Opinion 1

Admittedly, both logic and experience suggest that since we were lucky enough to feast our eyes and ears on the top #X, we could safely skip further attempts to explore the Danish portfolio. If there is not even a shadow of a chance that anything „lower fidelity” that came out of Mark Johansen’s hand would sound better, then why waste time, not even mentioning electricity, on this type of activity? However, as it happens in life, not everyone feels the need for a drastic drain of their pockets, and even if they can afford such madness, it seems reasonable to verify whether by chance a slightly lower-born model will not only meet expectations, but also fit into the current hardware configuration. It is also worth mentioning the audience who are keenly interested in a discounted ticket to audiophile forums, for whom, in addition to sound, a properly ennobling „nametag” also counts. And so, a bit twisted way, we got to our „budget”, at least when compared to its older siblings, today’s (collective) hero, the cable equivalent of the legendary Moonwatch (Speedmaster Moonwatch to be exact) signed by the OMEGA x Swatch duo – a complete ZenSati Razzmatazz demo set.

I do not know why, although the Razzmatazz could already be seen and tasted at last year’s (a year earlier Mark appeared only with pre-production prototypes) Munich High End, you cannot find any mention of them on the manufacturer’s website. Nevertheless, we do know a little about them, such as the fact that it is supposed to be … a sales hit, with an above-average price performance ratio, offered at a surprisingly affordable price for ZenSati. And seriously, the tested series is based on copper litz conductors in an artificial silk braid, on which PVC insulation was threaded, and the whole thing was wrapped in a damping material held in check by a tight braid screen and an outer green jacket made of 92% recycled materials, and having the previously mentioned, charming, metallized green color is to further emphasize this pro-ecological character. However absolutely nothing is known about the diameters of the conductors themselves, and the only thing that can be determined with the naked eye – non-invasively – is the use of Furutech FI-E11Cu/FI-11Cu plugs. In addition, similar to the higher models, the bodies of the garments are aluminum sleeves decorated with company logos and model designation. The cables themselves have very standard thicknesses and are pleasantly flaccid, so there should be no problems with positioning them behind the system. After all, this is a proposal for the average „Joe”, so the ergonomics of the Danish cabling cannot differ too much from the usual „shoelaces”. The demo set is delivered in a single, collective box, in which the interconnects are placed in dedicated smaller boxes, while the power and speaker cables are gently arranged around. As the unboxing session showed, the plugs of each cable are additionally protected with a net to protect them from the hardships of travel.

And how do the „green frogs” from Blistrup fare in terms of sound? I dare say that it is adequate to their joyful color, because from the very first notes of „Time Out” The Dave Brubeck Quartet are so successful in emotionally boosting and adding saturation to the midrange, that as if by magic, it simply becomes more pleasant and somehow more „communicative”. This does not mean cutting off the edges, or softening the feistiness of Joe Morello’s cymbals or smoothing out the roughness of Paul Desmond’s saxophone along with the crude pushing out of the midrange, but, as I mentioned, skillful saturation and warming of the midrange, which begins to have some features that can be associated with tube-like sound. And again, not the overheated and „sticky” one, but of the juicy and coherent type, not devoid of resolution and openness. Just take a look at the album „Soul” by Seal, which may be far from the momentum and spectacular orchestrations known from George Michael’s „Symphonica”, but it is with the Razzmatazz in the sound path, that his hitherto slightly toned, vitality and pulsating soul motorics can be heard. In addition, Seal’s vocals retains its native satin matte and becomes silkier and warmer, as if a higher-end and more „organic” microphone was used during the session. At the same time, the backing vocals are surprising, as they come to life here and there with clear positioning on the virtual stage, and having a distance from the foreground in-line with stage reality. And right away, for the sake of clarification, I will mention that both the above and the following observations were made while using the entire set of cabling provided by Piotr from Audiotite, because during the initial verification of individual cables, and then the full wiring of my system with them, was so similar that I did not see the point of breaking down the conclusions into each type separately, in order to, de facto point out the same features. The only thing worth mentioning is the fact that there is no intensification of the Razmatazz signature when increasing their number in the sound path.
Fortunately, the above-mentioned attractiveness and plasticity of the sound proposed by the cables, which are the introduction to the Danish portfolio, does not mean mediocrity or lack of sensitivity to the quality of the source material; and although the tested ZenSati do not abuse any „defective” recordings with sadistic satisfaction, as they are always trying to focus on the melody, they accept the change to a higher quality material with clear gratitude. Thanks to this, even such seemingly casual items as „Vapaa ja yksin” by Chisu or „Dark Days Exit” by Felix Laband surprise with openness, freedom and holographic palpability. Compared to a similar set of the ruby Zorro cables, you can see slightly smaller emphasis on drive and energy, but it is not that the Razzmatazz weaken anything, but the Zorro clearly stands out in this aspect. Therefore, it would be wise to start exploring the catalogue with Mark Johansen’s products from the emerald wires, in order to determine possible further expectations and climb to the next levels of metallurgical advancement. It should also be mentioned, that the set that is the subject of these observations seems to be a great option wherever in the pursuit of uncompromising fidelity, transparency and referential resolution, somewhere along the way you have lost musicality and pleasure of listening, and instead of music you get a cluster of single sounds. And by „greening” such an antiseptic/dissecting fallow land, we have a good chance of restoring its proper bloodiness and getting rid of emotional voidness, thanks to which even the aforementioned „Dark Days Exit”, which quite uncompromisingly explores both ends of the reproduced sound spectrum, instead of chirping on the treble and crunching on the bass like angel dust, will give us a full insight into the structure of the recording, while maintaining care for the comfort of listening by gently gilding the treble and pulling the lowest frequencies with a thicker line.

