PAST PRODUCTS

The SILVER LINE cable range was born from all my research and testing work in the early 90’s, and has been on the market since 1995, it has remained unchanged until 2020 when I developed an advanced version of the original design, using technology from the Sonic Art REFERENCE series cable. The new SILVER LINE Mk2 is a strong step forward towards reference performance, but do not discount the original SILVER LINE cable, it outperforms cables many times its cost, and is one of the most neutral cables on the market.

Silver Line

 interconnect cables

Specifications and Theory

I started developing cables in 1993 to compliment my Loudspeaker range, the cables culminated in the use of Military/Aerospace grade Silver and Copper combined with VIRGIN PTFE (Pressure cast Teflon).

My 'Time Aligned' configuration was chosen after extensive testing and the design was submitted for registration in 1994.

Sonic Art's conductor design is essentially a silver alloy, 40 microns of Military Grade 4N Silver plated onto a Military Grade 4N Copper core. Anyone who tells you their cable is 6N or 7N should be asked to supply a laboratory report showing the purity grade and how they tested for it! Even the Military & Aerospace industries test only to a provable 99.99% purity, their testing includes checking for trace elements, terms like “oxygen free” are more a gimmick than a real measure of metal purity.

Plating of copper base wires is a very expensive process if done to Military/Aerospace standards and contrary to what many “cable producers” will try to convince you of, correct hi-tech plating is superior to any other method of combining silver and copper.

Each of our 19 strands is saturated with 40 microns of Silver, which forms the basis of our conductors. The conductors are drawn through Diamond dies which create excellent surface finish and a smooth consistent base wire. The dies compact the wire into the desired diameter and form an almost alloy of silver and copper. The cross sectional metallurgy is smooth and gradual in its consistency.

Our process eliminates brightness & dioding effects associated with cheap plating techniques such as molten bath plating, commonly used by Asian & commercial wire manufacturers. The military would never use molten bath plating as it is of low quality, with the problems of stripping and corrosion in the metallurgy.

We insulate our conductors with VIRGIN PTFE Pressure Cast Teflon insulation and then cover them with a Military Grade 4N Silver/Copper mesh shield. VIRGIN PTFE Teflon is used exclusively on all our conductors as although it is the most expensive of extruded insulators it exhibits the lowest dielectric loss, and is the best dielectric besides air.

MODEL: MINITOR MkII

The MINITOR is a compact two way loudspeaker ideally suited to the listener with limited space but who does not wish to compromise on sound quality. The coated paper cone woofer compliments the NEW Fabric dome tweeter giving the speaker a smooth integrated extension. Drive units are Danish manufacture. Speaker design is Bass Reflex with rear firing port.

Gold plated single binding posts ensure a good cable connection. Hard wired crossover with Sonic Art Silver cable. French made SOLEN capacitors and Australian hand wound air core inductors are used throughout. Finish is in AUSTRALIAN Jarrah veneer over 19mm MDF cabinet structures, hand made in Melbourne.

WOOFER:                    5 inch coated cone with rubber surround.

TWEETER:                  19mm fabric dome, Ferro Fluid cooled.

IMPEDANCE:              8 ohms nominal.

EFFICIENCY:              87dB with 1 watt at 1 metre.

RESPONSE:                60Hz to 20,000Hz +3dB -3dB.

AMPLIFICATION:       20 to 70 Watts unclipped.

DIMENSIONS:             W190mm H320mm D240mm.

WEIGHT:                      14kg per pair net.

 

MODEL: MINITOR PRO SE

The MINITOR PRO SE is a professional version of the MINITOR, exhibiting near studio monitor response and powerful dynamic range. The New Modified 5" woofer features a high damping rubber surround and polypropylene cone for a neutral detailed midrange and smooth bass extension. The new hand made tweeter from Hiquphon has a superb level of detail and an open, deep, pinpoint soundstage. Again the best of the Danish driver technology is employed.

The speaker is Bass Reflex design with a rear firing port. Crossover is hard wired with Sonic Art Silver cable, and silver soldered to the CARDAS Patent Solid Copper Binding Post system.  Hi-End UK made ANSAR capacitors, SOLEN air core inductors, and MILLS resistors are used throughout.

Finish is AUSTRALIAN Jarrah veneer, with 25mm solid Jarrah front baffles coupled to 19mm MDF cabinets, hand made in Melbourne. Fine Acoustic Wool damping is incorporated into the Pro.

WOOFER:                    Modified 5-inch polypropylene cone large motor assembly, rubber surround.

TWEETER:                  Hiquphon OW1 silk dome tweeter.

EFFICIENCY:               87dB with 1 watt at 1 metre.

IMPEDANCE:              8 ohms nominal.

RESPONSE:                60Hz to 22,000Hz +2dB/-2dB.

