in PVC isolation. All the three wires were placed in a polyester filling on which a braid OFC copper mesh was placed, acting as a shield. The outside consists of two layers – the internal PVC sheath and the external white braid with the black thread (also made from PVC).

As both from outside and inside we have, in general, the same items as in previous products, it seems logical, that the sound aesthetics will also be similar to the older brethren. And this is true, as the VARP offers the incredible wealth and saturation of timbres, as well as splendid resolution and pacing. It is a purebred Vermöuth. But if someone did not have the opportunity to get acquainted with the Bali cable, and would like some more obvious comparisons, then we can compare it to the offerings from Denmark, Organic Audio, also from the Reference line. Is this coincidence? I do not think so. For me this only means, that connecting the VARP to my turntable I had a hard time switching from the hedonist mode of just listening to the music repertoire that was served to me – or rather, which I served myself, as my family does not want to touch my system – to the reviewer mode, which is required to scrutinize the tested gear. Instead of focusing on searching for the eventual assets and shortcomings, I rather enjoyed the pretty sounds reaching my ears. I am writing this with full forethought and being fully conscious, that although I always try, as does Jacek, approach the listening sessions very seriously, inform the readers about the subjectivity of the opinions uttered each and every time and finally to point out the key aspects of the devices or items being tested, this time I quit writing anything just a moment after turning on another record. Simply put, after a few days of burn-in (we received the cable fresh from the factory) the VARP fitted in my system so well, that you might say it grew into it, so that I treated its existence there as something absolutely obvious. Maybe it was not such a shot of energy like with the XLRs, but the analogies to the RCA interconnects were fully substantiated. What is important, having both interconnects in the sound path, there was no exaggeration, there was not too much “sugar in sugar”. The energy of the sound was underlined instead, and its almost organic homogeneity.
As an example, on the aggressive “RECHARGED” by Linkin Park, based on heavy riffs and electronic harshness, the whole gained juiciness and palpability. Those were no dry mixes anymore, put together in a computer, but a nicely compiled concept-album. The vocals were characterized by appropriate emotionality and strength, while all kinds of loops, samples and bits were placed on a fully defined, three-dimensional stage, surprisingly precise. An important thing is, that my on duty cartridge, the very energetic Dynavector DV-10X5 could reach even lower, not losing anything from its drive and contour. Moving to the prog-rock „Hiraeth” by Lion Shepherd only confirmed my observations regarding slight condensing, while avoiding darkening and slowing of the sound. This clearly benefits less well recorded, scratchy recordings and systems oriented on uncompromised analytics, which do not have any kind of naturalness, only neutrality. This does not mean, that “Hiraeth” is like that, but rock is rock, and sometimes it can drill into your brain with a modulated riff, leaving aside the fact, that I absolutely prefer listening to such albums – flowing spontaneously from the heart – instead of basing my observations on samplers, coldly calculated, which have more byzantine ornaments than true content.
It is easier with the Vermöuth – we just plug it into the system, put on the record, we think we know by heart, and … we get what we are used to, but in a more attractive, realistic, palpable form. Not overly sweet? Absolutely not, it just fits better my taste. This is just like with photography, where the final effect is seemingly dependent on post-processing for large part, but when moving away from Nikon I went to the Fuji camp, although Sony offered a much larger choice of lenses and masterful sharpness, but I was never able, and I am not able now, to become convinced to its tonal balance. But how this abstract thing relates to audio? Well, you can find cables which are more resolving, or offering a more spectacular sound, but the secret of the VARP is, that it is doing everything right, and all that with its head the right way. It does not sacrifice any subrange or characteristic, to capture the listener with another, this is why you can hear it sounding very thorough, but you can feel in that thoroughness a significant portion of artistry. It is enough to reach for the “Moonlight Serenade” by Ray Brown and Laurindo Almeida to make everything clear. It this is how compromise sounds, then count me in. And at least two times, as one single listening leaves too much deficiency. We have attack, filling, appropriate scale, palpability, timbre and juiciness of each of the sounds with satisfying amounts of breath.

If the description you read about my personal observations seems exaggerated to you, then I cannot do anything about it. This is how I perceived the Vermöuth Reference Phono and I will not hide, that it was very much to my liking. This is a cable that maybe does not turn your system inside out and does not make your jaw drop, unless you are switching from interconnects made from a wire hanger at best, but it improves the comfort of listening and makes our records sound better. Additionally if I would make a kind of subjective categorization and qualify this interconnect for a star/percentage lobby, then despite its modest price, slightly over 2000 zlotys, I would give it the entry ticket to High-End immediately. Why? First of all because I can. Secondly, because like with all the other Vermöuth cables we pay only for the sound, and not for a fancy label, extensive promotional campaigns, hundreds of people for every task and a similar number of accountants. And thirdly – we learned the price of the tested cable after we made the listening tests and finalizing our observation, so all kinds of subliminal stimuli, like positioning through price, do not work here.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U1 Mini
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Turntable: Kuzma Stabi S + Kuzma Stogi + Dynavector DV-10X5
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp; Musical Fidelity M6 Vinyl; RCM Audio Sensor 2 Mk II; Thrax Trajan
– Power amplifier: Bryston 4B³
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra; Vermöuth Audio Reference Loudspeaker Cable
– 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
– 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
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence
– Table: Rogoz Audio 4SM
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

This may sound a little narcissistic, but we cannot deny, that our portal was kind of the godfather of the tested brand in the Polish market. We were the first to have a closer look at the offerings of the Bali bases audio cable manufacturer. How the mentioned looks turned out you can find using our search engine, but we are glad, that our writing contributed to the brand finding a distributor for his very interesting products in Poland. But about whom am I talking? Of course you probably guessed this already – about the Indonesian manufacturer Vermöuth Audio, which this time provided the Phono cable from the flagship Reference series, thanks to the Gliwice based 4HiFi.

