Reviews & Testimonials
"The Perfect Finishing Touch"
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I’ve been searching, and finally found the perfect finishing touch for my system, Darwin cables. The true sound just comes through. Musicality and ease of listening are now much better. These cables have a
remarkable ability to just get out of the way. The music, now, fully comes through. It is as if the cables are not even there. I would describe them as invisible and friction-less.
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After just having upgraded and burned in my superb monoblock power amps, I thought I could go no further. Soundstage, attack, realism, were all tremendously improved. But, when I then installed the Darwin cables, all parameters came into perfect focus. A massive leap forward. Darwin cables are the real deal; excellence in concept, design, and engineering. Without a doubt, they rise to the very top of the cable market. You hear every nuance and really get more involved with your music. Even the passion in each musician comes through. The musicality, clarity, dimensionality, definition, dynamics, timbre, are all correct. Your brain doesn’t have to interpolate and insert what should be in the music. Everything is present. It makes listening easy and totally enjoyable. I didn’t know what I was missing. Darwin cables are that much better. Listening with these cables made a believer out of me. Enthralling. In my book, they are legendary. How many superlatives can I pile on Darwin cables. Just give them a listen and share my experience. Evolve with Darwin.
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—Barry Pinkus, M.D.
"Everything and more..."
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These are seemingly everything and more. Among other notable audible expressions from my speakers, the voices... all the voices, are undeniably real-life renderings. These Enlightenment cables are a source of listening pleasure as is the richness of discovering a long lost treasure. Very impressive engineering and design. Congratulations on your commitment to perfection. Best money I've spent in a long while... Thank you!
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—Thomas Hannah, Atlanta, GA
"The Enlightenment is a game-changer"
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I have been a customer of Darwin since 2013 or 2014. I originally switched to Darwin from JPS because I believed that the Darwin Ascensions provided more depth, clarity, dimensionality, and musicality than the JPS cables I then owned, or for that matter any other cable I owned or auditioned before them. Since then I have owned at least one pair of every major incarnation or upgrade of Darwin RCAs the company has produced. Each time I purchased a new set of cables I was impressed and satisfied. My stereo sounded better and better, but I always thought the improvements that each new cable brought were incremental.
The Enlightenment cables are a game-changer and deserve more than notice as a “step-up”. They are that good—letting the depth, detail, and presence of music flowing from great source components come forth. Simply, the sound is beautiful.
I will keep the rest of this short, because anything further that I write will not begin to describe the essence of the experience of these cables or their effect on my system. And since all of my words will have been said before by others about countless stereo cables, I will not bother. What I can emphatically state is: please do yourself a favor and audition a pair of these cables. You have to hear your system with them in place to truly appreciate them. I think you will be amazed the moment you plug them in, and continue to be wowed during their burn-in. Then, you will happily go into debt when you decide to keep them.
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—Joel Gorinsky, Delaware County, New York
A new Convert
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This simply can't be. I'm a Nordost guy, and I've been a Nordost guy since the mid-1990's. Original Blue Heaven, Blue Heaven LS, SPM Reference, Quattro Fil, Original Heimdall, Heimdall 2, Original Frey, etc. Interconnects, Speaker Cables, Component Video, Digital, Phono. If I needed it, and Nordost made it, my systems over the years included it.
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Then, this weird thing happened. After more than a decade of primarily using different Balanced Audio Technologies electronics (did I mention I was a BAT guy, too?), I decided to buy a little flea-watt tube integrated "just for fun." It was going to be connected to a tube phono stage, all single-ended, and it was going to be an occasional change of pace from my 250-watt amp. But when I hooked it up, there was an issue: I didn't want to go back to my BAT gear. It was hard to put my finger on it, but I just liked listening to my little tube integrated more.
So now I have a problem: all of my "good" cables are XLR. That meant I needed some trusty Nordost RCAs, which I picked up, and everything was hunky dory.
