WK AUDIO TheRED / set

After trying out and purchasing the WK Audio TheRAY speaker cable for my system, the brand’s owner and designer, Mr. Witold Kamiński, suggested it was time to learn what his top cables offered. This time, instead of delivering a single model, he brought the entire WK Audio TheRED loom. Let’s find out what such a set has to offer.

Introduction

As you may have already learned from TheRAY XLR IC review (you can check it out HERE), WK Audio is a brand founded by Mr. Witold Kamiński, an architect by profession, who is also a devoted audiophile and music lover. His first product, an anti-vibration platform, was launched several years ago under the WK Audio logo. Later, however, the brand’s focus shifted to cables, and today it offers a whole range of audio cables. The lineup is currently divided into three series: the top-tier TheRED, the mid-range TheRAY, and the entry-level TheONE. Each series includes a power cable, speaker cables, and analog interconnects. Additionally, in the TheRED series, you will also find digital interconnects.

The philosophy of the Polish manufacturer has not changed since I reviewed TheRAY. He does not share the details of his cable designs. Why? The answer is quite simple, even if not particularly original: Mr. Kamiński believes that there is no reason to make it easier for others to copy WK Audio cables. Knockoffs are a serious problem, at least for some brands, and while WK AUDIO may not be as famous as, say, Siltech, it doesn’t mean they should make it easy for those who want to copy their solutions. It took Mr. Kamiński a lot of time, effort, and probably money as well, to develop the designs he currently offers, so his reluctance to share the solutions he has come up with is fully understandable.On its website, the manufacturer emphasizes its cooperation with the Katowice-based distributor of numerous high-end brands, RCM. It has allowed him (and still does) to test his ideas in several systems put together by the distributor’s team, ones that included components from top audio brands, or in other words, ones that require a lot from cables to show their true value. This cooperation has probably also resulted in the use of high-quality plugs by Furutech, which in Poland has been distributed for years by RCM.

Design & Features

If you wonder how WK Audio TheRED cables look, you should know that the name of the line speaks for itself. They all feature red woven, really good-looking sleeves. Interestingly, it is not exactly the same shade of red for all the types of cables, or at least it wasn’t the case for the ones I received for the review. The speaker cables seemed to feature a slightly brighter red braid than the others, but I am a man, so what do I know about colors? I could be wrong.

They all share yet another characteristic feature, namely beautifully crafted aluminum elements, such as couplers and splitters, that were designed by Mr. Kamiński. Let me remind you one more time that he is an architect, and he drew the designs for all these elements by hand, as evidenced by the photos and drawings you can find on the WK Audio website. Go ahead and check it for yourself – the website gives you a nice insight into the design process.

TheRed Power

TheRed Power cable features high-purity oxygen-free copper conductors. They are grouped in three different cores. They are completely separated from each other, and each has a different design. The total cross-section of the conductors is 18 mm2. What the designer also shares is that the proprietary geometry of each of the three cores is different and that he used ‘special vibration-damping materials.’ As a part of the vibration-damping system, TheRED Power cable features massive aluminum blocks at both ends.

As befits a top-line representative, it uses top-quality Furutech plugs, namely FI-E50 NCF and R/FI-50 NCF R. Upon request, WK Audio power cable can be terminated with Furutech FI-52 NCF R high-current plug, as well as appropriate variations of all the plugs for the US and UK markets. Standard length is 1,5 m; other lengths are available upon order.TheRED SC

WK Audio TheRed speaker cables are handcrafted using high-purity, oxygen-free copper conductors. In this case, the designer split the cable into two separate cores, each of a different design and each featuring a separate sleeve (unlike TheRAY, with its runs placed inside a single, thus quite thick, sleeve). Same as with The Power cable, Mr. Kamiński developed a proprietary geometry for this model and used ‘special vibration-damping materials.’ Also, for this cable, he designed massive aluminum blocks that are installed at both ends of the cable. Their role is to dampen vibrations.

You should notice the dimensions and weight of the larger aluminum element, the one on the speaker’s side, which is additionally filled with specially selected quartz to further enhance vibration damping. There is a ‘side effect,’ though, namely, it is so big and heavy that you need to place it either on the floor or on some kind of stand. There is no way these elements could just hang behind the speakers, as the terminals in those will be damaged.

The total cross-section of the conductors is 2 mm2. Also in this case, the designer used top-quality Furutech connectors, namely CF-201 NCF R. It is possible to order TheRED Speaker cables with any spade/banana combination you need for your setup. The standard length is 2×2,5 m, but others are available upon request.TheRED XLR Interconnect

TheRED XLR interconnect is handcrafted using silver-plated, high-purity, oxygen-free copper conductors. As is the case with speaker cables, the interconnect combines three cores (runs). Each of them is a different proprietary design, and each has a different cross-section. The cable is shielded using silver-plated, high-purity, oxygen-free copper. As with other models, here too the designer developed a proprietary geometry for this model and used ‘special vibration-damping materials’.

