It seems like yesterday, but it’s actually been more than two years since I reviewed a full set of top DL Custom Audio 3D and 3DR cables. At last year’s Munich High End Show, David Laboga presented his top cables in the latest MK2 version. In this review, we’ll check what DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 (speaker cables) have to offer.
Introduction
I have reviewed quite a lot of David Laboga Custom Audio cables over the past several years. At first, these were exclusively digital, USB, and LAN cables, and later also analog ones, including interconnects, speaker, and power cables. What’s more, I have been using some of those in my reference system, including USB, LAN, and power cables. All of them offer excellent performance and an above-average price-to-performance ratio.
Importantly, all of them, whether digital or analog, share several key features that are important to my understanding of how music should sound when listened to from any carrier, which is: musical, natural, and as close to live sound as possible. That’s what my entry-level Emerald MK2 USB cable offers, as well as the latest addition to the system I couldn’t part with after the review, namely the top-of-the-line AKOYA USB, but also the Sapphire LAN cables, as well as the DL Custom Audio 3D-S-AC Connect power cable that I paired with my LampizatOr D/A Converter. 
I wouldn’t mind using even more of the DL Custom Audio cables in my system, also because a chance to review a whole set at once proved that, combined, they offer more than a simple sum of their advantages. However, there have been two reasons why it hasn’t happened. One is rather prosaic – they do offer an outstanding price/performance ratio, but that doesn’t mean they are cheap (I mean the top ones), and there is only so much I can spend on the audio hobby.
The second reason has been more of a practical one. All the 3D and 3DR cables not only performed excellently but also looked super elegant with their leather sleeves and chunky wood elements that provided support; plus, they had anti-vibration properties. They looked great in my system, but there was a practical downside to them, especially for a reviewer who often has to plug and unplug cables when testing various components. Namely, they were quite heavy, and those wood elements placed close to plugs made the placement of these cables in a system, or on the rack, a bit challenging.
It seems that feedback from customers and distributors was somewhat along the same lines; hence, the MK2 version was developed and is currently being offered by Mr. David Laboga. Visually, the key change concerns those ‘problematic’ wooden elements. With the new version, they are gone. Instead, there are more leather elements, and as a result, the MK2 are lighter and significantly easier to install in any setup. The designer claims that the latest version also sounds better. That’s what this review is mostly about.
Design & Features
While the cables changed, the manufacturer’s policy regarding sharing information about how he builds his cables hasn’t. In other words, we know very little about the materials or geometry of the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2. Those of you who are familiar with the DL Custom Audio lineup or at least have read my previous reviews already know how to read the name of this model. The 3DR part suggests that it features rhodium-plated connectors, which is true, even if not quite.
Two in One, on the other hand, tells you that one of the key features of the original model has been preserved. The tested speaker cables look like a bi-wire version of any other brand’s product, as they end on both ends with four separate runs and four connectors. Two of them are bananas, and these are gold-plated; the other two are spades (rhodium-plated) – hence the ambiguity of the ‘R’ in the model’s name. Regardless of the looks, this is a single-wire model. There are four runs of cables, two per ‘+’ and two per ‘-’. They are designed to deliver the intended complete performance only if all four are connected to a single pair (!) of speaker terminals.
As the manufacturer explains: „This integrated approach maximizes signal transmission and sonic synergy.” And then: „The first pair is tuned for richness and density, delivering a full-bodied, musical presentation. It features rhodium-plated spades to ensure tight, controlled bass and excellent low-end definition. The second pair introduces air, detail, and openness to the sound. With gold-plated banana plugs, this section adds analog warmth and natural smoothness, enhancing musicality and emotional engagement.”
What’s inside? That part remains the manufacturer’s secret. We already know that Mr. David Laboga believes that copper is the more ‘musical’ conductor than silver; hence, the former is his preferred one. What he did share with me was that he changed the conductors compared to the original version, but still used copper ones, although this time of various purities and diameters. Also, that cable’s geometry, or its internal design, was completely changed, in part to offset the removal of the wooden element. Now it is the whole design that takes care of eliminating harmful vibrations.
On the outside, what hasn’t changed is the stunning, truly luxurious leather sleeving – black along the most lenght and only the ‘+’ endings are red. As already mentioned, no wooden elements were used this time, and the other changes were longer separate endings that are now 60 cm long on both ends of the cable. Another feature that will make life easier, at least for some users, is angled banana plugs, which should make connecting cables easier.
You should know that it is possible to order a custom version of the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 if, on either side (speakers’ or the amplifier’s), the standard set of connectors cannot be used. Additionally, for those with double or triple speaker connectors, the manufacturer prepared 3DR Jumpers. The design of the jumpers, the manufacturer says, is very different from the design of the speaker cables, as their job is not only to connect additional speaker posts but also to fulfill a specific function. 