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But like every audiophile, the brain gets curious. So on an otherwise unassuming day, I'm reading through AXPONA 2025 recaps on Stereophile's website, and I see a headline about Rogue Audio, Magnepan, and something called Darwin Cable Company. Since my first real audiophile purchase was a pair of Magnepan SMGa loudspeakers back in the mid-90's, I was interested to see which speakers they brought to the show. The Darwin cables that connected everything were described as, "reasonably affordable by high end standards," so on a whim, I decided to check them out. After reading a bit about the company and the product line, I read some reviews. I also checked to see if there were any for sale on the used marketplaces, as you often get opinions from current owners, as well.
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To my utter shock, one of the cables being offered for sale (used) was touted as "replacing a Nordost Odin interconnect." Um... no way. Not for less than $1,000. Let's get real, here. So I reached out to the seller to see if he had fallen and hit his head. Alas, he said his assessment was genuine, and that he had other cables from Darwin that were staying in his system. He encouraged me to contact the company's owner to have a chat, and during that conversation, I decided to purchase a pair of 1M Enlightenment interconnects to run between my phono stage and integrated amp. A couple days later it arrived. I listened to one side of a record I use for testing/demos. Then I swapped the cables. In less than one side of one record, I sat in disbelief.
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The key takeaway for me was soundstage depth, and more specifically, it was the clarity of every instrument within the depth of the soundstage. There weren't just sounds of instruments and voices, but actual instruments with edges and details. There was space around them, and they were more localized. I thought I was already hearing all of these things, and in a way I was, it's just that there was an "11" I didn't know existed.
I ended up ordering another Enlightenment to try between my turntable and phono stage. Even though the cable is unshielded, I didn't have any hum or other interference issues. On the contrary, I had yet another solid improvement in sound. One by one, record after record, I was hearing little details that were always there, it's just that they were slightly veiled. Now the veil was lifted, and the things I loved about that little integrated became even more pronounced.
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Isn't the world a funny place? I would have bet anything I had that I'd live the rest of my life with a loom full of Nordost cables. Now I know I'll live the rest of my life with a loom full of Darwin cables, and I'll do so with a great big smile on my face.
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—Mr. E from Ohio
“Extrasensory listening experience”
“I like to listen for the squeaks associated with Pat’s fingers moving deftly across the fretboard of his acoustic guitar. This time around, with the simple system employing the Darwin Enlightenment interconnects, I heard the squeaks and squawks as always, but from a totally different perspective. What bubbled up was the ability to “see” Metheny’s fingers moving up and down the neck of the guitar as I listened with my eyes closed. Perhaps this illusion was always there, but I’d never before focused in on it to such an extent. An individual squeak was actually translating during its illusory lifetime from point to point in three-dimensional space, leading to a seriously extrasensory listening experience.”
— John Richardson, PT Audiophile
Enlightenment
"My System has never sounded so good"
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Darwin Enlightenment Extreme cables improved my system with more detailed sound, strong deeper bass, smooth natured vocal and very nice treble. Much better than my Cardas Clear beyond. Thank you!
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I am enjoying the new speakers cables, it makes my system sound so good with deeper and stronger bass. The mid vocals are very smooth and more clear. My system has never sounded this good.
I have tried a lot of different cables from different company as Nordost , Cardas, Kimber Kable, Audioquest, Transparent Audio, and MIT. Darwin cable is better about price. The Enlightenment is better than Cardas Clear Beyond and Nordost Vahalla 1 and cheaper.
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—K Nguyen, New Jersey
Natural 2
"Like it's almost playing mind games with you."
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Just received the IC’s and popped them in for a quick listen. Damn, I know it’s early, but I’m hearing something different (read better) with just 3-4 songs. A natural, no pun intended, more free flowing sound that seems to not only have more clarity (you know that lifted veil thing), but also seems to make the speakers disappear.
It’s almost like floating the images but they are in their right spaces and place if that makes sense!? Also was immediately impressed with the bass. Kind of like it’s almost playing mind games with you after you just felt how light they were in your hands. The soundstage is wider….but also has that more detached from the speaker feel in that it’s more emanating from around the speaker rather than being shot out of it. I don’t think the Nordost will be going back in!
—B. Lindsey - Texas
"The Darwin XLR interconnect cables have been a revelation..."
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I wanted to give you some impressions now that I've been listening to both the Darwin Cable Keystone and Natural II XLR interconnects for a while. Sonically, the music presented by the Darwin interconnect cables is delicate, organic and effortless, but also engaging and focused.
