User comments

User Comments



Apostolos Vasilikopoulos, Greece - Gekko Cables Digital One BNC Digital Link


Before two weeks about I last received the updated version of my dac. I send you my review:

Here are my impressions from using the Gekko bnc digital cable. I was skeptical about the improvement in audio quality a digital cable would have. But the results justified my decision to trust Gekko for once again!

The bass is as tight as it should be, the middle frequencies as it really should be, the highs airy, at the same time that all the instruments, without exception, are nailed in place and you can easily tell where the drums are, where the guitar is, where the piano, etc.

I never thought that a BNC digital cable which connects world clock to the cd transport, would make such a wonderful job!

Congrats Boban!


Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Apostolos




Alex Tiefenboeck, Canada - Gekko Silver Lining RCA Interconnect


I’ve only had a few hours to listen at this point so my initial impressions will be limited, however I can say for certain already that I’m really very impressed with how natural, rich and warm my music sounded with your Silver Lining between the Trilogy Ref pre and amps driving my ProAc K10s.

 I’m really a music first kind of guy and I would say that you likely are too based on what I’ve heard Boban, I’m at this point willing to say they get out of the way and really allow the artists to express themselves when everything else in the system allows for it, in my case even just the one pair of XLRs show this effortlessly !.


_____________________________________________________________________________________________




Apostolos Vasilikopoulos, Greece - Gekko Cables Purple Haze RCA Interconnect


I tested a pair of Purple Haze in my system.

I was so impressed, that, after just a couple of days, I bought two more pairs in order to replace all the interconnects I had, with Purple Haze!

I am sure that Purple Haze can compete with any cable around, no matter the cost!

Transparency, details, microdynamics, depth width and everything an audiophile wants, those cables are second to none, to my ears!!!

Next step is speaker and phono cables!

No doubt, Boban is a genius!


_____________________________________________________________________________________________




Ian Sadler - Gekko Cables Purple Haze RCA Interconnect


My current set of cables are Albedo Monolith silver interconnects and speaker cables that possess natural, open and spacious qualities with a wonderful balance between treble, mid and bass.

The first thing I liked about the Gekko Purple Haze interconnects is that they don't emphasise any part of the frequency spectrum, I often find cables have a preference for treble or mid etc.

These were very well balanced, adding more mass to the presentation while extending the space around the treble, mid and bass notes. It struck me how present the sound had become, the Monoliths are no slouch when it comes to creating the sensation that the artist is sitting on your lap singing to you but the Purple Haze takes the effect to a new level whilst busy tracks played at an elevated level don't compress as can happen with lesser cables.

I was not able to try more than one pair of the Purple Haze interconnects; between the DAC and pre-amplifier as well as between pre and power amplifiers say, so I can’t comment on how replacing the all my interconnects would affect the presentation. I can say that adding just one set of these cable was a rewarding addition and one I would like to make myself.

As for construction, the cables are cotton wrapped with interesting plastic and wooden RCA plugs whilst the conductor itself is run straight up to the connection with the receiving device. There is no internal joint of any kind (whether soldered or crimped) between wire and plug as is the norm for interconnects. The cable is light, flexible and seems robust, my only concern is whether those RCA plugs will stand the test of time.


_____________________________________________________________________________________________



Foxx Artizan Delaney (Switzerland) - Gekko Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) XLR


After trying out the Gekko Silver Dream XLR Cables these last few days I must say I wasn't prepared at all for the surprise that lay in store,this is one game changer of a cable that has me re evaluating all I know about cables or thought I knew,if you haven't got this cable on your short list you should,i could go into a long diatribe about how it's sounds but I won't, all I will say is that it sounds open,clean and freshly invigorating,a cable for all seasons and an absolute joy to listen to,right back to the enjoyment of listening to music!

   


_______________________________________________________________________________________



John Webber (UK) - Mastering Engineer, Air Studio - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) Speaker Cable


"Silver Dream 4 meter speaker cables - 99.99% annealed UK silver:

I'm no stranger to listening tests and been in the mastering game long enough to know that interconnects are something you have to get right. Often manufacture’s big claims and mega prices don't stack up, I particularly remember once testing microphone cables that cost a nose bleed inducing £5000 a metre (I won’t name) and they sounded laughably bad compared to £3 a metre, foil shielded equivalent on standard Neutrik connectors. The ears don't lie and snake oil doesn't wash in my opinion so when it comes to audio cabling only one thing is important technically: impedance.


