I don't comment a lot on cables but since "a forum member" was so kind as to lend me a pair of Transparent The Link interconnects, I figured I ought to post my impressions. I thank that member very much for the loan; the comparisons I did were informative.

I compared the Transparent to some cables I had on hand: the following is the comparison list. All were 3 foot or 1 meter unless otherwise stated.


  • Transparent The Link
  • QED Unex 2, (0.5 meter; solid core)
  • Blue Jeans Cable / Beldon 1505F, (stranded)
  • Kimber PBJ, (solid core, branded/unshielded)
  • Ixos 1004, (stranded)


These are all what most audiophiles would consider low cost interconnects; the Kimber PBJ are probably the most expensive at somewhere <$200. The BJC are the cheapest. These particular QED and Ixos models are no longer sold; I have owned them for over a decade.

My comparisons were all done with a small number of classical orchestral, choral, and chamber pieces in downloaded hi-rez formats, (24/88.2 or 24/96).

Differences between these cables was small BUT I think I detected some differences. (I'm not saying that I could tell which was which in a blind test -- that's another matter.)

Probably my favorite was the Transparent; it was airy, highs were extended but not too bright, and bass was excellent. Next was the QED: it was airy, had great bass, and extended by slightly bright highs. There wasn't a whole lot to choose among the rest. They were all slightly rolled off in the highs and a bit less airy than the Transparent or QED. The Ixos were a bit rolled off in the bass as well.

I have to emphasis that all differences were very small and impressionist on my part -- I might have been tricked by short audio memory span and/or my own mood or imagination. My advice remains that people with entry and mid-level equipment ought to spend their money on other components rather than interconnects >$100.