Sommer SC Club Mk II Studer Revox Tricone Galileo Belden 8428

Photos by ELO.

Sometimes, Things just Happen Again and Again, Part III

Letter from Hong Kong (23-3): ELO and Friends Report on their "Studer" Cable

It all started a while back. I always welcome new things, ideas and accessories that do not hurt my wallet and that could improve the sound. My buddy Kwong and I always share information, like good buys on Review 33 [Ed: the foremost HK second-hand forum], tease and taunt each other into buying them. He bought his JMR speakers, Lumin streamer and Holo Spring DAC based on my recommendations. At the same time, he had introduced me to a lot of cheap yet highly effective and wonderful gadgets, like cheapo graphite blocks made to order for use under equipment, some OEM tiptoes, the H-10U Bluetooth device etc.

We used to call each other in the morning to exchange information on cheap tricks and plans, before we got busy at work. He's lucky, since he bought a flat in China and that gave him a super and convenient excuse to acquire another system from scratch!

The TB Offering that likely Kwong first saw. Aside from waxing lyrics, it said that the cables were used in Studer studios, were second-hand and bought from German studios, of limited supply. Selling for RMB 150 per meter, much more than that of the clothed or unclothed Sommer Club Mk II. (See below DJ's section).

One day while surfing Aliexpress and Taobao, he discovered a “Studer Cable” which the seller said is from Germany and raved about, to the point of saying that you ain’t heard nothing yet until you tried it. As the price was relatively affordable, I said what the heck, I’ll tag along.

Later Kwong told me the cable is really good, and so I have some level of confidence, as we know each other's music preference. I finally bought it home and hooked it between my WEA streamer and my Eleekit TU-875 and immediately felt the virtues of the “Studer Cable” that came with a nice tweed sheath of yellow with black dots. The music now started to flesh out and become a little bit warmer. But that was not all - I gradually noticed a significant increase in musicality which made it highly enjoyable to listen to without fatigue. To describe it, it sounds organic, smooth while not giving up PRAT, and it has very good imaging and portrayal of the actual size of instruments (unlike many others’ needle-like images which I cannot bear). Timbre of instruments is accurate, and decay and attenuation are among the best that I have heard, which is important as it gives a sense of connection between music notes and make things sound more fluid and real! Imagine a system that portrays music notes as individual dots that barely connect to each other vs those painted in large circles that overlap with each other to form a complete chain! That’s how we play music with natural timbre and harmonics, and "Studer" portrays it so well. I actually picture the notes as the overlapping eddies created by raindrops on a lily pond that form a complex yet fascinating scene!

I can hear the shimmer of instrument far better in brass, guitars and string instruments as well as the body of piano and the attack of each note. pppp vs ppp vs pp vs p and ffff vs fff vs ff vs f all become easy to follow, which helps to makes the music far more interesting and exciting. Its dark background accurately reproduces silent passages, which is important in creating contrast in music.

High, mid and low are fairly flat. There is a bit of emphasis in midrange which is welcome (at some points even lush and sexy). Bass has authority, slam and quickness. While highs may not reach the sky like many exotic cables, it is more than adequate with good details and delineation but without any edginess and glassy feel. That is of utmost importance, as I find too many setups are far too brittle and edgy in highs due to the digital sources.

So far, I am waxing lyrics on this cable, are there any drawback? Is it just me and Kwong's illusions?

I have then lent the cables to many friends, and they were all positive about it. One said it compares admirably with his silver cables but only lost to the extension at the highs; another friend said it compares well to his Siltech cables for the price (while not besting it) and, given the price, it’s a bargain. Another friend also got good results. So, I’m pretty sure we struck gold in finding this gem in the sea of hifi accessories!

Next, I begin to replace my cables gradually with the "Studer" cable and the result was absolutely scintillating - definitely the more the merrier!!!! And considering its price, it is an absolutely no brainer.

