Darwin Cables
Not exactly a name that comes to mind when considering audio cables, Darwin Cables has been an underground success in its own right for over a decade.
The cable designs are simple, and I think that contributes to their success:
- Pure silver conductors
- Air dialectric that has minimal contact with the conductor
- Low mass conductor, dialectric connectors and jacketing
- Low capacitance
- Cryogenic treatment
In addition to the above , the Enlightenment and Enlightenment Extreme models implement a proprietary blend of crystals to further maximize performance.
It took years of trial an error to get the proper combination of wire gauge, dielectric thickness soldering technique and tweaking to get their formula just right.
the result is what I call a minimalist perfectionist design. Focusing their efforts on sonics to an extreme degree. The audio jewelry flex is not a priority here, nonetheless the cable is well made, and can offer decades of performance with proper care.
Aside from the delicate, lightweight construction, one notices immediately that the connectors themselves are missing the usual plastic or metal barrels that usually provide a degree of protection and / or strain relief for the solder joint and conductors. They were eliminated because they add mass or create eddy currents. Rather the conductor and connector are secured to one another via careful application of layers of shrink tubing. This solution. while lower in mass and incapable of forming electrical eddy currents, does require more mindful handling. For the RCA cables, grabbing the cable by the gold plated metal connectors and gently twisting them on or off is the only way to ensure continuous operation over the long term.
The entire line of cables is similarly constructed, with the wording on the shrink tubing being the most obvious differentiator of levels, The Enlightenment and Extreme Enlightenment having a few extra "bumps" under the unbleached cotton jacketing to help further tell them apart from the lower levels.
In General
There Are Cables that make you sit up and listen... - They grab you by the ears and proclaim "listen to this -----". A first you sit rapt in resolution, dynamics, soundstage, whatever. Some aspect of its performance focuses your attention, and then everything you listen to through those cables becomes about that aspect. As impressive as these cables initially are, I usually tire of cables like this after a while.
...And Cables that may not impress you as much in the beginning, you may enjoy them for their lack of sonic fireworks, even forgetting about their contribution, that is until you remove them from the system. it's then in their absence that you finally learn what it is you appreciate about them. I have made the mistake of not spending enough review time with these cables in the past, not capturing the entirety of what they offer before rendering my written judgement.
Analogies: Delta Sigma vs. R2R - Musical vs. Analytical - Lean Forward vs. Lean Back
Perhaps to illustrate this another way an analogy can be made between cables much the way we compare DACs. On the one hand you have the commonly assumed Delta Sigma DAC architecture - a "projected" sonic delivery. One that is high resolution, with clarity that can be captivating on good recordings, fatiguing on bad recordings. Lively, exciting and one that tends to amplify or shine an unflattering light on compression artifacts,
Then there is what I describe as the r2r signature - a "here it is , come and enjoy" approach. Smooth, oh so listenable but trades resolution for a bit of euphonia and can mask subtle detail. Some may call this "lit from within" or more "analog".
The Darwin Cables seem to take some of the best attributes of both worlds.
What the Darwin's do that initially impresses is take the music and expand it's dimensionality. The lead instrument or vocal has a bit more jump, presence and impact in the dimensional sense, more punch, while maintaining a smooth, textural engaging and resolving middle and background.
The overall character is a blend, pushing forward the elements that would be forward in the mix, while the middle and background instruments retain just as much life and detail, but are properly placed in the middle and back of the soundstage.
Essentially other cables I’ve had in my system while having similar soundstage and tonal characteristics to a degree, still sounded a little flatter in comparison.
This is not a frequency response trick, because the dimensionality is not frequency dependent. This is the result of a lot of work (perhaps some luck too) on the part of the designer.
With the Natural 2, what stands out in comparison with other competitive designs is the dimensionality. You get a very large soundstage with the elements having a more vivid outline than usual. Elements in the forefront are more discernibly forefront-ish, while elements that are to the sides and rear are more easily detectable as such. In that way one might think the Naturals are more Lean Forward, but no. They at the same time have a relaxed or rather relaxing effect on the listener. An extremely enjoyable sonic combination. Bass was good, with definition and snap. But I wouldn't say it was plentiful. It was in line with similarly priced cables like Audience Studio two and Hapa's ember. Actually The Audience had a bit of bass warmth coloration. Perhaps a little boost in the 80-100 hz region by comparison with the Hapa and the Darwin.
With the Enlightenment interconnects in place, I felt more transported to the recording venue, and less constrained to the listening room and placement of the speakers. They disappeared just a little more convincingly. The soundstage was larger and more lit up, with a denser holography. Highs were more refined, delicate and transparent. The bass came into it's own with plenty of depth, tonality and dynamics. In fact I think the overall dynamic presentation was significantly better with the Enlightenment over the Natural 2.
Vocals and midrange were textured, with exceptional layering of harmonics, and very naturally detailed. The presence of this cable was exceptional. Solo instruments and vocals really were presented with great focus and resolution when called for, leaving the backing vocals or instrumentation clearly behind in space but just as resolved. Again I think what separates the Enlightenment from the Natural 2 was the dynamic contrast and larger envelope of the soundstage. The Naturals did midrange very, very well.
The Enlightenment Extreme was a smaller but still significant leap in performance from the Enlightenment. But what it delivered was a deeper dive into the music, a more transparency in the mid and high frequencies. If you can afford the Enlightenment extreme, get them. But if you end up with the Enlightenment, you will not be sad, at all.
Conclusion
To my ears, the Darwin cables deliver a sound and connection to the music that I love and that is SO rare. This is a sound that is exceedingly dimensional, dynamic, and natural. They are not sonic scalpels that will have you dissecting the performance. Rather, they invite you to be immersed in the emotion and flow of the music. They will draw you in, and keep you engaged and listening long-term.
The Natural 2 is a superb value. I can't think of another cable I have heard in it's price range that delivers the engagement or soundstage it does.
The Enlightenment is perhaps the best price to performance cable in the lineup. You get a lot more performance in terms of dynamics, dimensionality, transparency and refinement. An incredible value that I have put up against the likes of Audience, Audio Quest, and Hapa, and would love to put it up against Nordost Valhalla 2.
The Enlightenment Extreme are extraordinarily good, offering a bit more of everything the Enlightenment does for $700 more. I preferred them to my Audience frontRow Reserve interconnects with my fully tweaked Unison S6 tube integrated amplifier. They are THAT good. If you are looking for the ultimate performance interconnect you absolutely need to look at the Enlightenment Extreme when considering the other known big brands. You might just save yourself a fortune.