TheRED interconnect features large aluminum blocks installed near both ends of the cable, and these too are part of the vibration-damping system. According to the designer, the process of installing these elements needs to be conducted with extreme precision. Because of their design, these aluminum elements protect the conductors from harmful vibrations and regulate the strain or tension throughout their run. As he says, these stresses have a highly significant impact on the final performance of the conductors. Therefore, they are adjusted during the assembly process to achieve optimal results. Mr. Kamiński believes that it is not possible to replicate this process outside his workshop, and he compares it to tuning the strings of an instrument, where only the proper tension of each of them guarantees a clear sound of a specific frequency.

It won’t surprise you anymore at this point if I tell you that TheRED XLR interconnect uses high-quality Furutech NCF R connectors. The tested balanced version is terminated with CF 601M NCF R and CF 602F NCF R, while the unbalanced one with CF 102 NCF R. Standard length in both cases is 1,5 m. Other lengths are available upon order.

Let me just add that these are exceptionally well-made and good-looking cables that will fit nicely into any setup (as long as the color is all right for you).

Sound

For this test, I used my reference system (described below the text) with some ‘additions.’ The digital source was my custom server feeding signal via USB cable (DL Custom Audio Akoya) to LampizatOr Poseidon D/A Converter. My trusted GrandiNote Shinai Class A integrated amplifier drove MACH4 speakers by the same brand. On the analog front, I used my J.Sikora Standard Max deck with the same company’s tonearms (KV9 and KV12 Max), Le Son LS 10 MKII, and AirTight PC3 cartridges, respectively, my GrandiNote Celio MKIV phono stage, and alternatively, the first guest in the system, Accuphase C-57.

My regular cabling, to which the tested set was compared, includes Soyaton Benchmark MK 2 and WK Audio TheRAY Exclusive speaker cables, KBL Sound Himalaya 2 and NxLT Ether XLR interconnects, and DL Custom Audio 3D-S-AC Connect, LessLoss DFPC Signature, and Gigawatt LC-3 power cables. I followed the same testing procedure as always when it comes to sets of cables; namely, I added (or replaced my reference) one at a time – XLR IC first, speaker cables next, and finally power cables (for the amplifier, DAC, and at some point also the power distributor).

Mr. Kamiński, along with his cables, brought a Furutech power strip as he insisted I should try his power cables not only with my Gigawatt conditioner but also with a ‘simple’ strip. He claimed that TheRED power cables would work best with ‘unconditioned’ power, so either connected directly to a wall outlet (preferably a high-quality one – he uses Furutech’s plugs, which suggests the same brand’s outlets would be optimal) or, when more outlets are needed, to a power strip. And so I conducted my testing first by replacing my cables with WK Audio’s, which meant connecting the Shinai amplifier directly to the wall outlets and the LampizatOr to the Gigawatt conditioner. Later, I used Furutech’s power strip and connected it to a wall outlet using one of TheRED power cables and ran the other three units from the strip to the very same components.TheRED XLR Interconnect

The first one I tried was the balanced interconnect connecting an analog output of Poseidon with an input of Shinai. You can find my review of my reference, KBL Sound Himalaya 2 (more HERE). After listening to the music for a while with TheRED in the system to get a sense, or the first impression of its impact on the system’s performance, I went back to Himalaya 2, and then kept switching between the two every track or two. There was doubt in my mind that these were two classy, refined, top performers – that was the first and, skipping ahead, the ultimate conclusion. It didn’t mean, though, that they offered the same performance or sonic character.

I’ll get back to the differences between these two in a moment, but let me start with the first impression after plugging in the WK Audio TheRED XLR. It delivered a big, dense, quite ‘here and now’ sound. Big, as the soundstage was wide and deep, and the phantom images were literally big, palpable, and therefore present. Dense, because the resolution was stunning, and the sound was ‘packed’ with information. Both features translated into the ‘here and now’ aspect of the presentation, or an impression of witnessing music happening in front of me rather than its ‘mere’ reproduction.