Aesthetics don't matter one hoot to me and I'm not interested in what materials or technology is employed if they don't translate into good sound. Cables should be invisible both sonically and visually, the latter shouldn’t be too hard to achieve especially in a studio situation where lengths are typically shorter.


The Gekko Silvers are 99.99% silver, 3 x 0.5mm solid core wires per conductor - insulated in unbleached cotton and twisted together in pairs. They are housed in an outer snake sleeve and mine were terminated with the bare wire and slotted straight into the binding posts of my cross-overs. Gekko specify the following figures for these 4metre cables: Capacitance - 84pF/m Inductance - 2.01uH/m & Resistance - 0.04Ohm/m


I first tested them with my home setup: Upgraded Tannoy Cheviots (with point to point wired external crossovers and re-braced/tuned cabinets) powered by a Bryston 2B. I thought this would be an interesting test as the Gekko cables would be replacing similar thickness silver wires, four metres long and insulated by cotton; they are in many ways comparable.

Before the swap over I had a good listen (fixed gain for both playbacks, same listening position which is about as much as I can achieve at home) what I've always found with my home listening setup is that my speakers lacked the excitement, depth and openness of the very first time I demo'd them, with an amp waaaay out of my home listening budget and double the power. I also suspect that my DAC possibly contributes to a constrained, compressed nature but it would transpire that I was somewhat wrong.


If I'm honest I wasn't expecting a big difference between the two sets of cables, let alone fix many of the things that bothered me about my setup. Especially as the old cables boasted a slightly lower resistance over 4 metres (0.032Ohm/m). However I was proved very wrong: the first thing that hit me was the bass extension and dimension, I then heard a loud drum fill and my eyes followed the kit from right to left as the kit lept out on me. The soundstage was transformed, the highs cleaner and more open and the midrange shone through with improved accuracy.


Even though I'm an advocate for the importance of good cabling and clean mains power when I hear people say they've bought a cable that sounds better than say an new amplifier or DAC I've rolled my eyes a little and doubted the extent of that claim. However I instantly heard a big improvement here, using the Gekko cables were more than a mere 1% here, 2% there scenario, they ensured I heard what I knew was possible (from the speaker demo) but could never achieve until now! What impressed me most was they eradicated the constrained nature of the sound and added extension, openness and most importantly ‘realism’.


The Silver Dreams are £1,500 for a 4 metre, terminated pair but believe me they are worth every penny. They’re a high end, audiophile solution at the fraction of the cost to some out there. Next time people want to discuss speaker cables I’ll be sure to drop Gekko into the conversation!"



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Tim Fletcher (Canada) - Gekko Digital Cable AES/EBU 1


I've been very fortunate lately listening to a system that I'm very happy to live with. The only things I think about changing in the future are speakers and the only thing I think about adding is another format, high resolution downloads perhaps. Right now though I'm not complaining, CD's, SACD's, DVD Audio discs and Bluray Audio discs keep me happy and I love collecting them. With the resurgence of vinyl there's never been a better time to buy CD's new and used. In the last five years my collection of music has more than doubled in size. This was the perfect time to try something different in my system and write about it.

Being an audiophile you have a tendency to collect things, music obviously but audio stuff as well such as components, racks, shelves, footers (or feet), tweaks of all kinds and of course cables. I have drawers and containers filled with cables to connect just about anything to anything. About fifteen years ago or so I got my first outboard DAC and with it a combination switching device and digital clock, this meant that I could plug in numerous devices and feed them into my new DAC. Audiophile heaven. I started trying out every digital cable I could get my hands on and naturally ended up with a lot of digital cables. Some will tell you they all sound the same and some of the cheap ones do but I've learned through experience that the better quality ones are always superior to the cheaper ones, as one should expect. The silver RCA cables I purchased with my new DAC and clock were in a different league altogether.


Today my system is less complicated but I still have plenty of digital inputs and cables. Most of my listening is through a dedicated high quality CD transport connected with my reference digital cable, a one metre SPDIF on RCA, that uses silver and gold as a conductor. It sounds better than anything else I've had in the past....until now. The only other output on my transport is an AES/EBU on XLR and I was curious to know if this connection would have an audible advantage. I'm using short runs of a metre or less in my system so I didn't think it would make much of a difference.


