Studio Interconnects Review

studio interconnects review Ultimate studio cableJust before Christmas, I received a pair of Perkune XLR/TRS audiophile cables for my Recording studio. And now, have decided to write this ‘Studio Interconnects Review’. I noticed people buying for hi-end home audiophile systems. But, I wanted them for my Recording studio monitoring which does quite the opposite. And, to be frank, I was not sure if these cables were going to do the job!

Studio Interconnects 

The first thing I will say is these cables are well made. Though it’s clear, they were hand made, but it does not feel like they would fall apart in few years of plugging in/out. I am not surprised; Mr Goodwin is giving them a lifetime guarantee. On the other side visually they do not look any different than a 30 pounds cable from Amazon.
The first time I plugged them in, I sat quietly expecting some magic — something to make my jaw drop. I sat there before playing first loss-less files and my project files and waited to hear some significant difference. But the first time all I heard was a broader and more in-depth image of the music track as a whole. I thought is that all? Oh boy, was I wrong!

Studio Monitors

studio interconnect reviewI use a pair of Focal Cms65 with sub adding a touch at the very bottom. All signals converted by Saffire 24dsp or Motu 828mk2 that I consider to be excellent. My work consists, I would say, 20% vocal recording / 20% composing various bits / 60% mixing. Mixing is the toughest part out of the three. I decided to see how my mixes would sound with the Perkune audiophile cables. studio interconnects review

The phone call

Last week, I had a phone call from my client, and the conversation kicked off with him yelling it’s the best mix I have ever heard. I was laughing my ass off as I thought it’s going to cost him an enormous amount of money. While I would love to share with you few mixes, it is a strict “NO” to sharing any content before the album is released.
In my client’s opinion, he could hardly recognise his voice due to the complete clarity, and he had never heard himself so right. Now before this, I thought of myself as a guy who did it all. First, I thought of changes that happened in the Studio. Hence, the reason I’m writing this review. I honestly hope someone who walks a similar path will find this useful.

Mixing

Studio cablesSome things that have changed and I know now that it was for good. I am amazed at just what a difference a pair of cables can make when you are mixing. The cable route is something that I had never thought of and to be able to hear this change is a big step forward for my music. And I will say it seems that Mr Goodwin has undoubtedly made a fantastic pair of studio interconnects!

Panning

Due to the improved 3D image of sound, panning is no longer a mystery or guesswork. It can get very complicated to position every sound in its right “slot”. While mixing, you may think and hear one thing. Take it to another system, a car, headphones, friends house, and you may find yourself cornered and giving up.
I have experienced this a few too many times. Now, it is pretty simple – for instance, if I want to make a backing vocal sound like its two meters to your left (10 o’clock let’s say) I will do it, and if I check it anywhere else it will be in that exact position. The precision is 100%. Don’t ask me technically why or how two cables made such a big difference, but it was panning precision that I noticed as the very first improvement.

Reverbs and Delays

These can become a real pain if your system shows you more or less than it should. For that, you need transparency. Seriously, the best part to me hears the beauty of space. With Perkune cables, muddiness in the mid-low part of the vocal, the reverbs finally heard. I can get rid of them or fix them, leaving all the space for the rest of the frequency range! Again it sounds crazy how simple it all became when I could finally hear all (or most) of the problems of the mix and was able to fix it 100%.

Transparency

Due to the response of these cables, I am now able to make much better use of things like compression, EQ, and other parameters. Now, I am sure of how to treat some of the highest frequencies. And, the mid-range. Because now no muddiness. studio interconnects review

Clarity

When things are muddy, you have left with too much of piercing high frequencies. It may be cloudy to you, but take it to some other system, and It feels like you’re standing in a busy sawmill listening to the screeching blades. So it is essential to have the clarity to know where your sibilants are.

The result

The list could go on, but in essence, while most Hi-End music listening systems made to sound friendly, studio monitors are made to show the opposite. And, has to be taken into consideration to understand why I am so happy to hear the “bad stuff” with the help of Perkune. I believe it will not be an understatement to say that I have finally listened to my little fellas the way to be heard. And recommend the cables to my fellow home studio owners without hesitation. 

Author: Tom Blinda – Music recording and sound engineer, London, England

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