The music through the Darwin cables feels spontaneous and natural, especially vocals and acoustic guitars and piano. They have a great tonal balance, and are warm, smooth, and full. The Darwin cables remain true to the source material, without feeling harsh, processed or artificial. They reveal a detailed, wide, deep soundstage. They have accurate imaging and instrument separation, and have an uncanny way of letting the music unfold naturally, drawing you into the music. The cables are non-fatiguing, and they draw out rich, fine details in the music. The Darwin XLR interconnect cables have been a revelation, and are an excellent addition in my audio system.
—James in New Jersey
"Jaw Dropping"
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The clarity of the instruments is jaw dropping. In particular the bass is much better and so full and deep yet perfectly balanced with the drums, guitars, keyboard and vocals. The vocals are infinitely better.
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—Richard P
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"more relaxed and open, full details there. No brightness at all. Very smooth, but still full of dynamics."
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Had some time to sit down and methodically add the new Darwin Natural 2 and Keystone 2 RCAs and Darwin Natural speaker cables. I wanted to change everything at once, but knew I need to take it in steps.
With all the cables in (DAC to Pre, Pre to Amps, Amps to Speakers) it’s honestly the first time I can say I could hear a big improvement. With all my previous copper cables, no matter what type I could barely tell difference when switching.
I read if you want a step up, you need to go to silver cables, but excellent quality silver cables, not anything generic. Well I concur. With the Darwin Cables in my system, everything was more relaxed and open, full details there. No brightness at all. Very smooth, but still full of dynamics.
Thanks again for helping me out Bill.
—B Hancock, Florida
"tight, crisp, detailed and so airy it sounded ethereal"
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In general, I was quite satisfied and pleased with the quality of sound from my stereo system. But like many passionate music enthusiasts, I still wanted to upgrade the sound. I had already happened upon good fortune and synergy with my combination of a Rogue Audio Sphinx V3, Denon DCD-600E CD player, and Tannoy Revolution XT-8F tower speakers. I wanted to tweak the sound without changing out or upgrading these components. So, my next quest was to improve the quality of the interconnect from the CD player to the Amp. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to try some Dawin Cables, Natural 2 interconnects.
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I started my trial with a live rock recording of Widespread Panic. I believe I listened to this performance every Tuesday night during the first year of the Pandemic. I know it and love it! Immediately, I was struck by the increased clarity of the cymbals and also an increase in the depth, clarity, and quality of the bass lines, lines I thought I knew and were reproduced pretty darn clearly previously. Now they were better? The midrange remained accurate yet, now with additional details in the musical interactions of the various band members. Wow, great got better? Next I cued up an amazing recording of The Wailin Jennys, again, recorded exceedingly well, live. The sound was tight, crisp, detailed and so airy it sounded ethereal (female vocalist do that for me). Time for a change; from rock to acoustic folk, now the true test - orchestral music. Put on my two favorite Beethoven Symphonies the 5th and the 7th. Oh my! The high strings were again airy and accurate - sweet, the double basses were deeper and their tone intervals more accurate than I had heard previously, the tympani were tonally accurate and crisply accentuated. It got better as I noticed the woodwinds being clear and highly detailed, likewise, the brass sounds were mellow, warm, and richly hued and when loud, defined and not shrill. I continued on with my test and assessment over the next two weeks, listening to 22 different artists, from solo acoustic folk through the gamut of classic and obscure rock, through to several world famous symphony orchestras. At no point did this improvement diminish, decline, become lackluster or status quo. Simply improving the transfer of the signal from the source to the amplifier refreshed my entire music collection! The sound had become simultaneously more subtle and detailed when called for, in excitingly dynamic fashion. What’s the price-point on that? For me, that became irrelevant because this improvement now became mandatory. Thanks Darwin!
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-Eric S, Allentown, PA
We're including some reviews and testimonials of our older models. Why? If you see an old used Darwin on sale you can buy it with confidence. Our current entry level interconnect is the Keystone 2, which edges out our older mid-line Ascension II. Truth II cables really helped build Darwin's reputation as a giant killer. A cable that offers extreme world class performance priced like a good set of tires, not the whole car. As good as the Truth II was, the Natural 2 is a little bit better at a slightly lower price point.