When Boban asked me if I would like to try his digital cable I didn't hesitate. For about a year now I have been following Gekko Cables on Facebook and I've read about them on the website. Now was my chance to hear one and as soon as the cable arrived I took it out of it's attractive little blue bag, gave it a quick inspection and hooked it up. Immediately it sounded much like my reference but I know better than to make any sort of judgement without a bit of running in. For the next four days it was Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, a little AC/DC, Jeff Beck, Tool, Led Zepplin and anything that was going to get the juices flowing and flow they did. I say four days because it was on the fourth night that something happened. I had been glued to my listening chair for four straight days of rock music and I thought I would try something a bit different. “Toy” by Yello is a recent recording that has already become well known in the audio world for it's incredible sound and this is where I became fully engulfed in the biggest, walk in, meet the performers soundstage I've ever experienced. It's been spun many times here but never before have I heard it quite like this. From this moment on I was pulling out disc after disc to hear not just the performance but the venue in which it was recorded. This is a lot of information coming through and remember this is just CD. There are discs in my collection that are not just music I love but recordings that are useful in an audiophile way. They sound muddled, confusing and mixed up if played on a system that isn't up to the task. A good example is Mahler's 8th Symphony. It's called a “Symphony of a Thousand” because of the huge forces involved in performance. Only recently has my recording of this work started to make sense but when I played it with the Gekko Cable there was no confusion whatsoever, you hear what's on the disc, every tiny little reverberation into the farthest corner.


All of this information is fine but you also need to have two more things, truth of timbre and impeccable timing. I've heard lesser cables do some awful things in this respect but the Gekko Digital excelled in every way. A couple of years ago I replaced all of the signal cables in my system and it opened a huge window onto the music and I thought it couldn't possibly be improved upon but this single cable opened the window even more. The post on Facebook where I first became aware of this cable made the claim of “a more transparent and dynamic sound”. That's exactly what I heard, the transparency I've covered but the dynamics are equally fine. Winds and percussion took on a more 3D like presence and a vibrancy that brought new life to every recording. Finally and of great importance to me is how the Gekko presented the human voice. I listen to a lot of opera, choral, recital and of course singing in the other genres of my music, emotional connection is paramount. Here it all comes together for me and I was not disappointed. The Gekko Digital AES/EBU 1 brought forth the beauty of every performance just as it was meant to be. I can say without any doubt this cable would be at home between the finest digital components. If your looking for a top tier AES/EBU cable look no further.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Yago Vázquez Montes (Spain) - Silver Dream - iDream interconnect


Nowadays mobile sources are increasingly common, be it a high quality DAP, or a DAC/ battery amplifier combination, such as the famous Chord Mojo, which I reviewed here a few weeks ago.

But… What if we want to connect out DAP or Chord Mojo to a preamp, an integrated or amplifier for headphones?

This is where the need of a good connection which guarantees the best quality and least loss of audio signal comes in.

The artisanal manufacturer Gekko Cables provides a practical solution to the interconnection of our mobile devices with the Silver Dream, also available as RCA –RCA connectors.

All things “boutique” and artisan all have an increasingly important role in the world of audio, especially and directly in the sector where there is a demand for such exclusive products, with knowledge and the direct support from companies with an ability to custom design to each individual’s particular needs. Not to mention bypassing the middle people which allows us to get a product of the best quality for a normal price.

The composition of the Silver Dream can be guessed from its name, and is made of four solid core silver wire (99,99% pure, AWG28) conductors covered in cotton, twisted together and covered with the clear PVC. It's an extremely simple design and extremely efficient at the same time, since after the air, the pure cotton is the next best dielectric in existence, reducing the capacitance and inductance of the cable. Aside from that, the cotton contains the external vibrations and provides better “cushioning” then any plastic, or PVC braiding.

Boban, the creator of Gekko Cables, has always been in close contact and his experience in installing professional recording studios is evident and directly noticeable in his creations. For the RCA connectors, WireWorld was chosen for their unbeatable quality/price ratio according to Boban - especially the Silver Tube RCA with silver cladded oxygen free copper connectors which work very well with the cable and fit perfectly.

