Siltech Classic Legend 680/880i Cable Review

Siltech was founded in 1983 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and established an early reputation for itself by experimenting with silver, copper, platinum, and aluminium conductors. In 1992, Edwin van der Kley Rynveld (below) acquired the company and brought his experience as a high-level electronics engineer, eschewing the trial-and-error methodology in favour of advanced measurement techniques that bridged the gap between objective and subjective performance.

Under Edwin, Silver Technology – Siltech to its friends – invested heavily in researching all aspects of audio cable design – from metallurgy and dielectric materials, to shielding and topology. This led to its first-generation (G1) pure silver conductor, which was arguably the hi-fi world's first true high-end audio cable, and, supposedly, the first such pure silver one too. This set the blueprint for Siltech, which now offers an extensive range of properly premium interconnects, speaker cables and power cords. 

Edwin claims that his company uses the purest and best-sounding silver conductors available, adding that Siltech cables actually improve as they age due to the silver (or silver-gold alloy) increasing its conductivity over time. It's certainly true that this brand has exceptionally high second-hand resale values, as its cables are highly sought after on the second-hand market. 

Up Close

This review focuses on Siltech's Classic Legend series, which sits just above the brand's entry-level Explorer range and leads on to the cable groups that sound more akin to Canadian whiskies, such as Ruby Crown, Royal Crown, Royal Triple Crown, and Master Crown. Classic Legend is a three-in-one range featuring 380, 680, and 880 lines, each offering interconnects, speaker cables, USB, BNC, network and power cables. At its heart is the company's latest G9 silver-gold conductors.

As the name suggests, this is Siltech's ninth generation of silver-gold alloy, a bespoke formulation developed by the company's metallurgists in 2021. We are told that they spent over twelve years researching and testing to develop a material that offers a significant audible and measurable improvement over the company's previous G7 generation solid silver-gold wire. Incidentally, the alternative offering from Siltech is the S10, a solid-core monocrystal silver cable of the highest purity, used in the flagship Crown models.

The result of the G9 project is an alloy with conductors that are said to be up to two times larger than those of previous generations, and which have far reduced boundary distortion. This special silver-gold alloy enhances the silver with traces of gold to fill the so-called 'microcracks' (above) that occur during the solidification process. A key component of Siltech Cables since 1997, this has been continuously improved to the point where a purity of 9N has now been reached. It's useful to note that the Classic Legend Series is the first beneficiary of this process.

Matched to this unique metallurgy is an exclusive, in-house developed 3-layer insulation package, using pure DuPont Teflon and PEEK. These materials, in conjunction with the special construction of the cable, are said to minimise the electrical noise pickup of the Classic Legend. This, in turn, lowers the noise floor and thus maximises its dynamics. It comfortably surpasses all previous Classic cables in both technical measurements and subjective sound quality, according to the manufacturer. 

This review covers Siltech's Classic Legend 680 phono cable, which ran from my VPI Prime turntable with Aidas Malachite Silver moving coil cartridge to a YBA PH1 phono stage. Then, a pair of Classic Legend 880i XLR interconnects connected my Gryphon Essence pre- and power amplifiers to one another.

The Listening

I have now lived with my reference system – as it is currently constructed – for several years, and I still remember the thrill of first getting it up and running. To my surprise, inserting the two Siltech interconnects into my system rekindled this, as I sat mesmerised by the newly transparent sound issuing forth from my loudspeakers. These cables bring with them a stark clarity that made my system step aside from what I was hearing. Its exceptional neutrality, in turn, means that it's able to deliver huge amounts of detail. 

Here, the 680 phono cable took exquisite care of the tiny signal from my moving coil cartridge as it went to the phono preamp, while the 880i XLRs ensured minimal information loss or colouration between my pre and power amps. Petrolheads will understand when I liken this to running a performance car for thousands of miles and then treating it to a full service and decoke. Suddenly, the 'first-day thrills' return, and you're able to enjoy everything around you.

Moreover, because the Siltech cables barely add or subtract anything from the audible qualities of my selected equipment, the differences were even more apparent when I changed components, such as when I paired the VPI with an MP-500 MM. In this instance, all of the cartridge's characteristics, such as it being "tight, punchy, fast and insightful, yet tonally smooth with a touch of sweetness up top," as David Price remarked in his review, came shining through unabashedly. Moreover, its markedly more laid-back attitude to playback was also laid bare thanks to the clarity of the cables.

Similarly, this light touch was also experienced when changing amplification and moving the XLRs between a selection of DACs, headphone amps, and the preamp. So, what do these Siltech Classic Legend cables actually bring to the table? Practically nothing, and that's the point. They seemed to liberate my system from everything holding it back, with the result being more insight, detail, dynamics and drive. Thrilled with the result, I found myself dragging unsuspecting houseguests into my listening room to hear tracks familiar to them, such as Japan's Methods of Dance, Primary by The Cure and C'mon Billy by PJ Harvey. I swelled with pride, as if I were somehow responsible for my system's sudden sonic improvement.

Naturally, this newfound transparency will throw extra light on any underlying mismatches in your system. This, in turn, means that it's best to invest in this level of cables only when you've got the basics of your system right – and we're talking a premium-priced system at that, of course. The quality of this cable loom would simply be lost in a budget or mid-fi system, but for those who have spent a not inconsiderable sum on their hi-fi and want to hear what it's really capable of, then look no further.

The Verdict

Once you've got your system right – and only then – should you consider purchasing this premium-priced set of cables. However, this will be the case when you have invested in it to the point where these cables represent only a modest percentage of the overall system cost. That's when you can be sure that you'll get a worthwhile upgrade. So, if you're looking to open up your favourite recordings in a way that few people can or do, then I unreservedly recommend auditioning Siltech's Classic Legend series.

For more information visit Siltech