I'm not buying a lake wor... RM19k leh!

My exposures to cables are mainly on AQ, Harmonic Tech, Stealth, Stage III, MIT, Transparent and WireWorld. Although I wouldn't care less to listen to cables below 2K, I was god smacked and flabbergasted and (you fill in here...) when I was passed a pair of Siltech Forbes Lake, the entry level to their signature series.

Damn, with the listing price of RM19K, my knees were weak even to get them up my apartment and plug it in. You could tell how excited and short breathed I was when I switched on the pre, power and CDP. It was like, 20k leh, must be good lar, if not how to sell at this price?!

I guess people who know me have already grown sick over my hype on new products I tested. But I assure you, this ain't no hype! I always have the problem of going gaga over products that was good in certain areas but fail to deliver the promise as a sonic whole. This is where I learnt to appreciate the presentation as a whole rather than parts of it.

This cable is by far the most expensive and delivered by far the best performance that graced my setup. With no change to the rigs, it is able to elevate the performance of my setup to a level of delicacy never before experienced. The minute changes in details and intensity in musical passage is second to none.

The transitional nuance (OK lar, microdynamics) between the softest and loudest passage alone was so captivating and delicate that it certainly mimic lifelike realism. The mid has got this classy elegance not easily found in lesser cables. Everything is portrayed in grainless manner, a quality I found in many hi-end rigs.

Cables below 10k have got a common tendency, to some extend, draw your attention to certain aspect of the sonic presentation. For example, AQ Anaconda has got the drive that would send you tapping your foot due to its bold and forceful drive. Stage III Magnus has got this rich harmonics and splendid highs that you would never fail to notice.

Some quibbles I have might be due to its overly done noise filtering network. With 2 huge chunks of ferrites per side, I sense certain shut-in in lower mids and slight bottom heaviness. Other than that, the cable gives perfect harmonic textures and density.

Forbes Lake exudes realism, classiness and grace to the presentation if your setup could live up to expectation.

We’ll have to wait to see if AQ Cheetah and Sky come any closer. Till then, it’s STATE OF THE ART!