The models in Kimber's speaker cable range follow a similar design pattern to their analogue interconnects. As you go from first-in-the-range 4PR, right up to the top-flight Select KS-6068 speaker cables, the geometry improves and conductor purity and conductor type changes but the core woven cable principle remains.
Each cable occupies a price and performance point, and like Kimber's analogue interconnects, there are three broad 'families' of speaker cables – the 4, 8 and 12 series cables; the Monocle cables; and the Select speaker cables - plus the newest Carbon range.
The 4, 8 and 12 series
The 4, 8 and 12 series cables consist of 4PR and 8PR and 4TC, 8TC and 12TC.
The cables' names denote the number of conductors – for example, 4PR
has a total of eight individually-insulated copper conductors (four positive and four negative); 8PR has sixteen (eight positive and eight negative), and 12TC has 24 (twelve on each).All of these cables feature Kimber's distinctive braided design and the additional conductors make for a more complex weave, enhancing the RF rejection, lowering resistance and thereby improving the performance of the cable.
The 4PR and 8PR cables have high purity VariStrand™ (see below) stranded copper and polyethylene (PE) insulation; 4TC, 8TC and 12TC keep the VariStrand arrangement but increase the purity of the copper and move to a better, fluorocarbon (Teflon®) composite insulation.
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The Monocle range
The Monocle family of cables enhance the basic woven geometry by braiding and spacing different types of copper conductors around an inner core to improve the basic woven design.
Monocle XL consists of a 24 wire braid of TC and VS conductors woven around Kimber's proprietary X38R stabilizing core. It's the best of both TC and VS attributes with a lower noise floor.
Expanded braid geometry offers better mechanical and electrical damping as well as extending dynamic range on both ends of the spectrum, giving you a huge soundstage and precise imaging.
All the instruments get a little more elbow room when you move to Monocle series speaker cables.
Bifocal XL is a specifically designed bi-wire cable consisting a 12 wire braid worked around Kimber's proprietary X38R core. This is followed by a layer of braided ESD yarn which separates the high frequency conductors from the 24 braid that makes up the low frequency conductors.
After three trips through the braider, you end up with two distinctly unique cables in a single body. A true biwire or biamp cable in one sleek package.
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The Carbon Range
The Carbon range features Kimber's use of unique carbon-infused conductors, also featured in their Carbon analogue interconnects.
There are three new 'Carbon Cables' in the range. The first two are Kimber's Carbon 8 and Carbon 16.
Carbon 8 and 16.
Carbon 8 has a total of eight conductors using a VariStrand copper - carbon-infused polymer - Teflon® insulation construction.
Carbon 16, as you might expect, has twice as many with 16 braided conductors.
Both cables feature the ingenious technique of seamlessly separating the braid at the point it splits into the positive and negative halves of the signal, maintaining the weave.
Carbon 18XL.
Top of the Carbon range, Carbon 18XL, uses 16 of the copper - carbon polymer - Teflon® conductors, braided around an inner microwave-cured neoprene core which, as with the Monocle and Select speaker cables, serves to spread the weave and damp vibration.
Carbon 18XL incorporates two additional, nontwisted straight-run copper conductors which run in parallel through the core to minimise DC resistance.
The Carbon-18XL is finished with a carbon-doped outer sleeving which serves to reduce static build up and protect the cable.
18XL is terminated with WBT bananas or spades.
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The Select range
The top-of-the range Select series of cables enhance the spaced-and-damped construction of Monocle cables, giving an even more effective, complex weave.
Like their interconnect siblings, the Select family of speaker cables have three variations of conductor type, using either pure copper (the KS-6063); a mix of pure copper and pure silver conductors as seen in the KS-6065; and all-silver conductors seen in the flagship KS-6068 speaker cables.
The Select speaker cables use the purest copper and silver that Kimber employ, and the purest insulation. In addition, these very special cables use a mix of solid core and VariStrand stranded conductors for the ultimate 'reference' performance.
Construction.
Twelve, 24 AWG solid core conductors are first braided around a geometry stabilizing core. The core functions to dampen vibrations and prevent excessive deformations.
Solid core conductors are vulnerable to damage from excessive deformation and flex and if such a conductor is subject to these stresses it will lose its optimal properties as a conductor.
This solid core layer is further stabilized and protected by a layer of woven yarn. At this stage, the 24 AWG conductors are protected in such a way to secure their optimum properties under use.
The final layer is composed of twelve, 19AWG VariStrand conductors. This layer is also carefully woven with fabric yarn to provide mechanical stability and mitigate sound-degrading vibrations.
Specifications can only reflect a small part of how this design was realised.
Hundreds of hours listening to dozens of prototypes resulted in what Kimber believe to be a loudspeaker cable that delivers outstanding sonic performance, even in the most demanding of circumstances.
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Choosing the best cable for you
What does all this mean?
Quite simply, it shows that every cable in the Kimber range offers a specific level of performance for its given price point. Whatever your system and budget, there is undoubtedly a cable to suit your needs.
As a rule of thumb, the more advanced the cable geometry, and the purer the conductors, the better the sound.
That's why the very best cables have the most sophisticated construction and the purest conductors.
At the other end of the scale, however, it also makes the more modestly-priced cables in the range – Tonik and Timbre, and 4PR and 8PR speaker cables – terrific value for money. Their designs echo those of the flagship models, meaning that you are getting some of that great performance from the very first cables in the range.
Because Kimber's cables have a coherent design philosophy it makes upgrading cables more straight-forward.
The characteristic involving sound remains as you move through the range and you'll find the better cables sound progressively more detailed and more natural, with cleaner bass and a more natural midrange and smoother treble; the inherent musicality in the cables is there in all of the cables from Tonik and 4PR to KS-1036 and KS-6068.
So where to start?
If you've a modest system, starting with Kimber's Tonik interconnects and 4PR speaker cables will deliver great sound. If you like what you hear, use our cable upgrade scheme and get even better performance with Silver Streak or KCAG interconnects and 8TC speaker cable.
Don't worry that the better cables will outclass your system, in our experience they won't; they'll let you hear just how good it can sound.
Those of you with midrange or higher-end systems can choose any of the cables in the range too. Whether you opt for the first Hero interconnect, or Kimber's KS-1036; 8TC speaker cable or KS-6063, our experience has shown that you can expect a musical and engaging performance, whichever you opt for - it’s just that you get more of this as you move up the range.
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