The Sound
Contents
If we have to describe the Yeti, we come up with words like: energetic, rhythm, air, openness…. The midrange of this cable is really insanely open and rich in detail. There also lies the strength of the PMC Prophecy, so in this case it is like throwing the window wide open during a beautiful spring day: sunshine, fresh breeze, spring air into the room…. Just beautiful.
Now the cable is certainly not up-front or fresh. We wouldn’t describe the sound balance as warm or perhaps fresh either. It isn’t. It is unquestionably balanced. And the bass is nice and deep. The overall feeling is just that the focus is on an open and fast midrange. And that’s energizing.
Timing!
Now, a cable can be very energetic, but because of that, it can sound very unsettling as well. That is certainly not the case here. Everything clicks together like a puzzle. The timing is really tight! Later our feeling proves correct when we see the measurements.
Partly because of the tight timing, this cable feels very correct. Together with the PMC Prophecy 1, this is really a treat when it comes to tight timing (the Prophecy’s midrange is super fast and correct). Bass kicks stand like a house, guitar plucks flow into space, imaging is incredibly stable…. Let’s just say that the Yeti CNT is surgically precise when it comes to timing. Impressive. We love this.
Compare with VdH CNT and Grimm TPM
The difference with the Grimm TPM (unfortunately no longer for sale, but at the time around 500 Euro for a meter) is immediately obvious. It even scares us a little. While we still think the Grimm TPM is a very fine cable, the Yeti NextGen is just overwhelmingly better. Calmer, more fluid, more insight…. Just a finer, overall playback with more insight into the music.
Compared to the Van den Hul CNT (11,250 Euro, 1.5M), it is much more complicated. Whereas the Van den Hul CNT puts more emphasis on calmness (perhaps due to different insulation materials and shielding?), the Yeti is a bit more energetic and we hear more emphasis on rhythm and “punch”. The VdH shows a little more layering. This may also be because we experience a bit more calmness.
The focus is tight and steady in both cases, but with the Yeti it is a bit more forward than with the Van den Hul. The Yeti shows a bit more air in the reproduction.
Which one is better depends completely on the system. What is needed? What are you looking for? Both cables are excellent choices. However, the price difference cannot be ignored; the Yeti is half the price!
