The Kimber Select Range - Interconnects
Thursday, 1st March 2018
Our guide to the Kimber Select range of analogue and digital interconnects.
Analogue interconnects
Overview
Kimber Select analogue interconnects are so good because they are based on Kimber's world-renowned 'Black Pearl' speaker cable*. The cable is woven to reject interference and this is then spaced around the outside of their core material, X-38R. This has a double effect. First of all, the core compound widens the weave, which boosts its performance. In addition, the composition of X-38R means that it is very effective at absorbing vibration which can build up in the cable. Reduce this vibration and less energy gets mixed in with the musical message.
The conductors used in the Select range are the purest that Kimber manufacture - either a very high purity copper or exactly the same silver that is used in the Black Pearl cable - and they're all locked in place with a special woven yarn which helps to reduce static charge too.
As you move up the range, the geometry and technology remain the same but the conductors improve, moving from pure copper, through a 50/50 copper/silver hybrid to the range-topping pure silver KS-1036.
We love Select interconnects - the sound they present is so natural, musical and involving; that perfect combination of fine detail and just the right level of warmth, meaning that these are cables you can listen to for hours without any sense of fatigue.
Kimber Select KS-1016
Kimber Select KS-1016 with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Cu RCA phono plugs
Kimber's Select KS-1016 is their very best all-copper analogue interconnect and the introduction to the super Select range of cables. Using a specially-enhanced pure copper to ensure optimal signal transfer and V-fluorocarbon insulation to maintain the conductor purity, the conductors are arranged around Kimber's core compound to enhance the interference-rejecting weave and isolate the cable from micro-vibration. The effect is to create a sound that is wonderfully detailed and natural, with a vast soundstage and realistic dynamics.
Kimber Select KS-1116 balanced interconnect with Switchcraft® XLR connectors
Features
6 Hyper-pure copper conductors
ESD (electrostatic discharge) yarn
X-38R core compound
V-fluorocarbon insulation
Orthogonal braid
Available with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Cu phono connectors or as a balanced version (KS-1116) with studio grade Switchcraft® XLR type connectors.
Kimber Select KS-1026
Kimber Select KS-1026 with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Cu RCA phono plugs
Using a mixture of Black Pearl silver conductors and their highest purity copper, Kimber Select KS-1026 allows you to benefit from much of the performance of an all-silver cable without all of the cost. Silver is used for the signal conductors while copper is used for the ground, giving a sound that has more detail and a more authentic timbre than KS-1016. The proven Kimber Select spaced and damped cable geometry allows a soundstage that is wide and deep, amazingly fast and accurate, and inherently musical.
Kimber Select KS-1126 balanced interconnect with Switchcraft® XLR connectors
Features
3 Black Pearl silver and 3 Hyper-pure copper conductors
ESD (electrostatic discharge) yarn
X-38R core compound
V-fluorocarbon insulation
Orthogonal braid
Available with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Ag phono connectors or as a balanced version (KS-1126) with studio grade Switchcraft® XLR type connectors.
Kimber Select KS-1036
Kimber KS-1036 with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Ag RCA phono plugs
KS-1036 is Kimber’s all-silver Select interconnect. Using six of their finest Black Pearl silver conductors woven around their proprietary core compound, the cable gives the breath-taking experience of ‘being there’ thanks to the purity of its conductors and their precise geometry.
The conductors themselves are insulated with a high pressure and low temperature applied pure V-fluorocarbon dielectric (the special application process helps to maintain the purity of the silver); the conductors are applied to the cable's core compound simultaneously with a matrix to 'lock' them in place and ensure the precise cable geometry is preserved.
If you demand nothing less than the very best from your system, KS-1036 is a must have.
Kimber Select KS-1136 balanced interconnect with Switchcraft® XLR connectors
Features
6 Black Pearl silver conductors
ESD (electrostatic discharge) yarn
X-38R core compound
V-fluorocarbon insulation
Orthogonal braid
Available with Nextgen™ WBT-0102Ag phono connectors or as a balanced version (KS-1136) with studio grade Switchcraft® XLR type connectors.
*Kimber Model 88 Black Pearl speaker cable was released onto the market in the mid 1990s. It soon took on legendary status within the Hi-Fi world with Martin Colloms - then of Hi-Fi News - referring to it as "The world's best speaker cable". You can read a copy of that review here.
N.B. Please note that we can only supply Kimber Kable within the UK.
Written By Simon Dalton
Comments
reviewed by Mark doring
22 Mar 2020
"Ks1011 Vs Ks1016"
I can't afford the ks1016 I can get a brand pair of ks1011 with wbt1012 Nextgen for $890 Aussie dollars how good are the ks1011 I'm currently using hero cu I'm finding bass is a bit thin and could be a bit smoother if the ks1011 is much better I will go for that maybe down the track I'll get ks1016 have just recently upgraded to ,12tc bi wire major improvement over 8pr just like your thoughts thanks mark
Customer Service Reply Hi Mark
Essentially the 1016 has 50% more conductors than the 1011. This helps recreate a more open and three dimensional sound stage with better layering of sounds so you hear more fine detail. It's also a very smooth cable, much more so than Hero. This is due to the high purity of the copper and the way the surface of each conductor is polished minimising signal distortion.
You'll also find that the Select interconnects will work hand in hand with your 12TC, so together it'll be quite the upgrade!
Peter
Essentially the 1016 has 50% more conductors than the 1011. This helps recreate a more open and three dimensional sound stage with better layering of sounds so you hear more fine detail. It's also a very smooth cable, much more so than Hero. This is due to the high purity of the copper and the way the surface of each conductor is polished minimising signal distortion.
You'll also find that the Select interconnects will work hand in hand with your 12TC, so together it'll be quite the upgrade!
Peter
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