Hijiri Nagomi X-DCH15
A cable of feeding for more than 1,000 € it is for many a folly.
But by no means we can refuse to comment its performances.
The power cable Hijiri
Nagomi is produced by
Combak Corporation, aJapanese company that has
operated in the hi-fi sector
since 1990 with variousmarks: famous Harmonix forthe devices of “refinement”
of the sound, Reimyo forelectronic, Encore forspeakers and Hijiri for thecables. The company
philosophy foresees a single
model for each type ofproduct, on which to focus
the whole design andconstruction efforts.
AUDIOREVIEW has already had theopportunity to introduce the company's keyman, Kazuo Kiuchi, on the occasion of hisvisit to Italy (AR 365, July 2015). He wasresponsible for the creation of the test cable
whose name, Hijiri Nagomi, can betranslated as "holy fulfillment of the spirit". A
meaning that mirrors the emotions that itpromises.

indication and an inscription in gold
"Extraordinarily Dynamic & Clear". Despite
the good thickness, the cable is soft enoughso that to facilitate its use in fittings insertedin furniture with little room at the back. Fiveavailable lengths, from 1 to 3 ms, in steps ofhalf a meter.

ListeningTechnical and construction
The technical data available are ratherscarce. By Combak we learn that theconductor is made of OFC copper and thatthe cable exploits a technology owner forthe control of the resonance, aimed tooverthrow the disturbances. The outer
diameter is about 1.3 cms, covered with asock cotton in black and blue texture thatmakes it inconspicuous. In the middle
stands the name and the brand of the model
placed on different sides of a well finishedwood splitter, which makes it pleasant thewhole. Terminations are Wattgate 390iRH(Schuko) and 350iRH (IEC), with polarity

Power cable
Cｏstrｕttｏrｅ: Combak Corp･， Ｋａｎａｇａｗａ，Manufacturer:Combak Corp., Kanagawa,Japan. www.combak.net.
Distribｕtｏrｅ Ｐｅr l″ltalia: Ethos srl, Ｖｉａ
Distributor for Italy: Ethos srl, Via della Fonte
ｄｅｌｌａＦｏｎtｅRome.
Ｍｅrａｖ19110sａ,
Meravigliosa,Tel. 06Ｒｏｍａ.Tel.06
5192128 5192128－ ｗｗｗ.ｅthosｆｊｎｅａｕdio.ｃｏｍ
www.ethosfineaudio.com
Price: € 1,150.00
m, + € 150.00 every 0.5
Ｐrｅｚｚｏ:ｅｕro l.150,001.0
1,0m,十ｅｕrom additional.
150,00 09n1 0,5 m a991ｕｎtiｖi
Ｇｉａｐｐｏｎｅ. ｗｗｗ.ｃｏｍｂａｋ,ｎｅt

CHARACTERISTICS DECLARED BY THE
CARATTERISTICHEDICHIARATEMANUFACTURERDALCOSTRUTTORE

Type:
Power cable.
TiP○:
ｃａｖｏｄｉａｌｉｍｅｎtａzｉｏｎｅ. Ｍａtｅrｉａｌｅ
Conductor material: OFC copper.
Connectors: Wattgate 390iRH (Schuko) and9ate 3901RH (Schｕko)e 3501RH (IEC).Lｕｎ350iRH (IEC).
9heｚｚe disPonibili: 1,0m,1,5m,2,0m,2,5
Available lengths: 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 2.5 m
me3,0ｍand 3.0 m.
ｃｏｎｄｕttｏrｅ: rａｍｅ ＯＦＣ. Ｃｏｎｎｅttｏri: Ｗａtt-

AUDIOreview No. 374 April 2016

The running of Nagomi has lasted aroundthree hundred hours, necessary to bring thecable to the best of its performance.
Different kinds of equipment have been
used, from the digital source Cary Audio
303T, amplifier Yamaha R-S700 and B & W
PM1 speakers alternated with ProAc Studio110. By connecting the amplifier Nagomi I
notice an improvement in the balanceharmonious system; mind you, not it played
badly before but now the sound seems tohave gained more sweetness and harmonyin all frequency ranges. With the passage"Too Darn Hot" of Stacey Kent the initial
piano seems almost suspended in the air,very beautiful, and the singer's voice ispersuasive and captivating; a great
articulation of the sax. The sound stage
even before the insertion of Nagomi wasexcellent, well developed in the three axes,
but with the cable Hijiri the perception of an
improvement in this parameter is sensitiveand increases the involvement in themusical context, where the scanning ofsound levels and dynamic find new vitality.
With the passage "Jardin d'hiver", performedby Stacey Kent in a live recording, thefeeling of being in front of the orchestra,
submerged the event live, it is remarkable.
The contrabbasso is deep and braked, thesinger’s voice is clean and airy, the pianoand battery that accompany the whole
performance are in perfect focus. Turning toSting, "Englishman in New York", one isimpressed by the surrender of the amplifier
whose sound has a body and a moreconvincing speed than ever. The percussive
attack is clear, precise, braked, authoritative,
with a large dynamic, so as to make it look
like the whole plant of a higher level. By
entering Nagomi in a very different caliber
systems, the effect was more or less similar.
For example, I used it to feed thepreamplifier McIntosh C50 (instead of afascinating Neutral Cable) combined to themonophonic ends of the same house
MC601. As a speaker, I used the B & W 802
Diamond and as the source McIntosh
MCD1100. From the very first passage I
have had the feeling of a silky, transparent
sound with a high range and a very refined
grain almost imperceptible. Mina and De
André voices are well centered, involving,with the piano to clear the background and apleasant presence effect in a very widesoundstage that helps the total involvementin the musical context.

Conclusions
With Nagomi you come into contact with thebest Japanese high fidelity school, wheretechnology and legend come together in aunique synergy. Dynamics, transparency
and good tonal balance are the salientfeatures of this cable, that is able to makethe electronics to the best of their ability.
The performance expressed are of notable
thickness; nevertheless, considering thehigh price, its insertion is advisable inparticularly important systems, where every
other parameter has been developed andthe use of a very good cable can make thedifference.

Leonardo Bianchini83