SC Carbokab 225. Something special?

I thought I would post my findings after starting to use the Sommer Cables 'Carbokab 225' cable type in my range as there are signifiers to indicate that there 'may' be something special to this cable.

As a member of the trade (cable-builders), I'm always on the lookout for new materials, cabletypes, connectors etc in order to experiment and innovate and perhaps eventually, after a testing regimen actually introduce a new cable model into the range.

!NB
At this point I need to make a disclaimer that this post is categorically NOT about promoting my own cables and there will be no photos of my cables or links to where you can find them etc. This is purely to discuss and recommend the above mentioned Sommer cable type.

So, I came accross the SC Carbokab 225 when browsing Sommer's range of cable types and was intrigued enough to order some after reading their description and claims.
'Carbon smoothing' is their own term that they use for something I've never seen used before in technical descriptions and at first I assumed it was something to do with graphene. But hang on a minute, the price/ metre belies that assumption - cable using graphene materials are exponentially more expensive and in my opinion, somewhat dubious when used for signal conducting. But that's a discussion for a different thread...
In any case, they claim that the carbon substrate between the copper and 2nd conductor layer 'promotes electron flow'.
A bold claim perhaps and is it quantifiable? No comparative figures or data anywhere on their website but let's give it a whirl in any case...

Ordered 10 metres and eventually built a range of cables including RCA-RCA, XLR-XLR, XLR-RCA, AES/EBU (it's within AES spec) as well as an SE headphone cable using the shield as a shared ground for each channel.

After about 30 hours listening to music that I am intimately aquainted with I can only describe the net result as 'epiphanous'.
No other cable type has inspired me to listen to entire collections of music such as this one. New details emerge from places you never knew existed. The resolution, clarity, transparency, sound-staging, depth, darkness are all there in copious amounts.
I always claim in my own advertising speel as well as exploring for synergy, that cables would probably only ever offer a 10-15% improvement/difference when compared to basic cables but that that small percentage is possibly critical to explore for some. I don't personally believe or have ever experienced night/day differences between different cable types, but I suggest that the small (real) improvement can be amplified psycho-acoustically perhaps.

I subsequently introduced 2 cable models using it about 3 months ago and the sales volume and positive feedback have already exceeded the performance of other long-established and equivalent-priced cables in my range.

The extensive feedback has been particularly positive with clients describing a similar experience to my own which is confirmation/verification, albeit totally subjective of course.
I don't always receive feedback for every sale, which is fine - there's no obligation, but with these cables I have received positive feedback from almost every single client.
I'd love to get around to measuring this cable eventually as that may provide some technical, comparative insights.

It's not the easiest cable type to work with as there are 6 layers to get through before you reach the copper conductors, so it takes longer to prepare and build, but the net result is more than worth the effort put in.
The double shielding is particularly impressive and it's always nice to see a braided/woven outer shield, which not only adds strength but is also very effective against localised EMI/RFI.

Below is a photo from Sommer's own website showing the topology. The black layer, just after the copper wire is the carbon layer.



So, to all the cable-makers out there; consider giving this cable type a whirl!
Has anyone here also actually used it or have any experience with it?
It's not the cheapest cable type in the world and it's about the same as the LoCap55 from vanDamme (also a fine cable), but it's definitely worth investigating for yourself - if only to find out if you achieve the same results!

 

Just found it for $2.49/ft in the US, cheaper than direct from Sommer. I like that it's not ridiculously thick, only 7.6mm(0.29in) and it's litz, so should be pretty flexible. I might order me up some for new interconnects, I need a lower diameter cable with slim RCA plugs for the vintage amp so this fits the bill, maybe with some humble Switchcraft connectors.

 

Wow! That's ridiculoulsy cheap! They must be manufacturing somewhere in the Americas to be able to keep costs down and wholesale it lower than their own retail price!
It is nice and flexible but is not rotationally flexible along its' length axis i.e. you can't twist it easily and you have to be particularly careful when orienting XLR connectors over short runs I found.

Please post up your own findings eventually!

 

I have used this Sommer cable in my system for quite a while, untill I got rid of my XLR preamp. I like it a lot. Sounded refined and meaty (organic?) with good extension on both ends of the frequency response. Their little sister, the Albedo is obviously from the same family, but lacks the bass of the Carbokab, so it sounds more tilted towards the bright side (it does sound more spacious). I would like to rewire Carbokab for comparison to the Albedo, but to find a RCA plug that can fit is not that easy.

It is a bit more work to terminate because of the shielding, but do-able. I prefer to use it in RCA as per Sommers recommendation ( white+red to pin, shield to ground). It's a good cable for the money, especially in Europe. Now have to find some reasonable priced RCA connectors. Any recommendations?

 

For RCA connectors I supply 2 locking types with Beryllium or Rhodium pins but for simple, basic, non-locking type connectors I prefer these Amphenol ones.

The quality, finish and consistency is exceptional for such a cheap connector.
I remove the rubber grommet a the back and then the Carbokab cable fits perfectly.

 

A cheeky as-built photo using the aforementioned Amphenol connectors.
I'm currently trying different techniques to improve the termination and bring the conductors more in-line with the pin but I think the most important aspect to terminating this cable is to get the carbon substrate as close to the solder as possible.
I'm going to try and thin out and wrap the shield (ground) around the clamp and cable instead of having it hooked and soldered underneath the cable as in the photo. This will then lower the cable a bit more inside the clamp and bring the conductors more towards the centre axis.
A piece of heatshrink covering the termination is always the finishing touch before winding on the barrel.

