Walker Audio High Definition Links Reference Plus – removing the EMI/RFI veil

p>By WL Low

Tweaks – the final frontier in hi-fi-dom! I only recommend tweaks if all other basic parameters of hi-fi tuning have been exhausted, and you are at a point where sonic returns are satisfactory, and yet seeking something new to play with, while maintaining the largely positive sonic attributes of your system.
In other words, tweaks are only for those who wish to expand their horizon on what’s an already very good sounding system. Tweaks will not make a poorly set up hi-fi system sound any better. In other words, tweaks are like make up, which can make an already very good-looking woman appear stunning! It’s a futile exercise for those less blessed with natural beauty. It may sound sexist, but I think you get my drift.

So, what does Walker Audio High Definition Links Reference Plus do? It’s a pair of spade attachments designed to remove whatever EMI/RFI that has been picked up by your speaker cables, which act like an amplified antenna along the way when plugged to the speaker terminals, usually the high frequency terminal if your speaker allows for bi-wiring, just like my pair of PMC Fact 8. Otherwise, just plug to the two available terminals if your speaker only has a pair of speaker cable binding posts.

I proceeded to listen to some music and immediately heard a quieter black background, enabling all the harmonic textures and timbres of musical instruments to be flushed out, and laid bare in all their glory. Dynamic shadings and transient scaling were more pronounced than ever, and made music listening an effortless experience to better enjoyment. Sound staging seemed more 3D and each musical instrument seemed to bathe in its own halo of “air”.

While some may argue these are small gains in the scheme of things, but once one reaches the tweaking stage, isn’t it all about the small details that matter? Like that dash of cream (frothy foamed milk) on the top of one’s cup of cappuccino? Like that little salt & pepper one adds on the French fries prior to serving? I think you get the idea now what tweaks do for your sound.

Priced at RM$2,799 a pair, the Walker Audio HDL Reference Plus are not cheap for sure, but they do work as advertised, and build quality – they are hand made – appears to be very good, if a little fragile. An instruction leaflet is included in the package, with some very interesting information about the product as well. It is a worth while tweak indeed.

Walker Audio is sold by The Audio Store, contact Aw at 03-78872233.