As for the 3,5 mm jack connector, Switchcraft was chosen, which is considered as one of the oldest and most established audio connectors in businesses. It's not the first cable I have with this connector and I must say it's one of my favourites, ahead even of Viablue ones, despite their more normal and discrete appearance.

The lengths can be chosen from 0,5 m to 2 m, to be adapted to our needs. The model I have is 1,5 m long, a perfect and balanced length for all types of use.

Price wise, we're talking of £200 for the 1,5 m. It is not a budget cable but it promises to compete against the best and the most expensive models in the market, according to the maker.


Sound

When one thinks of silver it is usually associated with a cold, very detailed sound with sibilant tendencies, and the general rule is to think that it is used in audio systems with a soft sound, or valves/tubes to achieve the correct balance. It's not the case of the Silver Dream. This is one of the perfect examples which demonstrate that if the silver wire is good, especially talking about solid conductors of this quality, it can give results with a sweet and musical touch, without losing the detail and transparency.

Boban recommended about 50 hours of running in for his cables, time which I extended as from my previous experience, reviewing an audio system or cables without enough of running in time can give wrong impressions and conclusions. Its really from that point when the cable reaches its true potential.

The system I have used to test the cable was the Lotoo Paw Gold and Chord Mojo, both very good and high quality systems.

The Silver Dream succeeds in translating in a natural and precise way the detail of the best recordings as well as the musicality of our favourite songs tested, achieving a balance between detail and a lack of fatigue well worth mentioning, which I had rarely encountered in other cables. The Silver Dream was competing directly with the Crystal Cable Piccolo Diamond I also have around the house and which was also for received for testing!

The Silver Dream clearly defines the soundstage and the positioning of the different instruments in the space with a lot of the dynamic, which seems somewhat softened to provide a greater natural sounding feel, with an analog touch that surprises, coming from silver.

Well defined high frequency which seems to extend to the horizontal plane, without peaks or jumps , and enjoying fantastic transparency and clarity.

It achieves tridimensional soundstage equalling 'high-end' cables far more expensive. I also felt like it was a tremendously musical cable, which has as a priority the enjoyment of the listener, and making him/her forget that they are listening to their favourite album in a digital format and make them feel as if they were listening to a live performance. The openness of the sound is amazing and accentuates the general sense of “air”, all of this taking into consideration this is a digital recording and the device we’re listening through.

In a direct one to one comparison, Crystal Cable, tends to sound more dynamic and with a greater emphasis on the medium-range frequencies, perhaps with a quicker attack but it is taking away natural sound and the soundstage. Everything is presented in a more forward way, against the tridimensionality which the Gekko Cables model offers.


Conclusions

If your equipment revolves around a quality portable source of, (read a DBH of high performance or a combo of DAC / Amp) and you looking to use it connected to an audio system, Gekko Cables Silver Dream seem to me as an excellent option and a gives sound quality beyond doubt, that will surprise almost any listener. It is not a low budget cable but based on their performance and quality it is highly recommendable.


Yago.


http://www.oldnewsound.es/otros/gekko-cables-silver-dream/



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Robert Stanley‎ (UK) - Gekko Cables Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA Interconnects


(Long post, sorry!)

Firstly I have no affiliation with Gekko Cables: the following represents my thoughts as a customer, and yes after gentle prompting by Boban for a no-strings-attached review wink emoticon. I haven't run this past him, these are my thoughts following an extended no-strings home demo...


So, I first noticed that Gekko Cables were being talked about rather a lot on various forums and FB groups many months ago. I'm the kind of person that likes to listen and compare rather than accept opinions, so I cheekily asked Boban at Gekko Cables if I could just borrow a pair to try out at home. The response was an unequivocal yes, and with no commitment on my part I received my pair in short order, safely and beautifully packaged.

After living with these for a while, comparing them with other cables at various price-points and with various gear I'm impressed I have to say.


These interconnects are easy to live with. I know it might seem trivial but anybody that's wrestled with cables that are so stiff that they threaten to pull your electronics off the shelf (!) will appreciate these. The RCA plugs are first-rate too.

Settling down for a proper listen, I ran through a few favourites on the ECM and Stockfisch labels via my LampizatOr Transport streamer, Golden Gate DAC, Hattor Absolute Passive Pre, GM70 SET monos and AutoTech FP15 horns. The Silver Dreams were between DAC and pre. Straight away I knew these interconnects were good, in fact very good indeed. The following is written after many days of running-in (they do take a little while to settle up though).