 

Maybe something to try... This one time I experimented with putting a slit on the cable jacket and slipping the clamp inside between the shield and insulation. I got a bond by heavily tinning the inside surface of the clamp and fluxing the shield first, then turning my iron to max and applying a blob on the backside of the clamp until I could see flow on the inside. Overall a really awkward process, and I had to use some extra helping hands to hold the insulation away so it wouldn't burn/melt. I liked the result, but ugh so much fidgety work that I never really experimented much beyond the first time. Also practically impossible to desolder afterwards. I screwed it up the first time and forgot to put the barrel on, but thankfully could slide it on from the other end.

 

That's one way of doing it but it DOES sound a bit arduous/risky.

Making cables by volume means that you need to optimise the whole build process in order to make it as time-efficient as possible while maintaining quality/integrity, so that technique may not work for me unfortunately.

I already optimised this model for build-time but 'internal tidyness' of the finished product could probably be improved on. It's really only for this connector type where it has this flexy bayonet style ground-plane/clamp thing though.

The more expensive connectors have a complete barrel style where the cable is held in-line with the pin nicely, per:


This is the LoCap55 cable type I referred to earlier which has a perfect diameter enabling me to simply fold back the shield layer and have a nice tight friction-fit between the cable jacket and the inside face of the inner barrel. That first screw that you can see also makes contact with the shield as well as holding the cable in place. That second screw hole is for the rear section of the barrel as well as holding the cable in place. So, triple redundncy for making the cable fast; solder, screw, screw.


I promised not to post photos of my own cables. Naughty. But that's how these connectors look when fully assembled.
These have a Beryllium alloy pin, theoretically promoting a better mating surface between pin and pin-receptacle/socket, thereby promoting electron flow.
A theoretical and possibly 'real' sonic benefit, although probably not audible. lol

 

I like these Copper Harmony RCA connectors and I totally buy all the hoopla

 

Agreed. I have the Absolute connectors with Furutech FA=aS22 wire, and it's gooood--they're so easy to hook up to any set of jacks with the expandable collars.

 

They look nice.
However, I had to do a doubletake at the price lol.
Charging THAT much for connectors you'd think they would re-invest some of the margin into updating that 2001-looking website!

 

My Carbokab 225 arrived from the cheap site in the US, Have Inc. I was worried about the order because it was so much cheaper than everywhere else and isn't the greatest looking website, but it's not a scam. Shipping wasn't super quick but it did show up.
I finished a pair of RCA interconnects about an hour ago and l may have just become a cable believer. Either they have breathed new life into my Gungnir or the placebo effect is very strong. The SE output no longer sounds weak compared to balanced, the missing weight and texture are back and everything just sounds a bit better. I'll have to listen more, and probably can't be bothered to make more pairs of interconnects using Canare or Belkin cable with the same connectors to A/B, but even if it's just imagined, I'm happy for the improvement.
I didn't find the cable especially difficult to work with either. The only hiccup was it's labeled as having 24 gauge conductors, but the slot for 24 on my wire strippers ripped more stands than I would like on the first try, so I clipped it shorter and stripped everything else using the 22 gauge slot and it worked perfectly. Could just be my wire strippers, but a heads up to test with 22 first for anyone else thinking about building some cables with this. Thanks for the recommendation @Chris Cables

Edit: I used Canare f-10 connectors on the source side and f-09 on the amp side, I need the narrow profile to fit the closely spaced vintage amp inputs. Both accommodated the cable after removing the spring strain relief which I don't like anyway.

 

Been using this for a couple of years and i too heard a positive difference. Was a run of a couple of meters and have since placed it everywhere except for a single unbalanced pair to my headphone amp. Which i might actually get around to since i still have it laying around. Only thing I don’t like is that it’s very stiff and doesn’t do twists and turns as well.

 

I remove the little clamp and went through the hole to make my cables.
These Amphenol connectors are really nice and works very well for this Cable. Thanks for the tip!

 

Tidy!
What's your impressions?

 

Concur. Which means I always have to ask clients to supply photos of the rear panels of their systems to make sure XLR pin orientation is congruent to their setup!
Details. Details.

 

It's a interesting cable.
I was comparing these to the Canare l-4e6s and Sommer cable Albedo.
It's a very natural, even sound. Highly detailed without sounding brightly tilted. Meaty bass.

Albedo is notably more "vivid" and upfront. Taller soundstage than the Carboab, but same width with less depth than Carbokab.Weird...

Will test these for subwoofers too and see if they sound different there as well.

 

My overriding takeaway from this cable type more than anything else is 'superior detail retrieval'.

 

How do you find the bassperformance?

Have you played around with alternative wiring schemes for these cables, meaning shield connected at source end only?

 

I find bass response the same as most of my other cable-types but I think that has more to do with my setup/signal chain which cosnsists of both balanced and SE paths.

I use headphones to analyse different source/cable/connector configurations and it's really in the sound-staging and mocro-detail realms where I find the biggest differenciators with the Carbocab.
Using a good-quality switch/patchbay/DAC/headphones to A-B(-C-D-E) makes this easy but at the end of the day, while it's really interesting to notice the slight differences and characteristic it's important to not lose sight of where the listening enjoyment really should be coming from, i.e. the music itself and not the gear.

As a serial tube-roller I found myself initially swapping different tubes in and out of my LittleDot MkIII but eventually I settled on these lovely Mullard 8161 tubes which seem to cover all the bases I'm looking for to enjoy the music.

I always suggest peeps try out cables in their systems before buying them if they can, as synergy is hugely important. What sounds great in one system can sound rubbish in another system, I don't know why more cable-makers such as myself don't offer this feature.

Try before you buy!