van den Hul The Wave review

The Wave has a formidable array of talents and is one of the best cables at this kind of money

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

The Wave has a formidable array of talents and is one of the best cables at this kind of money

Pros

  • +

    An open, informative and entertaining cable

  • +

    well built

Cons

  • -

    Nothing of note at this price level

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The distinctive olive-green sheathing of the Wave isn't just there just to look pretty. The colour is deliberately chosen to celebrate van den Hul's 20th year of environmentally friendly cable production.

All the company's cables since the late '80s have been designed to be recyclable, with no environmentally harmful byproducts.

However, as admirable as that sentiment is, it isn't as much of a selling point as this superb cable's performance.

It's been quite some while since we've come across a vdH interconnect at this kind of price level that really impressed us, but The Wave changes that. It's an open and lively cable that's as refined as it is entertaining.

Spread the word...
Dynamics are vivid without being overblown and detail levels are very high.

Add good timing and a smooth treble into the equation and you have a high-quality interconnect that works well in a wide range of systems and across all musical genres.

It helps that build quality is good, too. This simply adds more weight to our view that The Wave deserves serious consideration. It would make an excellent upgrade for any budget hi-fi system.

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.

Read more about how we test