As you have surely guessed, the ZenSati Razzmatazz are not the best „sounding” cables signed by Mark Johansen. And I dare say that this is their biggest … advantage. First of all, this was not supposed to be the case, and de facto is not their role, secondly, this was not the ambition of their creator, and thirdly, if it was, the sense of existence of both #X and intermediate, albeit higher than Razzmatazz series would be debatable. And so, from the very beginning and at a very bargain price, we get an extremely organic and naturally „sounding” cable, which fits perfectly with both budget and high-end electronics; can intimidate with its sophistication on reference recordings and not discourage those treated by the engineers with a little less attention, and in addition its application does not require their buyers to completely rearrange their system. Therefore, taking into account their above-average price/quality ratio, I can recommend them to you with full responsibility, being somewhat aware that if only their sound qualities meet your requirements, it may not be the end of your search, but the beginning of a longer acquaintance and more or less regular upgrades as part of the company’s program of replacing lower models with higher ones.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII + 2 x Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Blue Fuse
– Network player: Lumïn 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 + Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Violet fuse
– Loudspeakers: AudioSolutions Figaro L2 + Solid Tech Feet of Balance
– 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; Vermöuth Audio Reference USB; ZenSati Zorro
– Speaker cables: WK Audio TheRay Speakers + 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)
– Switch: Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super6 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Laboratory Anort Consequence, Artoc Ultra Reference, Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

There is no need to beat around the bush, because at least in theory, if we want to skillfully grade the level of emotions in the style of Alfred Hitchcock, we should start our contacts with the tested cable model. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the distributor took the opportunity to make a good first impression on us and, against all odds, decided that the product that would start our contacts would be the Zorro model, highly praised by many users. After that, it was different. Once higher on the price ladder with the set of top #X, once lower, with the Angel series, but there was never an opportunity to check the entry level series. What was the reason for this turn of events? Is it so banal in its sound, that it is better not to show it to avoid an unnecessary blunder? Or maybe it beats its older siblings in terms of price/quality ratio? Well, as the title of this meeting indicates, the time has finally come for it. What am I talking about? Of course, the Danish ZenSati Razzmatazz cabling set, in the form of speaker cables, power cords and XLR interconnects, supplied by the Warsaw distributor Audiotite. This is the entry to the catalog and therefore very affordable. Intrigued? I think that after reading the tests of the previous constructions, you should be. So if you want to know what a set of green Scandinavian cables offers, I invite you to read the following reflections.

What do we know about the construction of this model? Not much, but we know the most important features. First of all – the signal is carried by copper conductors of the Litz type. Secondly – the wires were braided with rayon. Thirdly – in the next step they were insulated with PVC-based insulation. Fourthly – in order to combat resonances, the structure was stiffened with a special damping material. Fifthly – the whole thing is kept in check by a stabilizing shielding braid. Sixthly – the cable is finally wrapped in a translucent green sleeve made of 92% recycled materials, reminiscent of joyful spring. Seventhly – as is standard with ZenSati, each cable is packed in a box covered with artificial leather with a certificate of originality inside. And when we add years of experience, it is safe to assume that the adventure with it, despite its common-sense price, has a chance to last for years.

