TRITIUM ULTRA HIGH VELOCITY
 INTERCONNECT CABLES

Tritiums interconnects are clearer and more open than all other cables reguardless of cost. 

BOUND FOR SOUND REVIEW TRITIUM INTERCONNECTS 

     When cost is no object, I have yet to find an interconnect more honest or more revealing than those manufactured by Tritium. In the past I have written about the Tritium Gold, and after comparing them to the best I could find, the Tritium took first chair in the Bound for Sound Big Rig. At their price points, I found the DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix and the SAS interconnects to be superior performers, and superb values for the money, basically outdistancing the similarly priced competition. But when it comes to a "price is no object" interconnect, the Tritium interconnects continue to let more music through than anything else I've heard.
     The latest interconnects from Tritium include the Platinum ($549). For a number of months I've been listening to an early version of the Platinum, and that is the interconnect I'm reporting on now (though a newer version is in the pipeline, a commercial version that should be even better than what I presently have). When the new Platinums come in this coverage will be updated.
     The original Gold interconnects from Tritium opened my eyes up to just how much an interconnect could influence the sound of an audio system. I was using good interconnects at the time, but the Tritiums allowed me to experience just how much better it could get. That was the Gold, so named because it uses a high purity gold conductor. Its sound was, and still is, unique due to the density of its imaging and tone colors. Other interconnects, even the best, sound diffuse and even thin in comparison.
     Now I have the Platinum interconnects, and yes, it uses a conductor made of platinum. This is not my first exposure to a product using a platinum conductor. Music Metre made a wonderful platinum conductor digital link back in the early 90's - and it was expensive. Needless to say, platinum hasn't gotten any cheaper since then, but it looks like Tritium has done a pretty good job of keeping the price down. Of course, affordability is always a relative thing, but the new Platinums retailing for around five-fifty have to be considered reasonable if the competition is to be considered.*
     What do the early Platinums sound like? Compared to the Gold, the Platinum strikes one as being faster, especially when first inserted into the system. As the interconnect settles, the sensation of being faster turns into an overall feeling of exceptional clarity and the ability to express. Tone density does not seem to be quite as deep and colorful as the Gold, but the quality of both interconnects in that regard makes the declaration of a winner a difficult one. Maybe I will merely say that the Gold lets through a technicolor quality, while the Platinum is a bit more vividly real. Characteristics that I directly attribute to the metallurgy of the conductors used and nothing else.
     These interconnects are the first in my experience not to inflict harm, in some way, upon dynamic contrasts and micro transients. Whereas other interconnects, to one degree or another, inflict some degree of hazing or smearing between different sounds, each and every pulse and tone color with these interconnects has its own persona unaffected by the goings-on all around it. It's like this. Ever bought a can of mixed nuts? Within the same can are four or five varieties of nuts. They look good, and you are thinking about fishing the cashews out first, then the pecans, walnuts and peanuts. The nuts are all very distinguishable visually, but as you dip in, the cashews taste like the peanuts and the pecans aren't all that different tasting from the walnuts. There ia a commonality of taste regardless of the nut chosen; individual qualities are diminished. A commonality that does not exist when different packets of each kind of nut are purchased and eaten separately. It's like that with recorded music too. You hear the various singers and instruments, but even in the best systems there can be a bit of the "mixed nuts" effect wherein the distinctiveness and complexity of each individual player is lost as it is commingled with the qualities of the others on the recorded medium. Some interconnects let all the different flavors mix to one degree or another, losing some of the individual flavor of each instrument/voice. It almost sounds as if the signal is having difficulty settling. With the Tritiums, be it the Gold or the Platinum, sounds maintain their individual character as caught by the mics. A colorful and power packed clarity results, wherein complexity of tone and texture are artfully revealed without sounding overly etched or unduly emphasized.
     The production quality Platinum interconnects are on their way. Mike says that these new interconnects are his best ever - now that's saying something. We'll talk about the "final" version of the Platinums in our next issue.

Two issues back I reported on the Triphazer Gold interconnects, and made a few preliminary comments on the new Platinum interconnect. The Platinums ($549) have been in the Big Rig for over two months now, and I think I have a good feel for what they do. The Platinum is now my reference interconnect.

I believe in the power of wire. Unlike some, I resolutely allege that conductors, in every application, unquestionably and unequivocally impact the sonics of the system they are in. I also believe that the greatest thing a cable designer can do is NOT screw things up. In retrospect, what many “designer” wires simply do is not make things worse, and for that reason, sound better than the standard equipment wires and cables that come with most equipment. The Triphazer Platinum interconnects are simply the finest that I am yet to use. And what do they not do? They don’t get in the way. To an unprecedented extent, they let through more valuable and useful information than any other. And when you hear, at last, the music already in your system unencumbered by the distortions inherent in most wires and cables – it can be a revelation. For me, the Platinum interconnects are a revelation…. I’m listening to everything but the interconnects.

Martin G DeWulf 2004