Dr Anwar Ali never gives up. He just tinkers on and on till he reaches some kind of sonic nirvana.
He has come up with a new range of AA Audio USB cables and he couriered them from Penang to my house in SS4, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
After I listened to the AA SIG USB cable for a while, he told me not to try the Reference model because he had just completed a new Reference model design. I told you so — he just tinkers on and on.
So I tested the AA SG USB cable, his entry-level model, and the AA SIG USB cable.
The AA SG USB cable is the entry-level and cheapest model and it uses 24 AWG silver + 1% gold alloy solid core wires for the data pair and teflon jackets.
It features 20 AWG UP-OCC copper solid core wires for VBUS and Ground. There is EMI shielding for the data wires.
The AA SG USB cable comes in a black jacket and is thin and flexible.
The higher-level AA SIG USB cable uses 18 AWG silver + 1% gold solid core wires for the data pair in teflon jackets and a silk sheath, 18 AWG copper silver gold solid core wires fo VBUS and ground in teflon jacket. It has separate EMI shielding for data and power.
It comes in a gray jacket and is quite thick and stiff.
My streaming system now consists of a Silent Angel Munich M1T network music transporter connected to a FiiO K9 Pro ESS DAC/headphone amp/preamp with an iFi iPurifier3 in the equation.
I have to say that I heard greater differences on my home rig than when auditioning AA USB cables on Dr Anwar’s demo system at the Northern International AV Show in Penang earlier this year.
The AA SG USB cable sounds quite clear and is brighter. However, its bass is a bit light and this results in the music having less body.
Also separation of images and soundstaging is not the best avaiable.
This model costs RM1,150 a metre.
The AA SIG USB cable is clearly better sounding with a smoother presentation, resulting in more pleasant voices. There is more bass and better separation and better soundstaging. There is more body to the music and the dynamics have improved too. I prefer the sound quality of this USB cable.
This model costs RM2,490 per metre.
Finally, in comparison my reference Shunyata Omega USB cable sounded richer with fuller bass, more relaxed and had better separation and soundstaging. But it is also more expensive.
Contact Dr Anwar Ali at 012-4750395 for more details.
