Lyric HG Review by ExHardware

Evidence Audio Lyric HG Instrument cables

Review taken from exhardware.com

Author: Terry Kok

Introduction
Evidence Audio which was founded in 1997 by Tony Farinella, is a company
specialising in musical instrument and studio cables which aims to deliver
performance-based cables at reasonable prices. High quality cables are essential
in getting the best out of your instruments and studio equipment and cables are
perhaps one of the most overlooked components in any setup or studio.
Evidence Audio's latest cable - the Lyric HG, is a high performance instrument
cable designed for high gain amplifiers or guitars with passive pick-ups where
microphonics can be a challenge but can also excel in many lower gain
applications. Let's find out more!

Specifications

• IGL™ Copper conductors
• Smooth midrange and highs
• Solid Core Conductors
• Preserve clarity and focus, revealing harmonic detail and articulation
• 20 awg Conductor Size
• Large enough to communicate punch and authority, small enough to
• preserve a sense of air and delicacy
• Enchanced Dielectric
• Additional air reduces dielectric involvement
• Conductive skins applied to positive and negative runs
• Reduced microphonics with high gain amps
• High Density Copper Braid Shield
• Nothing but signal gets to your amp
• Woven Cloth Jacket - Increases flexibility and protection for stage use

For those who are interested in knowing
more, Evidence Audio has an excellent page detailing their design philosophy
and is definitely a good read.

Test Setup

Instruments

• Ibanez JS1000BTB Joe Satriani signature Electric guitar (DiMarzio PAF Pro & FRED passive pickups)
• Fender American Standard Stratocaster (Seymour Duncan Cool Rails passive pickups)

Amplifiers

• Marshall JCM800 Head with cabinet
• Marshall AVT20 Combo

Effects

• Robert Keeley modified BOSS DS-1 "Seeing eye mod" Distortion pedal
• Dunlop 535Q Wah-wah pedal

Cables in comparison

• Evidence Audio Lyric HG Instrument cable
• Monster Performer Rock 500 Instrument cable
• George L's .225 Instrument cable

Recording

• Echo Audio MONA Digital Studio Interface and preamp
• Rode NT1000 Studio condenser microphone
• Pedals wired up

In Use
Evidence Audio recommends approximately 10 hours of break in time for the
Lyric HG cables to sound their best. As the Lyric HG cables are directional,
they must be hooked up in a fixed direction, indicated by the colored ring around
the plugs, the black plug going into the instrument source and the red end going
to the destination. The cables are terminated with Neutrik straight or angled
connectors and TRT Wonder Solder, very high quality solder common among
audiophiles. The Neutrik plugs used here are in my opinion, some of the best 1/4"
plugs I have ever used as they fit just right, are easy to insert and remove, solid
and extremely durable. Neutrik connectors are excellent.

The Lyric HG might be well built but how does it sound? As soon as I hooked up
my rig with the Lyric HGs, I heard a marked difference in tone from the other
cables I was previously using. The sound was noticeably larger, with more
authority and weight but I felt that the cable sounded a little restrained in the high
frequencies. Keeping the recommended break- in period in mind, I decided to let
some signal run through the cable for a few hours before taking another listen.
Sure enough, the tone opened up beautifully, the initial dull restrained top end replaced with one that had just the right amount of bite and attack. If you don't believe that cables make a difference, take a listen to your rig with the Lyric HGs and let them change your mind!

In comparison with the George L's cables, the Lyric HG sounded a lot bigger with
better dynamics and a more balanced frequency spectrum. The George L's
cables in my opinion, tend to sound slightly forward with a brittle top end and
switching over to the Lyric HG brought a lot of body and definition back to the
sound. Monster's Performer 500 on the other hand, had a better balance with a
more prominent bottom end but comes at the expense of note definition and
clarity. This was particularly noticeable at high gain where the sound got a little
muddy and it became very difficult to distinguish one note from the other.
Definition was not a problem with the Lyric HGs, even at high gain where they
remained exceptionally quiet. A good test would be John Petrucci's appregiated
chords in the intro of Overture 1928 (DreamTheater - Scenes from a memory)
where he lets the notes ring throughout with a reasonable amount of distortion.
The combination of the Lyric HGs and the DiMarzio FRED pickup (highly
regarded for it's definition as well) produced some amazing results with superb
definition and sceraming harmonics

Besides high gain applications, the Lyric HGs also excellent in clean sounds,
adding a wonderful chime to chords and licks. We've recorded simple clean
sounds the good old way using a small Marshall AVT20 combo mic’ed with a Rode NT1000 studio condenser mic. The note definition and clarity that the Lyric HGs have
over the GeorgeL and Monster cables was unmistakable.

Conclusion
The Evidence Audio Lyric HGs are fantastic instrument cables and anyone
seeking to improve their tone should seriously consider auditioning these cables.
The cables are very well built and their performance can easily match many other
competitors many times it's price. Don't limit the performance of your instruments
and setup by using cheap cables, give your signal the connectivity they deserve!

Feature Report
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Excellent build quality
- Superb Neutrik connectors
- Good value
Cons
- Slightly stiff but manageable

Report Card
Evidence Audio Lyric HG Instrument cables
Features 8/10
Build quality 9/10
Sound quality 9/10
Value 8/10
Overall Score 9/10

Evidence Audio Lyric HG Instrument cables
EXHardware Editor's Choice - Instrument cables