I usually don't bother with cable 'reviews' since life is too short. However, I read a recent review of the Parasound John Curl amplifier while slumming the Net, and wanted to check that out in light of the Parasound preamp review here on ASR. I won't link to the site (easily found with a search), but it's from a guy named John Johnson who is evidently somehow associated with the Secrets of Home Theater site.
Anyhow, in the middle of the amplifier review John goes off on a bizarre (to my mind) tangent about some four thousand dollar hook-up wire (you need eight thousand dollars worth for stereo). His rationale for recommending the cable? He writes (I'm paraphrasing) that with these cables you won't have to worry about them shorting out your amp or otherwise coming loose from the terminals.
So I'm thinking... what sort of terminations do they have that are so well designed? Speakon? Locking bananas? Some other vice grip-like proprietary connection? Nope. From the picture it's just regular plug 'em in plug 'em out bananas. And then he says that most folks should go with the spade lugs for a 'more permanent attachment'. I was almost laughing out loud. Spade lugs, secure?
For my part, I've never had a speaker cable short out and pop my amplifier protection circuitry. First, amp protection circuitry is there for that sort of thing, and secondly, you don't need to spend eight large for decently constructed cables. Far from it. To imply that you do is... well, you can come to your own conclusions.
This is the sort of 'reviewing' that gives audio reviewing a bad name. It's the sort of reviewing that makes people laugh at the hobby.
PS: how about the amp, you're asking? How did it measure? Powerhouse for sure. But at seventeen thousand dollars, the three thousand dollar (or six thousand dollars if you need bridged, or twelve thousand dollar if you want to bi-amp four in bridged mode) Benchmark doesn't have much to worry about. LOL