These are natural, fluid and slightly to the rich/warm side of absolute neutral. They preserve musical details and the soundstage dimensions are very impressive at this price. Music is presented in a palpable, realistic way with the proper timbre and texture of instruments and notes intact. With these I can sense what the musicians are doing and how they are playing. I'm involved and properly drawn into the musical landscape, which is what I am aiming for after all! The “house” sound of silver cables is familiar to me (that HF shimmer, wide, open soundstage and sometimes graining), but these are different – unique. The closest I have come to them sonically is the rare old Western Electric theatre wire (which is copper/cotton!). And that is actually high praise indeed. Well done to the Gekko folks.


Needless to say I purchased these interconnects, and they will be with me for a long time to come.

Recommended. Bargain!

 


_______________________________________________________________________________________



Grant Birch‎ - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA Interconnect


Cables Up ! ! (Finally). Gekko 'Silver Dream' interconnects...

I'm not a writer or a blogger or in the trade or affiliated in any way to Gekko,I'm just a guy on a sofa sat in front of his HiFi who has been lucky enough to get the opportunity to experiment with a good few bits of HiFi and accessories,including these frankly superb interconnects..

There you go I've blown it already,by blundering straight to the conclusion,

..That basically,these cables are excellent.

They're ace,fab,brilliant,you dont need an excuse,just e-mail Gekko and buy a pair.simple.

job done,congratulate yourself, and get back to the music.

Gekko Cables is London based and have been making and refining high quality audio cables for three or so years.Their goal is to make it possible for music lovers to buy "high-end" sounding cables at down to Earth prices.

The way they do this is by offering their cables directly to us lot with no distributors, no retailers, no commissions,which Is great for the pocket.

I know cables can be, erm... ever so slightly contentious, every now and then. And rightly so..

But I don't have to go into mellifluous flowery poetic prose with these, because they are just grass roots HiFi,as in right or wrong yes or no,good or bad.

They're bloody great.

Obviously you don't want interconnects to have a sound or a sonic presence but I could be forgiven for thinking that they do,because of all the extra music they deliver the from A to B better,cleaner,faster and more accurately than the XLO interconnects I was using before,at least in this configuration of bits..

They might not be a component as such but they make themselves an essential part of the chain as they contribute massively to how and what comes out of the speakers..music sweet music..and more of it, and better.

Gekko provided me with a lot of interesting technical information about the composition and build.none of which i am going to cut and paste but it is readily available from them..

They are really nicely made from solid core 99.9999 silver, and lovely to use and handle,

I've had them for two months now and have far exceeded the 50 hour burn in time..

buried my head in the sand somewhat with these,Its not easy this reviewing lark, as I don't want to give 'em back !!

(despite the occasional very polite reminder ! ).

I know I will..but theyre just so bloody gorgeous sounding..The sort of kit that makes me forget I need to do things like eat and go to work and earn an honest crust,I mean I can't just sit here all day playing music..can I ?

If you are looking to improve your sound substantially at a good price I would strongly recommend treating your Hi-Fi to a pair of these beauties..

Grant Birch (humble admin from the Hi-Fi Audio Facebook group,7500 members it's great,get involved)



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Danny Baty (UK) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) speaker cable


My system is sounding really very expensive ie very very high end hifi sound now.!

This is now using the Gekko Cables Silver Dream Speaker cable on my Reference System

This Silver Dream speaker cable kills my original Chord signature, it's just so much more open and detailed. The definition and detail in the bass leaves the chord sounds muddy and muddled in comparison in all aspects!

A Truly Brilliant Cable

It just finishes off the Amazing sound that I am getting now using the new Gekko Capacitors in My highly modded original Sony Playstation 1 (CD Player) and Home Brew Valve Preamp and the Silver Dream interconnect between the two then running into my Lyngdorf SDA 2175 Power amp I am still using my AudioQuest SKY interconnect as I have no more Gekko Cables yet 😉

The Power amp is the feeding my Paradigm Reference Studio 60 speakers

All in all one of the most musical and detailed systems I have heard.! And that's not me being bias because it's my system as I have several systems and this is not the most expensive system I own by a long way

It's just thanks to Gekko Cables and there amazing Cables and now new Truly amazing Capacitors that just have no sound signature in any way.! Just Open, Detailed and Reveals very last ounce or the music, the way it was meant to be heard.! That seem to be the Gekko Way.