What was the result of plugging Razzmatazz into my system? I admit that it is surprising. And rather positive, because the overall projection of music was one of the good ones. Not the best, because it is an entry level product and due to limited financial outlays in relation to the top of the brand, it has some shortcomings, but also it is fully reflecting its spirit. When I started with the listening sessions, I was afraid of an attack of distortion or lack of control, or at best a very safe, unremarkable sound, and therefore boring in the long run, but things turned out quite different. Building a virtual stage while maintaining the appropriate momentum of a given recording in breadth and depth, and being the result of not favoring any part of the sound spectrum, surprising consistency of sound clearly showed that the purpose of bringing this model to life was not to possibly save a potential buyer from his previous bad choices, but to show the recorded material as it is. The cables sounded very even, and when they landed in my stereo, they did not break anything. They simply sounded with lower resolution and less advanced macro and micro-dynamics, but it was not a problem, but a natural course of events after changing the more expensive, and selected for a specific place after years of testing, cable to not only a cheaper one, but also one that is placed there completely random, because it was plugged in that place just to define the general outline of the sound. For me, it was a kind of checkmate. Relatively inexpensive, yet without mannerisms and having a nice joy. Joy expressed by good reproduction of controlled bass, dense midrange and resonant treble. Without averaging or bumping out anything, just maintaining freedom and avoiding the intrusiveness of projection. Theoretically, such information was provided to me by the distributor, trying to lobby slightly in favor of the title Danes, but at the time I treated it as wishful thinking of the main interested party. Fortunately, everything was confirmed and, most importantly, this state allowed me to explore my record library with pleasure. And this in its entirety, because the system did not turn any sound aspect in any direction, but sounded with similar temperature and energy, only with a less high quality of sound finish. Rock albums in the style of AC/DC „Highway to Hell” sounded with proper oomph in relation to the madness of vocals and brilliance of drums, and appropriate aggression in terms of presenting guitar passages, which are the hallmark of this formation. It was supposed to be a frenzy and it was. And the fact that it has a lower level of chiseling of individual notes is the result of design assumptions, and not the problem of cables as such. If you reach to a higher price shelf of this brand, it will be better. But this is how it should be, completely normal. Jazz also performed in a similar spirit. The contemplative one, like Keith Jarrett’s trio „Inside Out” and Ken Vandermark’s free edition „Projekt Resonance – Alchemia”. Both of them showed appropriate for a given album, states of mind and, most importantly, a noticeable differentiation of its involvement in calming or waking up the listener, which is how it should be. As I mentioned, there were no feats in chiseling the quality of even the trio’s solo performances, but I can assure you, with a very good result of the perception of the whole musical project. For me, taking into account the prices of the tested cables, it was really – in a positive sense – a big surprise.

How do I finish the above test? With a very clear statement. Well, the cables presented today in my opinion are definitely worth their price. And the reason for this statement is their way of making music. And probably many of you will be surprised when I say that not because of offering this or that audiophile manner, but because of an even, and thus avoiding coloration and distortion of the presentation, approach to music, which is not so obvious at this price level. Whether they fit into every potential system, can only be verified by tests on a living organism of your stereo. However, regardless of the result, the time with music in the ZenSati Razzmatazz edition will result in rather cool experience. And if so, it is probably worth to at least taste them.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– CD Player/DAC: Gryphon Ethos
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red-Silver
– 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”, Furutech DAS-4.1
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
USB cable: ZenSati Silenzio
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: Quantum Science Audio Red fuse; QSA Silver fuse; Synergistic Research Orange fuse; antivibration platform by SOLID TECH; Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END, Furutech NCF Power Vault-E
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Dynavector DV20X2H
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001
– Tape recorder: Studer A80

Distributor: Audiotite
Manufacturer: ZenSati
Prices
ZenSati Razzmatazz XLR: 6 900 PLN / 2 x 1m; 7 900 PLN / 2 x 1,5m
ZenSati Razzmatazz Speaker: 9 900 PLN / 2 x 2m; 10 900 PLN / 2 x 2,5m; 11 900 PLN / 2 x 3m
ZenSati Razzmatazz Power: 6 900 PLN / 1m; 7 900 PLN / 1,5m; 8 900 PLN / 2m