Atlas Mavros Interconnect with Ultra L (Latik)

This HiFi review examines the impact of Atlas’ latest technology that uses their latest 3D printed technology, called Ultra L (Latik) inside their current Mavros and Asimi RCA interconnectors.

Design

The Ultra L (Latik) technology in the Atlas Mavros RCA interconnector features a new ultra-low mass 3D-printed polyethene ‘lattice’ insulating sleeve.  This sleeve is designed to offer a connector closer to air, which is the perfect cable insulator!

This technology acts in concert with Atlas’ Grun innovation, their earth grounding system available in certain higher-end cables supplied by Atlas.

This review, therefore, features the Atlas Mavros Interconnect with Ultra L (Latik) and Grun earthing technology in place of an ‘older’ Mavros Interconnect that is over five years old and in regular use.  The older cable is broadly the same in respect of having the highest quality 6N (99.99997% purity) copper inside cast using the OCC technique. The continuous cast technique  (OCC) was named after Prof. Atsumi Ohno in the 1970s.

Each Mavros cable consists of a pair of conductors, made up of multi-stranded wires. A pair of identically matched conductors (one for the signal path, the other acts as the return conductor) are enclosed within a multi-layered non-conducting screen incorporating Atlas’ Dual Drain technology to manage RF interference more effectively. The XLR Mavros cables have the same DNA.

Quality

The black sheathed RCA interconnect cable out of the box has a looser feel than the previous iteration of the Mavros interconnect cable. It is beautifully presented in a classy box, and it has a hugely satisfying feel to it. The Grun earthing system is all wired up out-of-the-box. There’s a plastic screw (like on a car tyre valve) that is used for the separate green-coloured Grun cabling to take away any undue ‘noise’. This connects to either a plug adaptor that Atlas offers or to a Grun spade adapter (provided) that can be screwed to a suitable earth, for example on an amplifier chassis.

In the box

There are a pair of Atlas Mavros RCA interconnections, a spade adaptor and a looped Grun grounding cable in a fabric-zipped bag

These 1m Atlas Ultra L Stereo RCA Interconnects are priced at £1,858.50 (Including VAT), delivered. Other and custom lengths are available.

Performance

Review Equipment

This review is supporting an Atlas Mavros loudspeaker upgrade article, that is due in the New Year. The idea of the upgrade review was to look at the journey of upgrading an older Mavros loudspeaker cable with Atlas’ Grun Coherent Earthing technology. This is a new service Atlas offers. Grun deals with unwanted electrical ‘noise’ in cables from RF (Radio Frequency) and EM (Electromagnetic) interference.

I have this RCA interconnector between an iFi Pro iDSD DAC and a Moor Amps Angel preamplifier. The source is an Auralic Aries G2.2 Streaming Transport, and the Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifier is driving a pair of Kudos Titan 505 loudspeakers.  I have an Atlas Hyper USB cable between the streamer and the DAC.

Physically

I have the interconnector Grun cables at the preamplifier end, I may have this the wrong way around, but I have run it this way now and I cannot see it makes too much difference. I have the Grun cables connected to a ground screw on a spiked Atlas Eos 2.5em power distribution block, in turn, connected to the mains by an Atlas Eos dd power cable.

Impact of the Atlas Mavros Interconnect with Ultra L (Latik) and Grun

…there’s a discernible uplift in the forward presentation…  it’s tangible and compelling.

I’m listening for any tangible improvement over the well-worn older Atlas Mavros interconnect between the DAC and the preamplifier that comes through the system. For this, I usually choose a few tracks I know well and see (or rather hear) if there is anything there.

After much switching, concentrating and removal of confirmation bias, there is something here, I’m going to want to stick with the updated cable, no doubt. We should bear in mind I’m comparing old Mavros cables to new Mavros, so it is all going to be good at this level (although not necessarily, but it is…). For example, certainly, if I concentrate on the space in Pearl Jam’s Yellow Leadbetter (Qobuz 16-bit, 44.1kHz), in swapping the new cable there’s a discernible uplift in the forward presentation for me in this system, Mike McCready’s lead guitar has edge and a firmer delivery, it’s tangible and compelling.

This is an exercise in trying to hear improvement at this stage. Once your A-B work has been completed, there is no going back as the time slips away and the music takes you along and re-affirms your belief, confidence no less, in the system you have. That is certainly the case here.

At the end of the day, this is about the music. Listening to Ryan Adams’ Live version of New York New York at Carnegie Hall (as a nerd-out, I prefer the 17th November version over the 14th November guitar-led one), the noise floor is so low with this newer Mavros interconnect, the silence in the presentation is darker, more noticeable, more meaningful. In truth, I have listened to this track hundreds of times on both vinyl and digital so I can feel this track.

Musical Interlude

Here’s the Qobuz playlist for this and the Mavros loudspeaker cable upgrade review. Make sure you listen to Trevor Horn/Lady Blackbird’s version of Slave to the Rhythm! It is such a great track.

Overall

…this feels like a gain.

There are marginal gains and there are gains to be made in most HiFi systems; this feels like a gain. If you have a half-decent system, you’re going to want to try this upgrade, it will be worth it. There’s a quality here that hints at clarity in both manufacture and thinking from Atlas in higher-end cable production.

Specification

Full details are on the company’s site.

Where to Buy

The Atlas Mavros Ultra L Grun 2 RCA to 2 RCA Audio Cable is available at Future Shop*
here
*This is a sponsored link