Gekko Cables Silver Dream Speaker Cable seems to be an amazing bit of cable!

In one of my systems, mainly my system at my girlfriends Alisons made a massive improvement over the American Tulsa - The Arrow Cable from Oklahoma I was using bi-amped! On my Leema Acoustic XONE speakers! Even Alison noticed the difference and she is the first to admit, she can't usually tell any difference in changes I make normally!!

I now use Gekko Silver Dream and have no intention in going back! And now I am only single wired on one amp with the silver dream.!!

The sound is just so much more coherent, detailed and extends very well both ways in the bandwidth, I was always a little unhappy with the treble of my XONE's at my girlfriend seemed as if there was cloth over the tweeters almost, but using the Gekko cables Silver Dream has lifted that blanket, it has also made the bottom end nice and tight, detailed and deep at the same time! Vocals now sound brilliant with a beautifully detailed midrange airy space around everything same with the treble! Cymbals sound real.!

To some the cable up, it has everything you could ever want from a speaker cable but at a good price.!!

It's transparent,

Detailed across the bandwidth,

Excellent Stereo imaging and space around everything!

Width and depth in the sound stage and beyond the speakers is truly brilliant

Full bandwidth for nice tight detailed deep bass to detailed open midrange right through to crystal clear treble revealing every detail but without being harsh or fatiguing in anyway!

A truly top buy and highly recommended!

I still need to try it on my other systems yet, so keep an eye on this space!



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Paul Marper (UK) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA interconnect


Well its been a few days now since i received the gekko silver dream rca cables and im verry impressed . The cables have excellent build quality and a superb fitting connection . They are a verry transparent and dynamic sounding rca cable with crystal clear mids and highs and a nice punchy but not overpowering bass the more i listen the more i like smile emoticon I personally think that they are worth every penny of the asking price if anyone is in doubt give gekko a shout . big thank you to Gekko Cables mutch apreciated.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



David Johnon (UK) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA Interconnect


My equipment...Densen B440+ Beat CD Player..Glen Croft Integrated Amp ..Rogers Studio 1 Speakers . I have been into hi-fi for quite a number of years and tried lots of different set ups . At last I am very happy with the above set up and have now decided to spend more time and funds on cables and interconnects. Previous interconnects include Naim Atlas Chord and now the Gekko Silver Dream...I was very excited to try the Gekko and I consider this to be a bargain price for a silver cable ..On arrival the Gekko proved to be beautifully made wrapped in cotton with good quality plugs and direction arrows to show the way. On first playing as with most silver interconnects the sound was very thin so don't judge this cable until it is well burnt in.. I put mine on the headphone amp and left it on repeat with different CDs for over two weeks then put it back onto the system....wow! What an amazing change ...beautiful delicate detail fantastic soundstage and lovely tight articulate bass .. What more can one ask for ? and this is only going to improve as the cable mellows ...very very impressed and what excellent value ... Will definitely get another for my headphone amp ,and at some point get the speaker cable when funds allow ....brilliant ....David Johnson



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Neil Scarlett (UK) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA Interconnect


I'm using the cable to connect to my M Audio PC computer monitors through an external DAC and I can say that it made a noticeable improvement in terms of all round clarity. The music seems more dynamic and impressive.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Jan Hermans (Netherlands) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA Interconnect


Today the Gekko cable has arrived.

The Cable sounds terrific, better then the Wireworld Eclipse 7 that I have in use.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Steve Lehocky (US) - Guitarist, Smoke / Necrophagia - Attack Guitar and two speaker cables


Before the Venom Inc/ Necrophagia tour I contacted Gekko cables to see if they could send me out some cables for review and to test on the road. Why? Because I will always support smaller hand made products over the mass produced when it is possible. And because they definitely need to gain some reputation, whether it's a hit or miss. With that being said, these Gekko cables needed to be put to my standards of sound quality, construction, and abuse. So here is my full review.

