2022 Golden Ear: Empirical Design Cables

Empirical Design Cables

Prices Vary

Empirical Design is probably the most under-the-radar, over-the-top-performing high-end cable company in existence. It’s been my reference for nearly 20 years, along the way winning two previous Golden Ear Awards. But those were back in the aughts. It’s worth noting that, through constant incremental evolution, these cables and power cords have retained what originally set them apart: top-notch parts-quality, straightforward topologies, hand-built construction, and a price roughly one-tenth that of cables of comparable merit. Recently, two events reminded of these cables’ unique attributes. First, the sonics of a review component were transformed—no exaggeration—by the insertion of a $240 Empirical Design power cord. Second, some fancy-pants speaker cable recommended by the speaker’s manufacturer was shown up by the far more neutral ED wire. At prices in the hundreds rather than the thousands, these cables are a no-brainer investment for most systems.