Clarity Cable of Wichita, KS had a neat little demo going at T.H.E. Show. Rather than pairing their single cable line and new Clarity Audio Pillows with high-priced electronics, they intentionally chose inexpensive mass-market electronics. With a twist. The Infinity Beta 50 speakers were rewired with Clarity wire. (You can also find Clarity wire in MaxxHorn speakers). The CD player was a Panasonic DMP-BD30 with a flimsy chassis, etc. Yet the sound was impressively full-range and inviting.
Part of the secret, they told me, was Clarity's new vibration control pillows. "Put cable vibration to bed" is the company's line on these extremely lightweight babies. They contain a composite of materials—they wouldn't tell me what—and are promised to be covered in black satin or something similar that looks far better than what you see in the photo. Clarity Audio Pillows cost $60 each for the large size (meant to be put atop components) and $30 for small pillows that wrap around interconnects. I'm told that a more expensive player (
eg, Esoteric) needs fewer pillows, because it vibrates less than the cheap stuff.
Clarity's line includes different cabling for digital and analog. I didn't get a full price list, but a 2m pair of loudspeaker cables for digital amps costs $1800.
Clarity also demmed MaxxHorn's BlueMaxx CD Cleaner. Even though I was given a bottle to try at RMAF last fall, I've been relying on another brand that I knew greatly improved bass retrieval and dynamics. From the before-and-after demo I heard in Clarity's room, BlueMaxx does much the same thing. Gotta compare products when I get home. I'm so glad the stuff comes in a large bottle—far more economical than the competition
