TCI Viper II review

Smooth sounding, but lacking precision Tested at £45

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

One for long listening sessions, the Viper II sadly falls down a little when it comes to precision

Pros

  • +

    Smooth, easygoing sound

  • +

    reasonably engaging performance

Cons

  • -

    Doesn’t have the precision of the best

  • -

    dynamics a little lacking

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Solidly built, but no-nonsense. That’s how we’d sum up the TCI Viper II’s construction. And that’s a good thing – after all, we’d rather our money went on decent sound quality than bling…

We connected it between our reference Cyrus CD6 SE CD player and Roksan Caspian M2 integrated amp (with ATC SCM11 speakers completing the setup), set Joan Osborne’s One Of Us spinning and were immediately struck by its smoothness.

It delivers an easygoing performance that doesn’t grate in the high-frequencies, but doesn’t quite have the rhythmic or dynamic precision of the likes of Chord’s multi-Award-winning CrimsonPlus or Merlin’s Mozart interconnects.

That’s not to say it can’t do exciting, though – it might not be as on-the-money with rhythms as the Mozart, but it does counter this with a slightly more engaging performance.

If you’re not fussed about some slightly wayward timing, then give the Viper II a listen.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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