– 5N pure silver
– Awg22 multistrand litz
– Hand Braided & Soldered
– Soft, Pliable & Zero Microphonics PVC Jacket
Total Score
Introduction
Greetings to all Hifitopia readers from these rainy audiophile days. Today, we’ll be diving into a topic that’s quite important for audiophiles and reviewing a new product. Introducing the latest Master Line version from Lavricables: the Mastern Silver V5!
We’ll explore together the effects of pure silver on sound and what a good upgrade cable can achieve. Lavricables is a company dedicated to this field, producing silver upgrade cables for headphones and speakers. They offer customization options for consumers in their cables. The Master series cables are almost the company’s most sought-after product. Let’s see what they can do.
Disclaimer: The cable in my possession was provided to me by Lavricables in exchange for an honest review. We thank them for supporting independent reviewing and accepting our principles of honesty. This cable was reviewed after approximately 200 hours of burn-in.
Design & Build
Lavricables offers this cable with a wide range of customizable options: you can choose the cable color (light blue or transparent), length, material for the connection points, connector plug, and more. These options affect the price, resulting in a cost between $355 and $462. I really like this, as you can customize it to your needs and get a cable made accordingly.
The Master Silver V5 comes in a simple box with a great pouch, business card, and sticker. It’s a simple and, in my opinion, logical box contents. The included pouch is quite large and of excellent quality. It easily fits inside multiple IEMs.
Master Silver V5
The first word that came to mind when I first held the Master Silver V5 was elegant. I have the transparent version, 1.2m long, with gold-plated jacks and connectors and a 4.4mm jack. This cable, with its carbon details, is quite plain and stylish at the same time, luxurious but not ostentatious. The connectors and connection points are rock-solid, and the workmanship is top-notch: it is flawlessly braided. The jack, Y-splitter, and connectors feature the Lavricables logo. Red and black colors have been chosen to distinguish the left and right sides. The quality of the materials used is superb. The PVC coating on the exterior is highly durable yet soft and does not cause any microphonics. I’ve tried softer cables, but some of them had microphonics and others had poor wire quality. In terms of overall features, I think the Master Silver V5 is quite decent for its price.
Master Silver’s Multistrand Litz Silver
This 4-core cable is made from 5N pure 22AWG litz wires. This makes it soft, flexible, tangle-free, and non-microphonic. Furthermore, it aims to add a clearer timbre to the sound, resulting in a more transparent, detailed, and accurate sounding microdynamics.
Sound & Synergy
In this part of the review, I tried to keep the pairings quite varied, both in terms of price range and tonal synergy. You know, there’s a preconception that non-warm headphones shouldn’t be paired with silver cables. However, I believe that pure silver and “silver-infused” cables will have different effects here. It’s generally observed that silver cables pair wonderfully with warm IEMs. But what about the others? Let’s see what we encounter. I want you to know that I will also consider the quality of the stock cables when evaluating the pairings here.
I always paired the IEMs I used with the Hiby RS8. All comparisons were made with the 4.4mm output in OS mode, AB Class amplifier stage, and H gain. I also always used the same size JVC-Fx10s to eliminate the effects of minor differences. The only variable was always the cable. In general, I used tracks that I listen to regularly and am familiar with.
Lavricables Master Silver V5 With Kiwi Orchestra II
Let’s start with the cheaper one. The Orchestra II is essentially a W-shaped micro-colored neutral sound iem with a 10ba configuration. The most noticeable effect of the Master Silver V5 here was that it refined the sound: the stock cable was dirtier, especially in the lower frequencies. The Master Silver V5, on the other hand, produced a cleaner and more textured low-frequency response while maintaining note weight. Moreover, I hear a bass that is much more distant and deeper: in Santana’s “Maria Maria,” the stock cable has noticeably more scattered bass, while Lavri is far ahead in terms of control and does so without losing its punch.
