Website author headshot
Cameron Oatley
ExtremeHiFi
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi

Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.

What reviewers think

Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.

What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.

Manufacturer details

  • Standard termination: XLR > XLR
  • Y terminations available
  • Lengths: 1-meter, 1.5-meter, 2-meter, 10-feet, 15-feet, 20-feet, 25-feet, and longer
  • Specify High Z or Low Z network calibration
  • Custom terminations/lengths/singles always available
REFERENCE Balanced Interconnects are essential building blocks for a Connoisseur Level music or film system with balanced components. They deliver extended and well-defined bass energy while creating an incredibly quiet sound field for low-level audio signals to flesh out music to previously unrealizable levels.
REFERENCE Balanced Interconnects are essential building blocks for a Connoisseur Level music or film system with balanced components. They deliver extended and well-defined bass energy while creating an incredibly quiet sound field for low-level audio signals to flesh out music to previously unrealizable levels.

REFERENCE Balanced Interconnect is designed for high-resolution source components and preamplifiers with fully balanced differential circuitry. It dramatically expands the realism of a sonic landscape while invoking a staggering level of detail and preservation of dynamic range. A fully balanced design from cabling through the precisely matched dual networks for each channel, REFERENCE is often the balanced interconnect choice for discerning audiophiles, music lovers, and music professionals alike.

REFERENCE Balanced Interconnect is handcrafted in the USA and is upgradeable to XL, OPUS, or MAGNUM OPUS Balanced Interconnects. High quality XLR connectors with gold-plated contacts transfer power effortlessly through precision wound OFHC stranding.

REFERENCE Balanced delivers deeper, tighter bass frequencies and transfers music with more refinement than ULTRA Balanced interconnects. ULTRA Balanced uses a single acrylic network module for each channel to house its dual networks, whereas REFERENCE uses 2 elegant carbon fiber composite network modules for each channel. This...
Manufacturer Site
Avg. Product Price
$5,001-$10,000
Used For Sale
87
 Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
97
 of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
64
Founding Year
1980

Our take on the brand

Transparent Cable is unique for incorporating compensatory networks within their cables to address impedance matching and noise reduction, along with offering custom calibration services that match cables to specific audio components. The brand stands out through their extensive upgrade program, allowing customers to trade in older models for newer versions while retaining much of their original investment value.

Look inside the brand

Brand Page

Our interview with the brand

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