Ixos XHS756 review

A distinctive and simple cable that does its job very well

Ixos XHS756
It's surprising how many cables seem to impart some coloration to that and it's always nice to find one that seems absolutely honest vocally

TechRadar Verdict

An adaptation of the ingenious ‘Gamma Geometry’ construction which makes for a highly compatible cable with admirably little character

Pros

  • +

    Little coloration

  • +

    Good imaging

Cons

  • -

    Extended bass

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The name might not tell one much, but there's quite a lot to the Ixos XHS756.

Its appearance is certainly distinctive, with the multiple conductors and those intriguing-looking terminator barrels (which actually merely serve to disentangle the conductors), and as with most Ixos cables, the distinctive feature is the 'Gamma Geometry' weave.

This is a bit of a novelty, though, in that there are two sets of conductors interwoven with the non-conducting strands that give the assembly its particular properties.

Decent performance

One set is slightly heavier than the other and in bi-wiring mode one could have no end of fun mixing and matching gauge with frequency range.

We opted for single wiring, under which conditions this cable behaves in basic electrical terms as a very low resistance, moderate capacitance type.

The sound is generally good all round, without any particularly outstanding areas, but also without any irritating weaknesses or drawbacks. Bass is certainly extended, but not quite as powerful and ringing as some can offer, while treble is open and very sweet.

No coloration

There's a very well-judged balance between the tonal extremes and the midrange, which leads to a particularly natural rendition of human voice, male or female, spoken or sung.

It's surprising how many cables seem to impart some coloration to that and it's always nice to find one that seems absolutely honest vocally.

We were also rather taken with the dynamics this cable offers, which seem both wide and confident with no hardening of the sound in loud passages. Imaging is good and this seems to be a cable one could 'fit and forget' in pretty much any decent system.