Node Audio Research choose Wire on Wire’s Experience660S tunable speaker cable for their demo room in Cambridge

18th December 2020

“Wire on Wire’s adaptive geometry really does work — so much so that it now forms part of our reference system here at our Cambridge headquarters, where we have tuned the cables to give a tighter, more focused image in our demonstration room” — Ashley May.

Challenging expectations: that’s what we at Wire and Wire were doing when we launched our radical new approach to audio cable design with our REDpurl™ Tunable Geometry. And it’s that same ethos — to push the boundaries of expectation — that prompted Node Audio Research’s development of their HYLIXA Loudspeaker’s ‘Helical Bass’ structure.

Developed by Node’s David Evans and Ashley May, their loudspeaker design combines beautiful aesthetics with the highest levels of audio reproduction and engineering. And, pre-Lockdown, we enjoyed a fascinating tour of their facility near Cambridge.

First, though, in their comfortable demo room, we revisited the trials we’d started when we all met at The Festival of Sound in London.

It’s really no surprise when we met that there was a meeting of minds. We were immensely impressed with their speaker design and together we explored the possibility that conventional high-end cables were not releasing their full potential. Plugging in a pair of our Experience660S we couldn’t help but smile as the already notable speaker performance was taken to a new level with a greater sense of air and space, dynamics and image focus. With the responsiveness attained at this level of engineering, fine-tuning with speaker cables becomes critically important, a dimension that is often overlooked because cables are so often labelled as ‘accessories’.

We’re delighted that Node now uses Wire on Wire’s Experience660S speaker cable in their demo room in Cambridge. Ashley says, “Here at Node we’re all about innovative design solutions to unlock new possibilities in audio reproduction. Imagine our intrigue at the prospect of a tunable speaker cable to refine your ideal sonic presentation. Wire on Wire’s adaptive geometry really does work — so much so that it now forms part of our reference system here at our Cambridge headquarters, where we have tuned the cables to give a tighter, more focused image in our demonstration room.”

Next the tour. A short walk from demo room to Node’s production facilities took us to where cutting-edge laser fabrication techniques are used in the manufacturing process.

As a manufacturer, it’s always a delight to see how others do it. We were fascinated to watch as the laser-based 3D printing technology used “selective laser sintering” to fuse microscopic glass nylon particles to “grow” their ‘Helical Bass’ enclosure. This is followed by a meticulous hand-assembly process.

But new technology on its own is no guarantee of musical success in the audio world. In the case of our two companies, it’s our ability as designers to use our experience to refine the new technology that enables it to work in the real world of audio reproduction.

It was a great pleasure spending time with David and Ashley at their Cambridge headquarters, and it is clear that they both enjoy their music and care about the people who use their products, something we share here at Wire on Wire.