The latter stemmed from yet another not-so-common feature, namely the high energy of the presentation, and that is one of the key differences that always makes it easy for anyone to differentiate between live and recorded music. When attending a concert, acoustic or amplified, the energy of the sound is not even something I think about – it just is there, where it belongs; it’s an inherent element of music being performed by musicians! When listening to some recorded music, even when presented with proper dynamics and scale, I often feel that it lacks this natural energy of a, say, plucked string or membrane that’s just been stroked. As if the air particles that travel to my ears carry all the information about the sound but lack the energy that accompanied its creation.The drivers in our speakers are supposed to do the same, to reproduce not only the tone, pitch, harmony, dynamics, and so on, but also the initial energy these sounds were born with. To do that, they need a proper input, and the truth is that a lot of that natural energy is lost during the whole recording and production process. Some components are better at preserving whatever is left in the recordings; others lose even more energy until there is almost none left. Luckily (for users, as I don’t believe it is a coincidence but rather a targeted achievement on the designer’s part), TheRED XLR IC belongs to the former, thus enhancing music reproduction and closing part of the gap between live and recorded performance. The high energy I am talking about is not about slamming sounds in your face, but about making them more lively, as one should be able to not only hear but also feel them. When that happens, the experience becomes much more convincing. My KBL Sound Himalaya 2 did an excellent job in this regard, too, and yet it felt as if TheRED XLR did an even slightly better job.

This was the feature that attracted my attention first, but make no mistake, WK Audio TheRED is an all-rounder; it does it all and does it more than well. The presentation this interconnect serves was excellent and complete. While assessing the performance, there was no debate in my mind about specific features that could still be improved and presented in a better way. Actually, apart from the already described first impression, I didn’t do much assessing at all. I accepted what TheRED had to offer and ran with it, so to speak. The only question was what to play next, with the context being what I would like to experience next, not what would be a good test for this cable.

Still, let me try to give you a better idea about the performance of the tested balanced interconnect. Track after track, album after album, I heard the same thing: A deep, colorful, punchy (when needed) bass, beautifully extended, sparkling (when needed), lively, yet velvety treble, and at the very center of it all, the highly resolving, smooth, rich midrange. The excellent performance in terms of micro-dynamics and perfect reproduction of even the tiniest tonal contrasts, plus tones of details, turned the presentation into an almost (!) overwhelming experience.

That’s what an abundance of information will do to your senses, and TheRED was never shy about extracting every little, tiny bit of it from every high-quality track and combining them into a super-coherent whole. The sense of being overwhelmed quickly disappeared and turned into a delight. I knew that my not super-expensive setup was capable of delivering an amazing performance, and due to my reviewer’s activities, every now and then, I get to add to it, even if for a limited time only, a component that shows me that there are still some untapped quality reserves in it. WK Audio TheRED XLR IC turned out to be one of them. As you can imagine, I didn’t want to wait much longer before adding more RED to it.

TheRED Speaker Cables

Next up were the speaker cables. My trusted everyday Soyaton Benchmark MK2 offers a lot, and some of its features, such as absolutely amazing spatial presentation, are what make it my personal favorite. Many cables, including WK Audio TheRAY that I added to my arsenal after the review, deliver deeper, more powerful, and more visceral bass. And so I expected it from TheRED as well, even though the interconnect from this line had already deepened and enriched the lower end of the range. And yet… the tested speaker cables added even more gravitas and authority to the presentation.I replaced Soyaton with TheRED when listening to a live album by Hadouk Trio. It is a very bass-rich album, and it goes really deep on it and has a lot of ‘mass.’ With TheRED speaker cables, all of that became even more evident; the double bass was bigger, extended even deeper, and became more visceral. This album is not about the fast, hard punch, but rather the incredible depth of the double bass’s sound reaching down to the listeners’ bones. Yet, the double bass is not a dominant element of those recordings, as it accompanies beautiful, lively, and powerful vocals. The tested cables proved to be very capable in terms of enchanting me with the beauty of the voice placed ‘on top’ of this massive bass base. Combined, they delivered a powerful, intimate, and highly immersive experience, or an excellent capture of what I’m sure was a true musical feast experienced by the concert attendees.

The whole presentation, compared to my reference cables, seemed to have a center of gravity placed a bit lower. Therefore, on the one hand, the midrange and the bass seemed richer, even more saturated, and on the other, the top of the range seemed a touch ‘golder’ than with Soyaton. It’s not about the treble glitter, but rather about being a bit sweeter and a touch softer in that part of the range. In a way, TheRED seemed a bit ‘safer’ as any brightness or harshness in the upper range was slightly less annoying with it. It did help when it came to some non-audiophile rock tracks of lesser quality. A very rich, yet excellently controlled midrange and bass served such music really well, while any ‘trouble’ in the upper midrange and treble seemed less pronounced with the tested cables, and therefore less ‘troubling.’