AMPLIFICATION:       30 to 80 Watts unclipped.

DIMENSIONS:             W190mm H320mm D240mm.

WEIGHT:                      18kg per pair net.

 

 

MODEL: TOWER II

The TOWER II is a professional floor standing Loudspeaker, exhibiting a near studio response and powerful dynamic range. The 8-INCH Bass driver features a patented DYNAMIC DAMPENING circuit, high damping rubber surround and Polypropylene cone for a remarkable midrange and deep bass extension. The soft fabric ESOTEC dome tweeter from DYNAUDIO has a superb level of detail retrieval and openness and an incredible extension. Again the best of the Danish driver technology is employed. The speaker is Bass Reflex design. Crossover is hard wired with Sonic Art Silver cable, and silver soldered to the CARDAS Patent Solid Copper Binding Post system. Hi-End UK made ANSAR capacitors, SOLEN air core inductors and Mills resistors are used throughout, first order is employed with equalisation for both drivers. Finish is AUSTRALIAN Jarrah and the cabinets are 28mm laminate, hand made in Melbourne. Fine Acoustic Wool dampening is incorporated into the Tower II.

WOOFER:                    8-Inch Polypropylene cone featuring patented DYNAMIC DAMPENING circuit.

TWEETER:                  DYNAUDIO ESOTEC.

EFFICIENCY:              90dB with 1 watt at 1 metre.

IMPEDANCE:              8 ohms nominal.

RESPONSE:                38Hz to 20,000Hz +3dB/-3dB.

AMPLIFICATION:       30 to 150 Watts unclipped.

DIMENSIONS:             W250mm H870mm D350mm.

WEIGHT:                      52kg per pair net.

 

 

MODEL: SUPER TOWER II

DESCRIPTION: The SUPER TOWER II is a professional floor standing Loudspeaker, exhibiting a near studio response and powerful dynamic range. The 8-INCH Bass driver features a patented DYNAMIC DAMPENING circuit, high damping rubber surround and Polypropylene cone which gives a controlled, deep bass extension. The midrange drivers are Danish paper cone units poly coated, with fine foam surrounds, giving a very natural musical presentation, yet detailed and airy. (These are discontinued midranges so production of the Super Tower in this form will be limited). Tweeter is the famous Hiquphon OW1, perfectly suited to this application, pinpoint accuracy, excellent extension, detailed yet sweet, little wonder it has been voted the best dome tweeter by so many professional and amateur designers! Again the best of the Danish driver technology is employed. The speaker is Bass Reflex design. 

Crossover is a very simple circuit, preserving the phase characteristics of the drivers and giving a resistive, easy load to your amplifier. Hard wired with Sonic Art Silver cable, and silver soldered to the CARDAS Patent Solid Copper Binding Post system. Hi-End UK made ANSAR & French SOLEN capacitors, US Mills resistors, & SOLEN Solid and Heptaliz air core inductors are used throughout.

Finish is AUSTRALIAN Jarrah or Silky Oak and the cabinets are 28mm laminate construction, with 19mm sealed midrange enclosures. Hand made in Melbourne. Man made fibreglass for midrange enclosure and fine Acoustic Wool dampening is incorporated into the Super Tower II.

WOOFER:                    8-Inch Polypropylene cone featuring patented DYNAMIC DAMPENING circuit.

MIDRANGE:                4 inch poly / paper cone, foam surround.

TWEETER:                  Hiquphon OW1 20mm silk dome.

EFFICIENCY:              88dB with 1 watt at 1 metre.

IMPEDANCE:              8 ohms nominal, 6.5 minimum @180Hz

RESPONSE:                38Hz to 20,000Hz +2dB/-2dB.

AMPLIFICATION:       30 to 150 Watts unclipped.

DIMENSIONS:             W250mm H970mm D350mm.

WEIGHT:                      70kg per pair net.

 

SONIC ART  SA250 Tonearm

The Sonic Art SA250 is a custom built tonearm based on the RB250. The RB250 is an exceptional arm for modifying as it has a simplistic purity to its design, the quality of the bearings and highly  toleranced assembly from the factory combined with a beautiful cast alloy tapered arm tube gives us a serious base to work with. Sonic Art discards the factory counterweight and plastic end stub, we carefully remove the factory wiring ensuring we retain the factory fittings as much as possible at either end of the arm so that re-assembly gives you essentially a factory finish. We do not touch the bearings as the Rega techs spend considerable time setting these up for zero play and as frictionless an operation as possible.