Cables sold by Revoxman in Germany

However, the story does not end here. I have been chatting to DJ and he knew about this all along and also suspected it’s not “Studer” after all. But what the heck, if it sounds great and cheap, I will be happy to oblige! Then one day, a reader left a comment that it looks exactly like a Sommer SC Classique cable. This aroused the curiosity of DJ and I and we immediately went into sleuthing mode. See DJ's report below. So, at this point, we were pretty sure that it’s Sommer cable from Germany. I have also traced it to a website that sells refurb classic Studer/Revox equipment which also sells this as high-end professional cable (without mentioning Studer name though). I guess the Chinese vendor called it “Studer” as he may have purchased from this website. The price of Studer sold is almost 3 to 4 times as much as the Sommer!! However, it’s still peanuts compares to many other so called exotic high-end cables! So, I’m content totally as I would have never thought it’s actually Sommer at all at the beginning and would have missed the treasure. In the end, I need to thank the Chinese vendor selling it as "Studer" cable who waxed way more lyrics than me in order to attract Kwong to purchase it in the first place. I also thank Kwong for introducing it to me!!

Honestly speaking, my system has reached another whole new level because of the introduction of the cable and the Entreq Micro Kit and I’m content, even now I’m just using the stock PS for my WEA while waiting to service my DIY PS . The overall sound is grainless, natural, organic, exciting, yet with no lack of details and musicality, and is so much fun to listen to. I treasure that it has loads of details, but not distracting . I now can settlec down and simply enjoy music, just press the play button and let it play continuously without thinking what I’m lacking or missing. Of course, I know what is missing, but adding those would just be icing on the cake, as I think I have finally gotten the fundamentals right. Another significant thing is, I now listen to a lot more classical music!

My friend RC came over the other day; he also said my setup has changed significantly and has improved a lot. I credit it to the use of Entreq and "Studer"/Sommer cables! He then went home and listened again to his setup and it took him a while to get used to it, LOL. He said there’s a huge difference between the sound at my place and his. He described it as passion vs tranquility. But for me, I think I would describe my system with the Chinese saying: “calm and tranquil like a virgin, agile and quick like an unleashed rabbit"!

My conclusion and recommendation: Buy! Whether it’s "Studer" or Sommer!!

Doctorjohn Reports on Sommer SC Club Mk II, aka "Studer" Cable

This is a really interesting story. When ELO informed me of the Chinese TB vendor selling vintage "Studer" cable I was really skeptical! Yes, they are covered in tweed cloth, like of-yore, but they look so new, as do the connectors. I happen to know a fair bit about Revox and Studer, having used several of their incomparable CDPs (still have the Studer A730, Revox 225 and C221) and here in China I still have the Revox A720/722 Preamp/Amp. Not only that, being a friend of (HK) comm-buddy, a Revox-Studer devotee, I have been exposed to all manners of Studer and Revox, including mixing consoles! And never once have I heard about a "Studer" cable. So, when a reader wrote that he lives in Switzerland and has never heard about a Studer cable, I would have to agree! But that still did not solve the problem, until...

From Seng via DJ (see section below) Available from TB, clockwise from top left: bare wire Clothed SC Club Mk II you can see the skin under the cloth; SC Club Mk II terminated with Sommer's own Hicon plugs; much cheaper unclothed SC Club Mk II.

A reader with Eagle Eyes observed that from ELO's picture it looks like the Sommer SC Classique., which is marketed as a guitar cable and for its "60's sound". We all immediately dived in (I kid you not!) and did some detective work. I looked at the SC Classique: it is a 1 conductor coaxial cable and cannot possibly be used for XLR (the "Studer" comes in both XLR and RCA versions). I asked ELO to take a pic of the connector with shell removed. It shows 2 conductors, one red and one blue. I then identified it as SC Club Mk II. Now, this is a 2-conductor cable (red and blue) and comes in both naked and tweed-clothed versions, the latter identical in looks to the SC Classique (besides yellow tweed, there is also green color). I can't say I have looked through all Sommer cables, but at least of what I looked at that day few models have conductors colored red and blue, and none except the Club have a cloth version. My friend Seng and I looked at the spec’s and found the clothed and unclothed versions to be identical though the naked version is substantially cheaper, which is what I opted for, and I managed to source it here.

