JCAT Reference USB Cable

Introduction

For the unfamiliar, JCAT is a sub-brand of JPLAY dedicated to hardware components. The company believes that use of their products will help JPLAY users to maximise performance of their systems.

JPLAY is already well-known as software designed to optimise the PC as a digital audio transport (sadly for me, only available for PC). The explosive growth of computer audio has in turn spawned a whole industry, with aftermarket components and accessories such as USB cards, SATA cables, power filters for hard drives and fans, etc.

JCAT's product line-up includes cables for USB, SATA and ethernet, a USB card, and a battery PSU.

Marcin Ostapowicz of JPLAY / JCAT kindly sent me their flagship USB cable, the JCAT Reference USB Cable ("JCAT Reference" for short) for purposes of this review.

I previously reviewed the base model JCAT USB cable, and was suitable impressed (see review).

Description

The JCAT Reference is physically finished to high standards similar to the JCAT USB. The most obvious visual difference is the twin USB A plugs for the separate data and power wires.

According to Marcin, the JCAT Reference is a totally different design using a different conductor material that is superior. The conductors are triple shielded with silver-plated copper, while the nickel plated copper and aluminum connectors are double shielded. The conductors are both multi-stranded and small gauge multi-core wires. Insulation material is teflon. The JCAT Reference also adheres to proper USB impedance specification - 90 ohms.

A length burn-in process was advised, and the cable received close to 350 hours of continuous power (including 100 hours of playback time).

Sound Quality

The first thing that you notice about the JCAT Reference is how quiet this cable is. There is a noticeable lowering of the noise floor, and blackness during silent passages. This is all done without sucking the life out of the music, nor rolling off the top end - a very impressive start - all that extra shielding really works.

Bass quality is excellent. Besides having a tight and articulate quality, there is a noticeable increase in impact, and bloom compared to the JCAT USB.

The midrange has a fuller and sweeter quality too, with a more solid yet smoother tone. This extends to the high frequencies that have a gentler and more organic presentation, while delivering an even higher level of detail than that retrieved by the JCAT USB. 

From a staging perspective, the JCAT Reference expands the sonic space of instruments and voices such that a more three-dimensional rendering is delivered, together with the sense of space around them.

I noticed that violins had a fuller and sweeter tone, while piano had more weight and authority. There was also better texture, and resolution of the decay of the instruments, and ambience of the recording venue.

The JCAT Reference happened to be evaluated at the same time as the Curious USB Cable (click here for my review). The Curious Cable has a strong sonic signature, with powerful bass, very analog like presentation, and a great sense of dimension. The JCAT Reference on the other hand, has a neutral to slightly warm tone, with excellent speed and resolution. You certainly won't go wrong with either cable, and the right choice would depend on system matching and your own preference. 

In my view, the JCAT Reference is a worthwhile upgrade from the JCAT USB. I believe that most audiophiles would prefer the sweeter and more musical tone of the JCAT Reference, while enjoying the higher level of quietness, resolution and three-dimensionality.

Conclusion

The JCAT Reference rightfully deserves it's "Reference" label. Having listened to a number of highly rated USB cables, this cable definitely belongs to the top-tier. I've decided to purchase the review sample and this cable is definitely staying put in my system. 

Highly Recommended

A big thanks goes to Marcin Ostapowicz of JPLAY / JCAT for arranging for the review sample. 

JCAT - JPLAY Computer Audio Transport
http://jplay.eu/jcat/   
Price : EUR 499 (EUR 449 for JPLAY users)

JCAT USB Cable - The Cat's Meow !

Introduction

JCAT (JPLAY Computer Audio Transport) is the hardware division of JPLAY, the company responsible for bringing you the well-known and highly regarded PC music player software of the same name.

At the time of writing, JCAT offers a number of products, namely a USB card, LAN cable, SATA cable and the product on test here - a USB cable.

Marcin Ostapowicz of JPLAY kindly offered to send me the JCAT USB cable for my evaluation and comments. After making all necessary arrangements, a compact cardboard box arrived at my doorstep by courier service. It took less than a week to arrive from Poland to Singapore !