I received my order while on tour in Chicago at "Reggies" so I was already acclimated with my current setup and sound being a few days in. I run a Mesa Mark V into a Mesa oversized 4x12 and 2x12 set to 4 ohms. Guitar wise I brought a custom Ibanez Prestige rgd2120z with Bare Knuckle nail bombs and my Ibanez prestige rg655m. I brought with me my Mogami 1/4" leads to run to my head and from my board into the effects loop and use Live Wire Elite speaker cables, one 3ft and one 5 ft. My sound quality is naturally great with my rig and my "go to" cables have never let me down and survived the abuse on the road.

Gekko sent me, per request, two speaker cables - one 3ft and one 5ft and even sent out there proudest guitar lead, the Attack! cable for review as well. I was surprised to see that they sent them out in nice blue fabric bags with the logo-to me it felt like I got something special with the little extra packaging. The speaker cables were thick, 10 gauge wrapped in a high quality grey mesh, and looked pretty serious. They felt nice, stiffer with the mesh but necessary, and the plugs were high quality and also further finished with an attached clear heat shrink with the logo. I knew right then these were not going to fail on me and last. The "Attack!" guitar lead was a blue and yellow braided cable and built with patience and quality as well. On a side note, generally I dislike braided cables because of the tendency to start curling up in the middle of a set and getting tangled, however, if you wrap this one correctly, the braid isn't very stiff allowing you to not get so many curls and I really appreciated that. Also, I wasn't able to use this lead at every show because it was 10ft and with the bigger stages I needed more length so I could move around and get back to my amp from my board!

During one of many sound checks I did a direct comparisons between the Live Wires, Mogamis, and the Gekko cables. The first thing I noticed just with the speaker cables alone is clarity. These took my rig from being already clear and really gave it that extra little magic on top while fully retaining all of the low end response (we tune in b standard) and of course the most important thing-midrange. The first time I did this I actually took a step back and switched them again just to see the difference. To me, it was very noticeable. Every frequency I needed was right there and sounded sweet and thick. Again these Live Wires were brand new so it was surprising that now they sounded brittle. Another thing I noticed is that after we were done playing and Venom Inc came on, I would unplug these from my head and move these Gekko speaker cables over to Mantas's Marshall heads. They never got quite as hot as the Live Wires, even after running for 2 1/2 hours every night! Moving on to the "Attack!" guitar lead now, is where I was quite surprised even further. Mogami Gold vs. Gekko Attack! Hands down Gekko all the way. With either guitar I noticed an instant presence boost and made everything cut clean crisp and sharp. Even with the high gain settings I was using. It's an over all direct upgrade to the integrity of your guitar/amp. My only issue with this lead is the length, which for most venues 10 ft is ok, but half of the venues on this tour were big and required at least an 18ft cable. I guess I was happier on the days we played smaller venues because I sounded better!

Gekko cables are the real deal. Hand made, great customer support and they will customize any cable you need, not just your 1/4" cables. I was thoroughly pleased with what they had sent and I will continue to use these cables as I'm sure they will last the test of time. On tour they held up without any issue, at home recording they sound great, and I personally recommend Gekko cables if you care about your tone and want something that looks nice and will last.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Steve Grimmett (UK) - Singer, Grim Reaper


Attack Cabinet Leads

We first used these cables on tour in the states, we were borrowing backline at each show so we didn’t know what we were going to get on a daily basis, of course the individuals set up their gear for us, we changed the speaker cables and immediately the sound became crisp and you could hear more tones in the sound plus we would have to turn the sound down as it became louder, I’m guessing that the better the cable the more you get out of it, suffice to say the support bands asked what we had done to their gear we told them it was down to the speaker cables nuff said.


Attack Guitar Cable

This cable is all I expected it to be, again you can hear more tone and crispness giving such a punch to the sound it’s almost like you are using a graphic equaliser to enhance the sound.


Silver studio cable

I am currently recording the new Grim Reaper album in the studio, I have used both cables for Bass and Guitar, I first compared the cables the guy’s normally use to the Gekko Cables and I think there is no comparison at all for all the above reasons, I have also used the XLR cable for my vocals because again it brings out tones I hadn’t heard before, also these cables are indetructable, the band and I will be using these cables on a constant basis we suggest you do the



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Zoran  (Serbia) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) Speaker Cable


Well, this might not be the place for the hi-fi cables reviews but I decided to write something about the cable that rather changed my perception of music listening.

