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Monster Cable Interlink 400 mkII
[italian version]
Product: Monster Cable Interlink 400 mkII interconnects
Manufacturer: Monster Cable
Approx. list price: 50$ US (1 meter with Turbine connectors)
There's no need to introduce you to the Monster Cable HiFi Company since it is maybe the best known cable Company in the planet and so well known is its budget line of interconnects called Interlink series.
Any audiophile in the World knows these budget interconnects which still represent a perfect example of clever design and manufacturing after all these years.
The bestseller of a bestseller series is the Interlink 400, recently improved to get a MkII mark.
What's inside an Interlink
The Interlink 400 mkII is a budget cable but it still inherits some of the key features of its bigger brothers of the Monster Cable family. So here you have two multiple gauge Bandwidth Balanced wire networks, separated for a better reproduction of bass and mid/high frequencies (a two ways cable, roughly speaking). You also have the Time Correct windings for a more precise phase response while PEX and MicroFiber dielectric have been extensively used.
The connectors are of the 8-cut Turbine kind.
The Sound of a best seller
I know almost every cable of the Interlink series and I can tell you that these interconnects DO have something in common, which means that the guys at Monster know pretty well how a cable should be made in order to get similar sonic results.
The 400 mkII has a very good tonal balance, with no evident emphasis of a particular frequency range. The quality of the bass range shines though, since it is very powerful, extended and punchy. With respect to the bass performance the 400 mkII can easily be compared with cables that cost twice its price. No doubt about this: if you feel your interconnects are a little bit on the light side, hook up a pair of 400 mkII's and the bass range will resurrect!
The high range is on the smooth side and thanks to the neutral mid range this cable can be defined as slightly warm which is a plus when used into those budget systems it is intended for. It has a kind of velvet touch that makes bearable even an overbright system.
Dynamics
The velvet touch remains evident even in the dynamic behaviour of this cable: while the bass range is very lively and punchy the mid/high range is much more relaxed and easy. So don't expect thrilling and faster-than-light drums solos, for example, as the 400 mkII prefers to play this instrument with lots of punch in the bass and smoothness in the highs. Sometimes, when coupled with edgy components the upper midrange of the 400 can become a little bit harsh.
It is not a very fast cable, as said before, but attacks and decays are still pretty natural.
3D imaging
Because of its performance in the mid/high range the soundstage created by the 400 is wide but a bit out of focus, as you were listening far away from the players. You know that the closer you sit to the instruments the better they appear to your ears. With the 400 it seems you are listening to the players in the back seats of the concert hall, just to give you an idea.
So height, width and depth are good and the players into this soundstage are just smoothly defined, all with a sense of blurred contours that is not negative at all. It is a way to reproduce the soundstage that many audiophiles prefer.
Conclusions
If you're in the market for a budget interconnect the Monster Interlink 400 mk II is something that you should try before buying. It is one of the cables with the best performance/price ratio I've ever listened to and, if you're using the cheaper 100 and 200, believe me, the 400 mkII is a giant step forward.
