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PBJ Hifi Interconnect with Ultraplate RCA plugs
PBJ - Kimber's best-selling interconnect.
PBJ was Kimber’s first analogue interconnect, launched in the 1980s. Since then it has found its way into the systems of tens of thousands of audiophiles across the globe. Because of its high specification (don't let the price fool you!) that includes many a high-end set-up as well as its more natural, home in budget to mid-level scenarios.
PBJ is available with Kimber’s excellent UltraPlate™ RCA plugs, and - as a lower-cost option - with some fine-sounding nickel-plated RCAs connectors. There's also a balanced XLR version.
Where would you use it?
Kimber PBJ is suitable for connecting the analogue outputs of sources - such as your CD player, streamer, tuner or set-top box - to your preamp or integrated amplifier. It also makes an excellent cable to link preamps to power amps, or to analogue active loudspeakers.
PBJ is such a great-value interconnect that it’s an effective match for both lower-priced and mid-range systems, allowing you to enjoy even more music from them.
Its high-performance means it won’t be disgraced even in higher-end systems.
PBJ fitted with Kimber Ultraplate RCA plugsHighly specified
PBJ features a tri-braid construction utilising three hyper-pure copper, VariStrand™ KIMBER KABLE® conductors. Each individual conductor is insulated with an extruded fluorocarbon dielectric and braided together.
That all sounds a little bit technical, so let's unpack it in a little more detail.
Tri-Braid, VariStrand™ construction
PBJ uses three, high-purity copper conductors, braided together to form a 'single' cable (Tri-Braid). As with all Kimber cables, the weave acts as a filter, reducing both airborne Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and RFI which can be carried along the cable, from one piece of equipment to the other.
'VariStrand™' is the name KIMBER KABLE® give to their unique multi-strand conductors. Each conductor is itself made up of seven individual strands of differing gauges. Each gauge 'favours' a different broad frequency. This allows the cable to represent the frequency range of the music more accurately.
PBJ is made with Kimber's TCSS VariStrand™ wire - click here to read more about TCSS wire.
Fluorocarbon (Teflon®) insulation (dielectric)
The type of insulation, or dielectric, used has a significant effect on the performance of an audio cable. PBJ uses fluorocarbon (Teflon®). It's expensive but it can be applied at high pressure and thus a lower temperature. This minimises any heat damage to the copper and maintains its purity.
Performance
PBJ is a cable that surprises with its ability to bring out the best in budget systems whilst not disgracing itself in the company of higher level kit. Tonally balanced, with clear, articulate highs, accurate midrange, tight extended bass, and three dimensional soundstaging are common descriptions echoed by surprised reviewers and satisfied customers alike - check out the 'Reviews' tab.
Optional Upgrades
We offer a number of additions and treatments to take the performance of your Interconnect to the next level. To find out more, click on the 'What's this?' link next to each icon above right.
Money Back Guarantee
Don't forget! We are so confident in the performance of this product that it is covered by our 60 Day Home Trial with Money Back Guarantee. Buy the product and if you're not completely satisfied, you can return it within 2 months for a refund. For full details click here.
Specifications
- 3 Hyper-pure (102% IACS) VariStrand™ copper conductors
- Fluorocarbon (Teflon®) insulation
- KIMBER UltraPlate™ RCA plugs
- Attenuated option
- Also available with Nickel RCA plugs and balanced version with Swithcraft® XLRs
- PBJ is sold in pairs - one for left and one for right
Basic Electrical Measurements
Single-Ended (RCA):
(Cp) parallel capacitance: 55 pF / meter(Ls) series inductance: 0.77 µH / meter
(Rdc) dc loop resistance: 0.053 Ohm / meter
Balanced (XLR)
(Cp) parallel capacitance: 45.7 pF / meter
(Ls) series inductance: 1.01 µH / meter
(Rdc) dc loop resistance: 0.0836 Ohm / meter
"In a nutshell the PBJ is a great sounding cable with great build quality and at a great price"
Read more about the review here
In his detailed review of the cable, Stephen Mejias of Stereophile magazine notes that:
"The Kimber PBJ interconnects do an outstanding job of re-creating the performance space, setting well-defined musical images within a surprisingly wide, deep soundstage".
That's not the kind of sophisticated improvements that you'd expect from a so-called 'entry-level" cable.
This level of performance is reiterated later on in the review when he observes that "everything I listened to benefited from greater clarity, detail, depth, and presence".
Earlier in the text, Mejias had gone into some detail about the album Take Care by the Canadian rapper Drake. Part of the reason for this was because of the way that the PBJs worked so well with his voice. He reports that "individual words and even individual syllables sound clearer and more precise".
Even more impressive, he goes on to argue, was the fact that:
"the Kimber cables did all this without sacrificing momentum and flow--the stuff that makes a recording sound like music. Even as the Kimbers forced me to analyze my music, they allowed me to form a deeper emotional connection to it. Though Drake's words were sharper and more tightly focused than I'd ever heard them, they also sounded more believably human."
If rap isn't your thing, he noted that the results were consistent across all types of music he listened to. Akhito Obama, for example, is a Japanese musician who plays the shakuhachi - a type of wooden flute. On his piece Kumano Codex 4, the reviewer describes how the musician "just barely pulls the flute from his lips and reaches for a breath" and yet the "Kimbers infused that moment with the sort of life and magic that only the best hi-fi can conjure".
Again; that's a very impressive assessment of a top-flight cable, let alone from the start of a range!
Is CD overload restricting the sound of your system?
Today, it is all too common for an amplifier's performance to be restricted because the output voltage of the CD player or streamer is too high. This can introduce distortion to the sound and restricts the amount of volume control you have. The problem can also occur with other components too, such as DVD/Blu-ray players, tuners, SACD players, MiniDisc players and even, on occasion, turntables!
The solution is to use an interconnect which 'attenuates' the signal from the CD player allowing a much more controlled and better sound from your system.
Find out more about attenuation here
