What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Does a job, but there’s a lot better out there
Pros
- +
Colourful bass
- +
good midrange
- +
detailing
Cons
- -
Brash, confused, dynamically disappointing
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Sitting at £65, the Mark Grant G1000HD is meant to be an upgrade from budget cables.
Aesthetically it's the cable equivalent of an anatomical model, having its copper core squarely on display in a transparent, flexible jacket.
We give it Led Zeppelin's ballsy When The Levee Breaks, and our reference kit serves up a wide soundstage with a capable midrange and firm, colourful bass.
In-your-face presentation
Top-end frequencies are brash however; this isn't a cable to whisper sweet nothings in your ear. It prefers, instead, to shout them at point-blank range, so detailing is steamrollered over.
What really lets this cable down though, is its inability to get to grips with dynamics. Bonham's trademark drumming becomes jumbled and confused, and the sound lacks cohesion and definition, ending up as a soggy, pulpy mass.
Pit this against a class-leader like the Merlin Mozart and its shortcomings are fearful. The Mozart is £25 cheaper than the G1000HD, and runs rings round it in every way.