The Darwin Truth is better than the $15,000 Nordost Odin!
"I have Jazz at the Pawnshop playing on the McIntosh system right now. It's on Double 2x 128 DSD out of the new McIntosh D150, it is also playing on SACD out of McIntosh new 450t transport and the turntable has a very good older recording of it playing as well. All simultaneously. I just took the ($15,000 MSRP) Nordost Odin XLR out between the DAC and the preamp, replaced it with your Darwin Truth.
The Truth sound stage is deeper. There is clearly more natural placement of each player on the stage with more natural air around each person. I have seen photos of the real event so I can see what the real stage looked like. Your cables are more correct and wayyyy more organic. The Odin magnified the digital source to my ears, meaning it made it sound more mathematical which Is not a good thing on ultra high resolution files in my book. To me, it sounds more natural all the way around, in the ways that matter to me, than my friend's mega buck system. I'm talking outrageous money.
I will use the drum solo on High Life as an example. Magic on ultra precise placement! I've never heard this recording give me the organic detail during the solo that allowed me to place each drum being hit as if I was stand right I front of, I could place each drum inches apart as he rolled across his set. Even hitting different parts of the same skin were identifiable.
Extreme detail all organic all while not artificially affecting the stage or placement of other players. That my friend is hard to do! Bravo! Best I've heard and this system loves Truth! Having both XLRs in the system makes an even bigger gap between your competition. Since my DAC has the Truth running to the preamp and the preamp to the amp is also a Darwin Truth I noticed even more detail and depth. Amazing products, my friend! There is nothing in the way to cloud the actual capabilities of the Truths. I'm all Darwin now, and it truly is the best I have heard!
—Scott R— Former industry distributor, GA
Beats $18,000 MIT Oracle Max Rev2's
"Customers are reporting the amazing sound the Darwin Truth II cables gave their systems. Some shot it out with more expensive cables like the Transparent Reference MM2, Analysis Plus, Audience, Crystal Cable, Shunyata Research, Synergistic Research, etc. I even compared to my flagship MIT Oracle Max Rev2's that are priced as much as eighteen times the cost of a Darwin Truth II and yet it beats my MIT in terms of transparency, soundstaging, texture and PRAT. Awesome bass too. Simply amazing!
— R. D. Marave, Dealer, Puerto Rico
The Darwin Silver and Silver II
This was our original $195 cable and it's $295 successor. Our new Keystone 2 for $375 is better still.
Topped Nordost
“I preferred the Darwins far more than the Nordosts (Nordost SPM $1100 and Quattro Fils $1600). The Darwins were fuller, reached DEEEEPer into the lower frequencies, and had better detail than the Nordosts… better in the sense that the detail they revealed allowed me to see both the big and small musical landscape in a way that was effortless and smooth. …The Darwins never failed to deliver a rich, in-the-room sound. The soundstage was no wider than the Nordosts but it was deeper, the imaging more realistically precise.”
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—Darosenb, Audiogon Reviewer
Stereo Mojo: “Impressed!”
“The Darwin literally leaps out of the way and allows the recording to do what it is supposed to do… I was impressed with their neutral presentation. The Darwins are designed to present the truth... Female vocals are so feminine you leave the room to make sure your bed is made so it doesn’t offend your lover. Male vocals make you want to grab your bat and glove to join the guys at the high school for a pick-up game.”
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—Mike Peskin, StereoMojo Reviewer (RIP, MIke)
“The Most Positive Impact I've Heard...”
“I'll save you all a lot of time by stating in front that adding 3 feet of this wire to my system made the most positive impact I've ever heard. From wire. With the Darwin Cables, the soundstage is more "real" and the imaging far clearer, "pinpoint". The bass deserves it's own paragraph. The addition of the Darwins immediately made the deep bass amazingly articulate in tone and texture, by far the best I've ever heard...”
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—Amioutaline, Audio Asylum Reviewer
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“Superior To Other Cables!”
