I used the VdH First Ultimate for many years. It seems like almost 20 years ago that I bought my first pair. Maybe not that long..? It’s made completely from carbon fibre except for the terminations. The terminations are not soldered to the carbon fibres, so if the termination becomes faulty, it has to be sent back to the factory for repair. The termination pins are split, so there is potential for the terminations to become damaged. They sound great, perhaps a little soft, and they lose some dB compared to copper or silver cables. That was always the two downsides with the First, Second and Third cables (all of which I have owned). I would place their performance as better than the VdH copper interconnects, but not quite as good as their expensive pure silver models. The top end and midrange are superlative and definitely not strident, but the bass lacks the last word in dynamic punch compared to MC silver models.
