Bass Oval
Yellow Oval
Compared to the Yellow Oval, the Bass Oval is made from thicker-gauge cable, has a more flexible jacket, and is missing the Yellow’s structural dielectric within the conductor’s oval. It’s more subtle visually, too: There were gigs where the Yellow’s bumblebee look was simply too garish. Both cables come standard with Analysis Plus straight or right angle plugs, but Neutrik Silent Plugs are available for a small upcharge. The Analysis Plus plugs were rugged (as was the cable/plug junction), but they don’t work well in some jacks, like on my F Bass BN-5. Analysis Plus makes this clear on the website and suggests going for the Neutrik for use with certain panel-style q" jacks. Regardless, the cables seemed fit for many years of abuse, and they were extremely quiet and resistant to microphonics throughout testing.
The capacitance of each cable was fairly high, 53pF/ft for the Bass Oval and 73pF/ft for the Yellow. Capacitance (the ability of a cable to store an electric charge) is one way of measuring a cable’s transparency with regard to high frequencies, but in my experience, it is just one of many important variables that contribute to different cables’ unique sound. Compared to one another, the cables sound subtly different, with the Yellow being a touch shier in the mids and smoother on the top. Each is balanced, rich, and full-bodied, without murky low-mid clutter and brittle clangorous highs. Either cable would be a great choice for a bass, although I found the Bass Oval a little more hi-fi than the Yellow, if that’s your thing.
ANALYSIS PLUS
Street Bass Oval, $99 as tested (10'); Yellow Oval, $109 as tested (10')
Pros Sweet and rich with excellent top-tobottom detail
Cons A little stiff and bulky
Bottom line Wonderfully musical-sounding cables with a high-end look and feel.
CONTACT
www.analysisplus.com
888-579-0386