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"The very first thing I noticed once the Darwin Cables were installed in my reference system was a reduction in the noise floor… blackness or darkness. To my ears, the instrument that makes or breaks a sound system is the piano. If the piano sounds good on a particular system, I find that it will sound good with most instruments. This is of course recording dependent, but the piano selections I played seemed to be more vibrant, much like a splash of color on a previously blank canvas. Individual notes were easily distinguished without background noise to smear the playback. The image and soundstage of the Darwin Cables is impressive. In listening to my selections, I was surprised to find that I was more easily locating the positions of each instrument, to the point of closing my eyes and actually pointing them out in the air, something I never felt inclined or able to do before the installation of the Darwin Cables. Dynamics are another strong suit. The low end is neither fat nor lean, but pleasantly robust in nature. The top end is bright and clean without being sibilant, while the midrange easily keeps pace rounding out a very neutral sounding cable. These are all of the ways in which the Darwin Cable is superior to the other cables I have used. The Darwin Cable easily trounced the cables I had previously believed were ‘good’."
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— Hudson K, PA
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“Even My Wife Heard The Difference!”
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"For years and years my wife Penny has told me more than once that all of this audio stuff I buy doesn't improve the sounds even a token amount. Not so fast this time, I played a couple of tracks from the Eagles Hell freezes over DVD; out with the old-in with the new ICs; replaying the same tracks with no other changes. Penny couldn't believe her ears, she could hear many more instruments and they were clearer, much more spatial with a broader sound stage. So, my friend. Good job."
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—Terry M.
“Hear what you've been missing...”
The first audible difference I detected in the Darwin Silver II was that high frequency detail is retained without sounding shrill or strident. High frequencies are no longer 'edgy'. As my debut progressed, I found myself segueing between "Oh, so that is how that musical passage sounds" and "Wait! Where did that guitar (or other musical instrument) come from?" You think you have a good audio system until you hear what is missing. Darwin Cables have provided the market with leading edge design and execution, and yet have priced their products within the budgetary realm of us civilians. It is truly Bill and Tony's world, and we just live in it. Thank you, gentlemen."
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—David Cleary, Oregon
“My high End Cables Got Smoked!”
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“I first listened to a couple of tracks from Jeff Lorber's latest album. I used the original cables hooked between the OPPO player and Anthem Preamp Processor to get my ears calibrated. After I thought my ears were calibrated, I hooked the Darwin Silver Cables up, sat in the sweet spot and turned the system back on. It was a night and day difference. My high end cables got smoked! Man, I did not know that changing to these cables would make such a difference. Again it was no contest; the Darwin Cables are a no brainer. They give more detail. You can hear more of the music.”
—Andrew Trusty, Utah
"Price/Performance Ratio is Insane!"
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“I’ve used very expensive cables in the past from reputable manufacturers including sets that cost nearly triple the price of the Darwin Cables. (With the Darwin Cables) I was expecting, or hoping for a little improvement. Instead, I got what I call "Autofocus". "Dull and foggy" sound gone. "Air" was now present. Everything just seemed to become clearer, like a fog had been lifted, or a curtain lifted from in front of the speakers. Clarity, oh how I missed thee. I can easily discern that etched twang of metal strings on an acoustic guitar like in the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" CD. A singer’s sharp intake of breath can easily be heard, and brings a grin to my face. The cellos in the opening of We are the Fallen’s "I am Only One" sounded very real and full of texture that you could almost feel. I could hear the friction of the bow on the strings. If you have a system that needs a jolt of clarity, and some more air up there, then these cables could be right up your alley. They worked for me, and saved me from rotating amps in an out trying to solve an issue that was no fault of the amp itself. The price/performance ratio of these cables is INSANE.”
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—Erich S, Audio Sales Consultant
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"Could Not Have Been More Delighted!"
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"I was amazed at the results! The imaging was much improved and the soundstage gained in width and depth I had never heard from my mix of components. I could much more easily discern separate voices in harmony. Percussion instruments were much more distinguishable. The tonal quality of vocals was greatly enhanced. Previously, vocals seemed to radiate from the tweeter, more so. With the new cable vocals gained a new richness without sounding as they were squeezed out of the tweeter. Gone was the blurring effect. Vocals are much larger and less throaty if that make sense? I could not have been more delighted. It has to be the air gap and the non-conductive or insulating character of the Teflon that contributes to these results. Regardless, the end result is paramount."
​—Tim Preston