We have quickly became a huge fan of the Sinasoid brand and the products they make. So when we found out about their new Sliver series soldered patch cables we had them send us one to demo. They assembled the cable for us but the cables are available in both DIY versions as well as pre-made ones like ours.
First Impressions
Upon first inspection of the cable I was impressed with the heat shrink and the cable quality. The cable is both durable and flexible and the heat shrink is done with the highest attention to detail. The copper tip is not just coated but rather solid copper making for better conductivity.
That being said I immediately had some reservations about the plastic cap that goes over the soldered connection. It just seemed flimsy and not protective enough. I un-screwed the jacket from the plug and the cab pops off easily revealing the solder connections of the cable. As with all things I have tested from Sinasoid the soldering was spot on and extremely clean. The cable appears to be very easy to assemble even if you are not an experienced solderer making them a great alternative to solderless cables.
The size is one of the things that Sinasoid claims is a huge value. While these cables are indeed thin they take up relatively the same amount of pedalboard real-estate as pancake plugs and lava tightrope solderless plugs. They are a great deal smaller than regular right angle soldered jacks and George L’s however.
The Tone
Now the most important part. What is the tone like? I have been using Lava Tightrope cables for the past year and have always like George L’s. Each has their own tonal characteristics. George L’s tend to have a little more high end clarity while Lava Cables are very balanced across the frequency spectrum. These cables are crystal clear and lean more towards the Lava Cables as far as tonal characteristics. They are very balanced but there is a little something extra in the highs and mids that make them clearer than the Lava Cables. I attribute this to the solid copper plug tip and a better soldered connection. The type of cable used is also a contributing factor as well.
Overall Thoughts
Like all of the Sinasoid products I have tested, I am super impressed with these cables. The only downfall is the plastic cap over the solder connection. While this doesn’t hinder the sound and with the nature of patch cables it really isn’t a durability issue, I just think they look a little less road worthy than solid metal jacks. There is no data to back that up though, and I absolutely love how easy these cables go together and come apart. I was also not incredibly impressed with the size of the cable. While it is the smallest soldered cable out there there are still smaller options on the market and this is comparable to many of the industry standards.
What I find to be the selling point and why I hope to replace my patch cables with these, is the ease of use and stellar company behind them. Sinasoid is a world class company that provides great customer service and these cables are the easiest soldered patch cable to assemble on the market.
Many of the soldered patch cables out there are difficult to get right if you are new to soldering. These would be relatively easy for someone who has never soldered to pick up and make great sounding durable patch cables. There’s my two sense on the Sinasoid Sliver. Make sure to check out my review on the their flagship Slate Series Instrument leads as well!