The tested cables are not different from the rest of the series. For transport, they are hidden inside a light, cotton bag with the company logo. Additionally this is packaged in a black cardboard box. The technicalities will not contain information, as if it was conceived at Cape Canaveral, as common OCC copper was used in the construction of the cable. The main part of the cable are the plus and minus conductors made from double, multistrand wires, and also a multistrand grounding wire, albeit with a smaller cross-section. Of course this is not the only technologically important information, also significant is the isolation of the individual runs, made from materials like FEP, PVC and polyester. This configuration of the copper wiring and isolators, with a copper braided sheath placed on it is enclosed in a white, opaque braid with a single black thread. The terminals are RCA plugs for the signal wires and spades for the grounding wire, both making heavy use of carbon fibre.

I must confess, that after tests confirming the great price to performance ratio of the products from this series, my expectations were only in one direction. I was curious, how much, if at all, the sound signature of the phono cable will depart from the sonic signature of the other cables from the flagship series, that I have in my head. And you know what? I was not disappointed. Not only the Reference Phono went alongside the same path, that other cables from the series have delineated, but I could also claim, that it even upped the price performance ratio. You will probably not believe me, but during the whole test I was convinced, I am having a cable from the same price point as the other interconnects, and despite that, I could not get my head around, how well it performs. How big, and positive, was my surprise, when I learned, that the price of the tested cable is just about two thousand zlotys. This looks impossible, but as it turns out, when someone does not have a habit of tricking people in his genes, then the sound can be reliably balanced with the price. So what does the cable offer? Well, the offering is similar to other constructions from the Reference Range; it is juicy, with energy and interesting airiness, what results in the construction of a wide and deep virtual sound stage. From the bottom I had solid foundation for all the instruments operating there, starting with the drums, through the piano and reaching to, you may be surprised here, the seismic murmurs of artificially generated electronic music. Of course, the natural consequence of the knowledge of his field by the manufacturer was the support of such presentation of the bass by a well warmed, but absolutely not overheated, midrange, what was clearly shown to me each and every time by all kinds of vocal music, as well as by my beloved jazz, with the saxophone, cello and double bass in the ensemble. And when I add, that this all was topped by very well balanced treble, very vivid, but devoid from any exaggerations, then it will turn out, that I am dealing here with a musical Grail, hunted down by many music lovers, as it has unobtrusive timbre and is not dull by any means. The music pulsated with life, full of energy, mass and vitality, generating a natural urge to listen to every record from the start to the end on each side, something that does not happen too often. I usually listen to one or two pieces, to change the repertoire for another, as the goal is to listen to as diverse material as possible. In this case, if I could adhere to that at all, it happened very sporadic, but I absolutely do not regret, and actually for what I am grateful to the constructor. Of course, being completely honest, I must add, that you can always do better, what cables from Japan, I use on a daily basis, are showing. But there is one very important aspect here. The mentioned Samurai are many times as expensive, but this does not translate into the system being that many times as good. However in this case, the Indonesian cable was so close to the Japanese one in the aesthetics of sound, that I could not forgo mentioning that. Bravo for the Southern Asia!

As you can see from the test above, the tested phono cable is following the sonic path created by the other cables in the series. This is musicality with a big “M” with skilful avoidance of harmful averaging of the sound. But in my opinion there is another topic, that is important for the tested cable, besides the sound. This aspect is, that despite the already significant recognizability of the brand in our market did not lead the manufacturer astray, which usually is trying to cut of coupons from that and up the prices ever so often, when any novelties are introduced. This all makes the tested Vermöuth Audio Reference Phono one of the first to put on the shortlist for listening, when you are searching for a connecting cable for your analogue system. If you do not, then you will make a big mistake.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
– CD transport” CEC TL 0 3.0
– Network player: Melco N1Z/2EX-H60
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Reference clock: Mutec REF 10
– Reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Sigma CLOCK
– Shunyata Sigma NR
– Preamplifier: Robert Koda Takumi K-15
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Mephisto Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Consequence
– Speaker Cables: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– IC RCA: Hijri „Million”, Vermouth Audio Reference
– IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– Digital IC: Harmonix HS 102
– Power cables: Harmonix X-DC 350M2R Improved Version, Furutech NanoFlux NCF Furutech DPS-4 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi; Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord
– Table: SOLID BASE VI
– 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: SME 30/2
Arm: SME V
Cartridge: MIYAJIMA MADAKE
Step-up: Thrax Trajan
Phonostage: RCM THERIAA

Polish distributor: 4HiFi
Manufacturer: Vermöuth Audio
Price: 2 100 PLN / 1m