RUSS ANDREWS INTRODUCES UPDATED KIMBER KABLE 4PR AND 8PR SPEAKER CABLES TO THE UK
Forty-three years since Kimber Kable first launched its very first speaker cable, the Kimber Kable 4PR, Russ Andrews is introducing the new version of 4PR and its big brother 8PR to the UK market.
Russ Andrews says that the new cables greatly improve on the performance of the originals by utilising trickle-down technology from Kimber’s higher-end speaker cables.
KIMBER KABLE 4PR AND 8PR SPEAKER CABLE
The 4PR and 8PR cables, featuring eight and 16 conductors per channel respectively, now benefit from the use of VariStrand conductors, which comprise an arrangement of different diameter copper strands within each conductor. These variable thickness wires are designed to ensure the cable has an even response, that doesn’t favour any particular frequency.
KIMBER VARISTRAND
“This balanced frequency response of the VariStrand cables is one of the reasons why Kimber speaker cables sound so natural and don’t impart any character of their own into the music,” says Russ Andrews, chairman and technical director.
Each of the woven conductors within 4PR and 8PR contains seven of the VariStrand wires, made from Kimber’s own high-purity oxygen-free electrolytic copper, which is a significant improvement in quality over the old 4PR and 8PR models and has a conductivity of 102% IACS, along with very low induction. 4PR’s positive and negative conductors are each 13AWG / 2.6mm2 and 8PR has 2 x 10AWG / 6mm2. Overall cable diameters are 9mm and 11.5mm respectively.
In addition to the improvement in copper quality and the inclusion of VariStrand technology, the polyethene insulation now comes in a smart red and black finish, a nod to the cable’s original colour scheme.
KIMBER KABLE 1979
Kimber Kable was launched in 1979 with the release of the original 4PR, the first cable to feature the now-familiar woven cable geometry which is a hallmark of virtually every Kimber cable. The woven design was developed by Ray Kimber to solve a problem he was experiencing when installing sound and light systems in Los Angeles clubs in the 1970s. He noticed that the lighting rigs were generating RF noise which was being picked up by the speaker cables. After many hours of theorising and experimentation, he managed to cancel the noise by weaving the cable, with the welcome side effect of an improvement in perceived audio quality.
KIMBER KABLE 4PR AND 8PR SPEAKER CABLE PRICE
The new 4PR and 8PR are available now, direct from Russ Andrews
2.5m pair 4PR: £145 8PR: £290
4.5m pair 4PR: £221 8PR: £442
Prices quoted are for ‘cut and stripped’, also available with Banana Plugs or 8mm UltraPlate™ Spades. Optional cable Burn-In or Process Q treatment can be applied to the cables for an additional charge.
HiFi Pig Says: A revival of the 1970s original from Kimber, still at a reasonable price.
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