Of course, the difference isn’t limited to the low frequencies: throughout the rest of the spectrum, separation and instrument spacing increase in the midrange. The Master Silver V5 also contributes to the soundstage here. In the treble range, I can say that the cymbals sound more distinct and resolved, but this is a more subtle difference. The overall sound is more resolved and clean. Moreover, the timbre is more accurate. Considering the price of the iem and the stock cable, the Master Silver V5 gives the Orchestra II a new identity.
Lavricables Master Silver V5 With Lime Ears Terra
The Lime Ears Terra is an IEM with a V-shaped overall tone, offering a highly detailed, balanced, and energetic sound that prioritizes vocals and bass. I should mention that the version I have is a special version sent to reviewers. This version comes with a 23awg UP-OCC copper cable manufactured by Effect Audio. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any information about the purity level of the copper in this cable. However, I know that this version comes with an upgraded cable.
The first difference that struck my ears was that the Master Silver V5 brought out the violins more in Haggard’s “La Terra Santa” and made the percussion more realistic. Along with this, the soundstage widened slightly. I hear the same fast drums in the low frequencies with both cables, but with the Master Silver V5, the drums seem more distant and deeper. In terms of timbre, I hear more energy with the Lavri, but this energy is more evident in the instruments than in the vocals. Lavri Master Silver V5 is more transparent and has a more distinct stereo separation compared to the original cable. Also, the air frequencies are slightly clearer, which adds a more airy and comfortable feel to the sound. There are also minor improvements in instrument separation and positioning. In the lower frequencies, the timbre is almost identical, and the main difference is only in the positioning. The intensity and extension are the same, but the distance from the surface is greater with the Master Silver. An unexpected difference found me in the track “Celestial Tear” from In Mourning: the overall sound seemed much more satisfying to my ears in terms of accuracy, but I only experienced this to such a significant degree with this particular track.
Overall, I see a noticeable cable upgrade. I particularly enjoyed using the RS8 in NOS mode with this setup. The Master Silver V5 works well with the Terra.
Lavricables Master Silver V5 With Noble Kadence
The Noble Kadence is an IEM that produces realistic instrument sounds with a mid-centric sound signature. The first thing that struck me in this pairing was that I was hearing a more holographic sound. It sounds more distinct and distant. With the stock cable, female vocals sound much closer to my ears. Lavricables Master Silver V5 adds a more refined tone to the sound. The trebles sound more natural compared to the stock cable: Especially in the Deram Theater – Hell’s Kitchen track, the sustain on the cymbals is much more realistic. In the lower frequencies, I notice the same difference as in the previous pairing. The bass of the Kadence, which already has light bass, becomes even more distant with the Master Silver V5. Fortunately, there is no change in the intensity level. Looking at the technical aspects, there is no major difference other than the stage feeling more holographic; it feels more airy.
Lavricables Master Silver V5 With FatFreq Grand Maestro
Blue filter, switch off, and with RS8: Technically, there isn’t much difference, but Lavri Master Line still added a bit of separation, and I hear a more refined sound. Considering that a $3000 iem’s stock cable would also be very good, I find it natural that there is no difference in resolution. The stock cable also contains silver, but we don’t know if it’s pure silver or how many N it is. The real difference is in the tonality. There’s a more spacious sound here, and this reflects in the soundstage. Trebles are livelier and slightly more forward. The low frequencies seem slightly recessed, and the overall sound tone shifts towards a more neutral character. Still, there’s warmth present. Considering the tonal character copper cables would add, I find this silver cable pairing much more logical. The Master Silver V5 adds a more realistic timbre here and, as always, positions the bass further away without changing its intensity, which increases the overall midrange focus. Compared to the stock cable, I enjoyed listening more with the Master Silver V5. However, I think the real upgrade for this IEM would be a Lavri Grand Silver.
Last Words
Lavricables’ new 5th generation Master Silver cables offer us reliable high-purity silver at a reasonable price. When properly matched, they will deliver excellent and efficient results, especially with iems in the $1000-$2000 price range. I believe the MK4, which leans slightly warmer, will pair exceptionally well with Crimson IEMs, and specifically with the ie900-600 models. If you’re listening to a warm source or a warm IEM and seeking a silver upgrade cable, Lavricables is one of the options I can confidently recommend.
