Or is there?
Firstly, when it comes to cost, let’s not forget that the Resonant cables sit one from the top of the CFM range. Take a couple of steps down that ladder and you reach the black-clad Songbird series – smaller in diameter, two shields rather than three, making it more flexible, easier to use and still with a full OnEarth topology: all at less than half the price of the Resonant.
I’ve listened to both and no, the Songbird isn’t as astonishingly natural and texturally intimate as the Resonant. It can’t match the sheer presence and scale of the larger cable, but it does offer the same open, inviting character, and gets awfully close when it comes to the natural sense of phrasing, dimensionality and musical flow. Importantly, it also offers exactly the same potential to upgrade by stages. CFM have also recently introduced their new Mega Earth Ground Distribution system – a big name for a small box that will allow you to terminate the OnEarth ground leads in a far more elegant manner through the simple expedient of compact cubic construction and smaller connectors. Let’s face it, half a dozen Schukos is always going to demand a significant amount of real estate. The Mega Earth termination system doesn’t reduce the cable count, but it does promise to reduce their bulk and the consequent clutter of extra distribution blocks behind your system. It represents a significant first step in making OnEarth systems more affordable and practical. At the same time, new Schuko/AC plug to eight-way grounding cables have appeared, helping those who want to use (or retain) conventional distribution blocks.
In the meantime, the Resonant cables offer both a beguiling musical performance and a compelling case for their unusual grounding topology. I’ve a feeling we’ve a way to go on this story, but if not exactly the shape of things to come, the CFM cables and their innovative OnEarth grounding system might just be the first example of the next big thing. The status quo in the cable market is long overdue a serious shake up and a total revision of shielding/grounding topology could well be the place to start. I suspect that as impressive as they are and as enjoyable as they’ll be for the few people who get to experience them, the real significance of the CFM cables, at least in their current form, is their proof of concept. The OnEarth grounding system might be complex, confusing and clumsy – but it sure as shootin’ delivers the musical goods. What’s more, it does it irrespective of price, as the broad CFM range so ably demonstrates. The challenge now is to come up with a more elegant implementation. If CFM can get that implementation right and sort out their international distribution, theirs is an approach with a lot to offer. Meanwhile, I can see any open-minded cable manufacturer taking a more than collegial interest in the CFM approach. After all – if you produce a shielded cable, then the OnEarth approach could be applied…