The spatial aspects of the presentation, a feature that my Soyaton Benchmark in my system has been a master of, while not quite as unique, still impressed me particularly in terms of the soundstage width and the large, 3D bodies of sound sources. Whenever needed, reverb was there; the decay phase of the sounds never got cut short, and the placement of instruments and vocalists on the stage was flawless. Therefore, I, a huge fan of the convincing presentation of the spatial aspects of music, truly enjoyed myself listening to both live and studio recordings, whether the space was natural or generated, as in, say, electronic music by Przemysław Rudź. All in all, the combined forces of TheRED XLR IC and SC delivered a refined, powerful, highly resolving, well-controlled performance.

TheRED Power Cable(s)

I talked to Witek Kamiński many times, and I may be wrong, but it seemed to me that he was particularly proud of his power cables. Whether my impression was true or not, he did bring with him four such cables and an additional power distributor by Furutech. As he said, in his experience, the best results are achieved with TheRED power cables connected directly to wall outlets (of high quality, obviously), and a ‘simple’, and by that he meant one without any active ‘treatment’ of the electric current, a power strip would be his second choice. Thus, a Furutech strip would help me check out his recommendation, as I don’t have enough wall outlets to connect all the components in the system directly to them. And so first, I simply replaced my two LessLoss cables connecting Shinai integrated amplifier directly with (Furutech) wall outlets with two TheREDs, and DL Custom Audio 3D-S-AC Connect that powers LampizatOr Podeidon with Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo+ conditioner using the third WK Audio power cord. Later, I switched them all to a Furutech distributor that I connected to a wall outlet using the fourth TheRED power cable.In my experience, based on testing whole cable sets, power cables are usually the ones that cross the ‘Ts’ and dot the ‘Is’, or in other words, complement signal cables and enhance some of their features. As I heard it, TheRED power cables fit into my previous experiences perfectly. The presentation gained some in terms of authority, as if the already praised, exceptional bass foundation of the music became even more solid. And while every drumbeat, every low piano keystroke, and every pluck of a bass guitar string gained some more ‘weight’ with these cables, these sounds also seemed better controlled and thus better differentiated, also because their texture was ‘enhanced,’ and so were the dynamics. The result was even more natural, or a more realistic presentation, directly translating into an even more convincing and hence immersive experience. To be clear, these were all small differences, hardly ‘life-changing’; but on the other hand, it is such tiny improvements that separate very good components from great ones.

An important finding about TheRED Power Cables was that while they enhanced the features earlier introduced by IC and SC models, nothing was ‘overdone’ or exaggerated. It was still a beautifully coherent and well-balanced presentation, no matter what music genre I reached for, and the ‘enhanced’ lower-range foundation, instead of becoming a dominant feature, let the upper part of the range truly shine. Even more so, as the tested cables lowered the background noise, which manifested through the ‘famous’ (among audiophiles, at least) black(er) background. As with every component offering this feature, and to be honest, I haven’t encountered that many of those, the result is higher purity and intensity of the presentation. You can easily hear more tiny details, those related directly to musical performance, and those that are not a part of the music but enhance the credibility of the presentation. When you hear fingers sliding along the strings, feet tapping the rhythm, a trumpet moving around the microphone, or a vocalist moving their hand holding a microphone sometimes closer and sometimes further away from their mouth, you start to feel like you’re witnessing the event, not its playback. That’s exactly what I look for, which is why I liked TheRED loom so much.

In the final stage of the test, I did what Mr. Kamiński had suggested, sort of, anyway. I used the Furutech power distributor and connected it to the Furutech wall outlet using TheRED Power cable, and then used the other three tested cables to supply Poseidon and Shinai. To be honest, I did not hear much of a difference, which confirmed, on the one hand, that the Furutech distributor was an excellent device because, despite the price difference between it and the Gigawatt conditioner, the performance of the setup was very similar. On the other hand, it also confirmed what I’d already known, namely that PC-3 SE Evo+ did not exhibit any of the stereotypical downsides of conditioners. It did not limit the dynamics of the performance or worsen any of its other elements. You need to remember one thing, though: the influence of power conditioning products varies depending on where you use them. If the power grid in your area is highly polluted, using such products may offer significant benefits; otherwise, you probably won’t hear much of a difference. The upside of using a conditioner like Gigawatt’s is the additional protection it offers against power surges and so forth. Whether you want to pay more for it is your choice.

