Review sample supplied by Network Acoustics
Retail Prices (ex VAT):
Recommended standard length 1.5 metres: 1.745 Euro
Extra Length 190 Euro per 50 cm / 380 Euro per meter
The muon2 is the ultimate version of the muon cable range. Engineered to reproduce music with absolute transparency and beat-perfect timing, this is Network Acoustics’ new Reference Balanced Digital Cable.
Compared to the eno2 positioned underneath it in the product line, the muon2 utilizes high-purity Gold and Silver conductors (rather than Silver and Copper) and high-purity solid Silver connector contacts (rather than Rhodium-coated Tellurium Copper contacts). The conductors are configured in a helical formation, surrounded by an organic cotton-damped air-pocket dielectric and an RFI/EMI-rejecting shielded sleeve, grounded at the source end only. The connectors look and feel very well-made, and both ends make a very tight connection.
Ground-up design
- New cable architecture using proprietary high-purity gold and silver solid core conductors configured in a helix formation.
- 100% natural dielectric with multi-layer, raw cotton-damped air-pocket insulation.
- Uniquely effective shielding using an upgraded version of NA’s RFI/EMI rejecting shielded sleeve, grounded at the source end only.
- Universally compatible with all AES/EBU DACs, CD players, streamers, and servers.
- Lossless Connection. Terminated with connectors using solid silver contacts to guarantee an optimal connection every time.
- Made in the UK. Each cable is painstakingly built by hand, rigorously tested, and compared to the original reference cable before being shipped to the customer.
Review Context
The muon2 Balanced Digital Cable was tested in the main system, where it was used as an interlink between the Antipodes K50 and Grimm MU1 music servers, as well as the Aqua Diva M2 CD transport. The rest of the system consists of the CH Precision C1.2 DAC, CH Precision L1 preamplifier, CH Precision A1.5 power amp, and Magico S1 MkII speakers. Additionally, I also used the Apogee Duetta Signature and Driade Premium Model 9 loudspeakers.
Listening
The cable comes with instructions on a leaflet stating that running in can be system dependent, but, as a guide, it is recommended to run in all Network Acoustics cables for 150-200 hours. This review sample had already been mildly run in at the factory for 50 hours, and because I was curious to hear it, I started listening to it right away.
It’s uncanny, but during the first minutes when listening to the muon2 Balanced Digital Cable using the Aqua La Diva M2 CD Transport, I was taken right back to my experiences with the tempus ethernet switch. I know there are still people out there who doubt that digital cables can make any difference, and others may tire of reading about digital cables, but, much to my delight, the muon2 is something out of the ordinary. I don’t know how they do it, but this cable has an uncannily similar sonic signature to the tempus switch, and perhaps less surprisingly, it also bears a resemblance to the eno2 Streaming Cable.
To put this into perspective, compared to the Jorma AES cable, the muon2 Balanced Digital Cable is more spacious and ethereal, and much airier. It has a light-footed and hugely delicate approach that feels lush and gentle yet very positive and upbeat. It’s a sunny and wide-open sound with immensely high resolution, but unlike many highly resolving cables, the muon2 is not dry or over-controlled, but deliciously liquid.
The Mogami 3080 is a long-standing favorite, affordable, and essentially unremarkable, yet very neutral “standard” AES/EBU cable. This is the kind of cable that recording engineers or broadcast facilities might use. During my initial impressions, the Mogami produced a tighter and more concrete rendition, but otherwise, it fell way behind the muon2, especially in terms of air, fluidity, and flow.
To be on the safe side, I decided to let the cable run in a bit further while I attended to other tasks. When I returned to the system later the same day and repeated the comparison with the Mogami, I was surprised to find that muon2 had changed. Its aforementioned core qualities were still present undiminished, but after being used for a couple of hours, it had become crisper and tighter. Sure enough, the Mogami was no longer tighter or more concrete, instead merely “earthier” and more sober. Moreover, I now noticed that the cable had a mild roundness to it, and worse, a PVC-like, slightly synthetic timbre.
How about that? I certainly did not see that coming. I’m no stranger to bedding-in effects, but with digital cables, such significant shifts typically take place over a much longer timespan.
Given this development, I felt it was imperative to grant the cable 200 hours before reaching any other conclusions.
Next: Listening Continued and Conclusion
