It’s the time of year for saving money!
The Lotus Group just announced their newest flagship AC cable from PranaWire, The Avatar II.
According to Joe Cohen, from The Lotus Group, “The Avatar II is a 5 Gauge Silver Ribbon / Stranded Copper Hybrid design with maximum noise suppression and vibration control techniques applied.”
The price for a one-meter length is $14,500. Each additional ½ meter costs $4950.
Putting aside the issues of value and price, I have a strong bias against thick cable that flunks the “Gordon Test.” The test is simple – hold a piece of wire vertically, if it doesn’t bend at least 90 degrees by itself it is too thick and stiff to be used successfully in a real-world system. Judging by the picture, this wire would flunk the Gordon test. As Gordon Holt once told me, “If I can’t use it without a fight, I’m not using it; I don’t care how great it’s supposed to sound.”
Ergonomics matter. If a cable is so stout and stiff that it can’t easily make a 90 degree right hand turn, it will be difficult to use. And even if you manage to force it into a turn, there’s no guarantee that the force required to make the cable do your bidding won’t damage the cable’s internal architecture or put undue strain on the connectors in your components.
But to despite its hyperventilatingly high price and ergonomically limiting thickness, the audiophile in me still would like to hear how it sounds…
