The Acrolink 2070II is the junior member of the 7N interconnect range of Acrolink of Japan.
I had earlier written about the 2400II which is the top of the range of the 6N interconnect range. An opportunity arose to acquire the 2070II at a decent price and I took it without hesitation. I have actually heard the 2070II before briefly at Audio Basic in Adelphi but did not want to consider it due to its considerable expense.
Physically, the 2070II and 2400II are quite similar in that they have a transparent outer insulation layer which shows off a metal braid shield underneath. Both utilize extremely bad and mean (I mean that in a complimentary way) looking RCA plugs that looks like they can be worn as hi-fi bling bling. Sporting carbon fiber bodies and rhodium plated pins, they certainly look the price and exude class.
The 2070II is physically larger and substantially heavier than the 2400II and its RCA plugs are quite large (and actually too close for comfort on tightly spaced RCA sockets). Owners of light weight T-amps beware, your cable will probably end up pulling down the amp if you are not careful. To its credit, the cable itself is relatively flexible. On an utterly trivial and sonically unimportant note, the 2070II comes is a beautiful wood presentation box that was stunning enough to lead my partner to hint that the box was perfect to store her jewelry in.
If you refer to my earlier posts, Acrolink cables have a house sound. Generally detailed, they have extended high frequencies and an overall airy feel to them. The 2070II does not disappoint in this respect. The 2070II differs from the 2400II in the following areas,
1. Bass – Most of the Acrolink cables I have heard are bass light or appear to be bass light due to their emphasis on the high frequency end. The 2070II does not suffer from this at all and has firm and tight bass with appreciable heft compared to the 2400II.
2. Midrange – The 2070II has less forward midrange projection compared to the 2400II. It sounds more mellow in comparison. Also, the midrange has a highly textured feel to it with fine nuances and changes in timbre clearly audible. The 2400II is like sitting a few rows closer with the midrange more 2-D like.
3. Treble – No surprises here. The 2070II continues in the Acrolink tradition of delivering the most beautiful shimmering highs with excellent communication of acoustic space of instruments and the venue. The extra expense here gets you even more refined treble with composure even in the most complex of mixes.
One interesting characteristic of the 2070II is the absolute blackness and quietness of the cable, as well as the sheer amount of micro-detail available. The 2070II in my humble opinion is a significant upgrade over the 2400II although it is quite obviously intended only for fairly high end set-ups given its cost. I like this cable very much. One reservation I have in general is that there is a nagging feel that what is being conveyed is not the truth, but rather than the manufacturer’s artistic impression on what music should sound like. Seriously though, if its artistic viewpoint is this much fun and musically satisfying, why not ?