Fono Acustica Virtuoso

Fono Acustica Virtuoso

The Fono Acustica Virtuoso is the flagship cable series from Spanish cable manufacturer Fono Acustica, described by the brand as the finest cables they have ever made. Built on solid-core conductors drawn from a proprietary silver/gold alloy sourced from a Canadian supplier, with Teflon insulation and air-spaced construction, the Virtuoso takes a fundamentally different approach from the Legato's OFC construction. The series covers interconnects, digital cables, speaker cables, and power cords, all sharing a distinctive construction that extends even to the connector bodies. Made in Spain.

Conductors and Insulation

Every cable in the Virtuoso series uses solid-core conductors drawn from Fono Acustica's proprietary silver/gold alloy, sourced from a specialist Canadian supplier. The conductors are insulated with Teflon in an air-spaced construction, a geometry that minimizes the contact between the dielectric material and the conductor to preserve signal integrity. An external shield surrounds the conductor assembly. The conductors and shield are then inserted into a silicon sleeve, which is wrapped in a cotton mix outer layer containing conductive filaments that add a further layer of shielding. Fono Acustica's philosophy, as stated by founder Félix Ávalos, avoids pseudo-scientific claims: "If it sounds better, it is better."

Connector Bodies

The connector bodies on the Virtuoso are milled from solid blocks of the same silver/gold alloy used for the conductors themselves. This applies across all cable types in the series. The speaker cable spades incorporate a precision hinge, machined to allow the cable to be dressed at any angle relative to the speaker terminal without compromising the integrity of the contact. Fono Acustica states the hinge is machined to tight tolerances so there is no audible difference between the hinged spade and a solid spade, and that the hinge can be locked with a small Phillips screw once the cable is positioned. Banana termination is available to order as an alternative to the standard spade. As noted in the Hi-Fi+ review, the level of hand-built detail in the Virtuoso construction "practically redefines meticulous."

Position in the Fono Acustica Lineup

The Virtuoso sits at the top of the Fono Acustica range, above the Armonico and the Legato. Félix Ávalos described the Virtuoso to Positive Feedback as "a whole different cable in every sense" compared to the Armonico, different in both design and sound. The Virtuoso's aesthetic also departs sharply from the blue and black nylon jacket of the Legato, using the silver/gold alloy connector bodies and a distinctive outer construction that has been variously described as bringing a baroque character to the otherwise minimalist world of high-end audio cables.