Description

The JCAT USB cable really does look the part. The solid aluminium connectors are both the finest looking and finished USB connectors I have come across, and connect with a reassuringly firm and tight fit. The braided sleeve should provide a suitable degree of protection and ensure that the cable provides reliable and trouble free service. JCAT is quite open about the fact that this cable is actually produced by Paul Pang Audio, albeit to JCAT's custom specifications.

According to official literature, the cable's conductors are made out of silver plated copper conductors, arranged in a multi-core and multi-stranded fashion. Cable insulation is Teflon. Tight adherence to the official 90 ohm impedance standard for USB is claimed (which is not necessarily a given for audiophile USB cables).

I took the liberty to ask Marcin a few questions about the cable, and the exchange is set out below in verbatim,

Q : USB cables with physically separated power and data lines seem to be in vogue now. Any reason that the JCAT decides to go down the conventional path ?

A : That's because we were not happy with the results we were getting with dual-lead cable designs in the past. The design of JCAT USB sounded better to us. But you should know that we're working on a dual-lead USB cable right now and possibly we will launch it later this year.

Q: It is interesting that JPLAY as a software company has come up with a USB cable. Do you have any insights as to why properly designed USB cables could sound different from one another ?

A:  Frankly speaking and FYI we are not making this cable ourselves :) But I worked very close with the manufacturer and tested many prototypes before final JCAT USB cable was developed. I knew that was it right away when I listened to this cable for the first time :)

Listening Tests

Considerable run-in is required for this cable to sound it's best. I put in about 20 hours of music playback on it, and an additional 48 hours on the power lines of the cable (connected to a computer bus powered portable USB DAC, without any signal). Despite that, the cable continued to improve over the next 48 hours of usage. There you have it, cable burn-in and audiophile USB cables - enough to get the local lynch mob started.

For comparison purposes, I tried the JCAT in both my main and bedroom systems. The JCAT went head-to-head with my Wireworld Platinum Starlight cable in my main system. In the bedroom system, I also compared it with an iFi Gemini cable. Note that the JCAT is 1 m in length, while the Wireworld is 2 m, and the iFi, 1.5 m.

The JCAT in both setups was very close to neutral. I would say that the midrange had a hint of sweetness to it (this is subtle on the main setup, and more obvious on the bedroom setup). Otherwise, there was no undue exaggeration of any part of the frequency spectrum.

Bass articulation was a particularly strong point of the JCAT. Compared to the Wireworld, the JCAT had a leaner bass with less bloom. However, the JCAT exhibited tighter grip, faster speed and a greater level of detail. Double bass and low piano notes were not just heard, but there was a keen sense of the harmonics from the resonances of the instrument body and the decay of each note.

Vocals also had a glare-free clarity. Listeners who prefer their vocals thick and heavy may find the JCAT too lightweight, but I personally felt that an ideal balance between tonal density and clarity was struck.

String instruments like the guitar and violin had a clear incisiveness and leading edge to them. Percussion instruments were rendered with a good crisp tone and convincing decay.

Soundstaging and imaging were superb with the JCAT. Instrument placement was laid precisely, both laterally, and depth wise. Image sizes correspond naturally to the size of the instruments, which may disappoint those who prefer a larger than life presentation.

In comparison, the Wireworld had a fuller bass, and warmer balance (primarily through its solid bass foundation and smoother and more laidback midrange). It tended to portray larger image sizes too. The iFi was on the opposite end of the spectrum, with a faster sounding presentation that sounded a bit harsh and sibilant on the top-end.

The JCAT impressed me throughout my extended auditioning period with its transparency and truthfulness. Its tonal balance on invidual albums very much depended on the recording. Great recordings sounded great while bad recordings came through in all their honesty - warts and all. If you are looking for a straight-talking USB cable (if cables could talk), the JCAT is your candidate.

Conclusion

The JCAT is the cat's meow ! I was very taken with it's performance, as well as its excellent value. I highly recommend the JCAT.

Needless to say, I purchased the review sample.

The JCAT USB cable can be ordered directly from http://jplay.eu/jcat/

A 1 m length is priced at EUR 349 (EUR 299 for JPLAY customers), and worldwide shipping is a flat EUR 10. Longer cables are available upon request.

A big thank you also goes to Marcin Ostapowicz of JPLAY for making all necessary arrangements.