After I tried some Gekko OFHC-4N silver based interconnects, I wanted to try the same 4N soft annealed UK-made 0,3mm diameter silver wire in speaker cable from Gekko manufacturer. The construction of a cable itself is quite simple – three pairs of cotton insulated silver wire being twisted together and put in a snake-skin sleeve, terminated with Wireworld Uni-term silver spade/bananas forming a complete speaker cable.


Now, the listening session! After I connected the cable to my EL-34 based integrated replacing my reference Mundorf silver-foil based speaker cable, I was stunned by the changes the new cable brought. Everything was there but in more emphasized and controlled way. Highs became more detailed but never crossing the line of harshness imposing real 3D effect in overall sound. Mids, also blazingly detailed but not too forward, just smoothly following treble work..


And finally, the star of the night – the bass spectrum was something best I ever heard from a speaker cable so far! Surprisingly deep, fast and detailed as if silver has never been used in this cable, it was directing the dynamics of the music but never in an exaggerating manner… The complete sound stage widened significantly with lot more depth, my ACR RP-200 speakers simply vanished from the room!

I could not believe how good music went through three tiny solid core silver wires of 0,5mm, but my ears were not lying.. Anyway, this cable was directly compared to Wireworld Gold Eclipse and Crystal cable Piccolo cables and by the words of experienced audiophiles it excelled them in many areas. To sum it all up, musicality and detailed staging are the main strengths of this cable, actually it makes you wanna dance…


After everything being said, I think I will never let these beauties out of my listening room, HIGHLY recommended!



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Csaba Paksi (Hungary) - Silver Cloud (ex-Dream) RCA and XLR Interconnect


Gekko cables are really good. Price and quality are quite amazing. I’ve been in high end audio for long time and I never believed I would find interconnects good enough to much my equipment, and I’ve been always buying high end, branded cables.

Couple of weeks ago, I ordered Silver Dream interconnects from Gekko. I have to admit I have not expected such a level of quality from them. After a while, I replaced all my cables with Gekko ones. I will not be spending money on cables anymore. Thank you Gekko.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Ljubomir Slavinic (Serbia) - Air Gold Speaker cable


I have been delaying this review, thinking what to write, everything I wrote looked not good enough. Buying Gekko Air Gold speaker cable, I have not just obtained a cable, but a completely new sound dimension. My humble system started to sound unbelievably good, out of its league.  The sound stage was more open, amazing details, simply a pleasure for my ears. Beside being a bit sceptical in the beginning, I will be changing components in my audio system, but the Gekko Air Gold will be staying for a long time.



_______________________________________________________________________________________



Nikola (Serbia) – Attack Interconnect RCA


I would like to draw attention to a quality of Gekko cables and the quality of sound obtained from them. Up to recently, I’ve been using throughout my system Neothech cables made of solid core UP-OCC wires. Then I’ve started to experiment with Gekko cables. One by one, Gekko cables replaced all Neothech cables in my system. Attack interconnects sounded superior, cleaner and more precise, with more three-dimensional soundstage and more coherent sound, all this while retaining the warm sound.



_______________________________________________________________________________________




Branko Milosavljevic Frubi (Serbia)


I’ve been waiting for a couple of days to write my impressions about the Gekko cables and my cooperation with Boban, and for my experience to finally “settle down” so I can express my thoughts.

I got in touch with Boban by a chance, I had no corresponding cables for my high end audio system and I’ve decided to buy the Silver Dream interconnect and Speaker cables.

Before I’ve ordered the cables, I was a hugely sceptical about the cables in general, thinking of them as “snake oil”. I thought the cables can’t change or influence the sound of an audio system at all.

Once I connected the two Gekko Silver Dream cables, I’ve heard the difference straight away, and after a couple of days my whole system got what I’ve always expected from it – the whole sound picture.

Everything sounds fuller, cleaner and more transparent. The highs are more open; the bass became lower and mid frequencies more defined.


The whole system started to sound “softer, more sensitive and better”, listening pleasure was lifted to a different level and I think I have managed to get the best out of my audio system.

I’m looking forward to test Gekko mains cables, since Boban says they are very important in the sound chain.

All those who love to enjoy great sound and are trying to improve their audio system, Gekko cables are more them an ideal choice. You will get an amazing return on your investment.