Forza 700 Series Digital Coaxial Audio Cable
Category: Cables
Budget Esoterica Review Magazine
January 2016 Issue
Forzas' Revenge
As you recall in the November 2015 issue of Budget Esoterica Review Magazine we were very impressed with the Forza 700 series analog interconnect. Well we are very stoked about the Forza 700 series coaxial digital interconnect as well. How stoked you might ask? The Forza replaced a well regarded $40 British interconnect and we concluded that it was a major upgrade. I will be reviewing the Forza digital interconnect in a system comprised of the Stereophile lauded Musical Fidelity V-90-DAC converter and modern classic components. Before i begin my review i would like to share an email that i received from a loyal fan who lives in Japan.
Dear Mr. Johnson, I just wanted to tell you how much me and my wife enjoy reading your stereo magazine. I have printed out all of your reviews and i have posted them on a bulletin board in my listening room for reference. Mr. Johnson, i would like to know your opinions of what constitutes an upgrade. What improvements should i notice when i upgrade my cables? Domo arigato, Mr. Harry Hirakawa.
Well, Harry in Japan, i am going to try to answer that for you as simply as i can. Say you have two interconnects priced in the same price bracket. Interconnect number one has an incredible mid range, but not too much bass. Interconnect number two has much more bass, but not as much mid range. You keep them both because they both have strengths that are important to you. I consider this different "flavors" of interconnects, rather than an upgrade. An actual upgrade consists of several improvements in the audiophile parameters such as musicality, tonal color, sound stage and transparency to name a few. We don't want "different" better, we want "better" better.
On with the review. The Forza digital interconnect has thick, very good quality RCA connectors, but they are very tight, so you are going to want to exercise them a little bit with either a female RCA coupler, or an unused component with RCA jacks before attaching them to your stereo. This cable uses nitrogen-injected PE dielectric and is double shielded with 95% copper grade / 100% aluminum foil coverage. They are available on Amazon.com and Ebay for between 10$ and 17$. Besides getting excellent build quality you also get a very good, neutral sounding cable.
Reference Discs:
Shirley Horn, "You Won't Forget Me", Track thirteen. Verve.
Empirical, "Out 'N' In", Track two, "Hat And Beard". Naim Jazz.
Steve Miller Band, Track four, "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash". JVC XRCD.
On the Shirley Horn selection i noticed smooth and open sounding vocals. The sound was stable and confident, just like you hear when listening to a good floor standing speaker. The highs were solid with a slight golden tone. The bass was tight and well placed, several feet behind the plane of the left speaker. The Forza cable is just a good neutral cable that gets out of the way and does its business.
While listening to the Empirical selection i noticed good lateral height on the upright bass. I was impressed by the smoothness of the sound. The vibes had kind of a buoyant and playful feel to them. I also noticed a slight "shaping" to some instruments.
If you have never listened to a JVC XRCD , you are in for a real treat. On the Steve Miller selection i noticed good clarity in the vocals. The bass drum was fairly tight and sometimes "jumpy". To test for "organic" or natural sound,listen to the police whistle on this track. Very natural sounding! At the beginning of the song it sounds like someone is cracking a whip.
Once again, Forza has come up with a cable that offers excellent value for the money! Besides the excellent build quality, i was also impressed with the smoothness, tonal color and frequency extremes. Keep up the good work Forza! We need companies like you to offer alternatives to the high priced esoteric cables out there. Another sharp recommendation for the Forza 700 series digital coaxial interconnect!
Reference Equipment:
Onkyo Integra A-SV810 Pro home theater integrated amp
Denon DVD-1920
Musical Fidelity V-90DAC
NVA soundcord interconnect
ViaBlue speaker cables
Paradigm Atom Version 3
Atacama speaker stands
Budget Esoterica Review Magazine
January 2016 Issue
Forzas' Revenge
As you recall in the November 2015 issue of Budget Esoterica Review Magazine we were very impressed with the Forza 700 series analog interconnect. Well we are very stoked about the Forza 700 series coaxial digital interconnect as well. How stoked you might ask? The Forza replaced a well regarded $40 British interconnect and we concluded that it was a major upgrade. I will be reviewing the Forza digital interconnect in a system comprised of the Stereophile lauded Musical Fidelity V-90-DAC converter and modern classic components. Before i begin my review i would like to share an email that i received from a loyal fan who lives in Japan.
Dear Mr. Johnson, I just wanted to tell you how much me and my wife enjoy reading your stereo magazine. I have printed out all of your reviews and i have posted them on a bulletin board in my listening room for reference. Mr. Johnson, i would like to know your opinions of what constitutes an upgrade. What improvements should i notice when i upgrade my cables? Domo arigato, Mr. Harry Hirakawa.
Well, Harry in Japan, i am going to try to answer that for you as simply as i can. Say you have two interconnects priced in the same price bracket. Interconnect number one has an incredible mid range, but not too much bass. Interconnect number two has much more bass, but not as much mid range. You keep them both because they both have strengths that are important to you. I consider this different "flavors" of interconnects, rather than an upgrade. An actual upgrade consists of several improvements in the audiophile parameters such as musicality, tonal color, sound stage and transparency to name a few. We don't want "different" better, we want "better" better.
On with the review. The Forza digital interconnect has thick, very good quality RCA connectors, but they are very tight, so you are going to want to exercise them a little bit with either a female RCA coupler, or an unused component with RCA jacks before attaching them to your stereo. This cable uses nitrogen-injected PE dielectric and is double shielded with 95% copper grade / 100% aluminum foil coverage. They are available on Amazon.com and Ebay for between 10$ and 17$. Besides getting excellent build quality you also get a very good, neutral sounding cable.
Reference Discs:
Shirley Horn, "You Won't Forget Me", Track thirteen. Verve.
Empirical, "Out 'N' In", Track two, "Hat And Beard". Naim Jazz.
Steve Miller Band, Track four, "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash". JVC XRCD.
On the Shirley Horn selection i noticed smooth and open sounding vocals. The sound was stable and confident, just like you hear when listening to a good floor standing speaker. The highs were solid with a slight golden tone. The bass was tight and well placed, several feet behind the plane of the left speaker. The Forza cable is just a good neutral cable that gets out of the way and does its business.
While listening to the Empirical selection i noticed good lateral height on the upright bass. I was impressed by the smoothness of the sound. The vibes had kind of a buoyant and playful feel to them. I also noticed a slight "shaping" to some instruments.
If you have never listened to a JVC XRCD , you are in for a real treat. On the Steve Miller selection i noticed good clarity in the vocals. The bass drum was fairly tight and sometimes "jumpy". To test for "organic" or natural sound,listen to the police whistle on this track. Very natural sounding! At the beginning of the song it sounds like someone is cracking a whip.
Once again, Forza has come up with a cable that offers excellent value for the money! Besides the excellent build quality, i was also impressed with the smoothness, tonal color and frequency extremes. Keep up the good work Forza! We need companies like you to offer alternatives to the high priced esoteric cables out there. Another sharp recommendation for the Forza 700 series digital coaxial interconnect!
Reference Equipment:
Onkyo Integra A-SV810 Pro home theater integrated amp
Denon DVD-1920
Musical Fidelity V-90DAC
NVA soundcord interconnect
ViaBlue speaker cables
Paradigm Atom Version 3
Atacama speaker stands
0 responses Add your response