DL Custom Audio 3DR Jumpers feature spades of the same type as the main cables on both sides, which allows users to easily install them both in the socket next to each other. There is yet another feature that allows users some experimentation, namely, the jumpers use gold-plated spades on one end and rhodium-plated spades on the other. By changing the direction of these jumpers’ connections, one can ‘tune’ the sound to a certain degree. All in all, these are particularly eye-pleasing, excellently made, and finished cables that, as you’re about to read, deliver stunning performance.
Sound
The beginning of my evaluation of the tested cable did not differ from a dozen others conducted before. I started the day listening to music for an hour or so using one of my reference speaker cables, Soyaton Benchmark MK2 in my reference system (see the listing below the review), and then replaced it with DL Custom Audio’s cable and ‘rewound’ and ‘relistened’ to the same music to figure out whether and if so how the tested cable differed.
The very first thing that immediately came to my mind was how much denser and richer the sound with the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 in my setup seemed to be. To be exact, my first impression told me it was too ‘thick’ for my taste. I got used to the sound of the Benchmark and fully accepted a small trade-off – an incredibly spatial presentation, openness, and smooth flow of the sound for a bit less saturation and not as thunderous bass as with some competitors, including my other go-to set, WK Audio TheRAY.
After a few hours of listening, when I got used to how rich this sound with the tested cables was, I realized it was not ‘too thick’ at all; it was simply incredibly rich, saturated, and colorful (not colored!). But there was no exaggeration in any of it at all. Having accepted that, my attention turned to how smooth, steady, focused, and calm the presentation as a whole was with 3DR Custom Two in One MK2. To be clear, the calmness wasn’t about any sort of deficiency in terms of energy or dynamics, as there was plenty of both! 
What I meant was that there was zero nervousness in the sound, no hesitation, but rather a perfectly natural order to the presentation of the music. Everything had its specific place allocated to it, whether in terms of spatial placement, the size of the three-dimensional, and pretty palpable phantom images, relations between instruments, or the internal organization of all the sounds as building blocks of the musical event playing out in front of me. All those features put together created an impression of a particular realism of what was happening in front of me. I might be biased, but that’s how I like my music served: lively, spatial, and realistic.
What was different about the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 speaker cables, compared to many others, was that while delivering such a realistic presentation of the music, it was still, at least to a point, forgiving. That is why I equally enjoyed Al di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia’s Friday Night in San Francisco, Arne Domnerus and his band’s Jazz at the Pawnshop, but also AC/DC’s Live. I probably don’t have to explain to you that while the former two (and numerous others I listened to) offer excellent sound quality, the latter doesn’t.
And yet, the powerful, explosive, and super-energetic, yet played form an absolutely non-audiophile recording, performance of the Aussie veterans, played very loudly, offered me as much (if not more) fun as the high-quality recordings. Add that to the long list of DL Custom Audio’s top speaker cables’ qualities – while they deliver top-notch performance when given a chance by audiophile recordings, they allow you to enjoy great music even if it is not perfectly recorded. It is still not all that these cables have to offer.
On the first day, I didn’t plan a night session with the DL Custom Audio speaker cables; it just happened, as I couldn’t stop listening. The hour was getting late, so I pushed the volume down and down, and yet, as I quickly realized, I enjoyed the performance more and more. There is something special about night listening; I’ve known that ‘forever,’ but due to circumstances, I’ve given it up almost completely. The volume level has to be set very low, but at the same time, the busy city around me gets much quieter as well.
It gets dark, the (other than sight) senses sharpen, and it’s easier to focus and let oneself get fully immersed in the experience. And that’s exactly what happened with the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2. I realize that speaker cables can’t really help much when listening at very low levels; it’s more about the amplifier-speaker relationship or interaction. However, in this case, somehow, David Laboga’s cables did add their five cents and enhance the experience.
I think it was about this remarkable richness and resolution they offered that helped to preserve the wealth of information despite a very low volume level. The latter forced me to focus more than usual, which surely helped, too, but it was the whole setup that delivered the abundance of details and subtleties despite the minimum volume level. Interestingly, while the repertoire drifted towards easy, calm jazz and vocal recordings, the dynamics and energy of the presentation, and the presence of the lower end of the range, which are the first to ‘suffer’ from the low volume levels, seemed to do just fine. So while the piano and double bass did not sound quite as powerful as at normal levels, these were still large instruments delivering a deep voice, adding to the feeling of presence to the entire musical experience.
Moving on to one of my favorite vocals, Anna Maria Jopek’s from Minione gave me a chance to focus even more on the timbre and texture of her voice and the accompanying instruments. It allowed me to fully appreciate how much information, including tiny little details and subtleties, was recorded in the studio and successfully transferred to the released album. The calmness and order, which I’ve already mentioned a few times, played a significant role because they removed any distractions. The DL Custom Audio 3DR Custom Two in One MK2 has a way of drawing listeners in, super-focusing their attention on the performance and, as a result, creating a sensation of listening to some well-known tracks, even those known by heart, as if for the first time, with curiosity, involvement, and… well, pure joy (if you love music as I do).
