about black cat cable
As some of you may know, I’m a classically trained violinist. Chris and I used to have long conversations about what moved people when they listened to music. We both agreed that it was not about an accuracy. Accuracy is not Truth.
Yes, of course, I must be a servant to a composer and be respectful, but playing correct notes from the paper is never enough. And that is where the journey of an artist starts.
For Chris, being measured by some machines to be told that the audio equipment was superb was missing the point. He hooked up his cables to the best audio gear he could afford and spent hours listening to music to see how live and natural the music would sound to him.
It was all subject to his esthetics. This was how he approached his cable making. He was a true artist.
Unlike a live performance, a recorded music has to go through thick layers to reach the audience – first the recording engineer and then his gears, then record pressing, then audio system, from a small piece as the cartridge needle, through wires, to big and obvious, speakers.
I feel honored to be a part of audio manufacturing business to not only continue what Chris started, but to be a bridge to bring audio listeners and musicians together.
Mayu Sommovigo
in memory
About black cat cable
Over the past year since Chris Sommovigo passed away suddenly, we have streamlined the products and worked to establish a new model for producing everything according to the same standard Chris held himself to.
We’re happy and proud to announce that we’re succeeding with this effort and we will be able to keep this amazing product alive.
The History of Black Cat Cable
In 1992 Chris Sommovigo introduced to the world the first truly precision-made 75 Ohm digital coaxial cable under the brand name “ILLUMINATI,” and has since designed more than a dozen other digital cables for the market – either for the Illuminati brand, for Stereovox, or for other brands (such as Kimber Kable and i2Digital). His digital cable designs remain among the most sought after and popular designs in the world, and reasonably so: he proved himself as an effective designer producing positive results.
In 2000, he introduced a new brand: STEREOVOX. Under this marque he examined new concepts in analog signal transfer for high end audio systems, very purposefully exploring the brute-force aspects of mitigating Skin Effect to extremes. The result of that expedition was a catalog of cables that met with 10 years of critical acclaim for their extraordinary performance. His original SEI-600 and LSP-600 were considered among the very best in the world at the time.
During this time Chris introduced a novel concept in conductor technology: the thin-walled, pure copper microtube: CuTube™ for short. At a scant 0.035″ in outer diameter with mere 0.008″ thick walls, annealed dead soft using the purest copper available for tubing, CuTube proved to be the closest thing to a “magic bullet” in Chris’ design portfolio at the time, and it would go on to inform many products throughout the history of Stereovox.
His Xhadow RCA and XLR connector designs were also considered some of the world’s finest, and have even inspired a few copycats!
2008 saw the introduction of a new brand from Chris: STEREOLAB™
Drawing from his ongoing development of specialty conductors (including improvements to CuTube™), and introducing newer technology conductors, the AERON™ dielectric and insulation system, InterPole™ micro-woven conductors, and QuieTex™ noise reduction/absorption technology), the new marque from Chris is his most exciting yet, as it is the umbrella for BLACK CAT CABLE.
Like his other brands that came before, BLACK CAT CABLE remained a small company with a limited output of specialty cables that always radiate from the same core, artisanal ethos. Each cable was personally built by Chris Sommovigo to ensure that Black Cat standards were maintained.
Black Cat didn’t produce many thousands of cables per month, nor did it provide products to hundreds of dealers and distributors … we weren’t able to meet that kind of demand due to the highly specialized nature of our in-house manufacturing processes.
That translated to extremely high-quality audio cables manufactured to high standards using select raw-materials, unique processes, custom tooling and machinery.
The experience continues….
~ in memory of Chris Sommovigo
Knowing that Chris’ cables will live in people’s audio rooms makes my heart warm. I am determined to continue to spread his love of music to the world. As long as the braiding machine whirls and cables make beautiful music, Chris’ legacy will live on.
Mayu Sommovigo
Black Cat Cable