Supra Rondo 4x4.0 review

A high-end audio cable for those who appreciate good bass

Supra Rondo 4x4.0
Admirable for its rhythmic drive and bass extension, but this cable doesn't offer the best bass detail or the most open treble

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Deep and well timed bass

  • +

    Decent construction

Cons

  • -

    Slight dryness to treble

  • -

    Bass is a bit imprecise

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There's no screen on the Rondo 4x4.0 bi-wire speaker cable, but manufacturer Jenving claims that interference-rejection is enhanced by the twisted construction, which has a tighter pitch (more complete rotations of its spiral per foot) than most cables.

Apparently, special twisting machines are used for this, which also avoid mechanical stress on the wires. Well, yes, sort of: the spiral isn't particularly tight (you can easily make it out through the PVC jacket) and it's far from obvious what a little mechanical stress is going to do a cable to damage it.

Anyway, the generous amount of copper is useful for keeping resistance low and the cable is very flexible for its 10mm diameter.

Insulation is PVC, which isn't always considered the best for audio use, but generally seems harmless in speaker cables.

It's hard not to enjoy the bass this cable passes to the loudspeakers, which is deep, resonant and also well timed. At the same time, if we're fussy, it's not always incredibly precise and it can be a little harder than usual to pick out fine details in the lowest two or three octaves.

Detail gets better as one goes up the range, but the trade-off in the treble is a slight dryness. As a result, this cable seems much better suited to all-electronic recordings than acoustic ones: its rhythmic qualities and snap are exciting but the sound of the venue is not so well conveyed on recordings made with natural microphone techniques.

Funnily enough, we found the treble slightly improved by connecting both pairs of wires together at both ends, non-bi-wire style, though the bass lost some tautness.

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