It was about all those details enriching the experience, about ‘seeing’ the artist momentarily move closer to a microphone while singing, taking a breath, about the timbre and texture of her voice presented beautifully, her mannerisms, and even the sibilants that were there but sounded completely natural; hence, they were a part of the performance and not a nuisance. Even though the tested cables are not what one usually calls analytical, they do offer a deep insight into the sound of instruments and even intricate details of the performance of each musician. It’s easy to follow any of them if you choose to, but you’re not forced to do that. You can simply enjoy the experience as an extraordinarily coherent, smooth, and engaging whole.
The space, or the depth and width of the soundstage with the DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2, was not as impressive as with my Soyaton, but still better than with most cables I’ve known. The sense of presence of the performers, on the other hand, seemed even more convincing, confirming that imaging was one of the strong qualities of the tested cable. But so were the reverb and the long decay that completed the spatial aspects of the presentation, satisfying my personal need for being able to „see” and „feel” the space surrounding the musicians and have a proper, somewhat realistic perspective on the events happening on the stage. That’s (along with several other already described features) what makes it more live-like, which is and always has been my personal preference.
As I can’t assume all of you have read my review of the original version of the DL Custom Audio 3DR Custom Two in One Connect, I decided to repeat the experiment described in that review. This is a single speaker cable with four endings, so what happens if you don’t connect all of them? The MK2 version basically confirmed all my findings from the first experiment. The answer is: it depends on which ones stay connected and which don’t, because when I disconnected the gold-plated bananas on both ends, the tonal balance shifted up. Not by much; it was still quite a good sound, but definitely not exceptionally good anymore. There was not as much ultimate power and extension in the lower end, not as rich midrange, and a touch cooler or less romantic treble. In other words, especially compared to everything I’d already heard with this cable, the presentation was lacking; it wasn’t complete.
Leaving the gold bananas in and the rhodium-plated spades out, on the other hand, brought back the sweetness of the treble but was devoid of the spark, not as crisp as before. The midrange stayed rich, saturated, and colorful, but it lost a touch in terms of precision and lacked the necessary sharpness or rawness when it came to, for example, rock music. There was a proper but softer or more rounded slam in the bass. In other words, the extension was good, but it wasn’t tight enough. 
Overall, the presentation was a bit less energetic, with lower drive, and not as good PRAT. As a result of it all, the tonal balance shifted down. Any of these two versions could be acceptable in some systems, but once you hear what combining gold- and rhodium-plated connectors (and the conductor runs behind them) together does to the performance, there is no way back. The DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 was purposely built to achieve a certain (a very high, if you ask me) level of performance, and to benefit from it, one has to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It’s as simple as that!
Summary
Comparing the two versions with more than a 2-year gap between the experiences is not as reliable as comparing them directly at the same time. A yet… I’d venture to say that while the MK2 version may not look as impressive as the original version due to the lack of wooden elements, the designer somehow managed to develop an even more refined performer. It is not about a completely different sound or a completely new level of performance. The differences are subtle rather than ostentatious, and yet, at least in my view, important enough, at least for those who search for an ultimate musical experience.
The whole point of all the DL Custom Audio cables I am familiar with is to deliver music in the most natural, immersive, and emotionally engaging way. Obviously, depending on the price level, the experience is different in its intensity and refinement level, yet similar in its genuineness. DL Custom Audio 3DR Two in One Connect MK2 is an outstanding performer, offering resolving, lively, spatial sound. It also effortlessly conveys the power, energy, dynamics, and scale of any musical spectacle. It will allow you to fully appreciate the best recordings in your collection, and yet it is also forgiving enough so that you can choose what you listen to based on your personal preferences, on what music you like, and not purely on recording/release quality.
Like all David Laboga cables, the tested speaker cables clearly benefit from his close cooperation with recording and mastering engineers and musicians who perform live on stages all over the world. It allows him to develop cables that close the gap between listeners and musicians and deliver as live-like and emotional an experience as it gets. If that’s what you’re after, get your demo and experience it firsthand in your setup. It’s definitely worth the effort!
Prices (when reviewed):
- DL Custom Audio 3DR-Custom Two in One Connect MK2 (3DSRC with Furutech FP-201R Spades/Rhodium and BAN-BAN/Gold Plated): 5890 EUR / 2x2m; 7680 EUR / 2×2,5m; 9490 EUR / 2x3m; Custom Order: each additional 50cm: 1850 EUR
- DL Custom Audio Reference Series JUMPERS (4 x 35cm; 2 x Spades Gold + 2 x Spades Rhodium): 1.5o0 EUR / set
Manufacturer: DL Custom Audio ; David Laboga
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