ELO also did his part. He found German seller "Revoxman" offering these cables (see above). AND, I noticed from the mailing addresses that the same person is selling on Ebay under different seller names. On Ebay the titles include the names Revox and Studer. But that's par for the course. Sellers often include names that may attract other customers. Like someone selling the KT77 tube will include EL34 in the title. I do the same with the post titles. I know it's Sommer, but I include the names Studer and Revox there as there is some relationship and interest.

Before I describe what I heard, I must say that I have a "bias": I've not been enthusiastic about Sommer in the past, and I relayed this to ELO. Here is my old brief report on the Tricone Mk II (and the very expensive Epilogue). In the article I mentioned the Galileo. Actually, although I haven't written about it, I did terminate it in HK (lockdown time) just before I returned to China at the end of 2020; it is better than the Tricone Mk II but still no bananas - and, to let the cat out of the bag, despite being pricier, in my sonic memory, not even close to the SC Club Mk II.

So, how does it sound? Why? Just as ELO described! I could not have done better! Quiet background, even-tempered, good all-around, but with a tinge of lushness in the midrange, sometimes even opulent 华丽. Now, that is a rare trait in cables. It's not something you can easily buy - not at all. I mentioned to ELO that I don't like Siltech's artificiality, and I've heard them all in a friend's completely top-end Siltech system. And this Sommer cable has a hint of the expensive sound proffered by some of these expensive brands, but yet maintains a reasonable neutrality. It plays everything well.

https://m.tb.cn/h.ULLM2rV?tk=JyS7d73Zsgg

I agree with ELO's view that, even via the tortuous route (via "Studer", Germany and Chinese TB sellers) it's a very worthwhile cable. You owe it to yourself to try it out. Of course, if you can terminate you should opt for the el-cheapo unclothed Sommer Club Mk II. It's very soft (a big plus in my book) and very easy to work with - a pleasure. But, even if you don't solder, unlike some of the other professional cables we cover here, you can still buy them terminated. HK and regional Chinese readers can buy the terminated cloth version sold in TB (link, pic above). And the same cables (both XLR and RCA) can be easily found on Ebay.

More twists. I finally terminated the stiff Belden 8428 (recommended by reader Attila) and I did some comparisons with the SC Club Mk II. Like the Sommer, the 8428 is also highly listenable and smooth and just right in the critical midrange. Bass is about the same, but I find the Belden to have slightly more air on top and it is just a tad more neutral (but it also doesn't have the potentially addicting occasional sheen of the Sommer). For my system, in the position of DAC to 1:1 Reisong Transformer though, I just prefer the Belden by the smallest of margins - so far. But then, just now I slotted in my SC Club Mk II in the position of Preamp Out to 2nd Reisong Transformer (removing the Belden 8451) and I got a little more. It's staying in there, so now I have both Belden 8428, Sommer SC Club Mk II and Belden 8451 in the system. Subject to change, I say! 

There is another important mitigating factor that one must take into consideration. I am using ALL tube, AND my USB DAC (RMB 200 1-bit double TDA1305, + <200 Weiliang 5V LPS), splendidly musical as it is, is likely not the last word in resolution - at least in this parameter it should not be in the league of ELO's Emerson used with Ethernet. Also, ELO and Kwong and friends are using mostly solid state, which I can see as being even more receptive to the SC Club Mk II. Mind you, for a tube lover, my system is on the neutral side and I've long used more neutral professional cables but the divide between tube and solid state is there nonetheless. So, don't take me wrong - the Sommer SC Cub Mk II is a very fine cable, and I may get a little more yet (I only got 2m this round to test it out). Maybe again and again and again?