Now, let’s get back to the tested cables. Compared to my standard setup (with no Furutech distributor) and my LessLoss cables, TheRED Power feeding the Shinai integrated amplifier clearly outperformed them. They facilitated a more powerful, more energetic, better-controlled performance, offering better insight into the instruments’ timbre and texture, thus making them sound even more natural. None of those improvements impeded any of the Shinai qualities I loved so much. Comparing TheRED to DL Custom Audio 3D-S-AC Connect (reviewed HERE), feeding LampizatOr Poseidon wasn’t that straightforward at all. I’d gotten used to David Laboga’s cord and LampizatOr’s DAC duo.

They match perfectly, as Poseidon offers a bit less ‘triode-like’ sound than my previous Pacific (which I’d loved it for), and the Polish cable sort of makes up for it a bit, bringing a bit of triode magic back. WK Audio TheRED, on the other hand, is a bit more neutral, which further enhances Poseidon’s own sonic character. If that’s what you’re after, it will be a great choice as TheRED matches this top D/A Converter not only in terms of sonic character but also in stunning performance. It ensured that the exceptional resolution, clarity, and transparency of the Polish DAC were on display, closely followed by the natural flow, coherence, and smoothness of the music. These two components are surely worthy of each other and together deliver top performance.

Summary

To put it simply, the WK Audio TheRED loom, including the balanced analog interconnect, speaker, and power cables, turned out to be one of the best sets that ever visited my setup. Each of them individually, but even more so when working as a set, offered an excellent performance. They belong to a rare category of audio components that preserve every little bit of natural musical energy captured during the recording and production processes, and as a result, the presentation is uniquely lively, dynamic, colorful, and powerful. Add to that the resolution, the insight, the open, transparent, yet smooth, natural, well-balanced, and beautifully coherent character of the performance, and what you ultimately get is nothing short of a refined, classy, excellent, immersive, though never showy, musical experience you’ll never grow bored of.

If that’s what you’re after, give WK Audio TheRED line a chance. Though quite expensive, you may find that in top systems, these cables can successfully compete against even more costly ones. And, since they are not only natural but also neutral in terms of sonic character, you may also realize that even after replacing some components in your setup, you don’t have to look for other cabling. TheRED will most likely keep up and may stay with you for a very, very long time, ensuring that listening to the music will be a unique and deeply touching experience.

Prices (when reviewed):

• TheRED Power: 5.500 EUR / 1,5m; 1100 EUR per additional 0,5m
• TheRED Interconnect: 5.500 EUR / 1,5m; 1100 EUR per additional 0,5m
• TheRED Speakers MK II: 10.000 EUR / 2,5m; 2000 EUR per additional 0,5m

Manufacturer: WK AUDIO

Associated equipment:

• Digital source:  a custom passive server with WIN10, Roon, Fidelizer Pro 7.10, JCAT NET XE, and JCAT USB XE cards with FERRUM HYPSOS Signature power supply, KECES P8 (mono) linear power supply for the server, JCAT USB Isolator
• D/A Converter: LampizatOr Poseidon + Ideon Audio 3R Master Time (USB signal regenerator)
• Analog front end: J.Sikora Standard MAX turntable, J.Sikora KV12 & J.Sikora KV12 MAX tonearms, AirTight PC-3, Audio Technica PTG33 Prestige & LE SON LS10 MKII cartridges, Grandinote Celio MK IV & ESE Lab Nibiru V 5 phono stages.
• Power amplifiers: GrandiNote Shinai, Circle Labs M200, Art Audio Symphony II (modified)
• Preamplifier: Circle Labs P300
• Loudspeakers: GrandiNote MACH4, Ubiq Audio Model ONE Duelund Edition.
• Interconnects: Bastanis Imperial RCA x2, Soyaton Benchmark RCA, Hijiri Million Kiwami RCA, Hijiri HCI-20 RCA, TelluriumQ Ultra Black RCA, KBL Sound Himalaya 2 XLR, NxLT Ether XLR, David Laboga Custom Audio AKOYA USB, David Laboga Custom Audio Digital Sound Wave Sapphire Ethernet
• Speaker cables: Soyaton Benchmark Mk2, WK Audio TheRAY Exclusive
• Power cables: DL Custom Audio 3D-S-AC Connect, LessLoss DFPC Signature, Gigawatt LC-3
• Power: Gigawatt PF-2 MK2 and Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo+; a custom power line with Gigawatt LC-Y in-wall cable; Gigawatt G-044 Schuko and Furutech FT-SWS-D (R)
• Network: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel Forester F1 + optical LAN isolator
• Racks: Base VI, Rogoz Audio 3RP3/BBS
• Anti-vibration accessories: ROGOZ-AUDIO SMO40 and CPPB16 platforms and ROGOZ AUDIO BW40MKII feet, OMEX Symphony 3S, Franc Accessories Ceramic Disc Slim Feet and Wood Block Platform