M-21

"Magnificent Twenty One" is one of the three equally advanced analog interconnect models of the New Generation cable family. M-21 was introduced in 2002, improving upon our M-7 interconnects. M-21 are our best to date pure SILVER line-level analog cables.

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In October, 2004, the M-21 received a complete overhaul and now the RCA version incorporates the superior termination technique which was originally developed for our flagship interconnect, the Indra: the RCAs connectors are now proprietary STEALTH (ultra-light Teflon/silver, cold-weld pressure fit onto the gold wire), the outer jacketing is now "shiny silver" in color (photo is coming soon).

The "M-21" FEATURES SUMMARY

twenty-one strands of 99.997% pure silver wire, each individually insulated with Teflon;
optional Cryogenic treatment (special extended audiophile cycle);
built-in gradual strain relief;
17-layer three-dimensional TCTA matrix geometry;

TERMINATIONS

The 2002 and 2003 production M-21 (RCA to RCA version) were terminated with Cardas "Ultimate" rhodium-over-silver plated, non-magnetic beryllium spring-loaded connectors chosen for excellent sonic performance and excellent reliability; quite a few M-21 cables were terminated with German WBT connectors, which have been available as an option.

The latest, 2004 version of the M-21 is terminated with our proprietary ultra light RCAs with all Teflon dielectric and 99.99% pure solid silver contacts. There connectors offer two clear advantages: first, since the contacts have much lower mass - compare to the conventional all metal RCAs used before, the "transition" from the very thin alloy wire to the connector is much smoother; second - these new STEALTH connectors allow us to use the same termination technique developed for the Indra (pressure-fit = solderless cold welding). As the result, the newest M-21 sound even better than before.

The standard XLR connectors used for the balanced XLR M-21 are sourced from the World's largest PRO and high-end audio connectors manufacturer: Neutrik of Switzerland.

Since August 2006, we offer our own, upgraded XLR connectors as an option: machined Teflon® dielectric inserts and solid silver hollow pins.

The outer shells of these upgraded connectors are still Neutrik.

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SOUND

The M-21 is a pure silver cable and thus has certain attributes typical for pure silver: the extra subjective "speed" and clarity, somewhat emphasized upper midrange ("presence region") and forward overall presentation; the M-21 does NOT sound thin, but its very extended treble offers lots of "air" and "sparkle". If you feel you need a bit of extra "live" in your system, this may be the best cables for you. However, if you system is a bit on the bright side - then a better choice may be our pure gold (PGS-XL or PGS-3D) or pure carbon (Nanofiber) cables, which sound subjectively softer and more "relaxed" than the M-21.

PRICING

Suggested retail prices:

- 1 meter RCA-terminated pair is $1200 ($600 for each extra meter)

- 1 meter balanced XLR pair is $1560 ($780 for each extra balanced meter); please add $320 for the STEALTH upgraded XLR connectors for any cable length;