We add to the arm the Origin Live end stub structural modification, this is not simply a screw in stub but uses a threaded anchor system that screws into the back of the arm, the stub is then clamped against the arm tube creating a solid extension of the tube. The Origin Live counterweight is ready to fit by the customer. Wiring: We have been making custom tonearm wiring looms for many years, we use CARDAS Golden ratio litz tonearm wire in all custom arms. The arm wire runs from cartridge clips to RCA plugs, where it exits the arm it runs in a Teflon guide tube faraday cage that is full shielded, terminated with CARDAS Eutectic copper alloy plugs with silver rhodium plating. You end up with a seriously good sounding arm! VTA adjusting rings are available which complete the SA250, detailed yet musical, rhythmical, dynamics and a strong bass line belie the arms origins and price!

 

SONIC ART ‘LEGEND SE’ Vacuum tube amplifier

The LEGEND SE is a classic Single Ended tube amplifier which utilises one of the all time great power tubes, the EL84. I have always had a fondness for this tube, and wanted this amplifier to carry on where the old LEGEND (using ECL86 tubes) left off. Using the EL84 allows the Audiophile the ability to tube roll to their hearts desire. Being such a simple amplifier with a direct path to the output transformers, different tubes are easily distinguishable from each other sonically.

The LEGEND SE is a classic Single Ended tube amplifier using one of the all time greats, the EL84 pentode power tube. Input drives through a Class A dual triode 12AT7/AY7 allowing a very simple coupling path with minimal capacitance.  Pentode or Triode connection is easily configured inside the amplifier.

AxON Tin Foil caps and kiwame resistors are used in the signal path, Power supply are Japanese High Voltage electrolytics. Sonic Art Silver signal cable is used for the input and an ALPS BLUE VELVET volume pot is standard. Output transformers are hand wound with multiple section windings, a precision air gap and very tight tolerances. Results are extended bandwidth at full power output. PCB is high quality fibreglass with silver plated tracks.

Chassis is brushed anodised non magnetic all alloy with CNC front plate and volume knob. Power input features IEC EMI/RFI filtering module and AC cap for smooth turn-on. Speakers around 88dB upwards are suitable for the LEGEND, 4 & 8 ohm output taps are offered to match most domestic loudspeakers. Sound quality? Simply amazing!

An upgrade pack is available for the LEGEND with the following suggested components:

NOS USA GE/Sylvania EL84 power tubes

NOS GE 6072 / 12AT7 input tube

ULTRA FAST soft recovery diodes.

CARDAS Golden section Film coupling caps.

CARDAS Silver Rhodium plated copper binding posts.

CARDAS Silver Rhodium plated copper RCA sockets.

Power output:             2.5wpc RMS / 5wpc peak Pentode / 1.2wpc RMS 2.5wpc peak Triode

Response:                  18Hz – 42kHz @ RMS power

Operating voltage:    220-240VAC

Fuse:                            500ma

Dimensions:               W260mm H105mm D330mm

Weight:                        7.0kg net

 

"The Fable" Moving Magnet Phono stage.

The 'Fable' is a simple design which features a very low noise, low distortion dual op amp. It is designed to accept the input of any Moving Magnet cartridge, or high output Moving Coil that presents a 47Kohm load. The 'Fable' operates best with cartridges producing 3mV or more output, although it will provide enough gain for cartridges as low as 1.0mV such as the Benz Micro range of medium output cartridges. Low output moving coil cartridges can be used with the addition of a step up transformer such as the Quick Silver Step up, to boost the cartridge signal and match the impedance.

The 'Fable' is now built as the SE version only and features WIMA 2.5% Polypropylene and Polyester capacitors, 12 ELNA Cerafine Audio capacitors, Burr Brown Op Amp, New BY229 series ultra fast soft recovery diodes, CARDAS Silver/rhodium plated RCA sockets, Beschlag low noise 1% resistors & matched component tolerance for increased channel separation. Connected internally with Sonic Art Silver wiring and CARDAS Silver/Rhodium plated chassis RCA sockets. RIAA and IEC equalization is employed. The FABLE Phono stage is housed in a new CNC Machined alloy case with solid acrylic front panel and power LED.

The power supply is fully regulated design featuring large ELNA Cerafine 1000uF filtering capacitance, and special fast recovery ceramic rectifier diodes instead of the more common (and cheap) one-piece bridge rectifier. The output side of the regulator features 470uF ELNA Cerafine capacitors and WIMA bypass capacitors to ensure good transient response and increased stability.

Power comes from a new high current c-tick compliant Linear C core transformer power supply housed in its own case. The transformer is external to the main filtering board and phono board.

This Phono Stage exhibits a smooth and open soundstage with excellent frequency response and a detailed non-fatiguing sound. Available in 240VAC 50Hz and can be run with any low noise 2A+ external 15V AC transformer that has ground.

Gain:                            56

Response:                  10Hz – 50kHz -1.5dB

Operating Voltage:    240VAC

Fuse:                            500mA

Dimensions:               TBA

Weight:                        2kg